Guns of the Lion: Faith & Freedom, Book 2 (Faith & Freedom Trilogy)

My 11 year old son, who is an avid reader & history buff, loves this series. I love that the series shows men relying on God. Win, win for us both!

the themes of faith and freedom are exemplified in the life of the main character - Gavin Crookshanks. Faith struggles, but it always gains the victory as the Apostle Paul says.

We have read and enjoyed all three books in Douglas Bond's "Crown and Covenant Trilogy," Duncan's War, King's Arrow, and Rebel's Keep, about the M'Kethe family in Scotland during the days when the English kings were trying to stamp out the Scottish Covenanters, ending in some of the M'Kethes emigrating to the new world. Book One, Guns of Thunder, in the sequel series "Faith and Freedom Trilogy," deals with the involvement of Ian M'Kethe, who lives at Wallop, CT, in the French and Indian War. Book Two, Guns of the Lion, returns the attention to simultaneous events in Scotland. Ian is canoeing with his Native American friend Watookoog from his home in Connecticut to Elizabethtown, NJ, to enroll in Princeton College in 1847. On the way, Ian reads a letter from his cousin, Gavin Crookshank, who is still in Scotland. It seems that Gavin was impressed, quite against his will, into the army of King George II to fight against the forces of Charles Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, who is coming from France where he has been in exile to claim not only the Scottish throne but the rule of England too. After serving on the H.M.S. Lion and helping to defeat a French ship carrying arms and supplies to the Prince, Gavin is recruited to become a spy for King George in Charlie's army. Then, when he joins with them, he is sent by Lord George Murray who Charlie's general, and Dugald MacDonald who has thrown his support to the Prince, to spy on King George's army! As a double agent, Gavin is in constant danger for his life as the conflict continues, culminating in the fateful Battle of Culloden Moor. Will he survive the battles? Or will he try to escape and return home? And will he ever decide to whom his allegiance belongs--King George, Prince Charles, or someone else? Not only does Guns of the Lion present good historical fiction related to the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, but it also examines important ethical questions as to how Christians should relate to the political and social struggles of this earth given our dual citizenship. Of course, God must always come first, but how to apply this principle to specific situations is always the big question. Ian knows that he must honor the king--but which one? It is always good to read stories, even fictional ones, about people who strive to live their lives according to Biblical principles. The euphemistic adjective "dashed" is used once, as is the term "hell," though not as a curse word, and a singular blanked-out curse word occurs. Otherwise, there is nothing objectionable. Robert Case, director of the World Journalism Institute, wrote, "Douglas Bond continues with his Faith and Freedom trilogy to challenge Christian families to raise godly sons and grandsons. Bond refuses to give in to the anti-boy culture as he stresses the obligation of boys to be young men of responsibility and integrity." The final book in the series is Guns of Providence.

Gavin Crookshank, great-great grandson of Sandy M'Kethe and a distant cousin of those M'Kethes who immigrated to the Americas during the Killing Times, is unwittingly caught in the last attempt by the House of Stuart to take back the English throne. Conscripted into the English army, Gavin refuses to wear English uniform and is sent to sea aboard the HMS Lion, where he distinguishes himself in battle. Because he is Scottish and can speak Gaelic, the captain's appreciation results in Gavin's being ordered to join the army of Charles Stuart, "Bonnie Prince Charlie" to his followers, and to report any information he learns to a contact in King George II's army.With his own family having suffered under James II, Gavin has no particular love for the House of Stuart. His first run-in with the so-called "Bonnie Prince" ends with Gavin nearly being hanged without trial, and further experiences reveal Charles to be little more than a buffoon. But Gavin is also a Scottish nationalist, one who opposes the Act of Union and feels no loyalty to George II. Gavin has no personal stakes in the quarrel over the throne and would prefer not becoming involved. But he is given little choice. Going with the MacDonald clan as they join Charles, Gavin finds their chieftain, Dugald MacDonald, to be a worthy man, one to whom he wants to be faithful. But because his contact in George II's army is also a friend, Gavin finds himself reluctantly playing the role of a double agent, giving information to both sides in an attempt to postpone bloodshed. Whose side will he eventually take? and will he live to tell the tale?The plot of this book is a vast improvement over that in "Guns of Thunder." It flows extremely well, and I found myself drawn to Gavin more than to any of Bond's previous characters. The frame story, in which American-born Ian M'Kethe receives the main story in a letter, fits a little awkwardly with the rest of the novel. I understand Bond's intent--to tie this story in with events in New England at the same time, and to provide a little moral commentary at the end--but it seems somewhat strange for Gavin to write an book-length letter about his personal miseries to family members he's never met. At any rate, the transition between the two is at least brief. And the close look at the events surrounding the 1745 Jacobite rising is fascinating for anyone with even a passing interest in Scottish history. Bond fully captures the social conflicts and moral ambiguities of the period. Aside from (oddly) a singular blanked-out curse word, parents need not worry about inappropriate content. They do need to worry about their children reading past midnight--and should understand that if they themselves start the book, they will not be able to put it down.

Guns of the Lion, the second book in the Faith and Freedom series, was excellent! Gavin Crookshank, Ian McKethe’s cousin, is in a really, REALLY BIG WAR! I like how Gavin tries to do the right thing, follows the bible, and helps save lives while trying to figure out who’s side he really is on. My only two questions are how did he even get a letter out of the prison without the guards reading it (and what a letter it was!), and how he wasn’t hanged since he wasn’t actually conscripted? This book is seemingly longer than the first. My rating of this book is 4.5 out of 5.{Reviewed by my 6th grader.}

This is a very reliable author in that you will get good, clean books for your boys to read. They are always filled with adventure.