Christian YA Action/Adventure review: Daniel and the Sun Sword by Nathan Lumbatis
This tale’s a wild ride with spiritual warfare, monsters, demons, action, adventure, coming of age, orphans, adoption, abuse, and the kitchen sink. This is Raiders of the Lost Ark in Machu Picchu. It’s action/adventure way over the top—great fun.
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As it started, it read like a horror tale—and I do not like horror tales at all. But I decided to grin an’ bear it. Teens will love the gory descriptions of the monstrous demons, mind slaves, and all the rest. I didn’t but that’s just me. Here’s the blurb:
Thirteen-year-old Daniel is about to be adopted. But when he learns his new family wants him as a slave, he runs away with the help of his new neighbors, the naïve and cowardly Ben, and Raylin, a mysterious girl with a shady past.
He begins to second-guess his decision when the cave they hide in transports them to the ruins of Machu Picchu, where they find themselves embroiled in a battle between ancient gods of Life and Death. To top things off, the God of Life draws Daniel into the fray by adopting him as his son and setting him on a quest to complete a broken, mystical sword, a task that will pit him against the god of the underworld.
Now, Daniel and his friends have just one weekend to find the shards before a hoard of supernatural enemies catch up. But that’s not all they face. A trap has been set that even Daniel wouldn’t expect, and he just took the bait.
Will the power of his Heavenly Father be enough to save them?
There’s not a hint of truth as the story begins
This is heathen horror run amok. I was on the edge of putting it down when I started to see glimmers of reality around the edges. Amidst all the Incan evil in the high Andes of Peru, I started to see speculative Biblical truth. Though the Incan gods and mythology seem to be accurately portrayed, their subservience to true spiritual reality becomes clear.
This may well be spiritual truth expressed in a non-threatening way that barely believing teens might accept to the place where they are led into full belief. That remains to be seen. But if you buy a copy for your child, prayers in that direction are certainly possible and might well have a good result. I would read it first.
Spiritually, this is nearly five-star
However, this is not a work of doctrinal purity. There are no classic born from above experiences, but they are certainly implied. Jesus is only hinted at, but the truth about what He did is set as a standard. God speaks to His children, and they come to know Him.
The action is highly speculative, and wildly creative. Nevertheless, there’s an underlying reality which cannot be denied. I highly recommend this book. But read it first and gently check to see if your child has questions.
Nathan gave me a pre-release PDF in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.
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