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The Crown of Eden: The Seven Kingdoms Chronicles: Book 1
Volume 2 of the Seven Kingdoms Chronicles
A beautiful young princess is betrothed by her father to an unknown prince in another land. When she meets the prince, she finds him spoiled, decadent, and filled with an inner darkness that makes him unfit to rule. At the same time, a young and powerful blacksmith’s son finds himself reluctantly embroiled in a great quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy he does not understand. He falls in love with a beautiful maiden who hides a tragic secret she cannot reveal. He finds that to wed her will undo the ancient prophecy and forever doom the empire of the Seven Kingdoms. The paths of the princess and the blacksmith cross, and both must choose whether to pursue their own hopes for happiness or bring a great evil upon the land.
What readers and reviewers have said about the originally published print edition of The Crown of Eden:
“Put Tom Williams up there with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. His first book is a ‘great’ of the fantasy world.”
—The Houston Chronicle
“Magnificent language, stunning imagery, and compelling symbolism . . . worthy of the most critical reader.”
—Ellen Gunderson Traylor, author of Song of Abraham
“We are privileged to enjoy Tom’s skill with a story.”
—Max Lucado
“Tom Williams has written a Tolkien-like fantasy in The Crown of Eden.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Williams’s tale of the ongoing struggle between light and darkness carries a strong moral and religious message that makes this high fantasy adventure a good choice for libraries in search of Christian-oriented fantasy.”
—Library Journal
“Williams delivers a romantic tale examining such topics as fate, free will, and the power of good and evil. Both fantasy and romance readers will enjoy this first adventure in the Seven Kingdoms Chronicles series.”
—CBA Marketplace
“. . . a masterfully told fantasy comparable both in style and wisdom to the works of George Macdonald, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien. The book is filled with spiritual truths and deals with a number of challenging issues on an allegorical level. It is a book to be read slowly, and to be savored.”
—Christian Library Journal
“If you like fantasy, it will completely gratify your expectations. Brilliantly written! Thomas Williams is a modern C. S. Lewis and John Bunyan rolled into one.”
—Emily Alger on Suite101.com
“My wife and I were overwhelmed by this book. I don’t know when I have enjoyed anything so much. Warning: once you start it you will find it hard to stop. I let several things go and read it over a couple of days. It’s a fine piece of work.”
—Dr. Thomas A. Langford, Late Dean of the Graduate School, Texas Technological University
“An intriguing fantasy of love and adventure that takes place in a world of hidden identities, secret motivations, and the unfolding of a divine prophecy.”
—Joseph Bentz, author of A Son Comes Home
A beautiful young princess is betrothed by her father to an unknown prince in another land. When she meets the prince, she finds him spoiled, decadent, and filled with an inner darkness that makes him unfit to rule. At the same time, a young and powerful blacksmith’s son finds himself reluctantly embroiled in a great quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy he does not understand. He falls in love with a beautiful maiden who hides a tragic secret she cannot reveal. He finds that to wed her will undo the ancient prophecy and forever doom the empire of the Seven Kingdoms. The paths of the princess and the blacksmith cross, and both must choose whether to pursue their own hopes for happiness or bring a great evil upon the land.
What readers and reviewers have said about the originally published print edition of The Crown of Eden:
“Put Tom Williams up there with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. His first book is a ‘great’ of the fantasy world.”
—The Houston Chronicle
“Magnificent language, stunning imagery, and compelling symbolism . . . worthy of the most critical reader.”
—Ellen Gunderson Traylor, author of Song of Abraham
“We are privileged to enjoy Tom’s skill with a story.”
—Max Lucado
“Tom Williams has written a Tolkien-like fantasy in The Crown of Eden.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Williams’s tale of the ongoing struggle between light and darkness carries a strong moral and religious message that makes this high fantasy adventure a good choice for libraries in search of Christian-oriented fantasy.”
—Library Journal
“Williams delivers a romantic tale examining such topics as fate, free will, and the power of good and evil. Both fantasy and romance readers will enjoy this first adventure in the Seven Kingdoms Chronicles series.”
—CBA Marketplace
“. . . a masterfully told fantasy comparable both in style and wisdom to the works of George Macdonald, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien. The book is filled with spiritual truths and deals with a number of challenging issues on an allegorical level. It is a book to be read slowly, and to be savored.”
—Christian Library Journal
“If you like fantasy, it will completely gratify your expectations. Brilliantly written! Thomas Williams is a modern C. S. Lewis and John Bunyan rolled into one.”
—Emily Alger on Suite101.com
“My wife and I were overwhelmed by this book. I don’t know when I have enjoyed anything so much. Warning: once you start it you will find it hard to stop. I let several things go and read it over a couple of days. It’s a fine piece of work.”
—Dr. Thomas A. Langford, Late Dean of the Graduate School, Texas Technological University
“An intriguing fantasy of love and adventure that takes place in a world of hidden identities, secret motivations, and the unfolding of a divine prophecy.”
—Joseph Bentz, author of A Son Comes Home
435 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 1999
9 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 16, 2011
Though I hate the cover art (note the manly features of the princess??), I love this book that I dug from the discount bin at dearly-missed Pilgrim Discount Store enough to read it again. This is one of the only fiction books that I've highlighted more than one quote in; Mr. Williams seems to enjoy throwing out little bits of wisdom or wonderful sayings - they're everywhere in the book!
"It's like spending all of one's money for a wallet; the price renders the purchase useless."
"A man's got to know what the truth is and pass it on to his sons and daughters so they won't waste their lives havin' to find it for themselves."
"Adam chose to bring evil into a world of good, and every choice we make is whether to bring good back into this world of evil or let Adam's choice stand unchallenged."
"It's like spending all of one's money for a wallet; the price renders the purchase useless."
"A man's got to know what the truth is and pass it on to his sons and daughters so they won't waste their lives havin' to find it for themselves."
"Adam chose to bring evil into a world of good, and every choice we make is whether to bring good back into this world of evil or let Adam's choice stand unchallenged."
July 31, 2011
It took me a little while to get into it, but by the middle I was hooked. Now I'm grieving being done with it! I have to check to see if Thomas Williams continued the series.
July 28, 2020
When I was a child, my older sister had these books on her bookshelf. I borrowed them from her several times to read over and over again. I thought of this story 20-something years later and asked if she still had them. She did and she once again let me borrow them. Then they sat on my shelf for almost a month, because I was scared they wouldn’t hold up to how I remembered them, and that I might not love them anymore. I’m so happy to report that they’re still good. They may be a bit cheesy and predictable but I’m ok with that.
August 14, 2025
This started slowly and ecelerated in the end yo finish too soon. I would have liked more story about the star and commet, and the wedding night of Volana and Aradon. But maybe that is in the next book? Aradon was a very likable character, I was not fond of Volana, she seemed shallow to me. The story is a faith based one which I did not know when I started it, the title should have been a clue, it was not a forced religious story it just makes reference to the bible. Not a bad read, I will not seek out what follows unless it drops into my lap.
June 8, 2022
I read this book at the urging of my daughter who loved it . She had to read the other books in the series. While the author doesn’t ever say God or quote the Bible, the theme is definitely there. The story was predictable in some ways and surprising in others. The only reasons for not giving it five stars is because the made up names and places were a little clumsy for me . It was a little slow in places . I really liked it over all, definitely recommend.
April 30, 2019
Very good fantasy book. It was difficult to put down. It was a clean book with no foul language. There was suggestive language regarding sexual matters, but nothing graphic. There was also a fair amount of violence, but no more than one would expect from a book about knights.
December 27, 2022
I loved the deep theology towards the end of the book.
September 14, 2025
A little heavy on the moralism
January 15, 2021
This should be a movie.
November 21, 2022
This book’s world building and narration was pretty great. I loved the healthy romantic relationship between Volanna and Aradon, and many of the other side characters were loveable.
Cons: The antagonists felt too “I’m only bad because I like being bad” most of the time, lacking complexity, and the really terrifying antagonist was hardly in the story. The climax felt off as the two main characters weren’t even really in scene, and conflicts were largely resolved without them. For much of the story, it felt too preachy and there was a heavy sense of objectification of women, which was much more pronounced when it came to the antagonists. Lots of sexism. Plus, when it came to talking about how beautiful the two main protagonists are, I got so tired of it (even though, I suspect, it was supposed to be symbolic).
