BookAwards.com
Award-Winning Books from Today's Best Authors
A Free Resource for Book Lovers, Authors, Agents, Publishers and Journalists
Search Results for: the
Recommend this book:
Armageddon and the 4th Timeline
Don Mardak
2016 Gold Medal
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Time is relative. That was the basis of Einstein’s theory of relativity. But relative to what? The possibilities of 'what if' are endless. What if we really could go back in time? Or, for that matter, forward in time? Can we change the course of history by just being there? The mystical theories of time travel have inspired and influenced creative minds for quite some time. Science fiction suggests various forms of equipment required to make this leap into the past or the future. But what if all that was needed was quite literally a leap of faith, a meditative transformation into the infinity, the time line which is infinitesimal and connects all times? And what if the ability to transcend into this infinite time/space equilibrium is the only way in which the world as we know it can be saved from the ultimate devastating Armageddon, the one that we all fear as opposing forces around the world continue to flaunt their powers?
Don Mardak’s Christian mystical science fiction thriller, Armageddon and the 4th Timeline, is a fast-paced, action-filled drama of multiple dimensions. As the possibility of the annihilation of planet Earth approaches, another possible plot emerges, the mystical time travel alternative that will unravel the events leading up to Earth’s ultimate tragedy. Each plot interweaves with and complicates the other. The tension builds substantially as the reader learns about past events, about how early Christian history affects in so many ways what happens in the present. And, in the end, the plot takes the reader, quite literally, back to the beginning. A very powerful, thought provoking approach to the end-of-the-world theme. Well done!
Time is relative. That was the basis of Einstein’s theory of relativity. But relative to what? The possibilities of 'what if' are endless. What if we really could go back in time? Or, for that matter, forward in time? Can we change the course of history by just being there? The mystical theories of time travel have inspired and influenced creative minds for quite some time. Science fiction suggests various forms of equipment required to make this leap into the past or the future. But what if all that was needed was quite literally a leap of faith, a meditative transformation into the infinity, the time line which is infinitesimal and connects all times? And what if the ability to transcend into this infinite time/space equilibrium is the only way in which the world as we know it can be saved from the ultimate devastating Armageddon, the one that we all fear as opposing forces around the world continue to flaunt their powers?
Don Mardak’s Christian mystical science fiction thriller, Armageddon and the 4th Timeline, is a fast-paced, action-filled drama of multiple dimensions. As the possibility of the annihilation of planet Earth approaches, another possible plot emerges, the mystical time travel alternative that will unravel the events leading up to Earth’s ultimate tragedy. Each plot interweaves with and complicates the other. The tension builds substantially as the reader learns about past events, about how early Christian history affects in so many ways what happens in the present. And, in the end, the plot takes the reader, quite literally, back to the beginning. A very powerful, thought provoking approach to the end-of-the-world theme. Well done!
Recommend this book:
The Ravine
A Novel of Evil, Hope, and the Afterlife
Robert Pascuzzi
2016 Gold Medal
231 Pages
Check current price
Christian - Fiction
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Can you forgive? Do you have the strength and the faith needed to forgive? What if someone killed your sister in a brutal act? Could you forgive? In The Ravine, Mitch is very conflicted. His close friend, Rachel, has been brutally murdered by her husband, Danny, a man she loved and trusted; a man Mitch loved as a brother-in-law. Danny also brutally killed his son, Evan, though he did spare the younger son, Christopher. Then, in remorse, Danny killed himself. Mitch is always going to mourn the loss of Rachel and Evan. He can't understand how or why Danny did what he did. And now, he is being told that he should forgive Danny. According to a woman, Joanna, a minister, a spiritualist who reaches beyond the physical world with her visions, God has already forgiven Danny and Mitch should too, in order to prevent the anger within him from festering.
Robert Pascuzzi has written an insightful story about the conflicting powers of good and evil, and how it can be so easy for a man, like Danny, to be led down the wrong path to do something so heinous as brutally and viciously (because it was more intense than just a shot in the head) murdering his own family. The author takes care to provide back stories on the characters, particularly Danny, the murderer, and Joanna, the spiritualist. These back stories build the characters and provide the reader with an understanding of the events that led up to the brutal act and the gentle guidance provided after the tragedy. This is indeed a powerful story about forgiveness.
