Beyond the Summerland (The Binding of the Blade, Book 1) by L. B. Graham

Binding of the Blade #1

by L.B. Graham

Joraiem and the young Novaana train in the Summerland to rule Kirthanin and to defend it against the evil schemes of Malek.The Binding of the Blade is an original fantasy series based in part on prophecy from the book of Isaiah. Book 1, Beyond the Summerland, is where the adventure begins for a band of young Novaana, eager to serve and rule the four regions of the world of Kirthanin. Kirthanin is enjoying a time of peace, though Malek, Master of the Forge, and the betrayer of old, controls Agia Muldonai, the Holy Mountain. Malek’s servants are growing bolder and venturing further from their mountain stronghold, and the fragility of Kirthanin’s peace is growing ever clearer. Join this adventure of friendship, love, and betrayal. Ride through majestic forests and sail the forgotten waters. Rest a while in a summer paradise and walk the streets of an ancient and forbidden city. It will be the greatest challenge of their lives, but it is only the beginning.The Binding of the Blade Series has the world-building of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, the heroic tone of Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, and thematic richness and depth of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. While The Binding of the Blade is distinct from each of these series, these are authors whose works are "similar" in nature to Graham's series.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Young Adult, Christian, Christian Fantasy, Romance

Unknown Binding

First published May 25, 2004

About the author

L. B. Graham (BA Literature, Wheaton College; MDiv, Covenant Seminary) is chairman of the Bible department and teacher of English and Worldviews at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis. He has written several articles in IVP’s Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. He and his wife, Joanne, have two children.

Reviews

[Magma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a wonderful book.
when I first tried to read it I wasn't feeling well and couldn't finish the prologue...
...but when I picked it up again I finished the end of the prologue and it really started to pick up after the prologue.

A warning is there is alot of foreshadowing in the book and it all becomes clear in the last 5-10 pages.
You might hate the very ending....I was sad for the whole next day, but I bought books2&3 and read them and I can tell you that what happened at the end of book1 was necessary.

and we will all be happy with book5 and hopefully seeing characters we haven't seen the few previous books:D

[Dana Schnitzel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a rough read for me. Though Graham clearly worked hard to build a world and set up a story for books to come, it held too many hallmarks of amateur writing for me to truly enjoy reading it. The story itself was fairly interesting, but the tone was inconsistent--switching erratically from stilted and formal to colloquial and casual, the dialogue was awkward, and the passage of time was difficult to follow. If one of my students wrote this, I'd be floored, but for me, it just doesnt measure up to the standard set for good fantasy writing.

That being said, the twist at the end provided more redemption for the bad storytelling than I anticipated.

[Keara Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! But, now I'm depressed because of the ending.

[landrejczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my favorite series when i was nine and now i understand why i am the way i am a little better. 4.5.

[Abby Burrus]

Alas, I had to send this book back before I could finish it! But I will get it back next year and do so. I was enjoying it, though it moved slowly in the beginning and the writing was had some marks of an amateur...

[Noel Hume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay.
Wow.
I'll admit this: normally, I judge books by their covers, and normally, I'm right.
But this time....this time I was so wrong. The cover is horrendous, but.....
This book was amazing. I don't know how I could have misjudged it the way I did! Before I read it, I scoffed at the reviews on the back, where people said that this book was up there with Tolkien's and Lewis' works. But now....I UNDERSTAND WHY THEY SAID THAT!!!!
The characters were extremely well crafted. The plot was great. Worldbuilding was fantastic- dragons, Titans, giants, you name it. The romance was so tastefully done and I actually liked it because it was central to the plot. It wasn't like the author just stuck it in there just so he could say it had romance. It was an important part of the story...so important that I won't even mention how (even with a spoiler alert!) cause there is just such an insane twist at the end I don't want to spoil it for you even if you don't mind spoilers.
The dialogue and pacing were also very well done, as well as the description. I was really skeptical at first but as the story progressed I got more and more invested and by the end I was right there with those awed readers.
You all need to read this. The cover is NOT the greatest, but this is such a cool fantasy. It's not cheesy or lame. It's not for the faint of heart either. It's bloody and violent and adventurous and amazing.
My favorite character: Aljeron, who actually isn't the main character. But he's got a whole bunch of scars and a tiger as a companion and he seemed pretty slick......
Only content warnings I can think of: Two of the characters kiss before they're married. There are descriptions of wounds and fighting. No language.
You can see the distinct Christian message throughout the book. You wouldn't know it's an allegory from reading the first book, but by the time you get to the end of the series, you'll know it's one of the most tastefully done allegories you've read. Basically like Wingfeather or other similar books,(but dare I say even better) where the characters have faith in a higher power akin to our God. Even though this is distinctly Christian, don't let that deter you from this book!! I know some Christian authors don't incorporate faith very well into their books, but L.B. Graham does a great job here and I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this to every lover of high fantasy, romance, and adventure. You don't know what you're missing out on by not reading this!!! Go get a copy right now!!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. The world-building and storytelling in this book were phenomenal. Also, the author does a reasonable job of developing the characters (though some more than others) and I cared about what happened to them, and I was fully immersed in their world.

However I couldn't rate this higher for the following reasons:

* The women are for the most part weak, powerless, underdeveloped, and useless. They're objects of affection for the men.
* To the above point, this book is male-dominated. Allfather (the "God" that everyone worships) only seems to speak to men. All of the teachers are men, all of the prophets and mythical beings are men, the men do most of the fighting, only the men have powers, gifts, foresight. Women are just wives, mothers, and love interests, who can't think or find their way out of any trouble without the men there to rescue them.
* The storytelling was good, yes, but the writing was so-so. Grammatical errors, weird instances where it lapsed into first-person, awkward character point-of-view shifts, etc. The pacing was strange, with some sections dragging and others summarized quickly.
* The ending was frustrating. :(

I'm willing to forgive all of the above faults except for the first two. If L.B. Graham made the women stronger and developed them a bit more, this would be the PERFECT fantasy series. Sigh. I'm still going to pick up Book #2 and hope the women are better in the that one!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you get into fantasy, pick this one up and begin the journey of the Binding of the Blade. My sister Sariah got me into this series and I just finished the fifth and final book in the series.
It is written by a Christian author and is the best thing since the Chronicles of Narnia. I love that it isn't sorcery, but the people believe in one God. It is gripping once you get past the slow prologue (so just skim that if you have to and go back later for the info). Definetly recommend.

[Alexa Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gripped me at times, but lost my attention more than once. I will definitely consider reading the next one in the series though. I understand the worldbuilding well, and I enjoy the spirit of the book and story. Just the pacing and the character building would cause me to drift.

[Whitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

That surprise at the ending...just wasn't my kind of surprise. Pooey. But probably it's really a good book - my brothers seem to like it...for some reason. :\

[Shantelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I agonized greatly at the end of this book, yet I still rated it five stars. Why? I don't know, I loved it I guess... (despite the fact that the end stunned me and threw my little "reading Beyond the Summerland" world into chaos).

Joraiem is a young man who travels to Summerland along with many other 18+ year-olds to train to be men and women warriors. This is a tradition of their land. They're preparing themselves for Malek's third and final attack. -Not that they're expecting it any time soon though. But Black Wolves and Malekim are on the war path. Battles might come for the people gathered in the blissful Summerland much sooner than they expected.

I love Christian allegories/fantasies. So when I saw this book, I couldn't pass it up. Even though it's gigantic. (Haha). I found that it was a little slower-paced than most books I read, not something you will fly through, but still great once you get reading.

I loved Joraiem and Wylla and all the others (especially the scarred man, Aljeron, and his beloved tiger). The legendary prophet, Valzaan, was also a wonderful character. The action was great. The Malekim, Black Wolves, and other Malek-created-beings were disgusting and creepy. The journey was incredible. I think the end half of the book was faster paced than the beginning. But it was so good...

...Until the last few pages. Still, I am reeling from the reality of what happened. I mean, all this horror, all this darkness, then finally a joyous reunion and blissful plans... and what happens? SOMEONE DIES!!!!! Ok, I'll make it sound more terrible: someone very beloved to all in the book dies. The book ends with the lifeless body being carried back to a village where they will break the devastating news to the family. There's a small hope amidst the mournful funeral procession. -A baby is to be born. Then the book ends.

Why? Why? Why? I loved-! How can this happen? The only thing that comforts me, and perhaps allowed me to rate this book five stars, is the fact that when Allfather restores the Fountain (or whatever they say), all will be made new.

Don't give up on this book because of my review. It was so good! Somehow it was just epically worth it. I will (hopefully) read the next book soon and see what happens next!

[Jarvis "Mclovin" · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book is so disapointing. it took me two weeks to read it only to find out that joriam gets stabed in the back by his best friend.


Synopsis of eond the summer land: In the begining of the book, he shoots a pig-man in the neck and then his marval, at the thickness of it's skin before choping the carkasas head off to make sure it is dead (even though it took Joriam's friend fiffty-two swings with his sword to do it). After that Joriam runs to the summer land, with his friend va-va valzan. Then he goes around and kills big wolves, and ugly people who look like pigs. And after that, a dragon carries him, and his buddys for a long time to a battle, where they kill lots of pig men. after they kill then they thought it would be fun to burn them! So they did. In the end he maries a girl who he thinks is hot. His friend, rulian also thinks she is hot. they argue. rulian says: would you please kill me? joriam says no and hands him a knife. rulian stabs him in the chest with the knife. then joriam is "luled to sleep by the rhythm of the big blue sea".


I would not recomend this book.

[Electric Bubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

How am I supposed to get through my to-read list when I keep re-reading old favorites?????

[Adam Rabke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with crazy ending but a bit tame compared to the rest of the series

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, okay, I ended up taking way too long to finish this book, a Christian fiction fantasy. I’m not sure I can give it a fair rating, except I suppose it dragged in a few places for me, then really picked up at the end (dragons always help!). Also had a big gut punch ending. I’ve read some interesting things about the sequel, I may give it a shot.

[Chris Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many things this book gets right but a few things it gets wrong. Beyond The Summerland by L.B. Graham is many things. It's a fantasy, it's a romance novel, it's an adventure story and it's a rescue mission. All these different elements may be distracting to a reader, while it jumps from genre to genre but L.B. Graham combines them so well that each story builds on the next and the end result is a story with amazing continuity. Everything in the book has a purpose and the reader is required to follow along to catch the very surprising ending.

The story is set in a fantasy world, sometime around the Middle Ages but there are instances when reading that feel more advance then the time it's supposedly set in, that's one gripe I have about the book. Our main character is Joraiem he is a young twenty -three year old. He lives in a small village and is raised by a good family. Just like any twenty-three year old, Joraiem is on a journey of self discovery and leaves his home to join a group leaders called the Novaana. Basically, a group of top political leaders who are also well trained soldiers. Joraiem has a good demeanour and is no slouch with a bow and arrow. He fits in well amongst the Novaana. Though, this book is mainly classified as a fantasy the book isn't very heavy on the fantasy part. The snippets of fantasy mostly come between Joraiem and a prophet by the name of Valzaan. Valzaan is very wizardly like and teaches Joraiem many things.

There are obviously a host of other characters and character development is one thing that L.B. Graham does remarkably well. They are all flushed out and we really get a sense of who they are and what they are feeling emotionally, such as jealousy which is a key emotion in the end. The characters though well developed, their environments weren't. Apart from a brief description of their locations we really don't get a sense that we're there with them, maybe that's just me but I thought the locations could have been described a little better. I wanted to feel like I was there. For example, a major pit stop in the book is a place called the 'Forbidden Isle' I would've like more of a description of the place. I couldn't quite picture it in my mind.

Beyond The Summerland is a good read though despite a few minor flaws. It would be good in the hands of teens, young adults and adults alike. It's too mature for children as there is descriptive violent scenes. This a good one, hence the 3/5.

[Kiersten]

Excellent. I've read the entire series twice over and this is still my favorite of the five novels. It packs an intricate storyline and brilliant, solidly developed characters. Graham really does a good job of developing the setting, too—it has a very broad, epic feel. And talk about a shocking ending to the first book! Although it frustrated me emotionally, and a little disappointment lingered throughout the following books, I think it made for a good plot device to compel the reader to finish the series, and added a lot of interesting character options in later book that couldn't have existed otherwise.



Debut novels to a "sword-and-sorcery" series (especially allegorical ones, which this is to a degree) tend to be very formulaic, but the latter parts of this book, at least, were anything but. The reader also gets a very strong sense of how sinister the villain usually is, which is more and more a rarity. I enjoy coming across fantasy books from time to time that have fewer morally grey areas, and this is one of those.



I will say that I think the author could have done some work on editing, and restructuring the dialogue in some places to add more character to it, but in my opinion it detracts little from the plot. I would (and have) highly recommended the entire series. Why almost no one seems to have heard of these is beyond me.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prologue - in the nature of a prequel ages prior to the main story - was confusing, especially since the end of the prequel is given first and it is hard to tell when the author is jumping back and forth in time.

However, the main part of the story was much more engaging. The character's are mostly young people (say 16 to 21?) which which would probably define the target audience, however it would be good for adults who want a clean and positive fantasy story. There are also dragons, bears, a fierce pet tiger. It contains some obvious good-and-evil symbolism but is not an entirely predictable allegory. The author creates his own world, somewhat like Tolkien.

The ending is quite an unexpected shock for those who expect a happy ending. Keep in mind that the author is taking you on an unfinished adventure which will continue in later editions of the series.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oops! This is NOT the book I was supposed to read for the Mana book club. That was Summerland by Chabon. No wonder it wasn't the light hearted story I had expected when Kit talked about it. My bad!

This was quite violent, too boring for the first 250 pages, and a tiny bit more interesting the last 500 pages. Nevermind the ending rather much sucked. And it's supposed to be a trilogy? I won't be reading further.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I revisited this old friend of a series this year and devoured it. I love the complex world and characters that Graham has created. I also found that although the books are big, I raced through them. To me it never feels like the detail is without purpose - it paints a gorgeous picture in your head. I would love to visit Kirthanin myself! The characters are all very likeable, real and messy, and there are some really unexpected twists throughout the series.

[Denae Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would've given it a five if the main character didn't get murdered by his best friend in the very end.

[Tamara Georges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! A must read for those who love Christian fiction.
Great character development and plot twists. It was a slow read, but definitely worth it in the end.

[Calvin Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book!Can't wait to read the next one!I was very surprised at the end though!

[Rose Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of all time. I love the way the characters are written and I get lost in the story every time I read it. One of my favourite genres is Christian allegories so if that's one of your favourite genres than you'll love it too. The chapters are long so if you're a slow reader keep going, it's worth it! This is one book series where I really don't understand the bad reviews, I was captured by it! I've recommended this series to a few friends and they've all loved it too.

What I loved
the Characters:
really well built and you feel for the characters and the emotions they feel and the decisions they take

the Plot:
gripping and relevant the ending was so gripping and pulled at my heart! I think I might have cried the first time I read it

the Romance:
I really liked the romance because it wasn't overdone but it added a sweetness to the story

Faith:
although it's set in a different world I found it encouraging for my faith to think of God and how He's here for us like Allfather was there for the characters in the book

Other:
-the names on the back and how to pronounce them all is a great addition which I haven't seen in a book before
-the map, I love flicking back to a map when it's a fantasy

What I didn't like
If it didn't have all the characters at the back then I would have lost track of them all the first time reading through, so it's not really a negative as it was easy to flick back to remind me who everyone was.

[Isabella Roh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a solid, enjoyable, God-centered fantasy, which was a great way to procrastinate homework in the middle of the semester. The protagonists are all young adults--between twenty and twenty-four--as opposed to sixteen-year-olds, which was a nice change from most other YA fantasy, and it made for an element of maturity in the story, especially when dealing with romantic relationships. On the whole it was a great book. Just don't read the last chapter.
The last chapter was infuriating, and the epilogue was almost worse, even with the glimmer of hope it gave. My primary complaint is simply that by the time it came, I had decided "this isn't that type of book," even though certain events had been clearly foreshadowed (and I had correctly predicted them). I had simply decided they would be premature at this point. I'm told that it is redeemed by the rest of the series, but I won't have a chance to read that for some months, so in the meantime, I'm "quite put out!"
On the whole, though, it was definitely worth reading.

[Reading Through the Lists · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

There are some genuinely interesting settings, characters, and scenes in Beyond the Summerland. Unfortunately, they are surrounded by pages and pages of unnecessary description and dull dialogue (a good editor might have shaved off about 200 pages).

And while the characters are decently compelling, I find myself far more interested in the characters of the prologue and the backstory, characters who make questionable choices for interesting reasons. Our main hero Joraiem is ok, but bland. He's nice, he's Christian, he does everything right. Not every main character needs to be an anti-hero, but could he be a little bit interesting?

This book is clearly meant to be the first in a series and thus is in no hurry to build up the larger world, but there is no reason why the first book couldn't be complex and compelling as well.

[C.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Christian fantasy novels: epic, not preachy, with a well-developed world and well-rounded characters. As a huge fan of Tolkien and Lewis, Beyond the Summerland has a special place in my heart. My mom bought it for me when I was a teenager. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
Beyond the Summerland is emotionally moving, with memorable characters and wonderful Christian themes. Yes, the ending is undeniably sad. However, this book inspired me to keep on writing when I felt like giving up. If you're a fan of high-quality Christian fiction, you will doubtless enjoy Beyond the Summerland.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was reading this one to my 8 year old. He seemed to enjoy it, but there were definitely parts that were a bit much. For instance, the book ends with the main character getting stabbed in the chest and dying. It was foreshadowed, but was still a shock. Also, there was a lot of wordage devoted to young adult (late teens to early twenties) romance. Nothing even vaguely inappropriate, but didn't really keep the interest of my 8 yo son.

The series is a total of 5 books, and they aren't short. I'll probably get to them with him, but I think we'll try something else first.

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series was one of my husband's favorites growing up, and he's currently in the middle of re-reading the series & still enjoying the experience. So obviously, I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about! (Plus, it's fiction and I need more fiction in my life these days.)

And I enjoyed this book immensely! There were a couple of time where my attention lagged, but in a nearly 600-page book I think the author can be forgiven for that. Especially because most of the time, I was captivated!

I have a lot of emotions now that I've finished it that I'm not really sure how to relate because #spoilers, but I am REALLY excited to see the direction these next few books take!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for my son but decided to read it myself. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was skeptical. It was a slower moving book than I expected for a fantasy story but the author did a good job of building the characters and the story. It felt somewhat allegorical and I could see ties between Allfather and God as well as between Malek and his rebellion and Satan and his. It was also a clean story and not very gory. There were some love interests but it was completely appropriate. All in all, I enjoyed the story and would recommend. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.