The Hanging City: Love Versus Fear

The Hanging City is my latest adventure into the world of (probably) my favorite author, Charlie N. Holmberg. This story takes place in a world where there are trolls (they happen to have a city built under a bridge, a rather creative twist on the traditional fairy tale) as well as humans, and both are fighting to survive in a world that is wrecked by drought. The tale follows Lark, whose desperation to seek refuge away from her abusive father has led her to the troll city of Cagmar, where she offers her ability to force fear into others as payment for letting her stay. She is accepted onto the team of “monster slayers” who protect the city from the dangerous creatures that live in the canyon below, but it’s the path of love and friendship that Lark follows which ends up being more dangerous than the monsters.
           
It’s interesting to watch the major themes that play out in this story, especially as they twist and intertwine. Lark has spent her entire life living with fear: not only by thrusting it into others, but having it beaten into her in her childhood home and follow her to every human town she can find. It’s not until she meets Azmar and develops a sense of belonging in the trollis city that she discovers an emotion more powerful than fear – love. The way the author lays bare the hills and valleys of their relationship gives the reader a deep glimpse into the dynamics between fear and love. It is not Lark’s fear of her father or her use of fear against the monsters of the canyon that nearly destroys her heart and soul – it is the denial of her love for Azmar, either by her own admission, the actions of the council, or by Azmar’s reaction after experiencing her “gift.” Likewise, we see in Azmar the triumph of love over fear: how he forces himself to flee rather than fight when Lark uses fear to drive him to safety, and even more so when he expresses that he was more afraid of losing her than when she used her powers on him. We hear it all the time, that love is more powerful than fear, but it is comforting to see such a visceral reminder of that simple truth.
           
Of course, Scripture tells us over and over again not to be afraid (the phrase “do not fear” appears 365 times in the Bible, once for each day of the year!). My favorite verse is Luke 2, verses 10-11: “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” Here we see there is no reason to fear, for God’s love for us has conquered all that we could ever be afraid of. And to take that lesson one step further, we can also see in “The Hanging City” that fear has consequences. Lark’s use of fear to drive out the canyon monsters to defeat the incoming human army nearly kills her, and she probably can’t ever do it again (certainly not if she wants to survive). Perhaps there is a reason the Bible tells us “do not be afraid” so many times ;-).

I’ve written many stories that circle around love, but none around fear. I don’t necessarily know that I would want to try, but watching the dynamics between love and another powerful emotion was enlightening and enjoyable as a reader. Perhaps doing something similar in my own books would add another level to the stories I write. What do you think?

Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading!

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