Book Review – Quest for Celestia by Steven James
I had the privilege of meeting Steven James at the OWFI Conference this past May, and I picked up his book Quest for Celestia at the same time.
Quest is a re-imagining of Pilgrim’s Progress, and that is a story that goes way back in my childhood memories. I can’t tell you how many adaptations of it I’ve read, and I’m ashamed to say I’ve never read the original. I’ll change that soon.
So, since I’ve read my fair-share of re-tellings, I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but that I’m familiar with them.
I enjoyed the story, and since I didn’t actually have a Pilgrim’s Progress re-telling, I definitely don’t regret buying this book. But I felt it was a little lacking in some areas.
The story was fast-paced and interesting. But it was a little too fast-paced for my tastes. The main characters were being tossed from one challenge into another, and I felt like we didn’t really get to know them. We just got a brief glimpse into their journey. I would’ve liked to take the journey WITH them.
So, I’ve given this book 3 stars on Goodreads, and would recommend it to those who already have a soft spot for Pilgrim’s Progress.
We just finished reading this to the children and found it a refreshing journey for us as well as for them. The simple way in which Taylor describes the journey allowed the children to enter into the story and be on the journey as well. We have seen how they are apply many of the truths they learned from the book, which has helped deepen their understanding of spiritual truths. Excellent tool for teaching Biblical principles.