Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart by Chuck Black

Having recently participated in the blog tour for Andrew Peterson's North! Or Be Eaten, I was excited to get a chance to review another book with a similar target audience, Chuck Black's Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart. The author and approach are completely different, but I still found the book to be an enjoyable read that I would recommend to my friends with boys in the 8 - 12 age range. I'm sure they'd dig it.

First, the good. Chuck Black does pull together a fine story in a world beset by evil with a gradually growing force of fighters for the truth known as Knights of the Prince. Young men and women both spend time training as knights to practice good works toward others in the kingdom and defense against the dark knights and their cronies roaming the land.

This particular story follows the training of a young knight named Dalton who is done a disservice by an inadequate trainer. His trainer really serves to weaken the faith of the knights in the universal goodness of their cause to fight for the King, and as a result the knights he sends out run into trouble almost immediately upon confronting the dark knights.

The main antagonist is a fellow named Lord Drox who plays on the knights' doubts and insecurities, not just about the goodness of their cause but even the entire existence of their King and his resurrected Prince. Dalton must face down these doubts in order to flee Drox and eventually return to rescue his brothers in arms who are held captive in a prison with no doors by their fears.

What I found a little disappointing was what one Amazon.com reviewer called his "heavy handed allegory." I don't have any way to judge its effectiveness with his target audience, so maybe a 12 year old boy wouldn't mind it. However, I found in particular his propensity to simply rearrange the letters in names and places to be contrived. You'll quickly recognize Sejus as Jesus, the Tisgri as the Tigris, Nedehaven as Eden, and possibly Arrethtrae as Earth / Terra. A little more subtle use of allegory might have better served the story so it could stand on its own as a fantasy tale and not just a means to the end of passing on a Bible lesson. The study guide in the back is a great tool, and it could easily have drawn attention to a more subtle allegory in the story itself.

That said, the lessons taught are timeless and have been enshrined in allegories at least since The Pilgrim's Progress. A mature Christian must have a faith that responds appropriately to doubts, fears, and the uneasiness of those who balk at Christian zeal. The examples of Koen, Carliss, and the reformed Dalton are worthy of imitation, and the swordplay makes that lesson more than a little palatable to young readers.