Thursday, January 1, 2009

Noteworthy Book: SEABIRD

The month the Christian Fiction Review Board will be touring Seabird by Sherry Thompson.


TITLE: Seabird

AUTHOR: Sherry Thompson

GENRE: Fantasy

COVER PRICE: $15.99 (Best Price: $14.39 on Barnes & Noble)

TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult and young adult

INTERESTING TIDBIT: The author, Sherry Thompson, is a huge fan of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. She attributes the series to the final step that lead her to Christ. Seabird, the first book in Thompson’s Narentan Tumults series, is inspired by Lewis’ classic story.

“A must-read for CS Lewis fans."
Asgard, BlogCritics Magazine, April 16 2008.

SYNOPSIS:
When high school senior Cara Marshall is transported to Narenta, she is proclaimed champion of its people against the daemagos-a cadre of sorcerers. Amid the grateful welcomes, Cara protests that neither the title nor the mission are hers.

"They've got the wrong person and they're going to get me killed because they won't admit it."

Is Cara's world-napping a mistake? The daemagos don't care as long as she's dead. Cara's brief attempt at finding a way home mutates into a nightmarish blur of hiding and flight from remorseless enemies.

Pursued by ruthless werewright warriors, vicious serpent-hawks, and the sorcerers, she is simultaneously overwhelmed by the trust the Narentan people show in her alleged power as the Outworlder and their champion. In whom dare she place her own trust when assassins lurk in the shadows amidst those who welcome her?

As she races across an eerie and perilous ancient world in search of the daemagos' secret power, Cara must also find the strength to face tragedy, grief and doubt. With little time left to aid the Tethran kingdom and her remaining companions, Cara grapples to perceive the essence of a hero's heart and make it her own.

Grounded firmly in the tradition of C.S. Lewis, this character-driven first installment of The Narentan Tumults is an epic tale of adventure, courage and faith.


Visit Sherry's Scribblings (blog),her Author Profile at Red Room,and her Home Page.

Purchase Seabird at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

7 comments:

David said...

I know it's early, but you put together this "basic" post in such a professional way I almost thought you did a review as well. Thank you. BTW, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have both left their marks upon my heart. I found it amazing that it was Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, that led her to the Lord. God will speak to each of us in His own way, if we will just give Him the chance.

David

Anonymous said...

As someone who has read Seabird, I can say with certainty that it is a terrific read, whether you are a Christian, a non-Christian or a seeker. The struggles that the lead character, Cara marshall, deals with are those that affect all of us from time to time. Sherry has set Cara's struggles in a fantastic new world that will continue to yield some wonderful tales.

Sherry, we need Earthbow!

X

cyn said...

I like how you provided details about the book re: where to buy, price, including best price, genre, target audience so clearly -- it gives your blog readers, at a glance, valuable information.

c

Anonymous said...

This was a great book. I noticed some of the allegory at times, but did not realize it was a "Christian" book until I started reading reviews and took some time to reflect on it.

Rick Copple said...

This laid out the basic information well. I look forward to reading this in the near future!

SherryT said...

David wrote: "I found it amazing that it was Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, that led her to the Lord. God will speak to each of us in His own way, if we will just give Him the chance."

Do keep in mind that Our Lord had already tried a large number of other strategies. As I wrote in "The Hound, the Lamp Post & the Seabird", I think He finally said, All right. We'll do it your way. My way being through fantasy.

By the way, though Xanthorpe doesn't mention it here, he told me that the creation scene in the Magician's Nephew thrilled him. It is an amazing scene!

X, I'll be thrilled when Earthbow reaches publication!

SherryT said...

xanthorpe: "...whether you are a Christian, a non-Christian or a seeker..."

Anonymous: "...I noticed some of the allegory at times, but did not realize it was a "Christian" book until I started reading reviews and took some time to reflect on it."

I wrote Seabird, Earthbow, and so on with agnostics or seekers as my target audience. Why? Because that was who I was when I read the Narnia books. One of the first things I thought about before I started writing was, What did I want to read when I first picked up Lewis's books?

Ideally, I wanted LotR Version 2.0. More seriously, I wanted to read high fantasy with glimmers of the awe and joy associated with making contact with God. I most certainly didn't want to be preached at, nor did I want to be "edified" because at that time I wasn't a Christian - yet. I would have run from an author with an Agenda.

It's ironic that, so far, only Christians are reading the book. At least Christian readers are the ones that I'm aware of. And most of you point to edifying passages!

I still hope that Seabird reaches out -- helps God reach out -- to the seekers amongst fantasy-readers.