Can you forgive? Do you have the strength and the faith needed to forgive? What if someone killed your sister in a brutal act? Could you forgive? In The Ravine, Mitch is very conflicted. His close friend, Rachel, has been brutally murdered by her husband, Danny, a man she loved and trusted; a man Mitch loved as a brother-in-law. Danny also brutally killed his son, Evan, though he did spare the younger son, Christopher. Then, in remorse, Danny killed himself. Mitch is always going to mourn the loss of Rachel and Evan. He can't understand how or why Danny did what he did. And now, he is being told that he should forgive Danny. According to a woman, Joanna, a minister, a spiritualist who reaches beyond the physical world with her visions, God has already forgiven Danny and Mitch should too, in order to prevent the anger within him from festering.
Robert Pascuzzi has written an insightful story about the conflicting powers of good and evil, and how it can be so easy for a man, like Danny, to be led down the wrong path to do something so heinous as brutally and viciously (because it was more intense than just a shot in the head) murdering his own family. The author takes care to provide back stories on the characters, particularly Danny, the murderer, and Joanna, the spiritualist. These back stories build the characters and provide the reader with an understanding of the events that led up to the brutal act and the gentle guidance provided after the tragedy. This is indeed a powerful story about forgiveness.
Recommend this book:
After the Thaw
Therese Heckenkamp
2016 Bronze Medal
359 Pages
Check current price
Christian - Fiction
Reviewed by Deborah Stone for Readers' Favorite
In After the Thaw by Therese Heckenkamp, Charlene Perigard is still in the process of trying to put her life together after being kidnapped and traumatized three years earlier. She is in love with a fire fighter named Ben and she is making plans for the future, but first she must fulfill a deathbed promise that will force her to revisit her past. She must deliver a letter to Clay, the brother of her kidnapper and the man who saved her life. Her life becomes steeped in threats and violence and she has to find some place safe, away from family and the people she knows. As she fights to stay alive and find a way to live in peace, as she struggles with possible feelings for Clay, her relationship with Ben begins to fall apart. If Charlene can survive this current nightmare, she will have to make a choice.
Therese Heckenkamp develops a story with descriptive language and sub-plots that draw you deep into this tale of intrigue, romance and terror. After the Thaw is riveting and hard to put down. The characters are vivid and well defined, the emotions are intense, and the story carries you along on a tumultuous journey of love, hate, terror, revenge, regret and more. Charlene Perigard's dark and dangerous present, things that nightmares are made of, force her to rely on her faith, her God that can see her through anything and who is the only one that can keep her alive. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Excellent.
In After the Thaw by Therese Heckenkamp, Charlene Perigard is still in the process of trying to put her life together after being kidnapped and traumatized three years earlier. She is in love with a fire fighter named Ben and she is making plans for the future, but first she must fulfill a deathbed promise that will force her to revisit her past. She must deliver a letter to Clay, the brother of her kidnapper and the man who saved her life. Her life becomes steeped in threats and violence and she has to find some place safe, away from family and the people she knows. As she fights to stay alive and find a way to live in peace, as she struggles with possible feelings for Clay, her relationship with Ben begins to fall apart. If Charlene can survive this current nightmare, she will have to make a choice.
Therese Heckenkamp develops a story with descriptive language and sub-plots that draw you deep into this tale of intrigue, romance and terror. After the Thaw is riveting and hard to put down. The characters are vivid and well defined, the emotions are intense, and the story carries you along on a tumultuous journey of love, hate, terror, revenge, regret and more. Charlene Perigard's dark and dangerous present, things that nightmares are made of, force her to rely on her faith, her God that can see her through anything and who is the only one that can keep her alive. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Excellent.
Recommend this book:
The Stonegate Sword
Harry James Fox
2016 Finalist
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Christian - Fiction
Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite
I loved The Stonegate Sword! This is all you really need to know. I'm going to tell you about the accurate portrayal of the characters. I'm going to tell you about the very realistic feel of this fictional world, a world that feels so real you are drawn into it, not just reading about it. It's probably not everyone's type of book, but it is my type and I will tell you why. Harry James Fox has created a post apocalyptic America where, although life is hard and evil abounds, people are still good and good ultimately triumphs.
