John White’s The Tower of Geburah has similarities to The Chronicles of Narnia, including the omniscient narrative. However, the plot and characters make this story stand out on its own. Though Book 3 of The Archives of Anthropos is great as a stand-alone for teens and fifth and sixth-graders.
The book starts with three siblings—Wesley, Kurt, and Lisa—analyzing television sets in the attic. The TVs have images of Anthropos, and the kids step through the screens and find themselves in this new world. They learn that Gaal, Son of the High Emperor, has sent them to fight against the sorcerer who usurped the kingdom. Wesley fights through his anxieties and insecurity, and both Lisa and Kurt get swayed by darkness but have their hearts changed by Gaal.
This book illustrates Biblical truths in profound ways. Besides Gaal, another representative of Christ is the rightful king of Anthropos, Kardia. For one thing, he shows mercy to the soldiers who formerly served the sorcerer but now join him. A jinn feeds Lisa delicious food, but they are illusions, leaving her hungry (a picture of how the world may satisfy our tastes but will keep us empty). When Lisa first meets Gaal, she crosses a log over a chasm, just like Peter walking on water toward Jesus. But when she takes her eyes off Gaal, she falls, but like Jesus, Gaal catches her. A dwarf appears to be Kardia’s ally, but he’s on the sorcerer’s side, much like a churchgoer may not be a genuine Christ-follower. Kurt befriends the dwarf and toys with evil magic because he resents Wesley’s promotion to leader. But like Edmund in Narnia, after talking with Gaal, he makes a one-eighty turn, and he serves Gaal in a way that’s beyond his dreams.
I’ll add some notes of discernment. The violence is mild; the most severe are beheadings and the sorcerer twisting a jinn’s neck. Lisa meets Kardia in the dungeon, and she befriends him and even snuggles up to him like a daughter or little sister. While Kardia is moral, it’s still unwise for a child to cuddle up to a man she barely knows. The book also shows Lisa having depression, though it’s shown delicately, and the depression shatters when Lisa calls out to Gaal. Princess Suneidesis, Kardia’s fiancée, admits that she thought her parents had committed suicide when they were actually murdered by the sorcerer.
Otherwise, this book is rich with battles, perfect for action lovers. And girls will enjoy Lisa’s sisterly friendship with the princess. Readers will encounter dwarves, talking Pegasi, white reindeer for people to ride, and loyal wolves. They’ll also meet goblins, shapeshifting jinn, multi-headed ogres, and flying monsters called Qadar. The reader will watch characters enter a forest through a painted billboard, as well as look through a specific window and see scenery change into a desert, a jungle, and even outer space.
Prepare yourself for a riveting ride on a horse, reindeer, or Pegasus as you read The Tower of Geburah.
