While it seems as though this blog is about reviewing and discussing books, particularly fantasy, I have a wider purpose in mind. I want to challenge and encourage those who claim to believe the Bible to use its principles in choosing and enjoying their entertainment. To that end, I’d like to recommend a product my family has used for years. (I’d say I’m not getting anything for the recommendation, but that’s not strictly true, as you’ll see if you keep reading.)

         Several years ago we purchased a ClearPlay DVD player. From the first time we used it to filter and watch movies, we loved it. Suddenly, almost-acceptable movies became good, good movies became great. We no longer had to fast forward through inappropriate scenes or cringe when we heard words that offended. We started enjoying movies again.

         We recently received a letter from ClearPlay telling of a Valentine’s special they are running.

         In their words:

Here is the deal. Simply tell your friends:
- buy a ClearPlay DVD player at one of these fine retailers
- when your friend calls to activate ClearPlay, tell them to mention your name
- and tell our customer service representative the secret Valentines code “I love Matt more”.

We will give your friend AND YOU an extra month of membership. (psst..there isn’t a limit on the number of free months you can collect, as long as your friends call before the 14th). Now that’s true love!

         Rather than try to explain the technology to you, I’ll point you to ClearPlay and let them do that. The great thing about this product is it is safe from the Hollywood copyright lawsuits because the ClearPlay filters do nothing to the movies themselves. They simple create a mask to seamlessly blank out offending material (as defined by the user through multiple menus and choices). Since it is totally user controlled, it is analogous to you buying a book and choosing not to read certain pages. Copyright laws dictate restrictions on adapting, manipulating or selling another’s creative work, not on how the end user privately enjoys that work.

         So if you are interested, check out ClearPlay. And, if you feel so inclined, mention my name.

         Fridays are normally the days I post a review of a book I have read. It is almost physically impossible for me to read and write a review every week. (One of the reasons I hesitated to even start this site.) That is why I decided early on that I would post a new review 2-3 times a month (on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Fridays) and link to someone else’s review the other 2 Fridays (1st and 4th).

         Instead of a link to a review of just one book, this week I would like to recommend another reviewing website. A year ago, when searching for similar sites, I could find no one reviewing secular books from a Christian viewpoint. (They might have been on the Web. I just didn’t find them.) This time, though, I found Christian Review of Books. As you see from their About page, their stated mission is similar to mine.

“We decided there should be a Christian review, one that critiqued not only the books in the strictly Christian genre, but those that Christians are more likely to read from the mainstream or literature world, too.”

          What I read was interesting and well-written. A little different from my reviews (or my vision, which doesn’t always amount to the same thing ), but definitely a place to go for a reliable opinion.

         Go check them out. . . . Just don’t forget to come back here next Friday for a “Stephanie’s personal perspective” review. See you next week!

         “The Charmed Sphere”, ISBN 0-373-80203-X, was written by Catherine Asaro and published by Luna, an imprint of Harlequin Books in 2004. Asaro has published several other books with Luna, “The Misted Cliffs,” “The Fire Opal” and “The Dawn Star.”

         “The Charmed Sphere” is set in the fantasy kingdom of Aronsdale. In this kingdom mages rule alongside the monarch. In fact, it is traditional for the most powerful eligible mage to marry the king. That is the reason Della No-Cozen, Shape-Mage Mistress of Castle Suncroft is scouring the countryside. To find a budding mage to train who will also marry the heir of the throne. Chime appears to be that mage.

         Chime reluctantly accompanies Della back to Castle Suncroft and begins her training. Soon after, another mage is discovered and joins the lessons. The two girls struggle, each in different ways, to master the intricacies of using shapes and colors to produce spells. During that time, a long-lost heir is discovered, the kingdom is threatened by a growing evil in the north and Chime marries Muller, the disinherited heir.

         The rest of the story reveals the growing threat from an alliance with the bitter, grasping king to the north and a malignant and corrupted mage. This evil mage has apparently been brutally abused and tortured because of his powerful mage abilities. He lashes out at those he sees as responsible for his fate. The northern kingdom’s monarch uses this to set in motion a plan to conquer Aronsdale.

