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Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione — “The Knights of Arrethtrae” Series

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Readability Age Range

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Awards

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Book Review

Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione by Chuck Black has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the first book in “The Knights of Arrethrae” series.

Plot Summary

Sir Kendrick and Sir Duncan (Kendrick’s trainee) serve the King and his son, the Prince. When they discover evil Lord Ra is luring young people into his service, they travel to Ra’s castle in the town of Bel Lione. Ra’s warriors capture Duncan before the knights have time to formulate a plan, and Kendrick must seek the help of Landor, a former knight of Ra, to learn how to rescue Duncan from Ra’s fortress. Landor and Kendrick help Duncan escape. Still concerned for the youths that Ra is deceiving and the prisoners he has stashed in dungeons below the castle, the knights fight against and eventually conquer Ra in the name of the King and the Prince.

Christian Beliefs

This book is set up as a Christian allegory in that the characters mirror biblical people: Ra is similar to Satan, the King and the Prince represent God and Christ, and Kendrick resembles the apostle Paul, who shuns his past to follow Christ. Kendrick and Duncan often talk about the King’s power, and Kendrick sees a change in Landor as Landor learns more about the Prince. The battles fought against Ra demonstrate the clashes Christians experience today between good and evil in the spiritual realm.

Other Belief Systems

None

Authority Roles

Kendrick is a valiant knight who wrestles with his past and puts aside his own desire for honor in order to serve the King. He patiently trains Duncan, even though he initially feels the boy is impetuous. Landor, a former warrior of Ra, puts himself in danger to help Kendrick and Duncan. Ra, the epitome of evil, employs worldly enjoyment to draw in new recruits. Those who don’t follow him are starved and tortured in Ra’s dungeons. The King and Prince, though never appearing in the book, demonstrate their influence and power in the lives they’ve changed and in the way their followers successfully battle evil.

Profanity & Violence

Enemy guards wound Kendrick’s horse, and blood wolves, which are Ra’s guard animals, attack Kendrick. Readers will also find several bloody battle scenes.

Sexual Content

None

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books.

Additional Comments

You can discuss the meaning of the word allegory to help young readers understand how the battles described in this book mirror spiritual battles.

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.