Customer Reviews

Rise of the Dibor (The White Lion Chronicles, Book 1)

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Christian fantasy and science fiction is starting to make a niche for itself. Powerful bestsellers are rising fast since the Left Behind Series made its appearance. With the movie version of C.S. Lewis' immortal The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, more Christian based books are beginning to surface.

Add into the mix a small publishing house and a bright new author by the name of Christopher Hopper you get the feel more Christian allegory is on the way.

The premise of Hopper's first book, The Rise of the Dibor, ask a simple, yet thought provoking question, "What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? What if mankind knew no wrong? Would we still have an enemy?" Hopper answers that question with an emphatic yes!

There is an ancient evil out there bent on destroying all that is good. It will stop at nothing to see that paradise is turned into sinful chaos. As in all good and evil storylines, good has a champion, or in this case champions. Luik, son of Lair, along with his friends are given a commission by the King of Dionia to stop this evil. With the guidance of a skilled master warrior, Luik and his friends are molded into strong and well versed fighting men. Dark days are approaching and many have to rally to save their world.

Rise of the Dibor is a hard book to get into. Though the Dionian language may prove difficult (the use of footnotes helped) it has some flavor of Tolkienese.

One wonders what happened to the editors on this first edition? Did this get passed over on a lunch break or something? One may expect some editorial mishaps from a small press, but this was very poorly edited. Reliance on the spell-checker is not good enough. The human touch and eye were needed on this. Most of the errors were homophones, the meaning could be deduced by the context, but one would hope that these mistakes will be corrected in later editions. The book layout is very nice and effective. However, a more dramatic cover might have been implored to lure readers to buy.

The writing seemed very weak at the beginning. However, by the middle of the story, it had improved enough to carry the remaining of the book. Several of the characters introduced in the beginning simply fail to show by the end of the book. Anorra is one such character that had a hopeful beginning and became a phantom by the final page. Despite all this, Christopher Hopper weaves a story filled with grand characters and stunning scenes with threads dealing with spiritual warfare, discipleship, and the inevitable need for a savior, all standard elements in popular Christian fiction.

Beyond the weak beginning, this is a good tale and Christopher Hopper has created a world filled with believable and likable characters. Hopefully the next book in the series will be better edited and have a much stronger beginning.

"What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? What if mankind knew no wrong? Would we still have an enemy?"

With this premise firmly in hand, Christopher Hopper spins a yarn guaranteed to captivate the armchair adventurer.

Luik, son of Lair, and his band of friends and acquaintances must grow strong, wise, and cunning in order to deal with an ancient evil that threatens destruction and ruin of epic proportions. Along the way friendships are strengthened, alliances are forged, and love blossoms.

Rise of the Dibor, book one in The White Lion Chronicles, was difficult to get into. There is a definite learning curve as one is introduced to the language of Dionia, but the accompanying footnotes smoothed the way.

This first edition was poorly edited, with what appears to have been too much reliance on the spell-checker. But as most of the errors were homophones, the meaning could be deduced by the context.

By the middle of the story, I was thoroughly engrossed. And while the story can be read by adventure lovers of about ten-years-old and up, as an epic adventure, Christopher Hopper takes mature readers to a deeper level, handling such subjects as the origin of evil, spiritual warfare, discipleship, and the inevitable need for a savior, with a clarity that springs from familiarity with his subject.

An added bonus for the computer savvy reader is a dedicated website complete with story background, story trailer (QuickTime is required) and author's biography.

Although initially skeptical (another reviewer compared Rise of the Dibor with both King Arthur and The Lord of the Rings), Christopher Hopper has won me over with a saga that is both more fantastic and more believable than either Middle Earth or Camelot.

Armchair Interviews says: Look forward to this and the next book in this series.

This is a unique book that took a while to draw me in but had an epic ending.

Hopper seemed to have much potential for a good style. There were frequent well-constructed phrases and clever metaphors, but the story was bogged down with many, many typographical errors and frequent confusing sentences.

Plot-wise, there were pros and cons. As I stated before, it took me a long time to get drawn into the book; it was nearly the end before I was truly enjoying it. In many ways the plot or characters were annoyingly predictable, but there were a few unique, dramatic moments, moods, and ideas. The ending was unexpected, clever, and emotional. I didn't care much for this book but shall still read the sequel.

In a completely sin-free and innocent world, Luik is a happy kid with a great family and friends. He's the star rokla player, and his dad is one the seven kings. What more could you want?

But, of course, that doesn't last.

