Monday, May 24, 2010

"The Last Christian" by David Gregory

What I have to say...




David Gregory’s novel, The Last Christian, is about the future. In this future “tolerance” has come to pass and Christianity no longer exists. Abigail Caldwell grew up in a remote jungle in Papua New Guinea. A disease killed her village, forcing her into a “real world” that she has no connection to except a dated message from her grandparents, a mission to return the Christian faith to America. Technology now offers eternal life, but at an expense. Abigail, with a little help from a professor and an ousted FBI agent, takes on the most powerful players in America in order to show the world what real eternal life is.


The future in the book is eerily not so far in the future anymore. It’s almost scary how easily the reader can imagine the circumstances in the story coming to pass. The faith aspect of this story is very thought provoking; the reader will definitely look at the gospel in a brand new light. There’s a heavy focus on life, a little love, and a tolerance that isn’t so tolerant. Christ freely gives what the world tries to sell, but cannot come through on. So America, what life are we going to buy into?
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*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.*

Summary (as seen on randomhouse.com)
In the future, it’s possible to live forever—but at what cost?


A.D. 2088.

Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding "what-if?" novel.
About the Author (also taken from randomhouse.com)

David Gregory is the coauthor of two nonfiction books and a frequent conference speaker. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning two master's degrees. David lives in Texas, where he works for a nonprofit organization.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

"The Cross Gardener" by Jason F. Wright

What I have to Say...
Jason F. Wright’s newest novel, The Cross Gardener, is a quick read with a huge heart. Although some of the theology is questionable, Wright knows how to weave his stories into your heart for good. The reader is taken along main character, John Bevan’s story, from being born on the side of the road, to learning how to overcome a lifetime of loss. Most readers will not be able to imagine the kind of loss the John suffers in this story, and those than can I’m sure will connect to this book unlike anyone else could. You follow John’s story from meeting the girl of his dreams in elementary school, to their first date, to her death and that of their unborn child. John makes the accident site into a memorial, which he visits daily. He is so consumed by his loss that all else in his life comes in a far second, and he can’t figure out how to help his daughter with the loss, which has left her mute. I hope this book finds its way to the New York Times Bestselling list, because I’m sure that it would do extremely well there. It’s life in the purest form. It’s realistic, there’s death, love, and life. I urge you to read this book and discover how John comes to heal, and better yet find out who helped him heal.

"Never Let You Go" by Erin Healy

 

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Summary
Losing everything has Lexi clinging to her daughter. Hell is determined to loosen her grip.

It's been seven years since disaster struck her family. Lexi Solomon has held it all together since then--just barely.

But now Lexi is losing it. The husband who deserted her is back in town, wanting to see their daughter Molly. Her sister's shameless murderer is up for parole. An unsavory old friend is demanding payment for debts that Lexi knows nothing about and can't begin to meet.

And something else is going on--something Lexi feels but can't explain. A dangerous shift is taking place between this reality and the next. Forces beyond her imagination are vying for control.

A rare novel that will satisfy a wide range of readers, Never Let You Go explores the high-stakes decisions played out in the thin spaces between heaven and earth. As the enemy's grip tightens around Lexi, she will have to decide what's truly worth holding on to.

"Keeps you glued to the pages until the very last."--Tosca Lee, author of Havak: The Story of Eve


What I Have to Say...
Ask any loyal reader of Ted Dekker who Erin Healy is, and they can most likely tell you. Her first independent novel, Never Let You Go, I believe takes her from award-winning editor to an author that should be award-winning as well. Healy definitely knows how to write a page turner. This novel will leave you wondering what is real and what is not, where do the spiritual and physical realms meet? These lines become blurred in the novel as main character Lexi deals with her not so ex-husband’s bad decisions of the past, as well as poor decisions that she has made. Old acquaintances threaten to ruin the life that she has worked so hard to give her daughter. As soon as these old acquaintances reappear, so does Lexi’s husband, as well as trouble. Unexplained events take place that leave Lexi wondering what is really going on. I wanted to read this novel because I extremely enjoyed Kiss, a novel Healy co-wrote with my favorite author, Ted Dekker. Healy blew away my expectations. I was hooked to every page, every word she wrote. This may just be one of the best written novels I have ever read. Healy definitely knows what she is doing, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for readers next.
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