Book Review: Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson

“It’s an allegory of spiritual warfare,” they told me, when I questioned them about the book on the ledge in front of them.

“Okay,” I nodded. “Is it kinda like Frank Peretti’s stuff? Is there an author I’d recognize that he’s like?”

Their mother interjected, “I don’t know that you kids have read any Frank Peretti.”

I laughed, realizing I was dating myself – I was reading Frank Peretti two decades ago.

They suggested C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia as similar books.

I took their recommendation and checked Isle of Swords out of the church library.

It reminded me of Frank Peretti’s “Cooper Kids Adventure series”, which I read, well, 20 years ago. It did not at all remind me of C.S. Lewis.

Then again, I realized about halfway through that this title wasn’t a part of the trilogy they’d be recommending (Most likely “The Door Within Trilogy”). Reading the descriptions of Batson’s other books, I can see that this is certainly less allegorical than that series, although still a bit supernatural.

Isle of Swords tells the story of Captain Declan Ross, a sailor forced into piracy by a dearth of jobs after his stint in the Irish navy was over. He wants to get out of piracy, especially because his daughter Anne has decided the pirate’s life is the life for her – and he knows his dead wife would not approve. Getting out of piracy might be a hard task though, especially since he managed to raise the ire of Bartholomew Thorne, the most fearsome pirate on the sea. He might be lucky if he gets out with his life.

Nevertheless, he offers shelter to a badly beaten boy and then to a mysterious monk. As it turns out, these two might just hold the key to the treasure Ross needs to break free.

But Bartholomew Thorne wants the treasure – and Ross’s two refugees – too. Will the monk be able to lead Ross to claim the treasure of Constantine before Thorne gets him? Will the boy ever discover his identity? Will Anne be stuck in piracy as well?

I had a difficult time getting into this book at first – the first two chapters are backstory of a sort and served only to confuse me. I would have greatly preferred that the author had started with chapter three, giving the information in the first two chapters as flashbacks if needed (which I rather doubt.) Nevertheless, once I got past those first few chapters, I was pulled into the story and found it to be fun and engaging, even if it isn’t groundbreaking.

Published by Thomas Nelson, this is a clean book although only nominally Christian. Ross is a “noble pirate” who doesn’t kill needlessly or torture or take slaves – but he isn’t a believer (obviously). The story involves the purported treasure of Constantine, stolen from the Catholic church centuries ago, but stolen back by a group of priests who now guard it, using the treasure judiciously to fund mission work. These priests are regarded as holy men and one of them figures prominently in this story – but their Christianity seems merely a backdrop to the adventurous plot.

Nevertheless, parents could feel comfortable letting their early teens read this book, I think. It’s not a bad story and is entertaining.

Now, to find the series my young friends were actually recommending :-)

Rating: 3 stars
Category: Adventure novel
Synopsis: Declan Ross vows to protect a priest, who will give him a share of the legendary treasure of Constantine – but can he escape the dangerous pirate Bartholomew Thorne, who has a grudge against Ross and a hankering for the same treasure?
Recommendation: Clean, engaging, but not particularly groundbreaking. If you’re into adventure stories, it’s a decent one – otherwise, it’s nothing special.