         Chime, Muller, Jarid, the returned heir and king, and Iris, the mage who found and later married him prepare to meet this growing menace. They attempt to uncover and defeat plots, both inside and outside the castle. This struggle is mirrored by their personal struggles to understand and control their individual powers. Each of them is powerful, but something about them is different and defies known and accepted information and practices. As they grapple with their inner battles, they secure a trust and alliance with each other that allows them to ultimately defeat the threat to themselves and Aronsdale.

         Because this fantasy world is radically different from our own reality, it may seem difficult to compare it to Christian norms. However, the emphasis on personal integrity and responsibility is compatible with Christian principles. There is little that is objectionable and much that is laudable in this story. The importance of compassion and forgiveness is emphasized, as is the need for seeking the motive underlying the action. The need for responsible development in the use of skills and talents is another important concept. The awareness and lessons learned about wielding magic are especially appropriate for a practicing Christian. One such lesson, that when a spell is used which causes pain or damage to another, the wielder is hurt in proportion to that damage, is a theme that runs throughout the entire book.

         The one possibly objectionable portion of the story is when Chime and Muller become physically intimate. While done tastefully, with nothing explicit written in any of the love scenes, this is a clear violation of the Christian command for purity in sexual matters. Within the context of the story, it must be admitted, this action is condemned as wrong by those in authority, if not by Chime and Muller.

         All in all, “The Charmed Sphere” is a fascinating, exhilarating adventure of love, intrigue and personal discovery. For the Christian who enjoys romance in fantasy lands, this book has much good to offer. Enjoy!

         “Carpe Demon”, subtitled “Adventures of a Demon Hunting Soccer Mom”, ISBN 0-515-14221-2, was written by Julie Kenner and published by Jove, a division of The Berkeley Publishing Group in 2006. This is the first of what looks to be an ongoing series in the newly popular urban fantasy genre. She has also published “California Demon,” and “Demons are Forever” and “Deja Demon.”

         This is an hilariously written account of Kate Conner, a retired Demon Hunter, living in a suburban California town with her husband and two children. No one in the family knows of her former profession and, even in the midst of the demon scare of the story, she struggles to keep it that way. Her teenage daughter was young when her father, also a Demon Hunter, was killed and she knows nothing of demons or La Forza, the secret Roman Catholic society dedicated to protecting the world from demons. When Kate remarried, she did not reveal her past, considering it a totally abandoned part of her life.

         Having retired to a place known for repelling demons, she never expected a demon, inhabiting a recently deceased man, would accost her in her own home. The ensuing battle, the demon’s last threats and a plea from La Forza result in Kate taking up her previous role of Demon Hunter. The next almost 300 pages recount Kate’s sometimes reluctant, sometimes panicky attempts to find and destroy the threatening demon lord, all the while keeping her family in the dark about her fight. The hilarious (trying to keep a dead demon hidden in the pantry during breakfast) and dramatic (Kate suspects her husband has been taken over by a demon) moments of the book intertwine to create a fast-paced, compelling story that is highly entertaining and emotionally satisfying.

         As Christians, we know demons exist and are at war with, if not all humans, definitely with those who profess to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Kenner creates a world where that battle is seen and is plausible. She uses many forms and traditions from Roman Catholic lore. For example, anything holy, such as water blessed by a priest or anything related to a beautified saint, repels and acts as a weapon against demons. The altar at the church is particularly harmful to demons because it is made with the ground up bones of several saints.

         Jenner uses other interesting facets of our culture in setting up her world. One such technique is that demons can only inhabit a body at the point of death. Or more precisely, at the point of a miraculous recovery. The bodies of true believers can’t be taken over this way, they fight too hard and successfully, but most others can. These things make the story plausible, even if some Christian theology might dispute them (saints, for instance, are anyone trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for salvation, not necessarily only those canonized by the Roman Catholic church or salvation comes from believing and obeying the Lord, not from attending Mass or confession).

         Carpe Demon is an hilarious frolic through the life of a woman totally in love with and involved in her family. As she struggles to hide her demon-hunting activities, even lying and misleading her family on several issues, it is obvious everything she does is inspired by the love she has for her husband, teenaged daughter and toddler son.

         As far as this author can tell, there is nothing offensive to a believing, practicing Christian. The few possible theological objections are an expected and established part of a story like this and seem relatively harmless. One would caution, though, that a heart fully devoted to the Lord is a far better defense than carrying a vial of holy water in your pocket the next time you meet a demon.