Under the Spell of Dragonspell

It's happened again.  My Wise and Wonderful Sister has introduced me to a marvelous children's book series.  (This time, however, I didn't wait quite as long to read the first book, having learned that generally, she knows what she's talking about when she recommends a book).  Her latest recommendation was Donita K. Paul's DragonKeeper Chronicles.  It begins with DragonSpell, and yeah, I think we're going to have to buy these books.


In DragonSpell, I find a book that begins a journey through a world quite similar to our own, a world in which evil rises up to defeat all that is good, and good men (or rather good doneels, emerlindians, urohms, kimens, mariones, tumanhofers, o'rants, and did I mention dragons?) stand to fight for what is right and good.  A young o'rant slave girl, reluctantly deterred from the honor of servanthood in The Hall by an urgent quest in Paladin's service, learns through sometimes painful, sometimes glorious moments who she is, what freedom means, and from whom true freedom comes.  As Kale is painfully aware, she "has much to learn." But she has learned and is learning still.


I'd been comparing DragonSpell to C.S. Lewis, wondering if I was giving Paul too much credit, when I checked out out the DragonKeeper Chronicles website (click on link over title) and found I wasn't the only one to make the comparison.  While Lewis is Paul's clear literary superior - and while Paul's world of Amara, her characters, plot, and writing style are all uniquely her own, DragonSpell carries echos of Lewis's works.  The epic nature of events, the grand diversity of Amara and its inhabitants, the faith and hope in an invisible, omnipotent someone, the yearning for Paladin and the peace and joy laden interaction of His followers...  All mirror the works of Lewis - perhaps because both writers draw from their experience of the grand Christian adventure.


DragonSpell is definitely a worthwhile read.  The tale is intriguing, the characters endearing, and the content uplifting.  Paul touches on various aspects of theology that will make one want to revisit and mull over her presentations of spiritual truth.  As Kale has much to learn, so do we, and we may learn along with her.


I will share these books with my children joyfully, the words of C.S. Lewis whispering in my mind...


“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” 


DragonSpell meets Lewis's criterion perfectly.