A few weeks ago I posted my comments about the novel The Rise of the Dibor. That was Christopher Hopper‘s first novel in The White Lion Chronicles. I’ve just finished reading the second book, The Lion Vrie, continuing the adventures of Luik.
At the beginning of this installment Luik has been rescued from the lost battle and taken to Mount Dakka to recuperate. Once he’s afoot again, he follows clues to discover his fellow Dibor, an elite fighting force set into motion to battle against Mogui’s evil schemes, and becomes crowned high king. They search the land for other survivors, finding many who have been taken by Morgui and changed into warriors who are now fighting against the Dibor. Along the way, Luik searches out his childhood friends Fane, Hadrian, and his beloved Anorra. But they are separated once again when messages come from pockets of survivors in a distant part of the land, begging for relief. Or is it a trap they ride into?
About The Rise of the Dibor, I commented that it started slow and was in need of massive editing. The Lion Vrie has a tighter plot with less rambling, though there is still a fair bit of telling and redundancy. Again, the novel needed a solid edit that it did not receive, but in my opinion the issues in this one didn’t run as deep as in the previous. Either that or the quicker pace of the story kept me from noticing, which isn’t a bad thing.
The passion which Hopper feels about his subject matter comes through clearly. His purpose in this series is to address eternal questions such as: What if Adam and Eve never sinned? Would Satan be back? What if all you knew was lost? What if destruction surrounded you? How would you rebuild? And where would you turn for help?
If you’re interested in an epic fantasy series that explores these questions without ever preaching, check out these novels by Christopher Hopper. Book Three (title of which I was unable to find) is due out in 2009, so this is a great time to pick up the first two books and set the stage for the final installment.
