Plight of the Rokan Boy

Reviewed by:

Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.

Title:

Plight of the Rokan Boy (Relics of Errus Book 2)

Author:

Gordon Greenhill

Publisher:

St. Asinus Publishing

Publication Date:

April 20, 2021

Format:

Paperback

Length:

271 pages

OVERVIEW

Romul doesn’t trust others. As a member of the Rokan, most people on Errus treat him as a servant to ignore, or a thief to bully. The only thing he thought he knew about himself was his mother, who has told him that he came from another family. Romul’s attempt to find his family, with nothing more than a relic to guide him, doesn’t seem to be going anywhere until he meets three girls who say they came from another world. Eli, Anna and Rose Hoover know that their past actions have unleashed dragons and brought rain to a desert. Their priest friend Cholerish warns that the nations separated by the desert will start fighting again eventually, but something even more important is coming. Rumel’s relic connects him to an ancient prophecy about divine emissaries returning to Errus, which may be good or ill. The group won’t know for sure until Romul takes them to see the last available magic creature who can provide the prophecy’s last details.

The first book in this series was a clever homage to the Chronicles of Narnia, applying some of its plot ideas to a new fantasy world with new characters and tongue-in-cheek humor. The cleverness continues here, with homages to J.R.R. Tolkien’s work (when one of the company’s traveling companions has another snack, Anna mutters, “He eats like a hobbit”) and to C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair. However, Greenhill weaves these elements into a plot all his own, filling in new details about the enchanting fantasy world he’s created. Changing the perspective so that this story follows the perspective of an Errus resident instead of the Hoover sisters enables him to dive into the fantasy world’s history, particularly the racial conflicts between the Rokan people and the Garland people. It becomes clear early on that Greenhill is riffing on real-life racial conflicts to create this part of Errus’ history, but his storytelling makes it a rich part of the story.

All things considered, Greenhill delivers a great sequel that does what all great sequels should do (expand on the existing world, bringing something new to the table). At the same time, he makes the book entertaining enough to read on its own, not just as the next step in the Relics of Errus saga.

A wonderful, witty fantasy for children or adults.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars):

5 stars

Suggested Audience:

A wonderful, witty fantasy for children or adults.

Christian Impact:

Greenhill uses the clashes between Errus’ people groups to consider the impact of racism, its follies and the cycles of distrust that follow from it. As different characters engage with this ugly side of Errus’ history, Greenhill shows how repentance and reconciliation are costly but vital.

Note: Readers may want to read the previous works in the series first.

The Flight of the Sky Cricket (Relics of Errus #1)

Once More Into the Breaches: An Errus Short Story

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