Evil comes to his perfect world. And soon he's off to Kirstell to be one of the 18 elite warriors called the Dibor. Trained physically, mentally and spiritually to the extreme, they're basically Dionia's version of the Navy Seals.

To put it simply, you won't want to put it down. It's fast-paced, incredibly deep and the writing is amazing for a first time author.

But be careful. The cliffhanger ending is the best of any epic fantasy I've read. You'll want the next book, The Lion Vrie, right away.

Already a seasoned musician with eight albums to his name, Christopher Hopper blasts into the world of Christian fiction with his first book Rise of the Dibor: The White Lion Chronicles.

The novel is set in Dionia, an island nation where sin has not yet been introduced. Luik, son of Lair and his league of close-knit friends embark on an epic adventure in their quest to save their perfect world from Morgui, the ancient evil one who has come to destroy all they know and love.

More than just a novel, Rise of the Dibor is an allegory with truth and revelation that will leap off the page into the heart of believers and give light to those who still walk in darkness. Though some reviews have compared it to Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, only time will tell.

Rise of the Dibor captivated me from the first chapter to the last page. Though there is a little of the Dionian language to learn along the way (the footnotes will help with annunciation), I highly recommend it for the teen adventurer. For the more mature reader, Rise of the Dibor will have you contemplating various truths as this parable unfolds.

You can find a trailer for the book (that's right, I said a video trailer for a book) and http://grandathfilms.com/trailer.html and more information on Christopher at www.christopherhopper.org.

Mark 4:10-11: "When Jesus was alone, some of those who had heard him came to him with the twelve disciples and asked him to explain the parables. "You have been given the secret of the Kingdom of God," Jesus answered. "But the others, who are on the outside, hear all things by means of parables,"

Biea-Varos!

This book spins a tale on the question,"What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? What if mankind knew no wrong? Would we still have an enemy?"

Luik, son of Lair, is born into a land of no sin, but it is not to stay that way. Odd things have been happening, people have been changing, who knows who will disappear next. When evil threatens this pristine realm, the "Dibor" is chosen, a group of young men destined to be trained for the defense of their land. Luik is one of the one chosen. What evils lay ahead no one knows, but courage remains.

Dionia is paradise - peaceful, secure, and without sin, resting in the presence of the Most High.
But an evil threatens this perfect world. Morgui. Thwarted once, he has returned with strength and deeper deception. His only goal - to destroy Dionia both by devastating war and by leading the will of men out of the presence of the Most High and into eternal separation.
This truly epic tale follows the sons of Dionia's kings as they become Dibor, the chosen, and wage war against the evil that assails their world.
Sadly, the book has several typos, mainly homonyms, but the storyline is so intense that only grammatical martinets will notice. Other than that, Rise of the Dibor is well written and carefully thought out. It combines a stunning plot with rich, deep theological truths and vibrant characters. The description is colorful and tangible. The battle scenes are realistically depicted and genuinely impressive. You can hear the swords clash and you can feel the blood and sweat trickling down the faces of the young warriors. Your adrenaline pulses as your eyes jerk across the page, feeling like you are truly in the midst of the action.
Rise of the Dibor has serious moments as it faces many deep issues - death, sin, reconciliation amongst them. Nevertheless, the book is also laced with wit and the wry humor of life.
Rise of the Dibor - the book where boys become men and wage epic battles against impossible odds and reckless hate.

I could not put the book down, it was just so good! The whole story spring out of a question a lot of us have asked but never really dwelled on. What would earth be like if Adam and Eve had not sinned? Mr. Hopper did a great job of really thinking it through.

When I first picked up this book and started to read, I became worried that I would get frustrated by the slower story line and heaps of description. I was however, greatly surprised when I found the things that usually annoy me in books, actually made me enjoy this book all the more.

The beginning was not as fast paced as many books I have previously read, but it entertaining none the less. In these slower parts we are given a bunch of background information of the world, customs, insight on the characters etc. It gave me an understanding of the main characters and helped me begin to care for them.

What if Adam had never sinned? this is the main premise of The Rise of the Dibor. Christopher Hopper takes us on a tour of a world where mankind rejected the temptation offered by Satan, but will he just accept defeat? Find out in The White Lion Chronicles, Rise of the Dibor!

This book is seriously one of the most astounding books of our time. I was reading it, and couldn't put it down! Sometimes, I would realize I was holding my breath, or had my mouth hanging open! lol. And, sometimes, I even gasped (really loud) in reaction to what I was reading. So, definitely, and engaging read. And the plot is great too! Sometimes, the names get confusing, but that's OK. And the writing style is great too. Very engaging!