I am often disappointed by fantasy books and their writers. I am especially drawn to books with the right combination of medieval daily life and military life. In The Stonegate Sword, Harry James Fox gives us a detailed look at both. I was completely immersed in the tale of Donald of Fisher, a Lore-man or scribe, who becomes a fierce warrior due to fate and prophecy more than any desire in his own heart. He fights for all the right reasons, and Harry James Fox describes the process of Donald going from boy to man AND from scribe to soldier with just the right touch. When I joined the army, an old sergeant told me that the secret to success in the army is attention to detail. He was right. It's actually the secret to success in life. In The Stonegate Sword, Harry James Fox gets all the details right.
I loved The Stonegate Sword! This is all you really need to know. I'm going to tell you about the accurate portrayal of the characters. I'm going to tell you about the very realistic feel of this fictional world, a world that feels so real you are drawn into it, not just reading about it. It's probably not everyone's type of book, but it is my type and I will tell you why. Harry James Fox has created a post apocalyptic America where, although life is hard and evil abounds, people are still good and good ultimately triumphs.
I am often disappointed by fantasy books and their writers. I am especially drawn to books with the right combination of medieval daily life and military life. In The Stonegate Sword, Harry James Fox gives us a detailed look at both. I was completely immersed in the tale of Donald of Fisher, a Lore-man or scribe, who becomes a fierce warrior due to fate and prophecy more than any desire in his own heart. He fights for all the right reasons, and Harry James Fox describes the process of Donald going from boy to man AND from scribe to soldier with just the right touch. When I joined the army, an old sergeant told me that the secret to success in the army is attention to detail. He was right. It's actually the secret to success in life. In The Stonegate Sword, Harry James Fox gets all the details right.
Recommend this book:
Come to the Garden
A Novel
Jennifer Wilder Morgan
2016 Silver Medal
240 Pages
Check current price
Christian - General
Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
I picked up Come to the Garden by Jennifer Wilder Morgan out of curiosity, in the same way that I picked up For One More Day by Mitch Albom, but my curiosity in both instances has proven to be my best guide. Come to the Garden is a warm and beautiful story that will inspire readers to look farther than their immediate environment to connect with a power far beyond them. The author states that the book is based on facts and written as a personal story. Jenn is a woman with a powerful need to connect with God and with others --- regardless of their faith. She thinks that God has been talking to her in many different ways, but how can she be so sure and how can she understand the signs she receives. On her birthday, an angel, Margaret, appears to her, and walks with her each step of her life’s journey, helping her understand how God has been part of her history.
Come to the Garden is an inspirational story that will edify many people who are seeking answers, and who want to understand how God speaks to the human heart. With a voice that is reassuring and gentle, the author shares conversations with her guardian angel and offers spiritual insights and wisdom that allow readers to open their hearts to the mysterious and healing power of God. One feels that the author is versed in scripture. Whether this is fiction or not, it is true that Wilder Morgan has the gift of capturing the hearts of readers and this book will create the spiritual awareness that seekers and dreamers need to connect deeply with their creator. I loved the author’s use of the garden as a powerful symbol of the soul in which God’s word is planted. In the heart of this inspiring tale is the powerful message that God never tires of reaching out to connect with humanity. This book will change the way you think about the world, your history, and your relationship with God.
I picked up Come to the Garden by Jennifer Wilder Morgan out of curiosity, in the same way that I picked up For One More Day by Mitch Albom, but my curiosity in both instances has proven to be my best guide. Come to the Garden is a warm and beautiful story that will inspire readers to look farther than their immediate environment to connect with a power far beyond them. The author states that the book is based on facts and written as a personal story. Jenn is a woman with a powerful need to connect with God and with others --- regardless of their faith. She thinks that God has been talking to her in many different ways, but how can she be so sure and how can she understand the signs she receives. On her birthday, an angel, Margaret, appears to her, and walks with her each step of her life’s journey, helping her understand how God has been part of her history.
Come to the Garden is an inspirational story that will edify many people who are seeking answers, and who want to understand how God speaks to the human heart. With a voice that is reassuring and gentle, the author shares conversations with her guardian angel and offers spiritual insights and wisdom that allow readers to open their hearts to the mysterious and healing power of God. One feels that the author is versed in scripture. Whether this is fiction or not, it is true that Wilder Morgan has the gift of capturing the hearts of readers and this book will create the spiritual awareness that seekers and dreamers need to connect deeply with their creator. I loved the author’s use of the garden as a powerful symbol of the soul in which God’s word is planted. In the heart of this inspiring tale is the powerful message that God never tires of reaching out to connect with humanity. This book will change the way you think about the world, your history, and your relationship with God.
Recommend this book:
Way of the Real Faith
A Choice, a Journey, a Destiny
D A Singh
2016 Finalist
210 Pages
Check current price
Christian - General
Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite
Way of the Real Faith: A Choice, a Journey, a Destiny by D.A. Singh is a Christian devotional study full of scripture and explanations of how those scriptures apply to the real world. Singh believes that religion, trust in Jesus, and faith in a higher power should be accessible to all people, regardless of age, culture or background. Way of the Real Faith is written to help everyday people understand religion in a simple, straightforward manner and is meant as a text to study, pore over, and share in group studies or a person's personal ministry. It relies heavily on the use of scripture from the Bible and interprets those scriptures using everyday language that people can understand. The book attempts to answer religious questions to give people a better understanding of Jesus' role as a higher power. Singh's goal is to make religion more accessible to people.
Way of the Real Faith: A Choice, a Journey, a Destiny has a very specific target audience. The devotional uses scripture from the Bible and is a Christian text. While a knowledge of Christianity isn't necessary to understand this text, readers will get more enjoyment from studying this book if they already believe the ideology that Singh shares in his text. Singh's arguments are well-founded and backed up by scriptures. The examples and descriptions used are timely and accurately reflect the culture that Singh obviously believes in very passionately and is very knowledgeable about.
Way of the Real Faith: A Choice, a Journey, a Destiny by D.A. Singh is a Christian devotional study full of scripture and explanations of how those scriptures apply to the real world. Singh believes that religion, trust in Jesus, and faith in a higher power should be accessible to all people, regardless of age, culture or background. Way of the Real Faith is written to help everyday people understand religion in a simple, straightforward manner and is meant as a text to study, pore over, and share in group studies or a person's personal ministry. It relies heavily on the use of scripture from the Bible and interprets those scriptures using everyday language that people can understand. The book attempts to answer religious questions to give people a better understanding of Jesus' role as a higher power. Singh's goal is to make religion more accessible to people.
Way of the Real Faith: A Choice, a Journey, a Destiny has a very specific target audience. The devotional uses scripture from the Bible and is a Christian text. While a knowledge of Christianity isn't necessary to understand this text, readers will get more enjoyment from studying this book if they already believe the ideology that Singh shares in his text. Singh's arguments are well-founded and backed up by scriptures. The examples and descriptions used are timely and accurately reflect the culture that Singh obviously believes in very passionately and is very knowledgeable about.
Recommend this book:
The Scarlet Cord
Carlene Havel,Sharon Faucheux
2016 Gold Medal
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Christian - Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
When the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, one family survived and was welcomed into the Hebrew faith and community. It was the family of the innkeeper, Rahab, also known as a zonah or a harlot. Rahab and her twin sister, Rohat, were the most beautiful girls in the family. Three other children had already been sold into slavery, but when Rahab’s twin sister and best friend is sold to the temple of the goddess Ashtoreth to help feed her family, Rahab realizes her parents' disregard for her well being. She takes matters into her own hands, settling into a life as a harlot to support herself. Although her family forgets that she is one of them, Rahab never forgets her family and works hard to help support them, saving all the while to create a more satisfying home and income by purchasing her own inn. This is where she first meets the Hebrew Prince Salmon. By helping him escape, she seals her fate when Jericho falls and it is not so different than what the fortune teller once told her.
Carlene Havel and Sharon Faucheux’s novel, The Scarlet Cord, takes the reader back to the days before and after the fall of Jericho. The Hebrews, who recently escaped Egypt, follow God’s course and plan to create their own home. In the process, pagan communities like Jericho fall to the power of God’s will. It is not an easy time to be a woman, especially in Jericho, and the authors develop a plausible plot around the character of Rahab, who is herself a very strong character, a survivor as well as a compassionate person. A fascinating story of the early days of the Hebrews in the Promised Land. Well done!
