An orphanage on a prison island has held two brothers, Jason and Kaleb, for years while the director tried to brainwash the kids. Finally, using a ruse, their grandfather rescues the young teens, and they set off on a quest to find a vocational path, life’s meaning, and most importantly the Swimmer who murdered their parents 10 years previously. The brothers long for revenge, but fail to realize that bitterness like venomous thorns has poisoned their lives. Meanwhile, the mysterious dragonmen we’ll stop at nothing to recapture the brothers for some diabolical end. Grandfather dies, and Jason and Kaleb are separated, each taking a different path, each with a different mentor in the land of Dragon’s Back. Will the brothers discover truth and find closure for their parents’ murder? Will they rescue one another from the unseen dragons and dragonmen who seem to do their bidding? And what of the mythical Gryphon and his strange followers, the Swimmers, who alone of the citizens of Dragon’s Back can swim in the bottomless ocean?
The Poison of Thorns is a powerful Christian allegory of the war between good and evil, and the battle for each person’s soul. Robert Dennis Wilson peels back the veil and offers insightful glimpses into the unseen spiritual battle for the minds of these two brothers. The Swimmer-Bard, Nathan says to Jason, “ . . . did you think I was making up stories to frighten little children? The truth is more frightening than any story I could ever devise!” And yet there is hope. The Poison of Thorns contains deep spiritual truths, however the style and vocabulary might challenge some readers.
Age Range: 10 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Gryphon’s Bard Publishing, 2010
Series: Dragon’s Back Series, Book 1
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