Four misfits---Lisbeth, Bennu, Len, and Angie---are weary of being overlooked and ostracized. One day a bully's assault lands the quartet in an alternative dimension---Welken, an idyllic kingdom that's under attack by Morphane the Soul Swallower. When they unite with Piers, a noble defender, they discover their earthly weaknesses are now weapons of great power. But will they prevail? A must-read for fantasy fans! 400 pages, softcover from Howard.

Lizbeth, Bennu, Len and Angie are misfits, and they know it. They are often overlooked and ostracized for being overweight, short, airheaded, or wearing coke-bottle glasses. When bullies inflict a wound to Len's head, the four friends find themselves suddenly thrust into an alternative dimension -- the realm of Welken, an idyllic kingdom under attack by Morphane the Soul Swallower. The noble defender Piers urges the four to aid his beleaguered land. But their insecurities hold them back until several mysterious adventures reveal that the weaknesses so disdained in their own world are weapons of great power in Welken. Victory is far from certain, however, as the enemy resorts to shape-shifting and deception, finally storming the Welkeners with an army of slaves. Unless the misfits find the courage to wield their weapons and turn the battle, Welken will fall into the death grip of Morphane.

Dr. Gregory Spencer is professor of communication studies at Westmont College in Southern California. He specializes in rhetorical theory and criticism, religious rhetoric, and media ethics. Dr. Spencer's teaching has been noted for its creativity. According to one former student, "His words do not merely paint pictures, they provide eyes to see the pictures that have always been before us. In this sense, his classroomis no less than a portal into a transformed world."

http://www.christianbook.com/the-welkening-gregory-spencer/9781582293554/pd/293554

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product_review

__USERID__

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/ask_and_answer

Author: Gregory Spencer
Located in: Santa Barbara, CA
Submitted: October 08, 2004

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I'm a fourth generation Californian who lived for ten years in the Northwest. Our feet became a little webbed while we were there, and that may be why my story is set in Skinner ("Eugene"), Oregon.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  I suppose I want to pass on the kind of gift I have received. If a reader were to have the kind of experience with my book that I had with "That Hideous Strength" or "Watership Down," I will feel that I have "paid part of the debt" I owe to the many writers who have enriched my life. Also, the story simply grew in me and needed expression. I often felt like a recipient of grace while I was working.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  So many things! A good read, an entertaining and thought-provoking respite from the woes of everyday life. Also, the interweaving three dimensions in the story speak to a providential Choreographer behind our events. The key characters learn that what appears to them as weakness can actually become their strength.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  I have been an avid reader of C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkein, Charles WIlliams, Dorothy L. Sayers, Walt Wangerin, Annie Dillard, Thomas Merton, Augustine, Pascal, and others.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  I'd love to interact with readers who want to know more about background of the book or who have questions about what I am communicating. I can be reached at my website, www.thewelkening.com.

• Books >> Fiction >> Fantasy/Science Fiction
• Fiction >> Fantasy/Science Fiction
• Start A New Christianbook.com Search