The Restorer Revisited

A few months back, I received word that Sharon Hinck's fabulous The Sword of Lyric series was going out of print. That's a true shame. But one of the things Sharon asked her Facebook friends was what their favorite Restorer moments were. I have to admit, I didn't answer at the time because a lot of time had passed and I couldn't remember for sure. So I resolved to re-read the series.

It took me a while to get to it. Lots of good books (and several not-so-good books) got in the way. I finally had to pull them out of the shelf and put them in my "to be read" pile. Over the past week or so, I've gone back to the People of the Verses and relived some great adventures.

The three books are The Restorer, The Restorer's Son, and The Restorer's Journey. In the first book, Susan Mitchell, an "average" mom of four gets pulled through a portal into another universe. Before she can even get her bearings, she's caught up in a frantic struggle for survival. She's among the People of the Verses, a confederacy of clans who share a common faith in the One. But now the People are in danger, both from enemies within and without.

To make things even worse, Susan just might be a Restorer. These individuals are called by the One in times of great need to turn the hearts of the People back to the Verses and to offer them the help that they need. They heal rapidly. They have heightened senses. They are given great strength and fortitude (and other gifts, but that comes into play later). If Susan is a Restorer, then she's in a lot of trouble because she'll be facing a lot of enemies, all of whom want her dead.

I'm not sure what I can say about the other two books without giving away major spoilers. So, I guess, you've been warned. Abandon all hope, ye who have not read these books. I won't give away everything, but if I'm going to share my favorite moments.

Out of the three books, I think The Restorer's Son is my favorite. I like the main character and his story arc. I especially like . . . well, shoot, I'm not sure how I can explain this. Let's put it this way: I really like the scene that's depicted on the front cover. If you've read the book, you should know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, well . . . too bad. Go read it.


But in terms of other favorite scenes, I'd have to say I like Susan's whole story arc in the third book. Sharon puts Susan in a very dark place and the way she comes out is inspiring.

That's perhaps one of the reasons why I enjoy Sharon's books so much. There are a lot of adventure in them, lots of great emotions, but Sharon always manages to sneak in at least one or two really profound spiritual lessons, much deeper than a simple "God loves you!" or something to that effect. In many ways, Sharon's books seem to be geared for more mature Christians, aimed for those who have been walking the walk for a while and now need a nudge to keep them going in the right direction.

If you want to learn more, I did an interview with Sharon . . . holy cow! Three years ago? Well, I suppose. Anyway, it's divided up into three parts and can be found here, here, and here.

It's a real shame that these books are going out of print. So if you want a copy of them, better go get them quick. And no, you can't have mine. Just saying.