Official Review: Carried on the Wind by Tom Nelson

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 26 Aug 2016, 12:04

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Carried on the Wind" by Tom Nelson.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Tom Nelson’s Carried on the Wind takes the reader on a journey back in time to the Middle Ages. It’s almost like having two stories in one. There are a few love stories centered around the protagonist, Max. Additionally, there is the story of the man who eventually became known as Emperor Otto and his rise to power. The stories intertwine in interesting ways.

When we first meet Max, he is an eight year old little boy. Ultimately, this is Max’s story, told from his point of view. Max’s father, Ludwig, is a nobleman, a vassal to King Otto, the German king. Max, as a nobleman’s son, has quite a bit of free reign to explore his world. His love of exploration stays with him throughout his life. Helmut, the man in charge of Ludwig’s horses, sees Max’s natural talent with horses, as well as his innate love for them, on the farm. Throughout the story, wherever Max travels, whether with his father, or later on, as a nobleman himself, he manages to find horses and observe different styles of training them. Many today would call Max a horse whisperer.

Max’s life is full of love and sorrow from a young age. Max experiences all the love and sorrows of a son, a father, a husband, and a friend; the reader gets to watch Max grow and mature through all of this. Watching Max learn to love and dealing with the sorrow of losing those he loves was both endearing and heart wrenching. The reader is truly made to feel for him when he loses Verena, his first love, and then discovers how much love a father feels for a son. We see Max’s character develop far more than any of the other characters presented.

Ludwig, Max’s father, was responsible for bringing contingents of knights into Otto’s service. Eventually, Max also becomes a knight, eventually leading his own armies. Max hears of Otto from an early age and eventually meets him as a young teenager. Their paths cross often as Otto gains more and more power, going from simply the man who united Germany to becoming the Holy Roman Emperor. Nelson depicts many battle scenes throughout the book, often making the reader feel like they were there in the midst of a battle. Nelson is very descriptive throughout the story, often making the reader see the lakes, the blue skies, the mountains, etc, with his imagery. By far, that is one of the best qualities of the book.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. There were many times where the transition between the two stories was awkward. More of the personal stories could have been developed with more detail. We are left knowing little of what is happening with Max’s family while he is gone. Although the history was interesting, the story would have been better with fewer details of Otto’s rise to power. Carried on the Wind is a well written, worthwhile read for those who enjoy historical fiction.

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Carried on the Wind
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Silvermoon · Post by **Silvermoon** » 27 Aug 2016, 16:14

Nice job with the review! The description of Max is interesting and the story intriguing.

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 27 Aug 2016, 20:52

Sounds like a very interesting read. However, it seems like there was more details on Otto than Max, who I believe is the main protagonist. Great job on the review.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 29 Aug 2016, 11:13

kimmyschemy06 wrote:Sounds like a very interesting read. However, it seems like there was more details on Otto than Max, who I believe is the main protagonist. Great job on the review.

Max is the main protagonist. I do see what you mean as far as details regarding Otto. Otto was a very relevant part of the story, and the vivid imagery related to the battle scenes was important to point out as that is often a "draw" for people who aren't sure if they should pick up a book. It was also difficult to share to much about Max without revealing spoilers.

SpiderDreamer1 · Post by **SpiderDreamer1** » 30 Aug 2016, 11:07

Great review! It sounds very interesting. Question, though, do you need to know much about the historical context for the period to "get" it, or does Nelson explain it well enough?

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 30 Aug 2016, 11:52

SpiderDreamer1 wrote:Great review! It sounds very interesting. Question, though, do you need to know much about the historical context for the period to "get" it, or does Nelson explain it well enough?

Nelson does an excellent job explaining the historical context behind the story. In fact, if you do not know much about the time period, you will when you're done reading the story.