Pros: That being said, some of the theology and ways the author discussed things gave me pause for thought regarding my own choices, integrity, and living my values. I didn’t agree with EVERYTHING the author theologized throughout the book, but I appreciate his dedication to his religious values and the symbolic and allegorical characteristics of the story, and the lessons I took away from it to be a better person. I sincerely loved the healthy romantic relationship building between Aradon and Volanna, especially since that’s not a common narrative nowadays. There was mutual respect and time spent building a friendship even with attraction between the two, which I appreciated.
Content Advisement/Triggers:
Sexual harassment, rape, death, and sexual innuendo
Cons: The antagonists felt too “I’m only bad because I like being bad” most of the time, lacking complexity, and the really terrifying antagonist was hardly in the story. The climax felt off as the two main characters weren’t even really in scene, and conflicts were largely resolved without them. For much of the story, it felt too preachy and there was a heavy sense of objectification of women, which was much more pronounced when it came to the antagonists. Lots of sexism. Plus, when it came to talking about how beautiful the two main protagonists are, I got so tired of it (even though, I suspect, it was supposed to be symbolic).
Pros: That being said, some of the theology and ways the author discussed things gave me pause for thought regarding my own choices, integrity, and living my values. I didn’t agree with EVERYTHING the author theologized throughout the book, but I appreciate his dedication to his religious values and the symbolic and allegorical characteristics of the story, and the lessons I took away from it to be a better person. I sincerely loved the healthy romantic relationship building between Aradon and Volanna, especially since that’s not a common narrative nowadays. There was mutual respect and time spent building a friendship even with attraction between the two, which I appreciated.
Content Advisement/Triggers:
Sexual harassment, rape, death, and sexual innuendo
October 7, 2013
It's too sweet, and had too elementary a view of human nature, like most Christian books, to ever make a point or be a true reflection of Christianity. On the whole, I like it (nice to read anything Christian that isn't a soppy romance) but sometimes this author seems to have a repressed violent streak.
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February 18, 2013I'm not sure why this book was so highly rated. I got to the last 2 chapters and just couldn't finish it. I think what got me through most of it was the fantasy aspect of it.
Through out most of the book were told exactly how beautiful and how perfect Volanna is,(She is our heroine) how everyone else's femininity is lacking in comparison to hers. Then in comes Aradon and his perfection and beauty both are equal to Volanna's. Are you gagging yet??
I was trying to be moved by the plight of our young couple here, but two hot people such as Volanna and Aradon could surely find love else where such as suggested by the author.
Through out most of the book were told exactly how beautiful and how perfect Volanna is,(She is our heroine) how everyone else's femininity is lacking in comparison to hers. Then in comes Aradon and his perfection and beauty both are equal to Volanna's. Are you gagging yet??
I was trying to be moved by the plight of our young couple here, but two hot people such as Volanna and Aradon could surely find love else where such as suggested by the author.
March 5, 2015
I read this book in 2005 and looked it back up in 2014. Nearly ten years later, I loved it just as much. It's my favorite out of the three that Thomas Williams has written though I thoroughly enjoyed them all. To some it may come across as preachy, but I appreciated the Biblical themes woven in with creative license. One of my favorite clean romances of all time. (Though I wish the cover art were different).
July 9, 2014
I think I'm giving this 5 stars even though it was so so tropetastic. Plus there's a comet heading toward a star in the worst metaphor for conception ever. EVER. It really felt like it was written in 1999, though I can't put my finger on why. I liked it for what it was, though.
December 19, 2012
Thumbs up :)
October 17, 2017
Welp, this is a reread that did nooot hold up. I remember it as vaguely preachy but wow oh boy.
File this under "what was I thinking as a child?"
File this under "what was I thinking as a child?"
April 3, 2016
The Crown of Eden is an excellent read. If you enjoy prophecies, quests, and a world that is well established. I can happily recommend this book.
January 1, 2022
The Crown of Eden by Thomas Williams – If you like Christian Fantasy (like the Chronicles of Narnia), this is a cool book! Happy Reading!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews