The Sword
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
The Sword (Chiveis Trilogy, Book 1) by Bryan M. Litfin
Read it for the concept 🤔💡
JUST A HEADS UP: I started reading this book at the height of the Corona Virus. I knew that this story took place hundreds of years in the future after society had collapsed. I did NOT know that the collapse was due to a pandemic. So if you plan on reading this anytime soon, the prologue might be a little awkward.
So I both like and dislike the approach to religion here (specifically the characters approach to religion). I like how the characters are willing to question their own religion, but I hate how quick they are to blindly accept another. In a very loose way, it does kind of offer a commentary on peoples acceptance of religion in the real world. However there's also a big difference. In both, Christianity has been around for centuries. But in the real world people are made aware of both it and its legacy their entire life, thus making it much easier to accept. In The Sword, Christianity goes from discovery to devotion in a matter of days. Characters are willing to have full belief in a God they just learned about from a random book, while at the same time questioning a religion they've been following their entire life. Now, I'm not saying this couldn't happen, I'm sure it does, people convert all the time. But the speed at which this happens just doesn’t seem natural.
As I mentioned, if you're going to read this book, read if for the concept. The characters are bland and forgettable, outside of the main character I couldn't really tell who was who. The world is actually very interesting, taking place in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has reverted to a more primitive, sword ⚔️ and shield 🛡 way of life, while the cities, structures and remnants of today’s world still remain. The problem is that there’s very little in the way of world building, and you hardly ever get to learn about it or see it.
The idea behind this book is where it shines, it's fascinating to wonder what would happen if a ravaged society discovered a forgotten religion from centuries past. Made even more intriguing by the fact that, we the reader, are well aware of Christianity and know just how significant it is.
