The Victor [Perfect Paperback]

Marlayne Giron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A benevolent King; ...his sword of power; ...a ruthless traitor bent on revenge; ...and the faithful son who stands in his way with the woman destined to share his throne. Who shall emerge as the victor in this epic struggle between good and evil to govern the lives of hapless men?

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Perfect Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Tate Publishing (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607991845
• ISBN-13: 978-1607991847
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,699,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marlayne Giron is a wife and mother living in Orange County, California. She currently works as a part-time career secretary and enjoys cooking for her family every night, scrapbooking, making high teas, and entertaining.

At the age of 22 (In 1982) Marlayne was inspired to write The Victor by a line in an Amy Grant song called: "Fairytale" (from her Father's Eyes album). The particular verse in the song which inspired the idea was: "two princes wage the battle for eternity but the victor has been known from the start". The verse made her imagine an evil "Baron" in black armor and knight in shining armor crossing swords over "maiden in distress". She wrote the story in her free time at work on an IBM Selectric typewriter and at home on a Smith Corona Portable.

Marlayne rewrote the story over the course of almost 30 years and made many attempts to get it published for several years but after a 4-year bout with ulcerative colitis that resulted in major surgery, then infertility then the adoption of her daughter and the demands of having to work full-time to pay the bills, she gave up on her dream of The Victor ever being published until April of 2008 when Tate Publishing called to offer her a contract.

The Victor was released on April 14th of 2009 and many doors have opened up for her to get the word out on her book. One of which being that as a direct result of her former employment with John Styll at CCM Magazine 28 years ago (who is now currently President of the Gospel Music Association), both he and Amy Grant now have copies of The Victor and Marlayne's personal copy has been autographed by Amy Grant herself.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biblical allegory!, January 11, 2010

By 

Annie Jackson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Victor (Perfect Paperback)

Exceptional first novel, The Victor is taunt, intense and well paced. The characters are well drawn and even though the language is a bit dense at first (which I think serves to strengthen the medieval setting) I was quickly drawn into the story.

The thing I liked least about The Victor (in a good way) is how insidious Lucius is; how you can see him enacting evil and how oblivious characters let him. It's awful to watch someone's demise, not suddenly but piece by piece in choices they make and lies they listen to. It was horrible and so uncomfortable I had to put the book down a few times. It felt absolutely appalling. Bad things happen, darkness descends and not all evil can be undone, however much can be redeemed.

But there is also good. There is such relief in hope and restoration and sweet, playful love; in strength and courage and humor.

The brilliant thing about it is how real it is. As I was reading it, more than once, I was struck by the thought that, "This is a succinct, poignant picture of the reality we live in." And it's good to remember.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading At The Beach: Reviews, January 3, 2010

By 

Vicki (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Victor (Perfect Paperback)

Since I'm not a fan of medieval fantasy, it took me about 3 chapters to get into in the book, but once I did, I was hooked. This is a story about the battle between good and evil. It's full of action, fighting, adventure, love, hate, betrayal, loyalty and is the best allegory based on the Bible that I've ever read. The cover is beautiful and the first page of each chapter is illustrated beautifully also.

The characters were amazingly well written as is the story and I found myself being drawn into what I was reading as if I were with them on their adventures. As I sit here writing this review, I am thinking about the book and how much I loved it. I can't believe it, I not only read a medieval fantasy, but actually loved it!!! Although I may still not be a fan of medieval fantasy, I am if it is written by Marlayne Giron. She has a wonderful gift when it comes to writing and I hope this is the first in a long line of books from her.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No preaching. Just good story., May 24, 2010

By 

Kathryn A. Frazier (Florida) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Victor (Kindle Edition)

The Victor starts off raw and shocking and brutal. Not at all what I expected from a Christian novel. In fact, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to non-Christians, because it contains no overtly religious references or preaching. It's an action-packed historical romance with a hint of the supernatural. Violence, and some sexual innuendo that fits the story, might put off some readers. The good guys are very good, and the bad guys are very bad. The language and details are carefully researched. As a homeschool parent, I also purchased the available study guide, and recommend this book for high schoolers.