Review of The Martyr’s Victory

 Salem Ridge Press is a company synonymous with high quality publishing.  Established by Daniel Mills, a homeschool graduate, in 2005, Salem Ridge Press republishes amazing living books which are now in the public domain.  We received one of their publications entitled The Martyr’s Victory to read and review. 

     The Martyr’s Victory, written by Emma Leslie, is an adventurous journey depicting the perilous journey of a tiny group of monks whose calling was to share Christ with the cruel Danes who had wreaked havoc on Danish England for many years.  Ms. Leslie does a masterful job of weaving plenty of action and intrigue into this story while keeping the story clean and completely appropriate for children age 12 and up.  Originally published in 1886, The Martyr’s Victory is written in a language style reminiscent of the language of that time.  You will find ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ amongst the language used; however, because of the setting of the story (Danish England in 879-883 A.D.), the language is not only appropriate, but also lends to the overall tone of the story.  The publisher has taken great lengths to peruse The Martyr’s Victory and pull out terminology that may be foreign to today’s readers and then define many of these terms at the bottom of the page where each term is first used.  This was so helpful as we were reading!  It was especially helpful to this momma who really likes to give vocabulary quizzes over new words we find in reading.  I’m not so sure my kids liked that part. 

     I had intended on reading The Martyr’s Victory aloud as a family, but, my out loud reading speed is much much slower than my silent reading speed, or the silent reading speed of my kids, so that idea flew to the wayside quickly.  I was able to complete the entire book (266 pages) in one short sitting.  My boys were able to finish it in their spare time over the course of a few days.  I must say, this is one story that captures your attention early with the advent of the calling of Egbert to come and find refuge in the monastery and the developing friendship (more a mentorship) between Egbert and Osric.  As the story progresses, the monks, under the leadership of Osric, attempt to take the gospel to the Danes.  They face many instances of opposition from the Priest of Odin. They also endure almost unbearable hardships in their journey.  The Danes are pagan and practice unspeakable evils such as human sacrifice.  One of the people that the monks encounter on their journey is a young woman, a Christian, who was nearly sacrificed by the Danes.  A true test of faith is seen as this young woman wrestles with sharing Christ with the very savages who had kept her against her will and tried to kill her.

     We have enjoyed this book so much.  It has led to many great discussions about the history of the early church and how many hardships have been endured over the years to spread the gospel.  I highly recommend this book as a part of any study of church history as well as English history.  Although it is a work of fiction, the author has interwoven so much factual information in the threads of the storyline that it spurs an interest in further study.

    The Martyr’s Victory is available through Salem Ridge Press for $14.95 for the softcover and $24.95 for the hardcover.  Whether or not you include living books in your homeschooling, this superior republished book will greatly enhance your studies.  **This book may be purchased as a stand alone book and also may be purchased as part of the Salem Ridge Press 6-book Early Church Set or 12-book Church History Set. There are substantial discounts available through Salem Ridge Press for purchasing the complete sets.**

     My friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been reading this book as well as many others from Salem Ridge Press.  To read their reviews, click on the linky below.