Book Review: The Book of the King

It’s particularly hard to keep my kids in fantasy series and even harder to find ones that come from a Christian worldview. The Book of the King by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry was a special discovery. It is the first in The Wormling series and had all the makings of a series I can feel good about giving to my kids:

• Biblical worldview and morals
• Fight between good and evil
• A normal kid who must save the world

The unnamed narrator, with a sprinkling of dry humor, introduces us to Owen Reeder who is given a mysterious book and instructions to read it and follow the directions inside. We are also introduced to a noble king and mysterious dragon and an amazing Book. It’s a predictable, but timeless metaphor for God and Satan and the Bible.

Despite the classic Christian fantasy formula and the beautiful portrayal of the King, The Book, and Owen’s friend Constance, I did wish this book was a little more gripping. It didn’t quite suck me in and make me want to go straight to the next chapter. I didn’t quite feel drawn into the story and connected to the characters the way I do in so many other books. Perhaps I was distracted? I’d have to give it a reread or carry on with the series to know for sure.

What really stood out about this book was how the authors wrote about The Book (the Bible). Jenkins and Fabry give excerpts from The Book, which at times are reworded scriptures and at other times are instructions for Owen that help move the plot along. Owen’s life is immediately changed by it, and he has a yearning desire to read it.

I loved the author’s reverent, delighted, otherworldly yet practical portrayal of The Book. It felt like such a on point description of the hope, encouragement, and awe I’ve felt engaging with scripture in Bible studies or in my own personal quiet time. As I finished The Book of the King I felt a desire to pull out my own Bible and pore through it with delight, just like Owen.

If the writers can capture that feeling, I have hopes that they can bring to life other facets of the Christian life in the subsequent books in the series. I have book two, The Sword of the Wormling waiting on my nightstand for that reason.

Bottom Line: For the kid who loves fantasy and the parent who likes books that reinforce a Biblical worldview, The Book of the King will go down smooth. While this first book is slightly forgettable compared to other fantasy books out there, it has all the elements to make a great series and gives me hope for book two.