Customer Reviews

Kingdom's Hope (Kingdom, Book 2)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The second book in the Kingdom series does not disappoint the reader. It is as positive a work of fiction as the first, Kingdom's Dawn. Here again, I did not catch all of the symbolism that the author meant, reading the study questions at the end of the book. However, in no way does that detract from the book.

Leinad is the leader of the Christian people and his faith in the King, our Lord, is very strong. It is obvious during the first half of the book he represents Moses. The bond between Tess and Leinad is growing stronger throughout the book. Leinad frees the slaves and they begin their journey to the promised land. As the book progresses, it becomes clearer that Leinad's sword represents the King's Word.

The people face many hardships and challenges. Eventually they do reach Chessington. This is the land that the King promised would be good and they would be prosperous. Over the years there they lose faith and become doubters. Leinad tries his hardest to prevent this from happening and tries to convince them to keep their faith in the King but Lord Quinn's wife, Moradiah, is evil. She sways the people and convinces them not to follow the King's Code.

The result is the downfall of Chessington and the people becoming enslaved once again. Leinad's faith is still strong. and he fights for the people to free them again. Tess and Audric help. Their faith becomes stronger and the King helps them in their fight to free the people a second time. At the end of the book we are introduced to the coming of the Prince--Jesus and the hope that this brings.

Author Black has another winner here. The story just seems to flow and leaves the reader wanting more. I think this is a very good book for teens and maybe even children a little younger to read and learn from. Personally, I believe that the book would be a great instrument to be used in Sunday school classrooms.

Armchair Interviews says: The author utilizes the fascination children have with knights to get some very important lessons across without being overbearing.

Having read the Kingdom's Hope, I was truly surprised to read of an attempted rape (as mentioned in D. White's review). So much so, that I had to find that section and see what I'd missed. But I had missed nothing. Check it out for yourself on Amazon's Online Reader (a great feature!), page 64. I believe there is nothing there that is inappropriate for children.

These books are truly good books for children. They present good morals, beliefs, values, and everything else healthy for children. With these books, you do not have to worry about what your child is reading - a rare occurrence in our world today!

Review written by 16 year old boy:

Kingdom's Hope begins in the Banteen desert where Sir Leinad is knighted as a true Knight of the King and is given his first mission. The King wants him to go and free all of His people from the cruel hand of Lord Fairos and take them to the beautiful Chessington Valley. This turns out to be not so easy as Lord Fairos is not a generous man and not prone to giving things away especially things that enlarge his powerful kingdom. Leinad challenges Fairos to a duel and whoever wins is the duel gets the people, but Fairos, after losing in front of his entire army and all the slaves, refuses to let them go. It is not until Fairos, accidentally, kills his own son that he is willing to let the people go. Through a long, hard journey where many of the people leave in rebellion, they make it to the Chessington Valley and build a vast, prosperous city. The people however foolishly believe they need a king and appoint one to rule over them. This however proves to be their downfall for the king marries someone that has no regard for the True King or His Laws. Because of this woman's influence, the entire city rebels and calamity befalls everyone. For a year they are oppressed and put into slavery again, but their King was kind and knowing they had learned an important lesson, he brings them back to the Chessington Valley where they begin anew.

Kingdom's Hope is a parallel to the Old Testament beginning with Pharaoh enslaving God's people, Solomon with his wives and their idols, and then to God's people being taken by Babylon and being enslaved again. Chuck Black has done an amazing job of writing a beautiful story that captivates your imagination and takes it on a wonderful adventure. I love this book and the correlations between it and the Bible are masterfully done.

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

This is a review of the AUDIOBOOK version of the story

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

Chuck Black's "Kingdom Series" is an enthralling mix of fantasy and historical fiction. Set in a medieval world called Arrethtrae, Black's novels retell biblical events in a compelling manner.

Continued from "Kingdom's Dawn," this next installment involves eighteen-year-old Leonard freeing "The King's" people from ruthless Lord Pharross. After the people have journeyed to the land of Chesington and established a city, they promise to uphold "The King" and his Code. However, treachery and pride, as well as the ongoing struggle against Lucius, "The Dark Knight," threaten to destroy "The King's" plans. The final climactic battle will leave you breathless! Retelling the events of Exodus, the story of Elijah, and Israel's exile to Babylon, the author presents a marvelous tale about steadfastness and faith in the midst of peril.

The audio version is magnificent. Andrew Turley and Dawn Marshall once again read with great expression. Each character is easy to recognize, and the stirring music and sounds set the stage. The author once again emphasizes the spiritual struggles we daily encounter. His faithful characters provide us all with wonderful examples to emulate. Happy listening, and God bless!

We are studying medieval times and this played right in to our studies. A great fictional work from a biblical standpoint. My 9 & 10 year old boys loved it.

The ordered book arrived in just three days and in perfect condition for an used item.

Great service and value!

Kingdom's Dawn is the first of Chuck Black's Kingdom series set in midieval times and his approach to good vs evil is very dramatic and exciting. Black uses his character, Cedric, to tell the story in such a way that I immediately loved 16 year old Leinad and I liked traveliing with him as he is paired up with a young slave girl on the most important mission of his life: to fight the enemy whose goal is to destroy the King's plan to restore His kingdom.

The scene where humble Leinad bows before the King and learns from the King that his greatest enemy is really not the Dark Knight, but something that is far more destructive; an enemy that everyone is familiar with, is emotion packed. Leinad bowed before the King as Leinad, but rose as Sir Leinad, Knight of the King!

Black draws on his knowledge of the Bible as he weaves his characters and story line to parallel its truth that the King indeed will be victorious.

Action-packed and a real page turner!

Rita Kroon, author of "Letters from the Past" and "You Have Cancer."

My husband and I have enjoyed the series. These are good Christian books for the car ride. They are really good for guys who aren't in the Faith yet, because the bible messages are hidden in the story. I have non-believers who are enjoying the series as I pass them along.

Kingdom's Hope is a great book for kids. It teaches courage, and pointing to God in times of trouble. It has a great story to it too. I got into this book VERY easily. If you are a person who loves knight stories, this is the one. (might want to read book #1 first, Kingdom's Dawn) :)

My daughter first told me about the Kingdom series in book form when her boys were a bit younger and they read them as a family. When i needed a gift idea for Christmas, she suggested the audio book form as the boys are now teens and like to listen to tapes before going to sleep. I have sence gotten all the audio books of the series and the boys were looking forward to hearing the whole series. They are presented in an interesting and attention keeping manner and I recommend the series.