All My Holy Mountain (The Binding of the Blade, Book 5) (Paperback)
by L. B. Graham
ISBN: 0875527248

Price: USD 13.25
27 used & new available from USD 8.08

Please note: I’ve tried to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but if you haven’t yet read the series up through Father of Dragons, I’d advise you to skip this review.

The time has come for all of Kirthanin to take their final stand against Malek. With the added forces of the dragons and the Kalin Seir, things begin to look up for Aljeron and the army, but the losses of war are still great, and Malek is getting desperate. Encouraged by Valzaan, the people fight for the hope of Allfather’s restoration. Benjiah knows, however, that before the binding of the blade can be broken, a sacrifice must be made.

Because this picks up right where Father of Dragons left off—a suspenseful cliffhanger—you are almost immediately plunged into a climactic battle that lasts for nearly a hundred pages. At first I found the prospect dismaying, as I enjoy well-turned dialogue or scenes that deal with individuals more than enormous conflicts of good and evil. However, I was pleasantly surprised, and my attention didn’t waver much at all throughout, despite my initial pessimism. And then, of course, there’s the rest of book! Captivating. Everything that has been building from the four previous books is masterfully dealt with, and the story’s climax to top all its former climaxes does not disappoint. Sure, there are some flaws. But it’s not every book I read that can stir me around inside and then leave me with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, and that’s what All My Holy Mountain did. Do not miss this conclusion to the Binding of the Blade series.

(Third in a series of interviews with the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour authors.)

L. B. Graham (blog.lbgraham.com) is a teacher and author who has written The Binding of the Blade, a five-volume fantasy series. Incredibooks recently did a brief e-mail interview with Mr. Graham.

Incredibooks: When you were younger, did you ever imagine that you would become an author?

L. B. Graham: Actually, I did. I loved reading and even storytelling, and I thought it would be neat to tell my own stories when I grew up. That’s why in High School, I started signing things with my initials — L.B. —since some of my favorite authors used their initials, like “C.S.” and “J.R.R.”

IB: Why did you choose fantasy to work with instead of some other genre?

LBG: A few reasons. First, I like reading it. Second, as a teacher, I know a lot of kids who like reading it. It struck me that while I was not Tolkien or Lewis, they were dead now and if others didn’t take up the torch to create fantasy stories from a Christian worldview, then kids looking for other fantasy stories would still read them, they would just read ones with other worldviews. This isn’t necessarily horrible, but it could be, and I thought there should be other options. 

IB: Who is your favorite character from all of your books so far, and why?

LBG: My favorite character in The Binding of the Blade, if I can slightly amend the definition of favorite, was Rulalin. He’s not the most likable, but he was fun to write because he was so reviled by most of my readers and I tried to show that his failures were indicative of human failings in general. I found that I identified with him in places, pretty strongly, because I’m a sinner who screws up and he came to really represent that in my story.

IB: How do you work allegory or Christian themes into your books without it being blatantly obvious or sounding preachy or clichéd?

LBG: I don’t go for allegory, a “this equals that” relationship between my world and Christianity — e.g., Pilgrim’s Progress. Instead I try to instill Christian principles and worldview in my world — i.e., there is a God who has created a moral structure and our actions have consequences. And, to avoid moralism, a sort of “be good” generic message, I try to show that all have flaws and redemption is possible. Specifically, the Christian theme I worked most to incorporate is the longing we all have for restoration — that the day will come when God will fix this broken world. 

IB: You just finished a series. Are you enjoying starting afresh, or has it been difficult getting started on something completely new?

LBG: Yes and No. Five books and  6+ years is a long time to spend telling a specific story. The world and characters in it were dear to me. At the same time, it was time to be finished, and it felt right to move on. I get ideas faster than I can execute old ones, so the pile of “possible stories to write” grows faster than the pile of “actual stories written.” So, it was nice to turn to something new. 

IB: What are you currently working on?

LBG: A non-fiction book and several different fiction projects. I recently changed agents, and when he and I have sorted out what direction to go, I’ll devote myself more fully to just one of those fiction projects, but we’ll probably try to market both the nonfiction book and a new fiction project in the near future.

Next time, we’ll have an interview with Sharon Hinck, so stay tuned!

Father of Dragons (The Binding of the Blade, Book 4) (Paperback)
by L. B. Graham
ISBN: 087552723X

Price: USD 12.41
49 used & new available from USD 3.43

Once again, spoiler alert. With the by now familiar cliffhanger endings, this next-to-last book in the series is full of revelations and battles, all moving toward the final book, All My Holy Mountain, coming in April.

After his capture in Shadow in the Deep, Benjiah is still in the custody of his father’s murderer. The remaining Kirthanin army is fleeing before the unending pressure of Malek’s hosts. Aljeron and a few of his band have reached the base of Harak Andunin, despite terrible odds. A surprise awaits them in the form of Valzaan, the prophet. Yes, I said Valzaan. Alive. He joins them in their trek up the mountain and into the gyre of the Father of Dragons, Sulmandir. Thankfully, Sulmandir is alive and, after some debate, agrees to help them by awakening his children. Benjiah’s prophecy of the “four races” is on its way to fulfillment with the union of the Great Bear, Men, and Dragons. Aljeron prepares to lead his remaining followers across the Zaros mountains, where they will join the retreating army of Kirthanin in a final, desperate stand.

This book kept me on the edge of my chair. I kept wondering how the goodguys could possibly get into a worse predicament, and then a new disaster would take place. Wylla gets captured, Benjiah’s under a death sentence, a couple of goodguys get killed, (goodguys who have been with us since the first book), Malek has been revealed, and, trust me, who he’s been masquerading as is a bit of a shock, and on top of it all the goodguy armies are forced to surrender! Everything seems hopeless, then Aljeron finds the mysterious “fourth race,” Sulmandir arrives and . . . the end. Sorry, you’ll have to wait until April to find out.

Shadow in the Deep (The Binding of the Blade, Book 3) (Paperback)
by L. B. Graham
ISBN: 0875527221

Price: USD 13.26
49 used & new available from USD 4.83

Whoa! Hold it! I have to warn you, before you read this review, that I have to give away the ending of the previous book, Bringer of Storms. If you haven’t read it yet, you probably want to go on to the next review.

With Valzaan gone, Benjiah must fulfill his role as Allfather’s prophet. But he’s uncertain and everybody seems to be dependent upon him. Meanwhile, Aljeron is in the northern reaches of Kirthanin on a hunch, trying to find Sulmindar, the missing father of dragons. In his place as commander, Caan takes over military movements as the army flees before Malek and his hoard. And with the Bringer of Storms still producing rain, flooding is setting in quickly, leaving them less and less place to run.

Excitement, adventure, and, uh, abrupt ending. Worth reading, but you might want to skip it until the series ends. Much too abrupt of an ending, though. Finally, we get to meet dragons for a lengthy amount of time. Wonderful!

Beyond the Summerland (The Binding of the Blade, Book 1) (Paperback)
by L. B. Graham
ISBN: 0875527205

Price: USD 16.45
70 used & new available from USD 0.57

Joraiem Andira, a young man skilled with the bow, is preparing to leave his home in Dal Harat and journey to Sulare where his training as one of the Novaana will begin. He will join with others like him in the battle against Malek, the greatest of the Titans whose betrayal brought death to his Titan brothers and destruction to Kirthanin. With memorable characters such as Valzaan the blind prophet, Wylla, Caan and Aljeron and his battle brother, Koshti, Joraiem strives to fulfill his destiny.

A truly remarkable book. L. B. Graham’s vivid imagination, woven together with adventure, suspense, and tragedy, makes an amazing story. It’s written in a style similar to Tolkien and I found it to be every bit as enjoyable. I must say that the ending was rather disappointing, but I don’t want to give anything away, so that’s all I’ll say about that. Reading it was quite an experience and by the time I finished it I was emotionally exhausted, but it was definitely worth the read.

Bringer of Storms (The Binding of the Blade, Book 2) (Paperback)
by L. B. Graham
ISBN: 0875527213

Price: USD 16.45
62 used & new available from USD 0.47

Hold it right there! Before you read this review, I must warn you that it gives away something from the first book, Beyond the Summerland. So if you haven’t read the first book yet, don’t read any farther!!! And I mean that! I know it’s hard, but MOVE ON TO THE NEXT REVIEW! Okay, are you gone? Alright. For those of you who have read the first one, or are disregarding my warnings, go ahead and read.

Benjiah, son of Wylla and Joriaem, is now seventeen, and Wylla still has not told him that his father was a prophet of Allfather. Aljeron and Koshti are away in Shalin Bel, engaged in a seven-year war against Rhulalin, with the aim to bring him to justice. Little do they know what Malek is about to attempt, but the urgency of the situation is brought home when Valzaan discovers that Benjiah is The Chosen One.

There. Any of you who disregarded my instructions now have a pretty good idea of how Beyond the Summerland ends. I like this one better than the first. It’s really good. Oh, those of you who despaired with me over the abrupt ending in the first one, let me warn you: this one’s even worse.