Passages: The Marus Manuscripts, Volume 1

This is volume 1 of the Passages series, which contains books 1, 2, and 3. Each book takes kids from our world into the fantasy world of Marus. Each book is also a retelling of a biblical story, set in this fantasy world. It was a lot of fun to read these stories and find the parallels between the Marus adventures and familiar Bible stories. I love stories like these ones too, where people from our world are transported to another world. The kids learn about the Unseen One while in Marus, which helps them understand more about their faith in God in this world. I also enjoyed the slight connection to Adventures in Odyssey. The kids in these stories were from Odyssey, and the manuscripts were found by Jack Allen and read by Mr. Whittaker. (The prologues with Whit and other Odyssey characters were taken out of this Volume 1 set, but they are in the individual books.)

The only thing that was a downside for me was the world-building. It seemed a little confusing to me. It felt at some points like a futuristic fantasy world, and at other times like a historical fantasy world with a bunch of time periods jumbled together. And the world wasn't as “fantasy-ish” as I usually like stories like this to be. But the characters were realistic, the stories were exciting, and the biblical re-tellings were a lot of fun to read.

Book 1: Darien's Rise - 4 stars
Kyle and Anna are transported to Marus and become a part of a struggle between an insane king and Darien, whom the Unseen One has chosen to sit next on the throne. This is a re-telling of David and Saul from 1 Samuel. I loved Darien as a character, and also the Old Judge (representing Samuel), who was so kind and wise and sassy all at once! This was my favorite of these three.

Book 2: Arin's Judgment - 3.5 stars
Wade finds himself in Marus at the height of a prophesy of doom, and his knowledge of weaponry makes him a pawn in a plot of defiance against the Unseen One. This is a re-telling of Noah and the flood with an unusual twist. The destruction takes a different form, but it is just as deadly. This story was a little darker than the first one, but it has important lessons about what happens when people turn away from the Unseen One (God).

Book 3: Annison's Risk - 4 stars
Maddy goes to Marus and becomes a helper to the Queen and, when they learn of a plot against the people who believe in the Unseen One, part of a plan to save them. This is a re-telling of Esther, and I really enjoyed it. This one had a lot of intrigue, with secret plots and secret messages and secret passageways. But what I loved most of all was how Maddy learned that belief in God isn't like a fairy tale; faith means we place our whole lives in His hands.

I'm excited to finish the last three books in this series in Volume 2, and I recommend them for fans of Christian middle grade fantasy or fans of allegory!