When the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, one family survived and was welcomed into the Hebrew faith and community. It was the family of the innkeeper, Rahab, also known as a zonah or a harlot. Rahab and her twin sister, Rohat, were the most beautiful girls in the family. Three other children had already been sold into slavery, but when Rahab’s twin sister and best friend is sold to the temple of the goddess Ashtoreth to help feed her family, Rahab realizes her parents' disregard for her well being. She takes matters into her own hands, settling into a life as a harlot to support herself. Although her family forgets that she is one of them, Rahab never forgets her family and works hard to help support them, saving all the while to create a more satisfying home and income by purchasing her own inn. This is where she first meets the Hebrew Prince Salmon. By helping him escape, she seals her fate when Jericho falls and it is not so different than what the fortune teller once told her.
Carlene Havel and Sharon Faucheux’s novel, The Scarlet Cord, takes the reader back to the days before and after the fall of Jericho. The Hebrews, who recently escaped Egypt, follow God’s course and plan to create their own home. In the process, pagan communities like Jericho fall to the power of God’s will. It is not an easy time to be a woman, especially in Jericho, and the authors develop a plausible plot around the character of Rahab, who is herself a very strong character, a survivor as well as a compassionate person. A fascinating story of the early days of the Hebrews in the Promised Land. Well done!
Recommend this book:
The Daughters of Jim Farrell
Sylvia Bambola
2016 Bronze Medal
286 Pages
Check current price
Christian - Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Tiffany Davis for Readers' Favorite
The Daughters of Jim Farrell is a Christian novel written by Sylvia Bambola. This story is set in the coal mine industry in the 1800s when poverty was at an all time high. Jim Farrell was hanged for murder, and as a result his wife turned their home into a boarding house to maintain herself and her daughters. The oldest daughter, Kate, had a hard time believing that her father committed the crime and set her mind to finding out the truth. After pleading with her sisters, they all band together and hire a private investigator to seek the truth. This story tests the faith of the entire family but especially the sisters' trust in one another. Sylvia Bambola did a great job with tying the story together and making the reader understand the emotions of each of the crazy occurrences. The daughters of Jim Farrell did not realize that by simply questioning their father's death they would be faced with so many unanswered questions.
The plot of the story was good from the very beginning. The story is totally well written and takes you on a suspenseful journey through a small town mentality of family and belief. This Christian novel left no questions unanswered and provided very good details to the background of the story, allowing the reader feel the intensity of each and every word. This is definitely a very well written, excellent novel!
The Daughters of Jim Farrell is a Christian novel written by Sylvia Bambola. This story is set in the coal mine industry in the 1800s when poverty was at an all time high. Jim Farrell was hanged for murder, and as a result his wife turned their home into a boarding house to maintain herself and her daughters. The oldest daughter, Kate, had a hard time believing that her father committed the crime and set her mind to finding out the truth. After pleading with her sisters, they all band together and hire a private investigator to seek the truth. This story tests the faith of the entire family but especially the sisters' trust in one another. Sylvia Bambola did a great job with tying the story together and making the reader understand the emotions of each of the crazy occurrences. The daughters of Jim Farrell did not realize that by simply questioning their father's death they would be faced with so many unanswered questions.
The plot of the story was good from the very beginning. The story is totally well written and takes you on a suspenseful journey through a small town mentality of family and belief. This Christian novel left no questions unanswered and provided very good details to the background of the story, allowing the reader feel the intensity of each and every word. This is definitely a very well written, excellent novel!
Recommend this book:
 fantasy series. Daniel finds himself trapped in a seventh dimension where “time is an illusion.” Here many events from history appear to merge or connect – from events in Palestine at the time of Christ to trains taking Jews to Auschwitz. Concerned to rescue his father f...){kind=link}
Seventh Dimension - The Castle
A Young Adult Fantasy
Lorilyn Roberts
2016 Honorable Mention
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Christian - Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Hilary Hawkes for Readers' Favorite
The Castle by Lorilyn Roberts is book three in a Young Adult (Christian) fantasy series. Daniel finds himself trapped in a seventh dimension where “time is an illusion.” Here many events from history appear to merge or connect – from events in Palestine at the time of Christ to trains taking Jews to Auschwitz. Concerned to rescue his father from a castle, escape the seventh dimension and get back to 2015, Daniel must complete the journey that God has for him. In the same dimension, a girl called Shale encourages Daniel, but he finds it hard to believe that a man called Yeshua is the Jews’ Messiah. Daniel witnesses the events that led up to the crucifixion. He then needs to find a special set of scrolls that contain the truth about Yeshua and His followers, and place them where they will be found many centuries into the future. All the while he must evade capture by the Roman soldiers who mistakenly believe him to be an abductor, murderer and escaped prisoner.
