The Legend of the Firefish

The Legend of the Firefish, by George Bryan Polivka

I've been a bit wordy lately, and it's getting late, so I'll keep this post short. Basically, this book was a stinker.

This is a sterling example of Christian fiction. Authors try to make profound theological points while hiding in trendy literature. The writing wasn't awful, but the story felt like "Pirates of the Caribbean" edited for a youth group. I guess my biggest complaint with the book was the author's lack of imagination. He tried to create another world, but it was basically a copy of 18th century England with fire-breathing fish. Half the names were English, and half were made up, but they all sounded clunky: Land Lunder, Packer Throme, Will Seline, Scat Wilkins, etc. They lived in the country of Nearing Vast and had sheriffs from the City of Mann. Their currency was "gold coins"--there wasn't even a descriptive name for money. Tolkien created detailed, comprehensive worlds with their own histories. CS Lewis made earth seem like a weak copy of his own worlds. This author could have had a much more believable book if he had just made it historical fiction.

I'll spare you an excerpt this time. Just imagine some mildly interesting sword fights interspersed with "good grief" moments. Meh.

P.S. Read the first review on Amazon--their a good evaluation of the author's theology and pacifism. The main character's mantra (who was a Christian character) was "resist not evil." What?!? A pirate ship is not the place to practice that theory.