I am always looking for a great adventure story, especially one that I can share with my boys. If the story can also teach about morals and character, with an emphasis on the Christian way of life, that is just icing on the cake. A company that is known for sharing stories just like this is Lamplighter Publishing. They specialize in teaching Christ-like character through each of their well-loved stories, the vast majority of which were written during the late 1800s. I was recently able to review my first book through Lamplighter Publishing, Escape from the Eagle’s Nest by A.L.O.E.

Escape from the Eagle’s Nest is a tale of courage, perseverance, and faith under the ever-present fear of death in war-torn Afghanistan in the late 1860s. The story follows the life of a poor orphaned Christian missionary’s son, Walter, who is asked to accompany a rich Irish gentleman into the wilds of untamed Afghanistan as an interpreter. Promised payment in the form of a trip to England to go to college, all expenses paid, he agrees to go, although a bit reluctantly. Walter holds his faith in Jesus close to his heart, as tightly as the gentleman Denis does his love of wealth and adventure, which brings some discord at times between the two men. Circumstances arise throughout their journey, which test young Walter’s faith and courage. Even though he saves the daughter of the chieftain from the mouth of a cheetah, he faces certain death by the hands of his Islamic captors. Can he truly hold faithful to all he believes and practices, even as the sole Christian in a wild country where Islam reigns supreme and murder is the way of life?

This book is a beautiful hardcover edition with a rich gold border cover design. The adventure story is written for those who are ages 14+ and features a vocabulary rich with imagery and expression. Escape from the Eagle’s Nest retails for $20.00.

I found this story to be a wonderful tale of adventure, but the addition of the character who is striving to obeyGod no matter what is what really makes the book. Experiencing life through the eyes of young Walter allowed me, as the reader, to partake in his journey of faith. Despite everything that he went through, from discovering his hero—Denis—had feet of clay, to the constant clash of morals, to standing in the face of death while, he held fast to his belief in God. I enjoyed the way the story continued beyond the deliverance from Eagle’s Nest to life after Walter was free. The character continued to grow as a man, and as a Christian with a passion for preaching the gospel to the troubled men and women in war-torn Afghanistan, even at the expense of his own comfort and life.

This book is heavily laden with mentions of God, Jesus, and scripture, as well as the fight to save the pagan’s soul from judgment. There is also a negative view on drinking alcohol of any kind, but that is typical for books written in this era, especially those with a similar Christian focus. I would guess that the religious denomination being promoted in this novel is Methodist, based on the tenets of faith that are mentioned several times. If you do not believe similarly, you might get tired of the constant mention of these aspects. I don’t believe the same as the author, but I choose to just read over any part that didn’t match up with my own beliefs. I do that with any book of this type, so it doesn’t bother me; however, I think that it might bother others looking to read a book that lines up with their personal faith. There were times when the book’s religious dialogue did get a bit annoying in its excessiveness, but thankfully those times were few and far between and, for the most part, didn’t detract from the story itself.

One of the things that I like the most about this book is the advanced writing level the author uses. I am a lover of big words and rich written language, and this book satisfied that love. There were even some new words that I didn’t know and had fun looking up. Based on the more advanced vocabulary in this book, I would definitely not recommend it for anyone reading at less than a junior high/high school level. I am also working on reading this book aloud to my boys, and although it’s sometimes challenging to explain what is meant because of the rich vocabulary, they are still enjoying the story.

If you are looking for a wholesome historical adventure novel, promoting a Christian worldview, that takes you to the wilds of southern India, then I hope you will give Escape from the Eagle’s Nest a try. I look forward to my next adventure tale from Lamplighter Publishing! 

—Product Review by Lisa McKinney, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2017