Fourth Wing: A Critical Christian Book Review (Spoiler Free)

Fourth Wing, by author Rebeccas Yarros, is a captivating, brilliantly plotted fantasy, full of action, danger, and intrigue. Presented in a rich, deep point of view format, this fascinating story grasped me in its claws from the first paragraph and did not let go throughout the climbs, turns and drops until the ending twist. From fantastic creatures to an inventive use of powers, Yarros has expertly crafted a world I would want to visit again and again, were it not for a few serious issues.

The story is set in a world with a pantheon of unique gods similar to that of our own ancient world. They are evidence of in-depth worldbuilding, but do not actively participate in the story. So, Theological issues aside, I have identified three areas of moral concern for Christians seeking appropriate and edifying entertainment.  

1. FOUL LANGUAGE

 The author’s frequent employment of foul language is problematic. After becoming immersed in this epic tale, crass cuss words pulled me right out of a wonderful dreamscape and back into the ugly reality from which I sought escape. For a book that is otherwise so inventive, simply swearing or dropping F-bombs when characters need to express strong emotion was disappointing. This approach lacked creativity and was simultaneously boring and off-putting. More creative word usage would have enhanced this book and my enjoyment of it.

2. LGBTQ INSERTS

The artistry of this novel suffers from a certain amount of shoehorning of LGBTQ ideals. Throughout the first two-thirds of the book, any sexual encounters occur off-page and are simply mentioned in passing as hook-up culture chatter. Yarros alludes to a significant female character engaging in sexual escapades with both female and male cadets. She does the same for one of the promiscuous male characters. These conversations do nothing to advance the plot or contribute to the character’s development. To me, they felt like nothing more than drop-ins to appease the secular masses, and, in my opinion, they cheapened the work.

The author also refers to an individual character by using they/them/their pronouns. Yarros is clearly an intelligent woman, so assuming she was present in school on the day pronouns were taught, I can only deduce that this was an ill-advised attempt on her part to engage in social engineering. He, him and his are singular, masculine pronouns. She, her and hers are singular, feminine pronouns. It is grammatically incorrect to use plural pronouns such as they, them or theirs to refer to an individual unless that person is possessed by demons, resulting in more than one entity residing in a single body. In this instance, the character in question plays no significant part in the story and is only present for the purpose of promoting transgender ideology which is sinful, dangerous and harmful to children. It is most unfortunate that she would dirty up an otherwise excellent work with such an obviously poor writing technique that looks embarrassingly foolish on the page.

3. PORNOGRAPHY

The most serious issue with this book for Christian readers is two lengthy sex scenes which cover a total of fifteen pages. The word pornography originally referred to written sexual content. These two scenes are explicit, graphic and detailed in such a way that the book should be excluded from school libraries. These scenes were gratuitous, lengthy and completely unworthy of the work. The author brought the story to a near stop in order to indulge a sexual fantasy that this reviewer believes to be out of place in serious literature. Though I must acknowledge the skillful use of tropes and build up to the events, her astonishing descriptive talents could be put to better use than mere smut.

I recommend that any Christian who wishes to read this book avoid chapter 30 from page 373 to the scene break in the middle of page 383 and then skip pages 415-420, reading only the last two lines of page 421. You will not miss any of the plot, though you will be subjected to some vulgar comments on the pages that follow.

CONCLUSION 

Rebecca Yarros is a phenomenal literary talent, of that there can be no doubt. I am, quite frankly, in awe of her imagination and writing skill. This incredible story is enhanced with spectacular worldbuilding, compelling romance, interesting characters, tense action and intriguing twists. This only makes the issues mentioned above even more unfortunate.

I am certain that many readers among her target audience have relished the pornographic scenes, foul language and LGBTQ inclusion. For some, these may have even been a highlight, but devout Christian readers will find these elements to be inappropriate and even offensive. They are a dark stain on what could have been a work for the ages. These aspects of the novel will forever banish this book to the realm of popular fiction, when it could have been shelved alongside the great literary classics of all time with a bit of self-restraint, better editing, and cleaning up.

Note: I felt like the second book, Iron Flame, did an admirable job of addressing the nature of good and evil and putting others before yourself. 

RAZOR WIRE? Addressing the Sinfulness of Both Republicans and Democrats Toward Sojourners

Obviously, the deployment of razor wire along the Rio Grande is a political stunt being performed by Texas’ Governor Greg Abbot in order to provide political ammunition for Donald Trump, whose presidential campaign Mr. Abbot champions. If you can’t see that, then consider this your personal invitation to wake up to the reality that kicking human beings around like political footballs is sinful and wrong. And the Democrats are far from guiltless, their indifference and irresponsibility has drastically escalated the humanitarian crisis at our nation’s southern border. The behavior and attitudes of both Republicans and Democrats have been sinful and shameful with regard to this matter.

Now, the Rio Grande will run dry before I vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump again. Decades of foolishness and neglect from the federal government have created a massive crisis at the border with Mexico. I fully support the right of Texas to attempt to solve the crisis, but must it be done with RAZOR WIRE? I don't even like using Barbed Wire to keep cattle in/out. I bear the scar on my own lip from an encounter with such a fence and several of my peers growing up were similarly marked. Using razor wire to keep human beings OUT and/or trap us IN is madness to me.

