Prophet (Books of the Infinite, #1) by R.J. Larson
J.D.'s rating: 4.5 out of 5 bookmarks

I really enjoy a well-written fantasy story that is clean. And it's not always easy to find one that is both. But Prophet is! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The characters are fabulous! The heroine, Ela of Parne, is a wonderful character who you can't help liking. She is courageous, resolute, and righteous without thinking too highly of herself. Her little sister, Tzana, adds an interesting element to the story and in many ways helps keep Ela grounded, although subconsciously. Ambassador Kien is an interesting character also.

The plot of the story loosely parallels biblical events from the Old Testament but with elements of the fantasy genre, such as mythical creatures. Therefore the religious themes are very overt unlike classic fantasy of Tolkien, MacDonald, or even Lewis. I do not have any issues with this at all, and in the case of Prophet, there wouldn't be much of a story without the religious overtones. There were a few moments where things got a bit slow, but not to the point where I completely lost interest.

There are several instances of graphic violence and lots of death in the book. There is no strong language, though there is a small romance element that while certainly not lewd, did have a couple moments that some might find distasteful. Due to these things, I'd recommend this for older teens and up.

On the whole, I really loved this book and have no glaring problems with it. What a great story! I look forward to the rest of the series. And I will be checking out Larson's other writing as well.



NOTE: Prophet is Book 1 in the Books of the Infinite series. It is followed by Judge and King.


J.D. Sutter is the producer and host of the Bookworm Banquet podcast and editor of the blog. He is the founder of Porchlight Family Media.










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