Books in Vision Forum's R.M. Ballantyne series

On a small island in the heart of the Pacific, a colony of settlers receives a visit from a mysterious man known as the Sandal-Wood trader. Some say he s a pirate while others believe he is exactly what he claims a harmless trader. Join Henry, Bumpus, Reverend Mason, and a host of other memorable characters as they unravel the mystery of who this trader really is. Are the settlers about to be robbed and destroyed? Or, is this man s assistance necessary for the survival of the colony? While working through this puzzling dilemma, our heroes endure a host of obstacles and trials to overcome, battling hostile natives, mounting rescues for kidnapped friends, witnessing maritime battles around the coral islands, and ultimately discovering the importance of forgiveness and redemption.

In this tale of adventure and evangelism, R. M. Ballantyne transforms into engaging historical fiction the well-known facts of the Icelandic Saga--stories of exploration and adventure, blessed marriage, alternating turmoil and peace with indigenous people--all sprinkled with delightful and humorous stories of day-to-day life surrounding the first European groundbreaking in America. The Norsemen in the West, or America Before Columbus carries the reader back in time nearly a thousand years, to the days of Leif Ericsson and the early settlements of the seafaring Norsemen. Journey from the shores of Greenland to earliest-recorded America, a plentiful land of lush forests, crystal clear lakes and rivers and abundant fish and game. As America is introduced to its newest settlers, those settlers are being introduced to the Truth found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of the most important decisions made by the leaders of the settlement are influenced by this Truth as it begins t

In The Island Queen, Paulina, Dominick and Otto Rigonda manage to escape in a life boat after their ship is destroyed at sea, and soon find themselves stranded on an uninhabited coral island. Thankful to be alive, they begin to explore their new island home, learning by necessity the skills required to survive. After enjoying a happy season on their own, the siblings help rescue the passengers and crew of another ship wrecked near their island during a storm. A colony is soon established, but the need for actual government quickly becomes apparent as the newcomers begin struggling and fighting amongst themselves. The biblical virtues of a godly woman begin to be felt by all, and the sailors ask the peaceable, gentle, and wise Paulina to be their ''queen.'' Paulina consents and helps govern the new colony with the assistance, oversight and protection of her brothers. What will become of this unique cast of characters, thrown together by the whims of the sea? Hostile natives and a terrifying volcano are just a taste of what lies in store for the Rigondas and their new friends. Join their adventure in The Island Queen!

A ''rest of the story'' account of the famous HMS Bounty mutineers who parted ways with Captain Bligh and company, The Lonely Island follows the mutineers to a remote, uninhabited island where they hope to finish their days in peace and quiet. For more than twenty years they remained undiscovered on Pitcairn s Island, far off the beaten sailing routes of ships at sea. The Lonely Island, accordingly to Ballantyne, ''...is essentially a true story, the merest spider-web of fiction having been employed to bind it together.'' Readers of this tale discover how men without a reliance and faith in Jesus Christ, left to their own devices, will not experience peace and success. But, when God chooses to work in mans hearts, the change is remarkable. ''So the good seed sown under such peculiar circumstances at the beginning of the century continues to grow and spread and flourish, bringing forth fruit to the glory of God. Thus He causes light to spring out of darkness, good to arise out of evil, and The Lonely Island, once an almost unknown rock in the Pacific Ocean, was made a center of blessed Christian influence soon after the time when it became the refuge of the mutineers.'' -- R. M. Ballantyne