The Sword
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆ ☆
The Sword (Chiveis Trilogy, Book 1) by Bryan M. Litfin
Read it for the concept. 🤔💡
Just a heads up: I started reading this book during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I knew the story was set hundreds of years in the future after society had collapsed, but I didn’t realize the collapse was caused by a pandemic. So if you plan to read this soon, the prologue might feel a bit awkward.
I have mixed feelings about the approach to religion, especially how the characters handle it. I like that they question their own beliefs, but I dislike how quickly they blindly accept another faith. In a loose way, it reflects real-world attitudes toward religion. The difference is that Christianity has been around for centuries, so people grow up aware of it and its legacy, making acceptance easier.
In The Sword, however, Christianity goes from discovery to full devotion in just days. Characters develop complete faith in a God they just learned about from a random book while questioning the religion they’ve followed their whole lives. I’m not saying quick conversions can’t happen, people do convert all the time, but this rapid shift doesn’t feel natural.
As I said, if you read this book, read it for the concept. The characters are bland and forgettable. Aside from the main character, I struggled to keep them straight.
The world itself is fascinating: a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has reverted to a more primitive sword ⚔️ and shield 🛡 way of life, yet remnants of today’s cities and structures still remain. The problem is there’s very little world-building, so you rarely get to explore or learn about this intriguing setting.
Where The Sword really shines is its central idea. It’s fascinating to imagine what would happen if a ravaged society discovered a forgotten religion from centuries ago. It’s made even more interesting because, as readers, we already know Christianity and understand its significance.
