The Journey By Laura Lond By Rancosto on Nov 03, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

The Journey is the first book of a Christian fantasy trilogy titled The Adventures of Jecosan Tarres. Jecosan is a twelve year old village boy who works for the local blacksmith and also earns money by picking and selling mushrooms. His peaceful occupations are suddenly interrupted by a supernatural visitation. A heavenly spirit called elgur steps out of the invisible world and speaks to the boy, commissioning him to go to Kanavar, the capital city of the land. There, Jecosan must present himself at the royal palace and join the king's service. His main task, of which he must not speak to anyone but the king, is to prevent the coming war.

Together with his friend Dalian the blacksmith, Jecosan begins the long journey (hence the name of the book). Dalian is a big man who is overly sensitive to any kind of injustice and very protective of Jecosan. You'd think such a companion is a God-sent... However, Dalian has "his own understanding of good"; that, combined with his short-temperedness, gets the travelers in trouble more than once.

This seemingly simple story has caught me by surprise, turning out to be far more complex and multi-layered than I suspected. Nothing "just happens" here; everything has a reason, and probably an underlying spiritual theme. This first book clearly sets the stage for a bigger story to unfold in the sequels. The ending feels like a chessboard fully prepared for the game, with all key characters in place. I would advise to get the sequels right away, because you won't be able to wait to see the game begin.