‘The Sword: A Novel’ by Bryan M. Litfin – Book Review and Giveaways

What would our world look like if we practically annihilated ourselves?  ‘The Sword,’ the first book in the Chiveis Trilogy, by Bryan M. Litfin takes a look at that prospect.  Here is the first paragraph in the Prologue:

In the year 2042, the world as we know it came to an end.  The edifice of civilization proved far more fragile than anyone ever realized.  One hard blow, then another – that was enough to shatter it into a million pieces. (p. 15)

Here is the author explaining the concept of the novel:

The Sword Trailer from Crossway on Vimeo.


A malignant virus, called the X-Virus, had infected the monkey population in the rain forest.  The virus quickly infected the human population.  It was very virulent, and its incubation period was two weeks; no symptoms were present until it was too late.  The pandemic spread quickly and killed millions.  Governments collapsed, and rogue forces obtained nuclear weapons.  Ten thousand megatons of weapons were detonated; nuclear winter ensued. 

This story is set four centuries after those ominous events.  The world now looks much as it did in medieval times, when people used swords and spears, and commuted via horses and carriages.  The main characters in this tale are Anastasia of Edgerton (also known as Ana) and Captain Teofil of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Chiveis.  Their first encounter was over a sickly bear in a secluded forest.  Anastasia caught the Captain’s attention with her inner strength and hunting prowess – not to mention her immense beauty!

The Kingdom of Chiveis worships its own set of gods (p. 60):

·         Astrebril – the Star of the Morning

·         Vulkain – the sulfurous god of the underworld

·         Pon – the debauched god of the forest

·         Elzebul – the filthy god of dung

The God of the Bible is lost to this civilization.  These pagan gods, who are all evil and destructive, are all they have.  The king mandates that his citizens worship these gods.  The High Priestess of Astrebril is aware of the ‘God of the Cross,’ but she hates Him; she knows His power and refuses to cede any of hers to Him.

The God of the Bible is lost – until He is found by Anastasia and Teofil.  On one of these many adventures, they discover a church that was built by the Ancients.  It is not clear where this book is set, but it sounds as though they may have discovered Notre Dame in Paris, France.  They discovered a book; on its cover were a cross and two words: Écriture sacrée: “Sacred Writing.”  
Not only is Teofil a captain in the Royal Guard, but he is also a professor at the University at Lekovil; his specialty is Ancient languages.  When the Dynamic Duo arrived back home, Teofil went to work translating the sacred writing.  Unfortunately, the New Testament was not available to them; it had gotten wet and moldy; the thin pages were damaged.

Despite the loss of the last third of the book, the Scriptures did speak to the hearts of the small group that began to study it.  Many of the citizens of Chiveis came to faith in the Eternal God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, the God they called Deu (a derivation of Dieu, the word for God in French).

Here, Ana explains belief in Deu to her Aunt Rosetta:

….”I think we’re supposed to believe, Aunt Rosetta.  Believe that Deu is good, even when circumstances seem to say otherwise.  Remember, we can’t see everything he sees.  He has purposes we may not understand.  All we have to do is keep walking ahead, saying Deu in our hearts, ‘I believe you’re good.  Please take care of me!’” (p. 272)

I have read some speculative Christian fiction in the past that did not grab me right away; it took me a chapter or two to gain my attention.  That was not the case with ‘The Sword.’  I was captivated from page one, and couldn’t wait to keep reading.  Not only is the story captivating – it is an adventurous and exciting romp - but Dr. Litfin is a terrific writer.  The next book in the Chiveis Trilogy will be released in April, 2011.  I look forward with great anticipation to the further adventures of Teo and Ana! 

Bryan M. Litfin, PhD is associate professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  He earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a PhD in ancient church history from the University of Virginia.  When he writes about a world that has reverted to medieval times, he knows whereof he writes!  He is the author of ‘Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction.’ ‘The Sword’ is his first novel.


You can order the book here.

This book was provided by Crossway Books for review and giveaway purposes.
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I have two copies of this book that I would love to pass along to one of you! 

There are several ways to gain entry:

1) Leave a comment here on the blog, telling me what you find most intriguing about this interesting novel!  Please make sure to leave your email address in this format – sample[at]gmail[dot]com.

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So there are five chances to enter!  Please limit one entry per option.

This give away is for U.S. residents only.  The deadline for entry is Monday, May 3, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  A winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 and will be contacted via email.  The best to all of you!