I am disabled, sixty-two years old, and live in central Texas. I have a BAS in Christian ministries from Dallas Baptist University. As a college student, I liked Pilgrim’s Progress and the idea of teaching about the Christian Life through an allegory. Having taken Biblical Greek I started a story with the hope that by using Greek for the names I could write a story that did something similar but was more readable by not having the names interfere with the story. That story was the genesis of The Darkened Land.
I started writing The Darkened Land about twenty-five years ago. It progressed very slowly. By the time I became disabled in 2004, I had about thirty thousand words. A lot happened at that point in my life and work on the manuscript stopped for about fifteen years. Back problems kept me in constant pain and I could not work. My life spiraled down. I felt hopeless and lost. In 2019 my wife left me.
Then God stepped in. I fasted for forty days. I lost seventy pounds and got off all the pain medications. I started writing. In six weeks with God’s help, I wrote sixty thousand words compared to the thirty thousand in the previous twenty-five years. But the book wasn’t ready. Writing a first book and publishing it yourself is a learning experience. The first edition was on the market in 2018. I soon realized it needed an editor other than me. So I took it off the market and published a much better second edition in April 2019.
I wrote The Darkened Land for young adult/adult readers and while children might like the story there are some intense scenes including attacks on the travelers and death scenes, including a suicide. Therefore, I don’t recommend it for children but teenagers and up should find it enjoyable. Those who have experienced the loss of someone close may find parts are hard to take, but in the end, I think they find hope and comfort if they finish.
The Darkened Land is an allegory but the names come from various languages and even more than one language, at times, in order to produce a symbolic meaning. The meanings, pronunciations, and origins can be found at the back of the book for those inclined to delve into the symbolic meaning of the story. The allegory is readily visible, however, to anyone with a cursory knowledge of Christianity. All that being said, the story is a readable story in itself that has been compared to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as well as Pilgrim’s Progress. While such praise is I think overly kind, it does indicate that I achieved the goal of a readable story that will hold the attention.
The Darkened Land is the first book of seven or eight in the Seven Towers Series.
Seven Towers
Seven towers of light
Seven cities of might
In the land of was
And will be
One that was great
That loves no more
One that loves still
And serves her Lord
One that is dying
And one that is dead
One that is poor
With crowned head
Two that hold on
When hope is thrust through
The enemies within
When darkness o’er
The land has sway
Seven great cities
Will stand in its way
The evil that reigns
As some of them fall
Will tremble in terror
Of the Kings call
Then rising those cities
Will stand tall and free
Evil is vanquished
And all men will see
Seven cities of might
Seven towers of light
In the land of was
And will be
Separated from the world of darkness by a bottomless chasm lie the stones of light. The King has built a bridge from that world to His kingdom across the chasm to give people access once again to the stones. He has established seven cities of light and seven towers as beacons to The Darkened Land.
Lachlaniel’s world is a world of complete darkness, but across the Godwin River there are stones of light. When he sees the light for the first time and beholds the wonder of the stones, Lachlaniel sets out for the Godwin accompanied by Ewald, the woodsman. But creatures of darkness, who hate the light and the stones, pursue them. Guided by Kesniel and protected by Velius they reach the Great City Agapay and the Bridge. The stones lie just beyond, but the quest has aroused The Great Evil. Nameless and powerful he bends his might to crush the city and put an end to the light in his dominion. The city is now in peril.
Three other servants of the King; Farah, Max, and Diaphanous; join the intrepid band of travelers to rouse the citizens and fight the overwhelming enemy forces that threaten to sweep through the countryside bent on destroying the city and its tower. They leave only devastation, misery, and darkness in their wake.
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