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Tasmanian Anglican

March 2003

 

 

 

 

 


Daniel and the Dark Arts by Earnest Spellbinder (pseudonym of Catherine Butcher). 45 pp, pub. Scripture Union Great Britain 2002

 

Daniel and the Dark Arts

reviewed by Sheelagh Wegman

 

 

The first six chapters of the book of Daniel in the Old Testament form the basis for this small volume which retells the story of the man who outwitted the king's magicians at their own game and gave honour to his God.

Earnest Spellbinder writes that his book has been compiled from ancient manuscripts and archeological sources, and is the diary written by Memet, a student and later professor in the Magician's house at the Babylonian Academy for Training Sorcerers. [Yes - the acronym is BATS.]

Chatty style

Starting from when Israelite prisoners are brought to Babylon after the Babylonian army's victory over Jerusalem the story follows the history of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over many years. There are interesting snippets of information on superstitions still in currency today - tossing salt over the left shoulder, crossing fingers and astrology. Did you know for example, that our word 'spelling' comes from the same origin as a magic 'spell'? - the power of words!

Yes, the book has a lot of interest, but it seems a little too pointedly didactic in its attempt at a biblical counter to the Harry Potter stories. Some characters are thinly disguised versions of Harry Potter's teachers and the classes on offer at BATS are very similar to some at Hogwarts. The chatty style, with magazine-style blockquotes and witty illustrations, is clearly targeted at younger readers with shorter attention spans and perceived need for visual stimulation, but there is a presumption of some biblical knowledge among its readers. I am not sure if this book would appeal to a Harry Potter reader.

A good story

This little book seems to miss one very important point - there is a mystique about the sheer size and length of the Harry Potter books. With no illustrations, no fancy fonts, and a lot of text, they would seem to defy all the rules of book-marketing, and yet young and often reluctant readers are unable to put these large books down till they are finished, often with a great sense of achievement. A good story is a good story - no amount of marketing hype can change that!

Daniel and the Dark Arts is nevertheless worth sharing with a younger reader. Adults can learn quite a bit too! But given that the story of Daniel is such a ripper and research would reveal some very interesting background, I wonder whether someone might not be challenged to write an expansive historical novel based on Daniel's life.