Beyond the Summerland (The Binding of the Blade, Book 1) [Paperback]

L. B. Graham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

Joraiem and the young Novaana train in the Summerland to rule Kirthanin and to defend it against the evil schemes of Malek.

The Binding of the Blade is an original fantasy series based in part on prophecy from the book of Isaiah. Book 1, Beyond the Summerland, is where the adventure begins for a band of young Novaana, eager to serve and rule the four regions of the world of Kirthanin. Kirthanin is enjoying a time of peace, though Malek, Master of the Forge, and the betrayer of old, controls Agia Muldonai, the Holy Mountain. Malek’s servants are growing bolder and venturing further from their mountain stronghold, and the fragility of Kirthanin’s peace is growing ever clearer. Join this adventure of friendship, love, and betrayal. Ride through majestic forests and sail the forgotten waters. Rest a while in a summer paradise and walk the streets of an ancient and forbidden city. It will be the greatest challenge of their lives, but it is only the beginning.

The Binding of the Blade Series has the world-building of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, the heroic tone of Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, and thematic richness and depth of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. While The Binding of the Blade is distinct from each of these series, these are authors whose works are "similar" in nature to Graham's series.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A staggering accomplishment. The vibrancy and scope of Graham's world-building deserves highest praise. -- Jan P. Dennis, discoverer of Frank Peretti, Stephen R. Lawhead, and Ted Dekker

About the Author

L. B. Graham teaches at the high school level in St. Louis. He has earned degrees in both literature (B.A., Wheaton College) and theology (M.Div., Covenant Theological Seminary). He and his wife have two children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 593 pages
• Publisher: P & R Press (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875527205
• ISBN-13: 978-0875527208
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #664,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

L. B. Graham was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1971. He loved school so much that he never left, transitioning seamlessly between life as a student and life as a teacher. He and his family now live in St. Louis. They would like one day to have a house by the sea, which he wants to call "The Grey Havens." He and his wife have two children. Both love books, which pleases him immensely.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book! SOOO Worth reading!, September 1, 2004

By 

Balehiriel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Summerland (The Binding of the Blade, Book 1) (Paperback)

Fantasy readers will love it, and even those not addicted to fantasy should like it A LOT too. I couldn't put it down once I got into it. A compelling plot with complex characters and an in-depth world. I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it is refreshing to read a book by an author who loves Tolkien but does not simply mimic him. Beyond the Summerland is more approachable than The Lord of the Rings, but still has plenty of depth (something sadly lacking in so many fantasy books). Graham's Christian worldview also shines through, makes this book a must-have for any Christian Fantasy Lover.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, another good Christian Fantasy series!, May 11, 2006

By 

Blood Revenant (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Summerland (The Binding of the Blade, Book 1) (Paperback)

This novel is adept at good characterization and world-building. It is a coming-of-age story for a group of future leaders of Kirthanin. It involves dragons, Great Bear, giants, dark wolves, Malekim, an ancient prophet, Titans, and many other impressive fantasy creatures and people. It is a strong Christian allegory in the tradition of Lewis, though the characters representing angels are presented in a style representative of powerful men of ancient myth. This adds to the fantasy flavor. From Allfather to the powerful, twisted Malek, the story is filled with many imaginative protagonists and antagonists. The adventures are equally impressive and help develop the main characters well.

The controversial ending was hinted at throughout the story, and since I have read the second book, I can say that it was necessary in light of the continuing story.

The only small fault is that some of the dialogue seems a bit too modern in places and not "medieval" enough. That was very minor and doesn't hurt the story as a whole. This is an excellent book and I recommend picking it up!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Underdeveloped and a bit disappointing, June 7, 2005

By 

Nevada L. De Lapp "Neo-Calvinist" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beyond the Summerland (The Binding of the Blade, Book 1) (Paperback)

I purchased this book after reading all the rave reviews and must say that I'm very surprised that some readers would rate this book in the same league as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Before I discuss the problems of the book, let me say a word or two about its strengths. First of all, the story has potential. There are enough interesting twists and turns throughout to keep the reader reading (though don't believe all the hype about the ending being unexpected. I'll admit I was a bit surprised that Graham went through with the ending, but he did hint at it frequently throughout the book ). Second, I liked the way Graham tied hints of Greek mythology into the picture. Third, I was appreciative of the Creation-Fall-Redemption motif that undergirds the story. It provides a nice backdrop and helps hold the story together.

Having said that, this book feels highly underdeveloped on a number of levels. First, the characters are shallow and lack believability. Part of this is because they all seem too perfect (or if evil, stereotypical). Like another reviewer noted: the main character's biggest problems are whether or not to declare his love for a girl and what other people will think of that. After a while, it almost becomes silly. The characters are constantly apologizing to each other and are quickly repentant when they have done something wrong. While these characteristics are laudable, they do not reflect the messy realities of human life with its inner struggle between good and evil (for example: compare Graham's Joraiem with Tolkien's Frodo). Granted, there are villians in the story, but even they lack believable depth (the one exception to all of this is the prologue with the characters Malek and Andunin).

The second problem I had with the book was the dialogue. In connection with the underdeveloped characters, it seemed extremely unnatural. The love scenes especially suffered with the "I love you - no, I love you more" forumla.

In summary, I would say that if I was L.B. Graham's editor, I would have told him something like the following: "you have a good start here, and I think this story has worlds of potential, but you need to flesh out your characters, rewrite several of the scenes heavy with dialogue, and avoid the moralistic tone that creeps into the story from time to time (this could be accomplished in the story by by making the characters actually imperfect and struggling against a deeper inner evil)."