Name: Children in the Night
ISBN: 9780310572510

Harold Myra

A vast epic novel of fantasy, adventure, and spiritual enlightenment, Children in the Night is a story of good versus evil in a subterranean world of perpetual night. With bizarre weapons--and startling promises from a miraculous cripple from Above--an orphan and a young woman confront the evil powers.

Children in the Night

Briar Rose

*Review also posted at Briar Rose Reads

Children in the Night is a story set in total darkness. The Askirit people live in an underground world that has no sun, moon, or stars, and is too damp for fire. The only light they have ever seen is the light of sparks and luminous sea creatures. Within this world, we follow two major characters: Yosha, a tormented boy who is caught between his desire to seek light and his desire to avenge his father's death; and Asel, a strong-minded young female warrior who challenges her people's isolationism and fear of the "barbarians" who live outside their lands.

This is a tale that spans many years, and takes place against an intricately constructed background. Harold Myra spent ten years on this story, and the detail of the world he created makes it clear why. It cannot be easy to write a story in which every character is functionally blind, but Myra succeeds in creating a setting that is detailed and vivid enough to be engaging. The book starts off a bit slow, but once I got into it, I was quickly caught up in the details, the characters, and the overarching story. Yosha and Asel fascinated me, as did the trio of orphan children Asel rescued from the "barbarian" lands--and, of course, Auret, the battered, disabled boy who changes every life he touches.

Children in the Night is a Christian allegory, but I never felt beaten over the head by it, and I found it enjoyable as a stand-alone story. I read it first as a young teenager, and I strongly identified with the tale of two young people seeking the truth, challenging what they had been told, and fighting for their freedom and that of their people.

JacQueline Roe

This book belongs in a special category for me, something I reread almost annually. As a lover of imaginative fiction and writer myself, I hope and pray to one day write a character-driven novel which can tell the story of Christian faith in such a brilliant way. The impact on my faith has been substantial.