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My Brother's Keeper
This is the first book in the Galahad's Doom series, a Christian medieval fantasy epic. It's Swords & Sorcery adventure in the style of Tolkien, Narnia and Dragonlance, but with strong Biblical themes. The original edition of this book was published by White Rocket Books in 2014. This edition has been revised and corrected.
Centuries ago, Saint Galahad came to the world of Lanis, bringing with him the teachings of The Way. Before his death, the great Saint was granted a vision of a cataclysmic future. New to the king's army and relegated to remote border duty, Galen Griffon led a peaceful life until a battle with marauders from the North pulled him into the path of Destiny.
Meanwhile circumstances find his brother, Lucas, on a much darker path, willing to do anything to prove his worth.
Ancient foes bide their time as the world moves closer to war. Wizards and demons conspire to control the fate of the kingdoms.
Omens herald the days of Galahad's Doom and the Church awaits the rise of the Creator's Champion. Torn between duty to king and god, Galen must decide if he will embrace The Way or reject the beliefs of his forefathers. The fate of Lanis, held under the Creator's gaze, hangs in the balance.
Centuries ago, Saint Galahad came to the world of Lanis, bringing with him the teachings of The Way. Before his death, the great Saint was granted a vision of a cataclysmic future. New to the king's army and relegated to remote border duty, Galen Griffon led a peaceful life until a battle with marauders from the North pulled him into the path of Destiny.
Meanwhile circumstances find his brother, Lucas, on a much darker path, willing to do anything to prove his worth.
Ancient foes bide their time as the world moves closer to war. Wizards and demons conspire to control the fate of the kingdoms.
Omens herald the days of Galahad's Doom and the Church awaits the rise of the Creator's Champion. Torn between duty to king and god, Galen must decide if he will embrace The Way or reject the beliefs of his forefathers. The fate of Lanis, held under the Creator's gaze, hangs in the balance.
- GenresFantasy
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2014
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
David Wright
3 books15 followersI'm a Georgia Bulldog and Atlanta United fan living in Middle Tennessee with a wife and son who somehow manage to tolerate a Christian Fantasy writer in the house. Having grown up on comic books and Swords & Sorcery novels, I gained an early passion for storytelling. I made a career from that passion after earning a bachelor's degree in Telecommunications from the University of Georgia's School of Journalism in the early 90s.
I am now a veteran video producer who has worked in broadcasting, cable advertising, documentaries, and military contract work. I've won advertising awards in three different television markets and have flown around the world to shoot everything from interviews in the Vatican to freedom fighters in the Nuba region of Sudan. I've worked with Army Generals, Archbishops and athletes. I've managed studios, hosted news conferences, and directed live shows. As an editor, I started on analog 1" reel-to-reel videotape in a broadcast control room and now just do everything from my cubicle. And through it all, my best work comes down to just telling a good story.
Ever since I read "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman in 1984, I have known that I wanted to write an epic medieval fantasy series. Later, as I became aware of a certain trepidation from some Christians towards the fantasy genre, I decided that I wanted to make it my mission to prove there was room for God-honoring Christian Fantasy in fiction. I will leave it for others to decide how well I have done, but I'm thrilled with my Galahad's Doom series and I hope it can find its audience. I love to hear from my readers. If you have read any of my books, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I'd love to chat.
I am now a veteran video producer who has worked in broadcasting, cable advertising, documentaries, and military contract work. I've won advertising awards in three different television markets and have flown around the world to shoot everything from interviews in the Vatican to freedom fighters in the Nuba region of Sudan. I've worked with Army Generals, Archbishops and athletes. I've managed studios, hosted news conferences, and directed live shows. As an editor, I started on analog 1" reel-to-reel videotape in a broadcast control room and now just do everything from my cubicle. And through it all, my best work comes down to just telling a good story.
Ever since I read "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman in 1984, I have known that I wanted to write an epic medieval fantasy series. Later, as I became aware of a certain trepidation from some Christians towards the fantasy genre, I decided that I wanted to make it my mission to prove there was room for God-honoring Christian Fantasy in fiction. I will leave it for others to decide how well I have done, but I'm thrilled with my Galahad's Doom series and I hope it can find its audience. I love to hear from my readers. If you have read any of my books, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I'd love to chat.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 13, 2021
I read a lot, mostly fiction, but it’s been a long time since I found a medieval “swords and sorcery” tale that interested me. I became aware of this one after reading a newspaper story about the author and decided to give it a try, and to say that I was pleasantly surprised would be a major understatement. Once I got started I didn’t want the book to end (even though I also bought the second title in what I understand is to be a trilogy) and this now ranks among my all-time favorites.
The story is reminiscent of Lord of the Rings in that it’s not set in our own past, but instead the events occur in a world similar to (but distinct from) our own, and it centers on the separate and very different paths taken by a pair of brothers and the consequences of the paths they take.
So why did I like the story so much? For one thing, the characters are complex and believable, so you really care what happens to them. Yes, there is a backdrop of good and evil, but like people in real life, even the “good” characters here are flawed and struggle with their imperfections. They aren’t so flawed that you dislike them or want to seem fail, but just enough to be believable and human. I also very much appreciated that the characters’ motivations and behaviors were realistic: there were no eye-roll moments where I found myself thinking, “Oh, come on! Nobody would do THAT!”
Something else that impressed me about this book was that even though the characters’ behavior was credible, I never found the story to be predictable. In fact, the opposite was true: I was often surprised by the twists, but in hindsight the events still made sense in the context of the story and its characters. Those frequent surprises made the story a lot more fun and interesting, and were a big part of the reason I kept on wanting to find out what would happen next.
Another area where the story shines is in the balance between action / battle sequences and character development / dialog, both of which are exceptionally well done. The battle sequences are surprisingly exciting and suspenseful considering that they’re words on a page instead of scenes in a movie you can watch unfold with your own eyes. The author did a fantastic job of writing the battle scenes and also managed to find a great balance between action and exposition in this book.
Last, and certainly not least, I appreciated the story’s Christian themes and the fact that it didn’t contain any sex scenes, foul language, or other objectionable content. Make no mistake about it: this isn’t a kiddie story where nothing bad ever happens, because there’s plenty of fighting and even death, and the ending in particular is quite intense. In other words, the story is “clean” but most definitely not juvenile, and even though it is – as the description says – a “Christian medieval fantasy epic”, it’s certainly not necessary to be a Christian to enjoy it.
The story is reminiscent of Lord of the Rings in that it’s not set in our own past, but instead the events occur in a world similar to (but distinct from) our own, and it centers on the separate and very different paths taken by a pair of brothers and the consequences of the paths they take.
So why did I like the story so much? For one thing, the characters are complex and believable, so you really care what happens to them. Yes, there is a backdrop of good and evil, but like people in real life, even the “good” characters here are flawed and struggle with their imperfections. They aren’t so flawed that you dislike them or want to seem fail, but just enough to be believable and human. I also very much appreciated that the characters’ motivations and behaviors were realistic: there were no eye-roll moments where I found myself thinking, “Oh, come on! Nobody would do THAT!”
Something else that impressed me about this book was that even though the characters’ behavior was credible, I never found the story to be predictable. In fact, the opposite was true: I was often surprised by the twists, but in hindsight the events still made sense in the context of the story and its characters. Those frequent surprises made the story a lot more fun and interesting, and were a big part of the reason I kept on wanting to find out what would happen next.
Another area where the story shines is in the balance between action / battle sequences and character development / dialog, both of which are exceptionally well done. The battle sequences are surprisingly exciting and suspenseful considering that they’re words on a page instead of scenes in a movie you can watch unfold with your own eyes. The author did a fantastic job of writing the battle scenes and also managed to find a great balance between action and exposition in this book.
Last, and certainly not least, I appreciated the story’s Christian themes and the fact that it didn’t contain any sex scenes, foul language, or other objectionable content. Make no mistake about it: this isn’t a kiddie story where nothing bad ever happens, because there’s plenty of fighting and even death, and the ending in particular is quite intense. In other words, the story is “clean” but most definitely not juvenile, and even though it is – as the description says – a “Christian medieval fantasy epic”, it’s certainly not necessary to be a Christian to enjoy it.
May 24, 2023
This sword and sorcery tale is a strong vehicle for the Christian truths presented throughout the story.
Though the story is told from many points of view, the two brothers, Galen and Lucas, tend to form the background for the others. Galen and Lucas could not be more different. Though Galen seemed rather flat at the beginning, he obviously represents the “good son” and did round out nicely as a character by the end. Lucas, however, remained a flat, self-centered whiner who is too easily enticed by evil throughout.
The story moves forward at a rapid pace with much action and a degree of both violence and sorcery, keeping the reader turning pages.
Though it held my interest, I had a hard time with the number of words spent on negative and questionable characters. Aybrum and Seri, followers of the Way in Darkuria, are a tiny prick of light in so much darkness. As is the Tribesman, Jabbok and the elven ambassador. The questions raised re: dark magic, sorcery, and natural magic, etc. left many of the characters in a gray area I struggled with. And there are many POV characters. I guess I am a simple reader who prefers fewer POVs in my books.
Anyway, with that said the book is basically well written. A couple small things brothered me. Like, one nocks an arrow, one does not notch an arrow. To nock is to place on the bow string, to notch is to cut a notch. If an author is to include archery in a story, he or she should know the proper terms.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to readers of fantasy, especially Christian readers who will understand the Christian elements and appreciate them. For non-Christian readers, enjoy the story and perhaps learn something of Christian principles along the way. The convincing world building makes the story well worth the read.
Though the story is told from many points of view, the two brothers, Galen and Lucas, tend to form the background for the others. Galen and Lucas could not be more different. Though Galen seemed rather flat at the beginning, he obviously represents the “good son” and did round out nicely as a character by the end. Lucas, however, remained a flat, self-centered whiner who is too easily enticed by evil throughout.
The story moves forward at a rapid pace with much action and a degree of both violence and sorcery, keeping the reader turning pages.
Though it held my interest, I had a hard time with the number of words spent on negative and questionable characters. Aybrum and Seri, followers of the Way in Darkuria, are a tiny prick of light in so much darkness. As is the Tribesman, Jabbok and the elven ambassador. The questions raised re: dark magic, sorcery, and natural magic, etc. left many of the characters in a gray area I struggled with. And there are many POV characters. I guess I am a simple reader who prefers fewer POVs in my books.
Anyway, with that said the book is basically well written. A couple small things brothered me. Like, one nocks an arrow, one does not notch an arrow. To nock is to place on the bow string, to notch is to cut a notch. If an author is to include archery in a story, he or she should know the proper terms.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to readers of fantasy, especially Christian readers who will understand the Christian elements and appreciate them. For non-Christian readers, enjoy the story and perhaps learn something of Christian principles along the way. The convincing world building makes the story well worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews