Is Shadowmancer a "tangled tale"?

A few weeks ago, I blogged about "Shadowmancer," a book that's being touted as "Harry Potter's Christian cousin." Since then, I received a complimentary copy of the book and started trying to read it.

First off, I'm just a few chapters in, but I'm finding it hard staying interested. So far, it just hasn't been compelling enough. I realize that fantasy isn't my favorite fictional genre, but I did read the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and I count C. S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" among my favorite books.

Maybe I was hoping for more of a Narnia feel to "Shadowmancer," but it's just not there. I guess there really is only one C.S. Lewis.

Now, some Christians are concerned that this book is being hailed as the Christian answer to Harry Potter despite the fact that its theological basis is muddy at best and seriously flawed at worst.

The author, G.P. Taylor, has taken pains to make sure everyone knows it's NOT a Christian book.

Marcia Montenegro is "a former professional astrologer for 8 years and teacher of astrology; a former practitioner for many years of Eastern-type meditation and beliefs, and who engaged in various occult practices such as having a spirit guide and doing astral travel." Montenegro is now a Christian, and she runs a website that provides information about New Age and occult issues from a Christian perspective. She has written a very comprehensive and enlightening article on her site, entitled "Shadomancer: A Tangled Tale."

Says Montenegro: "In interviews, Taylor has expressed his fear that the church is alienating young people and downplaying the power of God, something he tried to fix in his book. This is a valid concern. However grand his intentions, in trying to make the book attractive to several religions, Taylor ends up with a God that does not belong anywhere, and an obscure Jesus figure that is not clearly the revealed Jesus of God’s word or of history. In trying to depict a God who appeals to so many, we end up with a generic God and only mystical, subjective ways to know him -- a dismissal of God’s clear revelation of his truth through the Bible and through Christ."

Very interesting article and site.