A LANDSCAPE WITH DRAGONS
Author MICHAEL D. O’BRIEN
Publisher NORTHERN RIVER PRESS
ISBN 0-9698058-0-2
Written in the early nineties by an author who later branched out into the writing of very helpful novels, in this book O’Brien examines something of the slide in children’s literature and fantasy taking place in the latter decades of the twentieth century. It is an important analysis, not exhaustive, but using dragons and the fact that in earlier literature they were ikons of evil, he shows how things have become increasingly blurred. The subtle shifts into a complete mixture, what is good, what is evil?
The conditioning of children’s mind’s into confusion and acceptance regarding the use of magic, occult powers and all this was taking place before the advent of the J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter stuff that does a thorough job of blurring these matters. This book was written before the atheist Philip Pullman began to use his writings for children as a vehicle for his atheism and Rowling her intent to muddle the mind of her readers and remove from the scene the good and evil as the bedrock of society wherever the Christian message had had its influence. Without doubt, what O’Brien discerns has worsened in the last twenty years. Star Wars and other fantasy movies have added to the breaking down of distinctions necessary to discern what is right and wrong, black becomes various shades of grey, and there is no absolute ‘white’. Degeneration of western culture is being furthered by the corrupted writings penned for children.
A pseudo culture is systematically replacing the old foundations based in the Christian moral values. It is an invasion, purposeful and part of the cause of the increasingly speedy collapse of Western Society. O’Brien is not simply negative in his analysis, he seeks to wake up Christian parents, encouraging them to watch, read, analyse and help the children to see where the corruption and false indoctrination is taking place. As mentioned, the book is quite short, there is a short list for suggested reading added at the end. Probably there are newer books available that can corroborate the main thrust of “A Landscape with Dragons,” but a slow reading of these pages will be a good help to parents and pastors desiring to help direct their children and people in right paths.
