Title: Prophet
Author: R. J. Larson
Pages: 350
Year: 2012
Publisher: Bethany House
Prophet
is R. J. Larson’s first novel in the fantasy genre as well as the first in a
series titled Books of the Infinite. The author writes with ease in making the
story a page-turner. It was very easy
for me to get involved with the characters and their stories.
Ela
Roeh is 17 years old and almost betrothed.
She lives with her mother, father, and little sister. She and her little sister are very
close. One day while trying to find her
sister, she finds her in the tomb of the city’s last prophet, who died 70 years
ago. In the tomb, his staff is found
next to his tomb. Ela experiences a
vision of the future and is terrified.
She also receives an offer from the Infinite to become his prophet. At first, she is reluctant as there has never
been a female prophet before, she is too young, she has no experience…you get
the idea. She also experiences very
briefly what it is like to be without the Infinite. After that experience, she vows that she
never wants to leave Him or have Him leave her.
She agrees to be his prophet, and He sends her on a journey away from
her family and friends. She does take
her little sister along with her on the journey. Along the way, they encounter many new
experiences. Some are dangerous, some
are fantastic, and others are sad. She
has many opportunities to talk about the Infinite to others. She begs some to repent, but to no
avail. Others watch her cautiously and
do repent. She soon learns she must be
totally dependent on the Infinite in each and every situation, relying on Him
to provide whatever she needs in each circumstance.
Kien
Lantec is an ambassador from the Tracelands, serving in another kingdom and
trying to negotiate a treaty. He is
charming, handsome, and good-natured.
However, he soon is declared a traitor and thrown in prison. He doesn’t believe in the Infinite, but he
will use His prophet to escape prison if he can. As he spends time with Ela and watches her obey
and depend on the Infinite, he begins to fall in love with her. He sees firsthand the Infinite at work,
keeping His promises and making what He says will happen, happen. Kien also makes a decision to change his
unbelief into belief in the Infinite. He,
at one point, is offered a kingship, but turns it down. His father is very angry with that decision,
but is also angry and embarrassed about his son’s newfound faith in the
Infinite. His father decides a military
career would be the best thing for his son as it would keep him away from home
a lot and no one would learn of his beliefs.
Kien asks Ela to marry him. Will
she accept? Will his family accept her?
What
other adventures will Ela and Kien have?
We get to read about Kien’s adventures in the next book in the series, Judge. I’m looking forward to see how various
relationships progress in this next novel.
It was so encouraging to read about a character living out her faith to
the extreme. It challenged me to think
about how I’m living for Him.
My
rating is 3.5 stars.
Note: I received a
complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely
my responsibility. Other reviews can be
read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/
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