Protect by Paul J. Watson

Reviewed by Joshua Olds

"...a can’t-put-down, must-get-more fantasy..."

Terra’s twin moons reflect dimly in the night sky, silently watching the Devastator and his Dekaloth ravage the land. Every four hundred years, the Devastator comes forth to battle the people of the planet of Terra, but the people are not left defenseless. For with every Devastator comes a Protector. Relm is that Protector.

Relm is heir to a sword given to his family by a descendant of the Satorens, an ancient and now dead Terran race. When he wields the sword, it glows brightly and gives him the power to literally vaporize his enemies. As the forces of Darkness grow greater, Relm is forced to accept his destiny as the Protector and find a way to unite the countries of Terra and save them from the hands of the Devastator.

Protect is a can’t-put-down, must-get-more fantasy, as Watson weaves his tale of the battle for Terra. In order to have a chance at defeating the Devastator, Relm must unite the three countries and main races of Terra: Ondoria, the land of Humans; Volero, home to the fox-like Velopens; and Legartha, the country of the big green Legarthans. As Relm sets about his task, he finds among each one of Terra’s races.

Satoren prophecy predicts the Protector will fall. Relm must pray that his fate is not so determined.

In his debut novel, Watson has emerged with an in-depth fantasy, managing to flesh out an entire world in one novel, and leaving the reader begging to know more. Part allegory, the astute reader will discover that beyond the skin of the novel lies a deeper and more profound truth. Good storytelling combined with unexpected twists makes Protect a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read. Watson is absolutely astounding, creating a compelling story with a meaningful message.

One of the more unique things of this book is the varying font system used to portray the different races of Terra. The Velopens are an elegant people, and their speech patterns reflect it. The legarthans are rough and live in mountains. The speech of Dekaloth reflects their ancient evil. This results in a visual delight, letting the reader mentally see the characters that are talking. It’s an ingenious device that really works well in the novel.

Overall, don’t miss out on Protect. This is one you want to read. As an added bonus, it comes with a free audio edition on mp3 available for download on the publisher’s website.

Read an exclusive interview with the author at The Christian Critic here.

Joshua Olds loves to read good books and promote and publicize good authors. He is the founder of the website The Christian Critic. By day he’s a gymnastics coach and by night he’s an online student at Liberty University. Josh’s free time is spent reading (no duh) and writing. As a writer, he has one published book, a Bible story book for children. More information on that can be found here.