"Sentinel" - A Book Review

"Sentinel - City of Destiny" by Landel Bilbrey was written by a Dad who wanted to impress upon his sons what the journey will be like to be a man of Godly character. He wanted to encourage them in their journey to manhood to make the best choices along the way. He also drew all the detailed pen and ink illustrations in the book.
Two Terrenean brothers, Jerol and Jadan, take their vow of submission (Gehorsam - like baptism), and prepare themselves for their crossing. Each must choose a traveling buddy. Jerol chooses Prayer, a mighty eagle-like creature. Jadan chooses Sin, an enourmous pig-like creature. They also bring their own Logos scroll (Bible) from which they receive encouragement and some direction.
They now must travel from their home town Gelandesprung across Callow (Land of Childhood) and over the mountains into Brava (Land of Adulthood). Their final destination is the grand city: Sentinel (City of Destiny).
Along the way they are to find 4 keys which they will need to unlock the mighty doors of Sentinel. The four keys of Mettle are Vision, Courage, Integrity, and Service. I really enjoyed the process by which they found the keys. They found them after a struggle that they successfully passed. Actually, Jerol was the only one to find keys. Jadan consistently found himself in trouble with choices that he made.
They both visit unique places and people in their jouney that cleverly mirror a real-life struggle. One incident I particularly enjoyed was the meeting with a Huckster who owned a beautiful fetter. On demand, this fetter produces eggs made of pure silver. The trick is that the fetter must be fed the same weight of food as the eggs she lays, shortly after she lays the eggs. If he fails to feed her, she will grow and grow. Huckster needs someone to watch this fetter for him. Jerol wisely determines to bypass this unique opportunity, but Jadan meets with a Huckster later and eagerly agrees to keep his fetter. He thinks the bird won't be more trouble than his pig and likes the idea of having money for things he needs. Soon Jadan is demanding more and more eggs. The bird requires more and more silver feed. Jadan gets busy with his new purchases and forgets to feed his fetter. Pretty soon the fetter is bigger than he is. Only by joining others in the outskirts of Coveton in a community called Dire Straights, and by following a strict working schedule is Jadan able to get his fetter, named Debt, back to bird size. Now he eagerly searches for Huckster so that he may return the wretched but beautiful fetter to her owner.
At the end of the journey, in the city of Sentinel, Jadan receives the Mark of the Blade and a place at the King's table.
This book would get its most long-lasting benefit as a read-aloud, but it still would be a great boy's book. I like that it has a map of the countryside, a list of the terms and their meanings, and very helpful questions - called Reflections of the Blade - at the end of the book.
After reading this book, I would recommend starting with Chapter 2. Chapter 1 is a glimpse into the future of Jerol during his last battle into the city of Sentinel. My boys had trouble understanding what was going on. I needed to fill in what the story was about - I had read a chapter ahead. I decided to finish the book first on my own. Having done so I decided they would enjoy the book better with that chapter in its chronological position in the book.
It is great to have an adventurous book for boys that also gives unique visuals into the results of decisions they make. This book is written for boys, but the adventures they face are appropriate for boys, girls, and the adults doing a read-aloud. :-)
This book is available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Walmart, etc. Read more about the journey God has had for Landel Bilbrey at his blog: Faith Runners - Warriors of Worship. For an awesome idea for parents visit his Bridge Maker website.