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When Kristinge, a young monk at a monastery in southeastern France,
discovers he is the son of a famous Frisian hero and king who died
in battle six years earlier, he leaves the monastic life and sets
out in search of his identity. Traveling with his old mentor
Willimond, a monk originally of Lindisfarne, Kristinge's journey
brings him first across France to Denmark to search of his mother,
and eventually back to his native soil of Friesland. Along the way
he meets the young, decadent, and half-crazy Frankish king Clovis
who resides in Paris, and the holy Abbess Telchild of the nearby
monastery of Jouarre--two of several historical figures woven
through the novel. However, what begins as a quest to uncover his
heritage and find whether his mother still lives becomes a sort of
spiritual journey of discovery at many other levels. Kristinge
wrestles with the question: who is he, and who should he become? Is
he the monk he has spent the past six years training to be? Or the
gifted bard that was trained as a youth to compose songs, sing, and
play the harp? Or is he the future king that will unite Friesland
and save it from the threat of the increasingly powerful Danes and
Vikings on the one side and decaying but still threatening Frankish
empire on the other. Compounding his confusion, Kristinge also
rediscovers and falls in love with a young woman whom he had known
many years earlier as a child: a woman who would be far above his
station were he to remain a monk but not above his station were he
to become king.
Matthew Dickerson takes his readers from an Applachian trout stream
in western North Carolina where wild trout are reduced to sipping
cigarette butts, up through his home state of Vermont where
development and the ski industry threaten the state's iconic
pastoral riversides, and finally into western Maine to a once dead
river that has returned to life. The tale takes us not only to the
three eponymous rivers, but to other nearby streams and waters.
Though neither an historical nor as scientific text, the writing is
informed by both, and as readers are drawn through the tale, they
will grow in their own understanding of both stream ecology and the
history of human habitation and consumption. The book is
illustrated by original prints from Vermont artist Courtney
Allenson.
The Salvelinus, the Sockeye, and the Egg-Sucking Leech: Abundance
and Diversity in the Bristol Bay Drainage (from the Eyes of an
Angler) is the fourth book in Matthew Dickerson's Heartstreams
series. This exciting ramble among the remote and beautiful
mountains, lakes, and rivers of around Alaska's Bristol Bay is full
of encounters with bears, caribou, and other wildlife. But the
heart of the book is Dickerson's exploration of native trout, river
ecology, and the joys of experiencing wild places and fish by
casting flies among them. This volume focuses on rivers and lakes
in Alaska's Bristol Bay drainage, and on the native fish that
inhabit those waters, from the abundant sockeye salmon species to
the Salvelinus genus, which includes the stunningly beautiful Dolly
Varden char as well as its cousin the Arctic char, the northernmost
freshwater fish species in the world. Although the book explores
some of the environmental threats facing these waters, the stories
are also full of hope, delight, and awe. Though not a science text,
it is well-informed by science as well as by the author's careful
eye. The book also includes photographs by Alaskan bush pilot Glen
Alsworth.
The allure of fantasy continues to grow with film adaptations of
"The Lord of the Rings "and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
But how should Christians approach modern works of fantasy,
especially debated points such as magic and witches?
"From Homer to Harry Potter "provides the historical background
readers need to understand this timeless genre. It explores the
influence of biblical narrative, Greek mythology, and Arthurian
legend on modern fantasy and reveals how the fantastic offers
profound insights into truth. The authors draw from a Christian
viewpoint informed by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien to assess
modern authors such as Philip Pullman, Walter Wangerin, and J. K.
Rowling.
This accessible book guides undergraduate students, pastors, and
lay readers to a more astute and rewarding reading of all fantasy
literature.
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