Customer Reviews

Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court (The Knights of Arrethtrae)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Chessington, his father the Noble Knight and merchant Sir Barrington watches along with his peers as squire Bentley takes the sacred vows to adhere to Lord Kifus' Articles of Code and of being a Noble Knight of Arrethtrae from his mentor Sir York. Soon afterward, while on constant missions to kill the Followers of the recently murdered Prince, Sir Bentley has doubts that his side is in the right though Sir York proclaims they are doing the King's work. The lad notices how the Followers only defend themselves, but never attack first.

His unit gets into a deadly battle with ferocious fighters in which two Followers join their side. Afterward Sir York demands Sir Bentley kill the two men. Stunned he refuses, enabling them to escape while Sir York condemns him. The Followers Esmond and Trae explain to Bentley that they just fought the Vinceno Knights trained by the fallen angels Shadow Warriors. Bentley says goodbye to his parents; his father tells him he is proud of him as honor is important and is not proud of what he saw happen to the Prince. Bentley needs to learn who is right about the Prince as the Knights insist he was a charlatan while his Followers believe he was the King's son sent to help the people. Bentley meets Eirwyn who under the tutelage of the mysterious Gardener distributes food to the poor of Holbrook where affluent Lord Kingsley and his court flaunt their wealth. However, Bentley and Eirwyn soon find themselves battling evil as the Shadow Warriors attack the castle and the village.

The sequel to SIR KENDRICK AND THE CASTLE OF BEL LIONE is a terrific exciting Christian parable that grips the audience from the moment Bentley begins to doubt his mentor as he sees dishonorable actions on his side and honorable behavior by their foes. His quest is exhilarating as he needs to know the truth about the Prince, the Shadow Warriors, and why the Noble Knights of Arrethtrae killed him.

Harriet Klausner

This is a wonderful allegorical tale that was well-written with an interesting plot. The author draws you in with loveable characters that you can relate to. While the story is full of mystery, the allegorical aspect was clear enough to be readily picked up by young and old alike. While this book is considered for ages 9-12, I thoroughly enjoyed it myself. It is also a great story to read-aloud to your children or Sunday School class.

Review written by 16 year old boy:

Sir Bentley is a heartwarming story about a young Noble Knight whose sole purpose is to imprison the Knights of the Prince. As he encounters more and more of these Knights, he sees that they are not this huge problem that his fellow knights and leaders claims they are. Seeing them and how they treat others with kindness, even those Noble Knights that persecute them, changes Sir Bentley's opinion about them he admits how wrong he has been to persecute them. Sir Bentley becomes discontented with his empty life and he begins to seek the truth of the Prince. On his way to a town he sees disaster strike, crippling a man and leaving his family destitute and with no means of paying the heavy taxes demanded in that region. Seeing an opportunity to help just as the Prince would have, he stays with the family and learns how to work the fields and tend to the animals. While staying with this family he meets the Mercy Maiden, a truly repulsive looking girl with the heart of diamond. The Mercy Maiden helps the families that are suffering from being taxed or are diseased. He learns to love the selflessness of the Mercy Maiden and wants to defend her from evil. She teaches him about the Prince and living a selfless life.
Unlike the "Kingdom Series", the "Knights of Arrethtrae" does not tell allegories of bible stories, rather it takes lessons and individual verses and tells a story based on that. Sir Bentley shows the values of looking beyond someone's dirty rags and seeing them as they truly are; not a peasant or farmer but as fellow knights and ladies. Sir Bentley is a beautiful story that motivates and encourages me to see what I can do to help those around me and to always spread the good news.

I only use 5 stars on books I buy for my permanent library. This book is part of my "all ages" library.

Would I/Did I buy it? Yes
Would I read it again? Yes
Would I recommend it to friends? Yes

This is a review of the AUDIOBOOK version of the story

The second book in the Knights of Arrethtrae series was very exciting. It's about Sir Bentley who goes from the life of a wealthy man's son to a hard working peasant, by his own choice. While trying to search out the truth about a stranger (the prince), he ends up in the city of Holbrook where evil is running rampant. He also meets the mysterious Maiden of Mercy, named Eirwyn, who is trying to lessen the suffering of the citizens of Holbrook. A lot is in store for Sir Bentley in this story including a vicious sea monster and a cruel Dark Knight. You don't want to miss it.

I really enjoyed the spiritual application and characters found in this book. The twists were unexpected and made the book all the better. I also had a hard time putting this book down and know that you will too, if you give it a chance. I recommend it to older kids and teens that need encouragement in the faith of Christianity.

This book was great!!! Full of action and adventure and just a touch of romance, I would read it again and again. Great plot, lovable characters and some evil bad guys, this one is definetly my favorite in the Knights of Arrethtae!!!!!!

All of the Chuck Black Kingdom Series and now the Knights of Arrethtrae series Audio books are superb! This one is no exception. Have immensely enjoyed listening to it.

does it again. Chuck Black writes fiction that kids can really get hooked on, especially boys! My son is 11 and Chuck Black is his hands down favorite author. He reads his books again and again. He says that each one is better than the one before. My 13 yr. old daughter also enjoys reading them.

It was a good day for young Sir Bently's family when he took the oath of the order of the Noble Knights, swearing to uphold the honor of the knights and to protect them always. When word comes that a handful of Followers are meeting in a nearby hut, Bently is happy to join the group of knights sent to investigate. On the way, they are overpowered by five massive warriors. Just when it looks as if all is lost, four other warriors, bearing the mark of the Stranger, identifying them as Followers, drive off the invaders. Since the Followers are the very people the knights set out to capture, Bently has questions. He asks his father to explain who the Stranger is. As his father ells it, they executed the Stranger, but his men still give up everything to follow him. Bently knows the price he will have to pay if he gives up the knighthood, but the Stranger is calling him. He sets out to learn the truth.
Chuck Black is a new writer for me, and I loved this story. I couldn't put it down. A fascinating tale of the battle between Jesus and Satan, set in a fantastic land of knights and ladies, dragons, wealth and crushing poverty. If you like fantasy, don't miss this one. Strongly recommended.

When I first picked up Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court, the second book in the series, I was afraid I might be lost not having read the first. That wasn't the case. The book had a couple of pages of introduction to the Knights of Arrethtrae, which became very clear that the first book was a retelling of Christ with knights and kings as the background.

Knowing that it was an allegory of sorts, it was easy to understand who they were talking about, and having read other such books, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this one as much, but I did! Soon the allegory got lost in the story and it turned out to be a very fast, worthwhile read.