Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson

Once Aiden arrives home, he befriends another believer in the Books of Alleble at his school. As he spends time with her, he realizes she is Gwenne’s human double and is being called to Alleble herself. Aiden makes Antoinette promise to find his friend Robby’s double once there. In Alleble, Antoinette heads out on a mission as the 12th knight, before abandoning the group to go after Robby, whom is on the enemy’s side.
Sequels tend to have a hard time surpassing the first book in their series, but this is a spectacular exception with a nice cliffhanger.

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord is the second book in a trilogy written by Christian author Wayne Thomas Batson. The setting of this book is The Realm, as well as some locations in Colorado where Aidan and Antoinette go to school. The Realm is still the beautiful place it was, but there is still evil in the most beautiful of places. The Wyrm Lord, a destructive monster under the command of Paragor, has been awakened, as well as the Seven Sleepers, creatures of lore who have been asleep for thousands of years. The theme of this book are generally the same as the first book, redemption through Christ is the only way to heaven and eternal life with God.
The plot of this book is somewhat similar to The Door Within. One main difference is that Aidan's friend, Antoinette, is the one to travel to The Realm. She, along with 11 other Glimpses, including Aidan's Glimpse, go on a journey to convince Yewland to keep their alliance with Alleble and King Eliam. But again, Paragor will go too all means possible to stop the group from accomplishing their goal. There are a range of new characters, from Lady Merewen to the Seven Slepers to the Wyrm Lord himself. But you can be sure of one thing: that this book will leave you ready for the next one.

The characterization, again, is done perfectly. This time, the main character is Antoinette, Aidan's friend at school and the Glimpse of Aidan's friend in The Realm. She has believed since she was seven, but never thought she would have her chance to travel to The Realm to do King Eliam’s bidding. She travels to The Realm and is anxious to get started on her journey. Just like Aidan, she experiences many things that she will never forget. Some of the “major” minor characters are Aelic, Aidan's Glimpse, and the traveling party.

Overall, I thought this was a wonderful 2nd book and could not wait for the last one. I would highly recommend this series to anyone of any age looking for a good Christian book. One word of advice: read book 1 first!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The Rise of the Wyrm Lord has characters that seem so real, a land that I could really understand, one that didn't feel too foreign or too familiar. Genuinely creative ideas are placed throughout this book, with a good balance of drama and humor, even a splash of romance.

I also enjoyed the action and adventure in this book. There are many battles scenes, both triumphant and sorrowful, but not too gory or out-of-touch that the reader feels confused. The author keeps the reader turning the pages with his knowledgeable explanation of the characters actions. The writing style of this book is good, although not flawless. The speech of the characters at times seems too plain and sometimes seems to flowery. Characters seemed blurry, as if they shared the thoughts of other characters or had the same personality.

However, as a person who enjoys writing, I know how hard it can be to pull of an epic story like this, and I commend Mr. Batson for a job well done. I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy.