Review of Venom & Song — Day 1
Venom. Now there is a word that goes deep into our psyche. How many of us, may I ask, has ever been bitten by a venomous snake? Or how about a truly venomous spider? Very few, I would guess.
But we are all afraid of venom. Deathly afraid of it.
Song. Who isn’t moved by beautiful music? Not all of us can sing, nor can many of us play, yet we all enjoy music. I myself am fairly tone-deaf, yet I love music, and even pretend now and then to be a musician for my kid’s band, Wren Song.
These two words cannot be more opposite. One that blisters and destroys from within, the other that lifts and soars upon the heavens. And that is the heart of the new novel, VENOM & SONG, by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper: deadly danger, and against it uplifting hope.
Here is the book’s description from Amazon:
Now in the strange realm of Allyra, the Seven young lords confront a traitor in their midst, a creature-infested forest, teenage fears and doubts, inexplicable mysteries … and the Spider King himself.
In a rigorous training program that makes boot camp look like Disneyland, the Seven must quickly learn to harness their own powers, work as one, and elude the Spider King’s spies. But as the ancient Berinfell Prophecies are revealed, the Seven soon discover their training might not be enough. To stop the Spider King they must also unravel the secrets of the Rainsong, travel to a creepy, trap-infested fortress to find the legendary keystone, and lead the Berinfell Elves in an attack on the Spider King’s own turf. An epic adventure with powerful messages about true strength, forgiveness, and working together as one body that will grab the attention of intermediate readers.
Learn more about The Berinfell Prophecies at www.heedtheprophecies.com, and come back tomorrow for my own thoughts about this excellent young adult novel.
And make sure you check out the other participants on the Christian Scienc-Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour:
Thanks for always being so supportive of our work, Robert. Look forward to meeting you in person next month! All my best. ch:
Yup, I agree: it’s a dandy title.
Titling my own work is always difficult for me, and I make lists of words and themes, trying to find just the right combination to string together, but I generally know it when I find it — there’s a rightness about it.
As for Venom and Song, it’s just right.
Hi, Robert! Thanks so much for commenting on the title. Our publisher pushed against this title pretty hard, but CH and I felt it was unique and very telling. I “get it” about formula titles, but honestly, I think arbitrarily mandating that titles be exactly two words or have the word “Curse” in it…that kind of stuff just doesn’t fly.
I agree, the title was intriguing. And perfectly suited to the book, which became more evident as the story went on.
It’s interesting that the publisher was against it at first…
Thanks for stopping by, everyone! Sorry to post and run, but I had a busy day. Tomorrow should be more relaxed, so I’ll write up a more in depth review then.
CH – It’ll be fun to see you guys, too! It was fun to be part of the tribe contest, and I’m learning a lot about marketing from you two. I’ll be sure to bring the guitar next month, too!
Keanan – titles are very difficult. I think I’ve changed titles like five times on my books, and finally settled on the current versions only after a lot of thought.
WTB – That’s surprising the publisher gave push back since its just a fantastic title. Good job sticking to your guns, I mean arc-rifles.
Sarah – Thanks for stopping by!
-Robert