By Cathy BryantWhen Marlayne first contacted me about reviewing The Victor, I’m embarrassed to say I turned her down. I had already determined that I had to cut way back on book reviews in order to spend more time on my writing, and my July/August slate was already full.

But every once in a while, something about a book will resonate with me, and that’s exactly what happened in this instance. After receiving Marlayne’s interview and viewing the book trailer, I knew this was a book I had to read, so I contacted Marlayne for a review copy.

I’m sooooo glad I did. This book is not my usual read. In fact, I will even go so far to say that it’s unlike any other books I’ve seen in the inspirational market in recent years. It’s bigger and more profound. Timeless. Majestic.

Once I got into the story, I could NOT put the book down, and I read it through in one setting. With my crazy schedule, reading a book straight through is a rare event for me.

As Marlayne explained in her interview, the story is an allegory about Christ and His Bride. The prologue begins with Lucius (the antagonist-Satan) being expelled from the kingdom of Ellioth. This scene sets up the story for the rest of the book, and begins a whirlwind of activity that propels the reader for page after page.

Simply put, this is a love story about the greatest love story of all time. A story of epic proportions that reveals God’s great love for us.

Here are the things I especially loved about the book:

~Biblically accurate (Lucius questions Eloth’s goodness and plants doubt; Lucius’ plan to woo the Bride of Christ; the betrayal of Eloth by Ardon and his wife; a faithful remnant)

~Gorgeous cover!

~Book design at each chapter beginning (lovely)

~Character Names (Lucius for Satan, Eloth for God, Joshua for Jesus, Lyonesse for the Bride)

~Great story world (Ellioth is the peaceable kingdom of God; Shiloh represents an earthly kingdom that belongs to Eloth and will be the future kingdom of his son, Joshua, but is taken over by the deception of Lucius.)

~Beautiful language speaking ageless truth-here are some of my favorite snippets:

“Joshua beheld the utter ruination that had become his kingdom and wept.””

“There were some lone voices which contradicted his diatribes against the crown who tried to convince others that it was Lucan who was really to blame, but they became fewer in number each year and were persecuted as extremists and fanatics by the majority of those who had succumbed to Lucius’ relentless lies.”

“Their lives needn’t have come to this end: devoid of hope and empty; existing from one miserable day to the next. Had they been watchful, had they not succumbed to Lucius’ lies, it could have been so different. They were living in a hell of their own choosing.”

“Joshua listened to their screams in stony silence, his heart leaden with anguish. Nothing he might have said in his own defense would have mattered. Lucius had done his job well; they were convinced that he and his father were to blame for their misery and they were out for revenge.

This story will endure after many others are long forgotten. I would LOVE to see this book made into a movie! Thanks, Marlayne, for your patience in bringing this book to the public. I, for one, am so glad you didn’t give up.