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Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel
It is 1940, and American Tom McCord, a 23-year-old graduate student, is in England researching the historical evidence for the legendary King Arthur. There he meets perky and intuitive Laura Hartman, a fellow American staying with her aunt in Oxford, and the two of them team up for an even more ambitious and dangerous quest. Aided by the Inklings — that illustrious circle of scholars and writers made famous by its two most prolific members, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien — Tom and Laura begin to suspect that the fabled Spear of Destiny, the lance that pierced the side of Christ on the Cross, is hidden somewhere in England.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 8, 2021
4.5 rounded up to 5.
The subtitle sold this book to me, I admit it. 🙂 “An Inklings Novel.” Who among the readers of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien would hesitate to take the opportunity to drop in on a meeting at the Bird and Baby Pub, chit-chatting about books with men who, though long-dead, are dear, dear friends to us in spirit?
Admission #2 – The description of what this book is about threw me for a loop. Is it fantasy? Historical fiction? A mishmash of the two? What is it? I like to know what I’m getting into 🙂 – and this sounded different, that’s for sure.
And it was different – in a truly wonderful way, as if I’d tried a flavor of ice cream unlike any other. Replete with conversations between the main characters and the Inklings (in their houses, out-of-doors, in pubs), this novel feels so authentic – incredibly so. My favorite parts included the Inklings members; I felt that these were the best-written and most interesting. I am so glad there were so many of these parts! As a long-time reader of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, I relished the way Downing depicted them so realistically. I also loved the incredible notes and source materials sections the author included.
I wasn’t ever completely “sold” on the main characters’ quests… Even at the end, the “why” seemed missing for Laura, and I would have liked that to be more conclusive. Yet… maybe that was part of the point – that all stories throughout time are interwoven, and we sometimes do not know why certain things happen to us. But God uses them in His great, all-encompassing story.
I would highly recommend the novel to any teen or adult who enjoys C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, or Charles Williams.
The subtitle sold this book to me, I admit it. 🙂 “An Inklings Novel.” Who among the readers of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien would hesitate to take the opportunity to drop in on a meeting at the Bird and Baby Pub, chit-chatting about books with men who, though long-dead, are dear, dear friends to us in spirit?
Admission #2 – The description of what this book is about threw me for a loop. Is it fantasy? Historical fiction? A mishmash of the two? What is it? I like to know what I’m getting into 🙂 – and this sounded different, that’s for sure.
And it was different – in a truly wonderful way, as if I’d tried a flavor of ice cream unlike any other. Replete with conversations between the main characters and the Inklings (in their houses, out-of-doors, in pubs), this novel feels so authentic – incredibly so. My favorite parts included the Inklings members; I felt that these were the best-written and most interesting. I am so glad there were so many of these parts! As a long-time reader of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, I relished the way Downing depicted them so realistically. I also loved the incredible notes and source materials sections the author included.
I wasn’t ever completely “sold” on the main characters’ quests… Even at the end, the “why” seemed missing for Laura, and I would have liked that to be more conclusive. Yet… maybe that was part of the point – that all stories throughout time are interwoven, and we sometimes do not know why certain things happen to us. But God uses them in His great, all-encompassing story.
I would highly recommend the novel to any teen or adult who enjoys C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, or Charles Williams.
October 5, 2020
What a fun read! In terms of the story structure itself, it is a relic hunting adventure somewhat in the vein of National Treasure, but it is superimposed upon a series of meetings with the Inklings which adds a fun twist. I think the chapter I appreciated most out of the entire work was when our protagonist is invited to one of the Inklings meetings. It is so much fun to imagine what it must have been like to be in the room with some of the greatest writers in recent memory, and the chapter does justice to the experience.
If you are looking for some medieval mystery with a great deal of Inklings references dropped in, you will enjoy this work. I started reading a few pages last night, but when I picked it up again tonight and had more time, I finished the rest of it in one sitting. It is hard to put down!
If you are looking for some medieval mystery with a great deal of Inklings references dropped in, you will enjoy this work. I started reading a few pages last night, but when I picked it up again tonight and had more time, I finished the rest of it in one sitting. It is hard to put down!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews