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Celestial Kingdom #2
Voyage
A ship that never sails ...
and a crew that never works.
Shepherd's mission isn't going to be easy.
While his rebellious shipmates prefer to sit anchored in the Shallows forever, Shepherd intends to obey the Master’s orders: sail across the Forbidden Sea to shore. No matter the cost.
After Shepherd’s patience finally runs out, he secretly weighs anchor in the dead of night, forcing all onboard to begin their journey across the sea—ready or not.
But the voyage to shore is more dangerous than anyone expects. Shepherd must teach the crew to trust the Master's plan and work together to navigate the terrors that await them, all while squelching the ever-present threat of a mutiny.
Will the Master be pleased with Shepherd's efforts, or will all of his failures drown out any hope of success?
An allegory depicting the local church, Voyage is the second book in Valerie Howard's Celestial Kingdom series, and is perfect for fans of faith-strengthening Christian allegories like Pilgrim's Progress and Hinds' Feet on High Places.
Books in the Celestial Kingdom series can be read in any order, and are great for anyone ages 12 to adult
and a crew that never works.
Shepherd's mission isn't going to be easy.
While his rebellious shipmates prefer to sit anchored in the Shallows forever, Shepherd intends to obey the Master’s orders: sail across the Forbidden Sea to shore. No matter the cost.
After Shepherd’s patience finally runs out, he secretly weighs anchor in the dead of night, forcing all onboard to begin their journey across the sea—ready or not.
But the voyage to shore is more dangerous than anyone expects. Shepherd must teach the crew to trust the Master's plan and work together to navigate the terrors that await them, all while squelching the ever-present threat of a mutiny.
Will the Master be pleased with Shepherd's efforts, or will all of his failures drown out any hope of success?
An allegory depicting the local church, Voyage is the second book in Valerie Howard's Celestial Kingdom series, and is perfect for fans of faith-strengthening Christian allegories like Pilgrim's Progress and Hinds' Feet on High Places.
Books in the Celestial Kingdom series can be read in any order, and are great for anyone ages 12 to adult
- GenresFantasyChristian Fiction
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2023
About the author
Valerie Howard
46 books149 followersValerie Howard
Contemporary Women's Christian Fiction
"Real women. Tough issues. Powerful God."
Valerie's goal in writing is to bring people closer to Jesus one chapter at a time.
Valerie has been writing stories since she was in second grade when she wrote "The Mystery of the Missing Crayon." She gave up writing mysteries soon after and now concentrates on real-life stories that tackle tough issues such as homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, family tragedy, childhood trauma, foster care, poverty, and terminal cancer. All of her books are filled with the hope and love of Christ and are uplifting and feel-good with happy, though sometimes tearful, endings as her characters overcome their obstacles with God at their side. She also writes biblical non-fiction, indie author non-fiction, children's books, allegorical fiction, and small church Christmas plays. (She's a little obsessed with writing.)
Valerie is a fan of summer, warmth, and flip-flips, so she often wonders why she lives in Maine where she is frozen for the better half of the year. But her amazing husband and adorable sons live there with her, so it's not all bad. She graduated from Bible College with a degree in Bible and Missions a long, long time ago in a state far, far away.
Contemporary Women's Christian Fiction
"Real women. Tough issues. Powerful God."
Valerie's goal in writing is to bring people closer to Jesus one chapter at a time.
Valerie has been writing stories since she was in second grade when she wrote "The Mystery of the Missing Crayon." She gave up writing mysteries soon after and now concentrates on real-life stories that tackle tough issues such as homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, family tragedy, childhood trauma, foster care, poverty, and terminal cancer. All of her books are filled with the hope and love of Christ and are uplifting and feel-good with happy, though sometimes tearful, endings as her characters overcome their obstacles with God at their side. She also writes biblical non-fiction, indie author non-fiction, children's books, allegorical fiction, and small church Christmas plays. (She's a little obsessed with writing.)
Valerie is a fan of summer, warmth, and flip-flips, so she often wonders why she lives in Maine where she is frozen for the better half of the year. But her amazing husband and adorable sons live there with her, so it's not all bad. She graduated from Bible College with a degree in Bible and Missions a long, long time ago in a state far, far away.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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September 28, 2022I hope you enjoy this Christian allegory depicting the workings of the local church. As the wife of a pastor, this subject is near and dear to my heart, and I can't wait to share Shepherd's (and his crew's) adventure with you all! ♥
May 19, 2023
This type of book is right up my ally! My favorite genre!
The world was masterfully fashioned- a world of water, ships, sea dragons, and thunderstorms. I loved the premise - a ship that's stayed in the shallows for too long because its crew members are too scared to sail in deeper waters toward the Master's shore. Shepherd's musings and struggles to pull up anchor and convince his crew to unfurl the sails, pulled at all the cords in my heart. The longings in my own life to weigh anchor and sail into the dark untrodden waters, to depths and dangers unknown. To aim my vessel toward Home, to sail through stormy gale and tempest, to know the joy the comes from following my King's call. The great adventure awaits!
Pardon. These are feelings that are well known in my soul. 💗
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I think it could have been taken to the next level with multiple POV's and a bit more focus on fleshing out specific characters' stories and development. But it was a well written story and is well worth your time! Highly recommend for a clean, seafaring, adventurous, heart-stirring read!
The world was masterfully fashioned- a world of water, ships, sea dragons, and thunderstorms. I loved the premise - a ship that's stayed in the shallows for too long because its crew members are too scared to sail in deeper waters toward the Master's shore. Shepherd's musings and struggles to pull up anchor and convince his crew to unfurl the sails, pulled at all the cords in my heart. The longings in my own life to weigh anchor and sail into the dark untrodden waters, to depths and dangers unknown. To aim my vessel toward Home, to sail through stormy gale and tempest, to know the joy the comes from following my King's call. The great adventure awaits!
Pardon. These are feelings that are well known in my soul. 💗
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I think it could have been taken to the next level with multiple POV's and a bit more focus on fleshing out specific characters' stories and development. But it was a well written story and is well worth your time! Highly recommend for a clean, seafaring, adventurous, heart-stirring read!
November 14, 2022
I think that if Jesus came up with new parables relating to today's church, they might contain some of the ideas I see in this book. This is not just a nice little story. it is packed full of truths that we need to be mindful of even daily. Lord, help us. Very well done!!!
December 12, 2022
A fun, solid allegory.
April 22, 2024
This was an interesting read and did address some of the problems of Christians today, but I didn't feel some of it was a fair view of today's church. Some good lessons to consider, though questionable doctrine in some areas in my opinion. It moved a little slow for my taste at times. Not a great read, but okay. Just be aware that it is an allegory, not Scripture!
The narration was pretty good.
The narration was pretty good.
September 8, 2025
What a blessing!
This allegory was such a blessing. It maintained my interest at the level of the story and kept me making parallels throughout the book. After I finished reading tonight, I was stressed about something, and one of the deeper lessons came back to me and helped me to refocus on God. I look forward to reading Valerie Howard's other allegory.
This allegory was such a blessing. It maintained my interest at the level of the story and kept me making parallels throughout the book. After I finished reading tonight, I was stressed about something, and one of the deeper lessons came back to me and helped me to refocus on God. I look forward to reading Valerie Howard's other allegory.
July 11, 2026
The story was somewhat entertaining but I really didn't understand a whole lot of the allegory part. A lot didn't make sense allegory wise.
June 9, 2023
This was an allegory on the church today. After what we went through the first few months of this year with our church, this was an amazing read! So many parallels. It was also full of encouragement for when the times of ministry are hard. So good! I would highly recommend.
March 23, 2025
9/10
There’s something about sailing stories that I really, really enjoy.
Voyage definitely does not disappoint. I found the allegorical fantasy world very intriguing as Shepherd tries to encourage his crew members.
The characters were very believable & at times heartbreaking when some really made the wrong choices. When things looked bad, you felt discouraged while rooting for them to pull through.
I know by the ending, I was definitely teary.
There’s something about sailing stories that I really, really enjoy.
Voyage definitely does not disappoint. I found the allegorical fantasy world very intriguing as Shepherd tries to encourage his crew members.
The characters were very believable & at times heartbreaking when some really made the wrong choices. When things looked bad, you felt discouraged while rooting for them to pull through.
I know by the ending, I was definitely teary.
January 13, 2023
Very good allegory of our life with God. It is worthy to read
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews