Till the Green Ember Rises, or the End of the World

The worst thing I can say about The Green Ember and its sequels is that they aren't as good as Tolkien. Actually, I think they're rather like something Tolkien or Lewis would have written if they'd seen and enjoyed the great action movies of the last 40 years. It is as if the books we never knew we needed have fallen unlooked-for onto our shelves; "You may find friends upon your way when you least look for it," said Elrond wisely.

Had I world enough and time, I could say something about the Christian worldview that shines through the stories without even a hint (in what I've seen so far, being a little over halfway done with the series) of Aslanification.

Not that there's anything wrong with Narnia.

Instead, let's just do one simple bit of dialogue that nicely captures how the world is just complicated enough, that the bad guys make some kind of sense sometimes, and yet there is still sufficient clarity on how good is good and bad ain't.

Evil uncle: You should know, oh great Scribe of the Cause, that we each tell ourselves a story about our place in the world. Heather: But the story needs to be true. Evil uncle: Who is to say what's true? All who claim to know it are only seeking power. Which side is right? History will decide in a hundred years. Heather: If you're on the side that murders, betrays, and enslaves, that might give a hint. (From Ember Rising, page 18)