Outlaws of Time #2: The Song of Glory and Ghost

One of the marks of a great writer is what Owen Barfield called “presence of mind,” which he used to describe his good friend C.S. Lewis, meaning this: “What he thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything.” Wherever Lewis went, there he was. The truths he believed resided so deep in his bones, they flowed inevitably into every story and sermon and poem he wrote.By now, N.D. Wilson has produced enough for the same to be manifestly true of him. His most beloved themes (distilled in his two nonfiction works, Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl and Death by Living) are incarnated in every children’s novel to date: courage, self-sacrifice, thanksgiving, feasting, wonder at the world, laughter in the face of evil, joy in our own finitude, faith in the God of perfect stories.In Outlaws of Time 2, the prevailing theme is two-pronged: reverence and gratitude for old age, and therefore fearlessness in the face of death. Do not dread the advancing years, but wear them heavy like a crown. We are not meant to be young and wrinkle-free forever; our bodies are meant to change, to be given away, to be “rich as an ancient tree still bearing fruit in her final season.”Wilson develops this theme not primarily in Sam Miracle, the hero of the first book, but—surprise—Glory. And that’s just one of the fun shifts in Book 2.Book 1 was a chase; cat and mouse; hunt while hunted. Book 2 is a race against time, through time, outside of time, in many times, sometimes spinning through various times in a little hamster ball of your own time. If you’re dizzy, you should be.In The Song of Glory and Ghost, we trade the oven-baked desert of Arizona for Wilson’s own stomping grounds in the moody Pacific northwest. The setting—a post-apocalyptic world largely destroyed by the Vulture, lawless bands of survivors claiming territories and camping out in abandoned mansions—employs a popular motif in modern entertainment. (Think The Walking Dead, The Maze Runner, The Last Ship.)It’s a timely switch-up for Wilson. The motif could easily feel cliché, but he wards this off with a characteristically robust and inspiring cast (you’ve never met anyone quite like Ghost, hands-down the best new character) and high-spirited theology. The result feels like listening to your favorite artist cover a familiar song; the pleasure lies in recognizing the old theme and appreciating how this new recording sounds.I hate spoilers, so I’ll keep the plot recap simple. The Vulture is wounded and dangerous. Young Peter is in mortal danger, and because he must grow up to become the old man who saves Sam in Book 1, this puts Sam in mortal danger, and because Sam is the only one who can defeat the Vulture, the life of the entire world is at stake.Enter Wilson’s new superhero: Glory. If you’re a Sam fan, get ready to have the hero take a backseat while the sidekick is promoted. It’s a testament to Sam’s coolness that I missed hanging out with him, but Glory is truly tremendous. Equipped with terrifying new skills she can’t (yet) control, she must journey back in time and rescue Peter from the wrong death, thus preserving his future death as an old man in which he sacrifices himself to save Sam.She is far braver than I ever would be. Every superhero fumbles around with their new powers at first, but forget Ironman accidentally torching his cars or Spiderman missing a skyscraper—this is no fun and games. The scariest scene Wilson has ever penned is when Glory is testing her new gift. (Look for it on pages 204-206.)Throw in revolting new villains, a redheaded fangirl, a bearded pirate with a questionable moral compass, the same entertaining Lost Boys (but with more screen time), hellish sea monsters, and a mysterious white-haired demon, and you’ve got the funnest middle-grade adventure I’ve read since, well, Book 1.Here’s the truth that sank home for me. Glory’s mission (and her gusto for it) reminds me of Gandalf’s oft-quoted words to Frodo: “All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us.” And Boniface, less well-known but just as good: “I know I shall die, and I shall die on time. Therefore, I must make the most of the moments between here and there.”What does this mean? Our greatest mission is to die the deaths we are meant to die. They are already written—so chase them. How? Every moment you live, you are dying; how you live is, naturally, how you die. So if you’re living for others, you’re dying for them.Peter dies multiple times. So does Sam. So can we. Die in little things, big things, dishes, car rides, diapers, picking up chores for your sister, stopping to talk with the nagging acquaintance who never has anything interesting to say. Spill your years like wine. Spend them like money lavished at Christmas. Give till you’re gone. Receive Glory’s charge: “Take up the life that is yours. Walk the lonely winding roads to the deaths that are yours. Live with open hands.”Just like old age, the right death, the timely death, the daily death, is a crown. Welcome to its weight.Live well, die well, and you will hear glory, hallelujah.

Wilson has that uncanny ability that all authors of merit possess, that of making words sing and dance with a unique rhythm all their own as they gallop across the page. If you've not yet taken the plunge into the veritable ocean of imagination that he breathes into being, please don't waste any more time wondering if you ought to. Plunge in, with both feet, and I guarantee you'll never regret it.This volume is the second in the 'Outlaws of Time' trilogy, and it's an over-sized, over - flowing bucket of jaw - dropping awesomeness that may require a seat belt to read. Wilson here further fleshed out characters and concepts first introduced in the first book of the series with a fine balance of speed, word-smithing, and brevity - when done this well, there is no adequate defense...you simply lose yourself in the telling of the tale.Not to be missed.

GREAT sequel!!! A page turner. ND Wilson writes amazing stories. Ive read his others works and was not disappointed in this new series. Characters were well developed, story wove in an intricate and compelling way and there was not a dull moment.

In Outlaws of Time #2, N.D. Wilson has once again written a riveting story for a wide range of ages. Both my son (11) and I (37) enjoyed the book immensely. N.D. Wilson has become one of my favorite fiction authors over the last couple of years.

Great twists, exciting plot, and an old western feel for modern tastes!(Review by a ten-year-old reader.)

Did I cry? I totally cried. whoops. This is one of my favorite books (and one of my favorite series). If you're on the edge of whether or not to buy it, don't even think another second about it. You won't regret the purchase and reading each of the words in this book! N.D. Wilson has a power with words, and you'll leave with more than you had when you finish it.

I just finished reading this. After starting it this afternoon. A fantastic story - exciting and surprising and overall just so very refreshingly different. Good thing I ordered the sequel in the same shipment. I highly recommend you do the same.

I read N.D. Wilson's non-fiction book Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl and loved it, so I decided to search out more books by him. When I first heard about the Outlaws of Time series, I was pretty sure it wasn't "my thing." No matter, he had lots to choose from, so I cracked into the 100 Cupboards series instead. As I worked my way through many of N.D. Wilson's his books, I began to run out of things to read and decided I had to try Outlaws of Time. Besides, I'm always looking for things that my boys might like to read (I have 6 of them--3 of them are "middle schoolers"). I enjoyed it so much that I preordered this one. One thing I love about his writing is that there are threads of his beliefs (which are outlined in his two non-fiction books) woven throughout all of his fiction. The things that I loved about Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl and Death by Living are right there in all of his stories. They take on flesh and walk around and wrestle with questions we have and challenge us to enjoy the moment we've been given in this Big Story. I felt that the Song of Glory and Ghost wrapped up Sam's story nicely at the end of book 2. It didn't answer all the questions that I have. I don't usually enjoy books that mess with time and let the timeline get all bendy, but mostly I tried to ignore the part of my brain that wanted to protest. I didn't really understand how the hourglass worked or any of the discussion about moving between the timelines. I just want to say that the story itself is enjoyable and there is something to be learned even if you don't follow all the science fiction part of it. I have borrowed many books from the library, and never considered buying them. It's really nice to be able to skip the wait lists and go straight to my shelf, which is pretty much how it will be from now on with Wilson's books.

The volume 1 is very good. I really loved it. But The Song of Glory and Ghost is much better! This is very nice! Outlaws of time is a must-read!