If you loved the Narnia stories, you'll love this book. Set in some undefined future time that remembers a cataclysm, the lives of Bren, a young soldier of the Askirit people, and Laren, an "untouchable" in the Mazcaen land, converge as they protect Meleden, the blind-deaf infant of the Askirit queen. Meleden was stolen by the Mazcaen during one of their many raids against their hated enemy.
In our society, many people mouth the platitude "touched by God" or "special child" when referring to those with congenital disabilities. Meleden truly holds that grace, and those who hold her are filled with a peace and love that helps them overcome their cultural enmity.
The spiritual women warriors of the Askirit, the Enre, see the conflict as being one of good versus evil. It is true that the Askirit seem to have more tolerance of differences and see inspiring grace in the natural world. However, Bren realizes, during a catastrophic invasion, that direct desecration of the spiritual places of the Mazcaen has guaranteed their jihadist response of fighting to the end, a response which will not lead to the reconciliation or their turning away from the control of evil. I see this as a subtle suggestion to our current world which is currently enmeshed in hatred of Islamic beliefs, that love is a more potent weapon than hate. There is another subtle shift in our culturally-accepted belief of white superiority, as the Untouchables are the blond-haired, white-skinned people who caused the cataclysm ages ago, and the surviving dominant groups have rich-colored skin. This is not a theme that an unaware person will necessarily notice, but hopefully it will open every reader's mind and heart to more acceptance.
As in the Narnia tales, there is a personification of God, Auret, whose presence radiates love. Instead of a lion, Auret is a wounded/crippled man and the myth about him tells of his coming to the Askirit when they were in the depths of darkness after the cataclysm.
This is the 3rd book in a trilogy but the first I have read. I had no difficulty understanding the setting or the story because of missing the other books, but now I am definitely going to look those up!. I see the author has written other more specifically Christian books, but did not feel any dogmatic approach in this one--it should be enjoyed by people of any belief (or none). ( )