The Dark Foundations (The Lamb among the Stars, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Chris Walley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

The Dark Foundations continues the epic story begun in The Shadow and Night. Far beyond the tranquility of the Assembly worlds, Nezhuala, Lord-Emperor of the Dominion, is preparing a merciless and crushing attack on Farholme as a prelude to an onslaught on the Assembly. Back on Farholme, Commander Merral D’Avanos recovers from his wounds after the battle at Fallambet where the intruders were destroyed. Yet even as Merral dreams of a return to peace, he receives a warning of imminent war on a massive scale he cannot ignore. Amid the urgent preparations for battle, Merral and his friends realize the inadequacy of their defenses. Then, with weeks to spare before the predicted eve of ware, Merral receives an offer of assistance from the strangest of sources. But can it be trusted? As the wave of war finally crashes over Farholme, Merral must find the answer to other questions in the heat of battle: Can Farholme survive the growing internal strains? Who will pay the price for victory? Will his own weaknesses undo both him and his world?

Editorial Reviews

Review

With The Shadow and Night, we barely saw the beginnings of Chris Walley's epic Lamb Among the Stars series. Evil returned to the Assembly Worlds after thousands of years of peace and contentment. Then-Forester Merral D'Avanos discovered the intrusion on the distant planet of Farholme, but before he and his friends could warn the rest of the Assembly, their space Gate was destroyed, cutting off communication and swift travel between their planets.

The Dark Foundations wastes no time in expanding the story immensely by revealing the two opposing forces in this interstellar struggle—both the Assembly and the Dominion of Lord-Emperor Nezhuala. While Farholme is the central battle in this struggle, the forces in play stretch across the galaxy with consequences for trillions of people.

Nezhuala seeks nothing less than total conquest of the Assembly, and Farholme is but his first beachhead. A group of diplomats arrive first, attempting to convince Farholme to join the Dominion peaceably. Merral, now Commander of Farholme's fledgling defense force, and his friends are faced with evil and deception unlike anything they've faced in their lives... even as the corruption of sin spreads throughout their own society.

While Walley broadens the scope and scale of this sci-fi epic, he manages to return the focus to his core characters (and a few new ones) for the majority of the volume. Merral, Vero, et al, who became real to readers in the first part of this series, continue their development, in many ways. Merral himself faces struggles both personal and spiritual, leading to a beautiful climax between good and evil.

At the same time, Walley develops some of the unique sci-fi/spiritual concepts he introduced earlier, such as Below-Space and the Dominion's demonic connections, as well as introducing new and even more fascinating concepts (such as a sci-fi equivalent to the Tower of Babel).

Despite its length, this entire series doesn't feel too long—in fact, it feels too short so far. There's so much more that can happen, and I'm very anxious to see the next volume. Highly Recommended (Christian Fiction Review )

About the Author

Born in Wales, Chris Walley grew up in northern England. He studied earth sciences at university and has a doctorate in geology. He taught at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon from 1980 to 1984 and then returned to Wales and spent ten years as a consultant with the oil industry. He began writing in the late eighties and had two novels, Heart of Stone and Rock of Refuge, published under the pseudonym of John Haworth. In 1994, along with his family, Chris returned to Lebanon to teach again at AUB. In 1998, he came back to Wales and began writing again. He is currently fitting his writing in between teaching geology, environmental science, and geography at a local college. Chris and his wife live in an old cottage on the edge of Swansea.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 15 and up
  
• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414307675
• ISBN-13: 978-1414307671
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #935,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris Walley never disappoints, February 22, 2007

By 

Barbara Warren - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dark Foundations (The Lamb among the Stars, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Life has been hard for the citizens of Farholme. They've faced many dangers, but the worse is yet to come. A space ship from Below Space, piloted by Captain Lezaroth is approaching. The captain is determined to conquer Farholme and bring it under the control of the lord-emperor. Unlike the Assembly, the Dominion from where Lezaroth comes has never stopped preparing for war. Their weapons are more powerful, their technique more advanced. Lezaroth's most formidable weapons are thousands of wolf-like machines, called Krallen. And while the citizens of Farholme struggle to accept the existance of evil, Lezaroth and his men are cold and ruthless.

The banner of The Lamb and the Stars flies above Merral and his troops, but will The Most High help them? Chris Walley knows just how to kick up the suspense another notch. The Dark Foundations is a wild story of action, danger, fear and faith, and is possibly the best one yet in this absorbing series. If you like futuristic fiction, don't miss this one.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just keeps getting better!, November 1, 2006

By 

Patricia Cummings "dogs5" (Maryville, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dark Foundations (The Lamb among the Stars, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Walley's writing continues to amaze, entertain, and enlighten. This series shows incredible imagination and much spiritual insight. If I had to sum it up....it's "Star Wars" the way it should have been written...with the real "dark side" against the heavenly forces. I have and will continue to strongly recommend it to all my friends.
I only have a couple of small eschatological reservations, and I don't think those interfere at all with the enjoyment of a great series. It's not the idea of a sinless milennium much longer than a thousand years...that's always been open to interpretation. But the characters living sinless lives don't seem to have much of an intimate or spirit-filled interior life with God. That didn't ring true. And in this book, there is a strong demonic power with the ability to read human minds. That would violate our free will.
However, neither of these would cause me to give Walley's marvelous writing anything less than a top recommendation.
Also, as others have indicated in reviewing the first couple of books in this series...the category of "young adult" isn't really accurate. Adults will enjoy thoroughly...and may glean more spritual insight as well.
Job well done...can't wait for the final book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Whole New World!, January 11, 2007

By 

T. Schroeder "tosch" (Lexington, NE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dark Foundations (The Lamb among the Stars, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Excellent work! Chris Walley's writing is very well done. His ability to draw us into the world that he creates in this series is pure enjoyment. I was able to believe and understand without having to work hard at concentrating on characters and places. The characters are developed beautifully and the dynamic of their relationships come to life. Nothing is awkward, but fits together really well and flows easily, leaving the reader with the feeling that there is plenty more to come. The third book of the series does not let down or flounder. When, in fact, the story unfolds there is so much more impact than what was expected. I'm left anxiously waiting for the fourth book.
The real beauty is the spiritual gems that come through at different places in the story. The author weaves a great tale with truths to chew on. If you like christian fiction, you will enjoy this read. If you like science fiction themes on top of that, you'll love this read.