Os, an orphan, is raised by the local nuns after the plague kills his parents. When a strange man offers him an egg, saying it is a pheonix egg that can bring the dead back, he jumps at the chance. And then everything goes horribly wrong…

What initially appears to be a traditional Chosen One story veers into new territory within the first chapter. I’m not going to spoil it, but from then on I was hooked. It also answers the question of what kind of man shows up, tells an orphan he’s a chosen one, and gives him something valuable without ever asking questions, and the answer is disturbing. I am not saying more to avoid spoilers.

Yes this is novel contains a lot of real-world christian focus and symbolism rather than the standad classical or made-up faiths of standard fantasy. As the hero is an orphan raised by nuns and working for the village vicar, that he might have a focus on his faith actually works for the story. What also works is that for once in a christian fantasy the characters are people: the village vicar might be testy and irritable but he is a good man, the Sister Beatrice strict, but cares with a surprising edge to her. None of these characters are one-dimensional. It is a short story, and the hero’s quest is correspondingly short, but there’s a lot happening in the story, interesting characters, and character growth from nearly all the cast.

Parents who want a focus on christianity in their children’s reading, or who simply don’t mind and want a good story, should consider this.