Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland

It was a long wait for me before I could buy and read Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland. It was published in the UK a year before the United States release, and I saw a copy back in 2008 when I first met the author, Cindy Thomson. Finally, I was able to sit down to really enjoy this precious gem this past week. Well, the wait was long, but I feel like it was worth it.

Celtic Wisdom  wasn't exactly what I expected. For some reason I had it in my mind that this was a collection of quotes and sayings. There are many quotes, sayings, and traditional blessings scattered throughout the book, but those are just a small portion of it. And they are an important part, as are the wonderful photographs of Ireland that appear on nearly every other page. More properly, though, this is a brief history of Early Christianity in Ireland, a history that I was far more ignorant about than I realized. It begins with the three most important figures in Irish Christianity: Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille (also known as Columba). I thought I knew a fair amount about Patrick, but I was astounded at how much more is actually known about him. Brigid and Columcille were only names to me up until now, and it's a little embarrassing that someone who proudly tells people she has Irish ancestors would know so little about these heroes of Irish faith. After covering the top three, Cindy introduces us to several other people who were notable in the early Irish church. She also gives great insight to the culture of the time, a culture which seemed to be ready to accept true Christianity at a time when the Roman world was being overrun by pagan ideas  in that wave that plunged Europe into the Dark Ages.

What did I learn from this brief, 95 page package stuffed full of treasures? Plenty. I didn't realize the role Ireland played in preserving scripture and true Christianity during the Dark Ages; it was further isolated from the rest of Europe, even England, than I had considered. I learned that the monastic life in Ireland was a far cry from anywhere else, and that the Roman rules didn't apply. Did you know that there were married priests in Ireland? And women clergy? Neither did I. Many of us knew that Patrick was a missionary from England, but maybe others are as ignorant as I was of how Ireland then returned the favor, sending out missionaries to other countries to  re-introduce the fundamentals and truths of the Bible. Patrick's Confession  was a far larger and more important document than I knew before, and after reading the translated excerpts in Celtic Wisdom, I am determined to seek a translated copy of the whole thing. The whole culture of the early Irish Christians appears to be much closer to the New Testament church than I ever imagined. It was reassuring to know, yet it left a feeling of sadness as I wondered at the changes over time. But this can be said of the state of the church everywhere today.

Celtic Wisdom  is a rather scholarly work, complete with bibliography (as it should be). Since much of what is known of that time is based on oral tradition and legends, those are included. Often Cindy Thomson recounts  traditional stories and legends without any comment as to their veracity, leaving it to the reader to decide what to accept and what to take with a grain of salt. On occasion she offers plausible alternatives, as in the true origin of the legend that Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. She also provides insight into the shamrock legend and the importance of Three in Old Ireland (I noted to myself that three has great significance throughout the Bible as well). Some of the legends I found amusing, but all of them lead to a better understanding to that early group of Christians.

I wish my printer was working so I could give you an idea of the pictures that grace this book. The publisher or editor chose them, not Cindy, but they do add significantly to the value (and, I suppose, to the price). For some reason, the publisher didn't write any information directly under the photos, so you have to look in the back of he book if you want to know what you're looking at. A minor flaw, and one that has no bearing on Mrs. Thomson's marvelous work.

Make Celtic Wisdom a part of your library, but leave it on the coffee table for others to pick up and enjoy as well. Only 95 pages--small, but that actually makes it more accessible for those of us who are always too hurried to sit down to a longer scholarly work. Well researched and enlightening, Celtic Wisdom  is a real treasure.

You can learn more about Cindy Thomson and her writings at her website, Cindy's Writing and her blog, Celtic Voices. She also has a page on Shoutlife and Facebook.

Celtic Wisdom should be available through most bookstores, Christian emphasis or otherwise. Online, you may order it through Christianbook (best price I found at $7.99), Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland by Cindy Thomson

Publisher: Lion Hudson (www.lionhudson.com) (2008 UK printing; Sept., 2009 USA)

ISBN-10: 0745953255

ISBN-13: 978-0745953250

This review was completely unsolicited with no compensation given to me. I actually bought the book myself!

DANIEL'S DEN by Brandt Dodson; Standing Before the Lions in New Orleans

(First, my apologies to Brandt Dodson and Harvest House Publishers. Due to "technical difficulties" review is sadly belated. It looks like the blog and I are on friendly terms again today, though)

New Orleans post-Katrina. Daniel Borden is an anomaly: a truly honest accountant, square deal and Boy Scout ethics who has built a reputation as a straight arrow. His best friend is his Labrador that he rescues from a shelter, and the two of them are happy in their ritualistic schedule. No surprises, just a secure and ordered life heading for success in the accounting world. Daniel has no idea that the rug is about to be pulled out from under him and the ceiling come crashing down. And all because he audited the files of his coworker that died suddenly and suspiciously. Suspicions don't end with the death, as Daniel finds out when he opens the files.

Half a continent away in Virginia, Laura is another honest person struggling to get by, taking care of her son and trying to make a go of the bed and breakfast that was the dream for her and her husband before he died. When a strange man appears, grabs her son and tries to force Laura into selling her property, she knows something is very wrong. The reader knows there must be some connection between this overly zealous real estate agent and the events in New Orleans. As it turns out, the connection is deep and devious, involving people that neither Laura nor Daniel would have wanted in their lives were it possible to change the situation. It turns out to be a life or death situation for both of them and Laura's son before long.

Daniel's Den is a murder mystery taken right out of today's society, including identity theft, technological tracking and listening devices, and computer hacking. Unscrupulous characters backed by seemingly unlimited wealth and power; how can anyone stand up to them or survive if standing in their way?

Laura and Daniel are like many people today who want to make it on their own. They think that if they work hard enough at it, they can make things right. Neither one of them considers including God in their plans, but they are up against forces beyond their abilities to control or conquer on their own.

For those who enjoy mysteries, in particular murder mysteries, Daniel's Den is a sure bet. We know who the bad guys are early on, or at least some of them, but there is still a lot to unravel before the whole scheme is revealed. The use of modern technology smacks of real possibilities, although I don't know enough about it personally to know whether some of it exists only in Mr. Dodson's head. The whole story is completely believable. To me, that's what makes it scary. It's also part of what makes it a great story.

Of course there is some violence in the story; after all, it deals with cold-blooded murderers who don't think twice about eliminating anyone who is in the way or has witnessed too much. Yet there is no gratuitous or overly graphic violence. Some of the bad guys are rather two-dimensional, but the main ones are fairly well developed. While there is a bit of romance, it is an undertone with no sexual actions at all, other than maybe a kiss. And while it is definitely a story that leads to the importance of God in our lives, it never becomes preachy or overly trite about the need for a relationship with God.

Overall, I recommend Daniel's Den to all mystery lovers and those who want to read good literature with a Christian world view. Even for those who don't care about the viewpoint: it's a compelling tale.

You can purchase this book at just about any Christian bookstore, as well as Barnes and Noble, Borders, and other book stores. Online the book is available through Barnes and Noble, Christianbook.com, Booksamillion, and Amazon.com, among others.

For more information about the book, author Brandt Dodson, and his other works, check out his website at http://www.brandtdodson.com

THE RED SIREN: What's in a Name?

This started out to be a normal book review, but the more I thought about it, the more I found myself focused on names. I always ponder the significance of titles, and with The Red Siren, MaryLu Tyndall told a great deal about the story right in the title.

On the most obvious level, The Red Siren is the name of Faith Westcott's pirate ship. Why did she choose red? Probably because she herself is a redhead.

What's the first thing most of us think of when we read "red siren?" Personally, I think of danger, a warning of some kind of trouble. Not only is the ship dangerous, but so is the captain, the lady pirate who is not what she seems. Just as traffic needs to stop when a police or emergency vehicle passes by with its lights flashing, all other vessels need to pull aside when The Red Siren comes into view. In this case, run the other way!

Digging just a bit deeper, the siren is a reminder of the mythical creature who lured sailors to their doom. These nymphs, also know as the Lorelei in German mythology, sang beautiful, bewitching songs that the poor mariners within earshot could not resist, so that they headed toward the rocks and shattered their ships. In like manner, this redheaded beauty played the part of a damsel in distress, luring unwitting captains to come to her rescue. They didn't realize their mistake until it was too late and the pirates came out of hiding, plundering the ships and setting the crew adrift.

This is one of the most appropriate titles I have seen in a long time. It works on so many levels.

Then there are the names of the three sisters in the novel: Faith, Hope, and Grace Westcott. Such names were quite common in the 1700's, but in this case there is underlying significance for each name. When their mother was alive, these girls felt loved and secure, but it all changed after her death. At that point their names held bitter irony. Faith, the main character, felt like God had turned His back on them or didn't care, and so she had no faith in Him as a Savior or Protector. One of the themes of the novel is the conflict between the real faith of Captain Dajon Waite (his last name has some meaning as well) and her lack of faith. Her sister Hope lives in hope of a man who will give her what their father has not, and unfortunately looks in the wrong places and people for acceptance and security. The youngest sister Grace has the outward appearance of living up to her name, but her Christian works and platitudes lack true graciousness. Clearly the three of them need to know the real love, grace, and security that only God can give them. Are they going to learn in time?

Danger. Warning. Need. True love. When even the title and names tell so much about a story, you can be sure it reaches a level that few romance or historical novels ever do. MaryLu Tyndall's The Red Siren, like all of her works so far, is definitely worth investing time to read.

SEABIRD Soars to Great Heights (CFRB Blog Tour)

It's finally my turn to write something about the January book celèbre for CFRB. You can go to some of the other blogs listed below to get the synopsis, but since I'm posting near the end of the week, I think I'll go into more of my personal thoughts. That makes this a very subjective review, I guess, but sometimes I think that's okay.

I first "met" Sherry through the Lost Genre Guild, so I knew her before I read the book. Her vitality, exuberance, and wit came through in her posts with the group, so before long I wanted to read the novel she attached to her signature.

If you have read even a couple of my blogs, you know I am partial to fantasies, particularly any with a Christian world view. Tolkien is on the top pedestal with C. S. Lewis very close by. In my own mind, I doubt if any other book will every replace either one of them, so if I compare another book to their work, it just means that tale is in the same vein or has some similarities. These are the standards. Having said that, I have to say that Seabird contains those elements that a good fantasy story--one that follows in the traditions set by Tolkien and Lewis--contains.

The elements that I speak of go far beyond the ones that my little brain will conjure up right now, of course.

The fight between good and evil is essential for this type of fantasy. Seabird has that conflict in abundance. Cara is pulled into the world of Narenta because of a need for the Good. Speaking of that pull, the Call is often an important part of a fantasy written from a Christian worldview. And that call goes out to someone that no one suspects is destined to do great things. Cara is not an obvious choice for a champion any more than David the shepherd. Yet the forces of Good in Narenta are all certain that she was called to help them in their hour of need.

As with Narnia and Middle Earth, there are various "people" besides the humans. Cara meets several "people" groups who are more or less on the side of Good, the most important being the
people of Alphesis, Seabirds who are the scholars and wisest of all Narentans. Yes, talking birds. This may sound like a rip off from Narnia, but it really isn't. On the Evil side,there are some really nasty werewrights ( I think it's a kind of reptilian thing if I understand correctly) and the daemagos--these are like evil sorcerers who can do incredibly ugly stuff, powered by supernatural evil.

Then there is the quest and the journey. Cara is the Outworlder called to help Narenta, but many others are involved along the way. There is a part in this quest that only Cara can play, but without the help of many who are committed to Alphesis, she would never live to complete the task. Unfortunately, some of her noble friends don't.

Beyond the actual story, I think I am drawn by the values that it upholds. That's another element in fantasies of this ilk, perhaps the most important for some of us. There is a higher power that the Good people of the land follow. Many people have compromised their values, giving in to temptations, selfishness, and the influences of the Evil forces. Those who remain true, however, will even die for their cause. Values like love, honesty, loyalty, faith, kindness, mercy, courage are all upheld. Cara herself doesn't possess most of them, but she learns from her experiences and from her comrades. Hopefully, readers will also learn and take note.

I thoroughly enjoyed Seabird, and I believe those who enjoy fantasies, young adult or old, will also enjoy it. There are certainly some creepy parts and battle scenes, but it isn't really gory. It isn't so much a happily-ever-after book, yet the ending should satisfy the reader. There is, however, room for sequels to finish the tale even though one segment does actually end with this novel.

I will be giving away a copy of Seabird next Monday (Jan. 11). To get in this drawing, leave a comment on one of my Seabird posts or one of those posted by other CFRB bloggers. Please leave an email address in your comment, though, so that I can reach you.




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

LEAPS OF FAITH, edited by Karina and Rob Fabian

Once upon a time short stories were quite popular, making Edgar Allen Poe, Chekov and O. Henry names that everyone recognizes. Unfortunately, anthologies of short stories no longer enjoy that popularity. This saddens me when there is a wealth of good short stories available, such as the fourteen pieces in Leaps of Faith.

Why do I like short stories? First of all, I can read a complete story in one sitting and still get some sleep in the evening. When I am in the middle of a good novel I have a very difficult time putting it down, therefore often going without sleep for a day or two. Not good. I was able to get through two or three of the stories, even four sometimes, at a sitting as I read Leaps of Faith. I had the urge to go further, but I was able to still go about sleeping and do some of my chores. I find it easier to absorb the theme and ideas in these tales than I do the longer tomes, often spending a little time at the end of each just thinking it over. True, the characters and plot aren't as developed or detailed as they are in novels, but a good short story wordsmith crafts his sentences carefully so as to give more bang for the buck. In my favorite kind of short stories, there is a plot twist that I don't expect at the end, a surprise that makes it worth reading.

In Leaps of Faith, I find several satisfying stories with that extra bang. These are exclusively science fiction, sometimes rather heavy on the science, but even so this very unscientific mind of mine was able to get into the meat of the tales and enjoy them. The real joy is in that leap of faith included in each entry, leaps that often mean the reader needs to stretch his or her own box a bit. God does not fit in a box, of course, and I love stories that make me ponder who God really is and all the "what ifs" that are posed in speculative fiction. What if there were aliens who came to accept Jesus as Savior? What if we really could travel through time? If we had certain technology, should we use it just because we can, even if it would mean playing God or going contrary to God's natural laws?

It's hard to write a short review when there are so many stories to consider. Perhaps my favorite is "Leaps of Faith" by Karina and Rob Fabian, the title story as it were. Each story involves some sort of leap of faith, but this one is literal. This is about the rescue nuns in the future, an order that works in space bringing aid to stranded travelers. More importantly, it deals with a young member who has wanted to rescue others ever since she was a child, but she has a great fear to overcome before she is able to help anyone else. The answer is one we can all take to heart, even without space travel.

"The Smile" by Greg Beatty is another one I really like. This one reminds me of some verses in Romans chapter one (v. 19, 20): "since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

The tone and mood of each piece varies, from the very serious and somber to the silly. "Moses Disposes" fits the latter description. One of the stories, "The Relics of Venice" by Leslie Brown, is a real romance, but there are other stories with romance as well. Just not your average tale of two earthlings sometimes. Tales to make yoy rethink your viewpoints about "religion" and what God might really think.

Leaps of Faith does not fit into a neat little cubbyhole, but then neither does God. And if you think of God in a box, you really need to expand your horizons a bit. I recommend Leaps of Faith as a handy way to do just that. I hope you will give it a try. You'll be glad you took that little leap yourself.


A 2002 EPPIE finalist for Best Electronic Anthology, Leaps of Faith promises the best in Christian sci-fi.

Purchase Leaps of Faith at The Writer's Cafe Press.

Visit the Leaps of Faith Website.

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