There is a clear and indisputable Biblical principal to apply to this issue.

Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. -Exodus 22:21

Make fair judgements. Show kindness and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor. -Zechariah 7:9

The Bible is full of admonitions for God’s people not to abuse or exploit people from other nations or cultures who choose to live among them. Different translations of the word ger, describe such people as foreigners, resident aliens, or sojourners. When you see those words in your Bibles, know that it is referring to immigrants, people who came from somewhere else, like all of our own ancestors. To not oppress them, yanah, means that anyone who claims the name of Christian may not maltreat, suppress or throw them out.

In fact, the tithe was a tax established among God’s chosen people in Israel to provide food for widows, orphans, and wait for it…sojourners, immigrants living among them. The basic moral principal still applies.

At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your city gates. Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow within your city gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. -Deuteronomy 14:28-29

Now, These United States of America do not comprise a Christian nation. Far from it. America does not have a special covenant with God as Israel did, but His principles of justice and righteousness apply to all nations at all times. God revealed his desire for how we should treat people. It is astonishing to me that the very same people advocating for so-called “Christian Nationalism,” can be so cold-hearted and xenophobic when it comes to the way our country treats immigrants desperately seeking a better life. This episode is just one of many that highlights their outlandish hypocrisy.

I would add, that, despite their assertions, such individuals are actually lacking in the very patriotism to which they so boisterously lay claim. Inscribed upon the Statue of Liberty are these words:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Either Lady Liberty is a Liar, or our beloved country has far gone astray. The message being demonstrated to the huddled masses at our southern border is the very opposite of that displayed on a plaque at Ellis Island. Perhaps it is time to resurrect the sentiment of the above poem by Emma Lazarus.

Over the past two decades, I have had many students who were the first English language speakers in their families. I frequently interact with people who possess limited English language skills. They are lovely, hard-working, conscientious human beings who are a valuable part of our community. My first-generation American students are bright, talented, respectful and responsible, translating for their parents and often working to help support their families. The first time a child enters my classroom with razor wire scars, I’m likely to purchase a pair of pointy toed cowboy boats and head on down to Austin to kick some butt (figuratively speaking of course).

Texas has spent BILLIONS of dollars on Border Security. I do not know how every dollar was spent, but in recent years the focus has been on fences, patrols and keeping people out. Perhaps if that money had been targeted to improving infrastructure and staffing for interacting with and helping human beings seeking to enter this country, to welcoming and assisting those who wish to make this country their home, as opposed to just keeping them out, they would be able to better handle the humanitarian crisis we are now witnessing on the Rio Grande. Perhaps if immigrants knew they could be dealt with compassionately and efficiently at legal points of entry (as opposed to being herded around like cattle, tossed around like a political football, caged, or trapped in a web of red tape) they wouldn’t be so desperate to enter illegally. Both Republicans and Democrats have gotten their hands filthy. Both are guilty. 

If politicians were more concerned about doing their jobs instead of scoring political points this crisis could have been solved long ago. They must come up with a better plan to deal with migrant workers in the Rio Grande valley. If I can have a passport card to easily cross into Canada or Mexico, then surely such a system could work from the other side of the border. And our country must become more efficient in processing requests from those who wish to become citizens.

The ugly truth is, that the border problem is much too juicy of a political tool for them to let go of it. It is in the selfish interests of politicians to rail about the problem and never solve it---because it keeps the political donations coming in. Rage fuels the money machine. They will milk this issue for all of its political worth until we the people make them stop. What we are dealing with is a fundamental lack of responsibility toward the safety of Americans on the part of the Democrats, a lack of compassion for Immigrants on the part of the Republicans, and ulterior motives on the part of BOTH factions.

Democrats think that immigrants from Central and South America will vote for them and they want to give, even those here illegally, the right to vote. I’ve got news for them. The immigrants I know and love, greatly value family and maintain a dedication to traditional Christian morals and values. They don’t want to vote for the blatant immorality of the democratic party, but they don’t want to vote for a party that appears to hate them because of the color of their skin or their country of origin due to the callous attitudes that have been so frequently directed toward migrants.

Nobody in their right mind wants to allow drug dealers and human traffickers to come streaming across the border, though it seems to be occurring…but stereotyping every immigrant and establishing policies for dealing with immigrants under the assumption that they are all harmful criminals is functionally racist. Some have gone so far as to call this an “Invasion,” at the southern border. This isn’t Red Dawn, these people aren’t attacking us with guns and tanks. They are coming here to work. Hateful, de-humanizing political rhetoric is sinful and harmful. If you cannot distinguish between immigrants and migrant workers seeking to provide a better life for their families, vs. drug dealers and human traffickers, then you need to remain silent on the matter. Also—if our southern border was more welcoming and efficient, fewer people would be willing to subject themselves to traffickers in order to get here.

I do not have the answers to solve this governmental crisis. What I do know is that both Republicans and Democrats have been derelict in their duties. Both of have failed this country miserably. Both have treated human beings, created in the image of God, as lesser than.

Meanwhile, sojourners continue to be neglected at our southern border. Human beings are being mistreated. This is sin. It falls to Christians to be the voice of reason, the moderators of rational thinking and compassion, calling both parties out for their sinful laziness, callousness, and apathy into righteous action.