Creator’s Call (Book Review)

Key Scripture

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

Acts 1:8

Spiritual Themes

Allegory frequently deals with redemption and faith, new life in Christ, and the struggle between good and evil. Creator’s Call follows suit, interacting with each of these themes, with particular emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit.

I really appreciate fantasy books that demonstrate the work of the Spirit, because, for me, allegories really open my eyes to the truths of Scriptures. So, when I see a book that combines fantastic elements and Scriptural parallels with the reality of the Holy Spirit, I love that the Holy Spirit (God) forms a bridge between the world I live in and the world of the books. One of my very favorite Narnia quotes (which is on my personalized Bible cover) is when Aslan tells Lucy that He introduced her to Narnia so that she could know him in her own world.

Creator’s Call demonstrates God’s supernatural work in His children, beginning with changing their hearts. The story also touches on forgiveness, release from demonic oppression and gifts of the Holy Spirit (specifically, speaking in tongues), and supernatural power amidst spiritual battle. But (and this is very important to me), although this book certainly attests to the realities of spiritual gifts and warfare, that is not the stopping point. The characters are empowered by God, in their relationship with Him. They recognize that, in surrender to Him, they can experience true freedom, and, yes, He will empower them. We see that God’s supernatural power is needed to love and forgive someone who has harmed you, just as it is needed to release the demoniac (Ted Dekker’s Blessed Child very much ruminates on this theme, as well).

Emphasis on Purity

When I see Christian allegory, I’m inclined to take a look at the book, since this is my favorite genre. I have been even more invested in allegory, lately, as I seek books that convey God’s truth.

With that said, this book stands out to me for another reason. Purity is another very important criteria for me, in selecting books, and I’m happy to say that Creator’s Call also actively emphasizes purity. This isn’t something that I usually see in allegory.

Various male characters lust for a sorceress when they interact with her by means of an enchanted stone. They also learn that they are unable to overcome this power, on their own. In my opinion, the enchanted stone directly corresponds to pornography, although I’m sure it could be interpreted as a metaphor for broken sexuality, in general.

Additionally, there is a strong and powerful distinction between loving someone and loving someone more than God. I consider this extremely important in Christian books with romance plotlines.

Things I Liked

• I appreciated that God is consistently referred to as the Creator. This isn’t something we often focus on, as Christians, but I think it so important because God’s role as Creator ties directly to the first commandments He gave to people.
• This book has dragons, which don’t always interest me. However, I really liked the ways that Iannou developed the dragons’ characters and history. One dragon, in particular, was very likable.
• I liked the plot twists. I won’t say more about what they are.

Critique

The book was definitely full of truth. However, there were multiple parts that read more like a doctrinal statement, with the truths being spelled out (rather than symbolized). As someone who is very familiar with the Bible, I prefer to see parallels, rather than sermons. However, this book can potentially introduce doctrine to someone who is unfamiliar with it.

I really would have liked to see more of the characters’ interaction with the Son (“the Deliverer”). Of course, this has been explored in various other allegory books.

Audience

Audience-wise, I think this book is suited to young adult and adult Christians. Because there are a number of sensual (referencing temptation) references, I wouldn’t recommend it to kids. But as someone who is very careful about what I read, I was not bothered by the content. Instead, I really appreciated that this allegory explored sexual purity, in addition to numerous other Christian themes.