Review - Tales of Vantoria I - The Sarian's Sword by Robert J. A. Gilbert

Tales of Vantoria I - The Sarian's sword
By Robert J. A. Gilbert

Wenchell is a young bible college student who discovers an ornately decorated leather bound bible in a dusty back room of his college. An ancient map and note in the bible lead him through a portal into another dimension, where flying cars, high tech computers, dragons and wizards are common.

Along with four companions from wildly different worlds, he immediately is thrust into an investigation to determine how certain villages in the Region of Peace are being burned to the ground. Little do they know that God is directing their steps along an altogether different path...

Gilbert has masterfully crafted a fast-paced, humorous tale of adventure and faith, set in Shift, a world where all other dimensions intersect, similar in function but vastly different in character to that in the CS Lewis Narnia series.

Content:
Violence:
Well, it's a tale about a sword, so expect some fighting. But it's not gratuitous or graphically described. Swords intermix with plasma rifles and flaming arrows for interesting battles as the characters fight to survive while unraveling the mystery.

Language:
Clean.

Adult Content:
None, really. There's a few scenes where a kiss is exchanged.

Christian content:
Faith is a predominant feature in this well-written adventure. Some of the characters have their faith challenged as the story progresses, but they are set back on track by the 'Guy with the Bible'. One of my favorite exchanges in this book is:
"I'm just a guy with a... with a Bible."... "Perhaps, in God's plan, the guy with the Bible is needed most of all."

Final analysis:
This is a well-written, entertaining novel with a solid clean faith foundation. I highly recommend it. I'm off to book 2. How about you?


About the Author:

I am a storyteller at heart.

I inherited it from my father who has told stories for as long as I can remember. His stories of his own youth, his travels, and his adventures in Africa as a bush pilot were as inspiring as they were fascinating.

At this time, I am a writer by hobby. I also design board and card games, write songs, and dabble in a few other creative mediums as well. My biggest love is teaching, and it is through teaching that I have discovered the art of fables, parables, and morality tales.  You can read many of these on my blog page.

I hope that you find my work interesting and enjoyable. Most of all, I hope that you come away from my writing with more than a smile—I hope you come away with a better understanding of the real messages I aim to convey.