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Fear No Evil


When I first read the Ashtown Burials by N.D. Wilson I did not like them very much. I remember disliking the attitude of the main character and finding the world and story vague and confusing. The end of what I thought was the last book left me on a virtual cliffhanger; there were so many loose strings that it left me frowning upon the entire series.


But time passed and I heard others praise the series. I enjoyed the 100 Cupboards (also by N.D. Wilson) and finally, I learned that what I thought was the end wasn’t really the end. Tragically the series got canceled and cut short rendering it unfinished. I decided to give it another go and....


I really enjoyed it!


It was so good that I read it again and enjoyed it even more. The story felt new and exciting; as if I were reading it for the first time. Each time through I caught more and more of the story and all the different myths and Easter eggs hidden throughout.


By now I don’t really understand why I disliked it so much and find it a terrible tragedy that N.D. Wilson was not able to publish the final book (except through newspaper but he hasn't finished it yet so we all wait in sad suspense).


The story is about an ancient order of explorers who have taken it upon themselves to protect the world from supernatural threats who often come in the form of mythic personages and creatures. The main characters are a brother and sister born into a long line of family members who were involved in the order. The siblings, bereaved of their father at a very young age, grow up ignorant of the orders' existence, but when an old man of the name of Willian Skeleton appears they are quickly swept up into the order and the order’s troubles. It’s an action packed story full of horrifying villains, bizarre places and brave characters willing to sacrifice all to protect the world from evil.


N.D. Wilson seems to love creating creepy bad guys and including extremely disturbing things in his stories. Magic and dark sorcery, mad scientists, monsters, spiders… The list goes on. Not exactly for the faint of heart, but he does set a clear cut line between good and evil.


(warning, there is some mild language)



N.D. Wilson’s writing style is amazing. He takes the most common things and describes them in the most unusual, interesting ways. After reading his books I find myself having a new appreciation for the most random things; old rundown motels, juice boxes, summer heat and dandelions (I’ve got to talk more about this one later). He includes poetic meter so that there’s a rhythm and beat to his writing. I do not completely understand how to do this, but ever since I heard of it, I've wanted to do it in my own stories. It makes books so much fun to read aloud.


The quote I chose for this post was from the second book in the series: The Drowned Vault. And here are two short passages I copied down from the first page that demonstrate N.D. Wilson's writing style quite well:


“There is only one beginning. There is only one place and one moment where the world began. There is only one Story. It began in the dark. It has many middles and many ends. You and I could chase it for lifetimes and only make it longer by our living. It is too sprawling for these pages and too big for this mouth.”


“The sun dumped golden heat onto the flat back of Lake Michigan. It baked unwatered grass and persecuted Wisconsin cows. It sent men cursing back indoors and blistered unprotected skin beside a thousand swimming pools. Frogs, young and foolish, exploded while crossing sizzling asphalt streets.” -N.D. Wilson


Can you sense the rhythm? Does it make you feel the blazing heat of summer? I live in Texas so I can sympathize with those poor frogs.


Aside from the writing style itself, N.D. Wilson addresses some interesting themes. As I mentioned above he is good about clearly making a distinction between good and evil. He writes from a Christian worldview. Little quotes sprinkled throughout the story bring this out.


Even when evil rears its ugly head and all hope seems lost the first reaction should not be fear but faith and self-sacrifice. In a story full of danger, when both Antigone Smith (sister of the main character) and Rupert Greeves (An epic, fighting Avengel person) are captured by a truly terrifying evil Rupert smiles in the face of danger and quotes from Psalm 23. “We will fear no evil”.


This is something I love about stories like this. They make me question my own motives and my own courage. It's easy to be afraid of so many small things, but what would happen if I were threatened with death or given a chance to risk my life for others? What would I do? Would I react in bravery or run crying fearfully into a corner? Would I be like the heroes or the cowardly villains? Would I be like Rupert and smile and say 'I will fear no evil" while doing everything to protect others or act like certain other characters who, out of fear, willingly did anything to keep themselves safe?


The reality is that however normal and small things might seem we are in a cosmic conflict everyday. And no matter the circumstances we should think like this. We should not fear the evil that rises, but trust God and lay down ours lives for others.


(Psalms 46:1-2)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,




P.S N.D. Wilson and the editor for Canonball Books do a podcast together called Stories Are Soul Food. I don’t agree with everything they say, but it has been helpful and interesting to listen to them talk about stories, books and movies. : ) https://www.youtube.com/@storiesaresoulfood4643


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