Do Elves Have Souls? In a medieval fantasy world in which the realm of man is dominated by a rich and powerful Church, the Most Sanctified Charity IV decides the time is ripe to make a conclusive inquiry into the matter. If, in his infallible wisdom, he determines that elves do have immortal souls, then the Church will be obliged to bring the Holy Word of the Immaculate to them. But if he decides they do not, there will be holy war. Powerful factions line up on both sides of the debate. War-hungry magnates cast greedy eyes at the ancient wealth of the elven kingdoms and pray for a declaration that elves are little more than animals. And there are men who are willing to do more than merely pray. The delegation sent to the High King of the Elves is led by two great theologians, brilliant philosophers who champion opposite sides of the great debate. And in the Sanctiff’s own stead, he sends the young nobleman, Marcus Valerius. Marcus Valerius is a rising scholar in the Church, talented, fearless, and devout. But he is inexperienced in the ways of the world. Nothing in his life has prepared him for the beauty of the elves—or the monumental betrayal into which he rides. *** Theodore Beale has published decidedly Christian speculative fiction with the decidedly secular publisher, Pocket Books. He is a game designer, a technologist, a one-time techno band member, and, under the name Vox Day, an occasionally controversial political columnist.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Almost perfect,
By
This review is from: Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy (Paperback)
When I first read the premise of this story, it intrigued me. How would the Catholic church deal with non-human sentient species? Do they have souls? How would they fit into God's eternal scheme of things?
Beale is a masterful storyteller who really does create a rich and fascinating world. The characters are rich and likeable and I can honestly say I didn't see a major twist coming. But what really upset me and brought this book down was the rushed ending. Beale summed up the most pivotal moment of the whole story in one sentence. It deserved a lot more.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Page-Turning Musings,
By
This review is from: Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy (Paperback)
With the recent launch of upstart publisher Marcher Lord Press, I couldn't wait to get my hands on one of their speculative fiction titles. All three of their debut books looked intriguing, but I'd read a novel years ago by Theodore Beale, and so I chose his newest, "Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy." With a title like that, I just had to know more. The ordering process went smoothly, the book arrived earlier than expected, and the cover and layout looked fantastic. Thankfully, the story lived up to the packaging and hype.
A young man, Marcus Valerius, finds himself on the unlikely mission of traveling to the elvish lands of Elebrion to determine if the elves have souls. He has been sent off by the ruling religious class, and he's accompanied by mysterious men of the cloth, as well as warriors, an elf, and a dwarf. Not all have his best intentions in mind, and the treachery will soon reveal itself. Along the way, there is much discussion about the possible military conflict with the elvish king, should it be decided that elves are simply a higher form of animal without a soul. This debate turns lively at points and is bolstered by its parallels to actual church history, as well as by its connections to current theological issues and even the question of whether fiction with a biblical worldview has a place on the shelves of fantasy readers. All that said, I was waiting for a bit more action to speed things along. At the point I thought the book would be a long dialogue on said subject, it picked up the pace and raced toward a great conclusion. Any reader who skips over the "Appendix Aelvi" in the last third of the book is missing on some more great stories. In "Master of Cats," we find out more of Bessarias' time among the elves, including a cataclysmic confrontation between good and evil. We also read more of the intrigues and battles centered around Quintus Tullius, in "Birth of an Order." Beale has added something fresh to speculative fiction, something not only deep in its musings but page-turning in its telling. Despite a few typos in the text, the book is beautifully laid-out and nicely edited for story content. Marcher Lord Press has taken a huge step toward establishing itself as a publisher to watch for years to come, and their website includes great teasers for other titles. I, for one, am looking forward to much more.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent Failure,
By fredtownward "The Analytical Mind; Have Brain... (Mocksville, North Carolina, United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)
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This review is from: Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy (Paperback)
It is generally a good idea to read any Author's Note one comes across, but in this case it is absolutely critical to understanding what you have just read, which turns out to be all that was salvaged from a planned epic philosophical trilogy that apparently couldn't be made to work. Given such a genesis, it is amazing just how good it turns out to be!
Theodore Beale has arguably returned high fantasy to its origins, which was a medieval world dominated by a rich and powerful Roman Catholic Church. The utter separation of church from most modern fantasy has resulted in a number of idiocies that fail to withstand scrutiny: Divine Right of Kings without a Divine, priests without gods, etc. The result is one of the most fascinating fantasy worlds I've ever visited, and one I'd like to revisit again in future sequels. Mr. Beale has also given us a fascinating cast of characters that I'd like to hear more from: Marcus Valerius the still-wet-behind-the-ears scholar, Lodi the dwarf, Caitlys the Lady Shadowsong, Brother Grimfang the you-won't-believe-it-until-you-read-it, and especially Bessarias the convert. One hopes that with time Mr. Beale will see his way to producing a sequel or two, perhaps with a bit less philosophy and a bit more adventure. Defects? Well, the ending is more than a bit abrupt, acceptable assuming a future continuation, but giving every evidence of having been rushed. The lack of a map is also sorely felt; I found it virtually impossible to visualize the geography without it. The two short stories, "Birth of an Order" and "Master of Cats", which were brief historical episodes providing important background information in addition to being exciting reads, were nicely referenced in the main text at the point where they should be read, but giving the actual page number would have been more helpful. Finally, I noticed more typos than I expect to find in a professionally published book. Still, these are minor quibbles in a truly different sort of fantasy story that disappointed me only by ending too soon. I'm sorely tempted now to seek out Mr. Beale's previous The War in Heaven Trilogy: Eternal Warriors, The World in Shadow, and The Wrath of Angels. I'm also thinking to take a chance on more of the fantasy offerings from Marcher Lord Press, which audaciously intends to prove that Christian speculative fiction can be be the very best speculative fiction: Hero, Second Class and By Darkness Hid.
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