The Castle is beautifully written with an intriguing, well thought out plot that carries the reader through mystery, danger, horror and amazement. I liked the way Roberts connects Daniel’s modern day belief as a young Jew with the events of two thousand years ago, and his desire to make sense of things and find a truth. The dreams, memories and apparitions that affect Daniel give the story layers of mystical intrigue. The characters are strong and believable, and Daniel himself is very likeable. I love the way he grows and develops spiritually and emotionally through the story (especially the point where he chooses to help a man who wronged him), eventually piecing his life’s purpose or meaning together. The action and suspense-filled plot gradually link all the different parts of the story, ending in a satisfying way. This is a book that has been written with great care and thought. It refers to many Biblical references, and ties major and significant historical events into a plot where fictitious characters are used to convey a profound message, as well as entertain. Recommended.
The Castle by Lorilyn Roberts is book three in a Young Adult (Christian) fantasy series. Daniel finds himself trapped in a seventh dimension where “time is an illusion.” Here many events from history appear to merge or connect – from events in Palestine at the time of Christ to trains taking Jews to Auschwitz. Concerned to rescue his father from a castle, escape the seventh dimension and get back to 2015, Daniel must complete the journey that God has for him. In the same dimension, a girl called Shale encourages Daniel, but he finds it hard to believe that a man called Yeshua is the Jews’ Messiah. Daniel witnesses the events that led up to the crucifixion. He then needs to find a special set of scrolls that contain the truth about Yeshua and His followers, and place them where they will be found many centuries into the future. All the while he must evade capture by the Roman soldiers who mistakenly believe him to be an abductor, murderer and escaped prisoner.
The Castle is beautifully written with an intriguing, well thought out plot that carries the reader through mystery, danger, horror and amazement. I liked the way Roberts connects Daniel’s modern day belief as a young Jew with the events of two thousand years ago, and his desire to make sense of things and find a truth. The dreams, memories and apparitions that affect Daniel give the story layers of mystical intrigue. The characters are strong and believable, and Daniel himself is very likeable. I love the way he grows and develops spiritually and emotionally through the story (especially the point where he chooses to help a man who wronged him), eventually piecing his life’s purpose or meaning together. The action and suspense-filled plot gradually link all the different parts of the story, ending in a satisfying way. This is a book that has been written with great care and thought. It refers to many Biblical references, and ties major and significant historical events into a plot where fictitious characters are used to convey a profound message, as well as entertain. Recommended.
Recommend this book:
Hold the Faith
Early Christianity Comes to Life, The Apostle John series
Susan Preston
2016 Finalist
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Christian - Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite
Hold the Faith: Early Christianity Comes to Life, The Apostle John series by Susan MB Preston tells the story of John. John is the author of what many people consider the definitive gospel on the life of Christ. I read and studied this gospel and most of the Bible as a boy growing up in Alabama. I often found myself wishing I knew more about the lives of the people mentioned. I realized that these people lived with rules very different from ours and I wished I knew more about that life. Bible verses are terse and usually give the bare minimum of description, mostly just concentrating on telling the reader what occurred. Susan MB Preston has invested a lot of time in historical research to tell the story of John and his family so that we can relate to them as people like us with a family similar to ours.
In my opinion, the author has succeeded admirably. The writing in Hold the Faith is top notch. The details of life in 92 AD are descriptive and bring the past to life. Susan MB Preston shows us the stress between the followers of Jesus and the Orthodox Jews. We see the pain and politics of the Roman occupation of Ephesus in Asia Minor, but just as importantly we see the daily life of ordinary people. John is old by 92 AD and we see most of this story through the eyes of his great-grandson Benjamin, and other young people. The characters are portrayed very well, bringing a new perspective to an old story. Susan MB Preston has done a great service for Christians everywhere by bringing this story to life.
Hold the Faith: Early Christianity Comes to Life, The Apostle John series by Susan MB Preston tells the story of John. John is the author of what many people consider the definitive gospel on the life of Christ. I read and studied this gospel and most of the Bible as a boy growing up in Alabama. I often found myself wishing I knew more about the lives of the people mentioned. I realized that these people lived with rules very different from ours and I wished I knew more about that life. Bible verses are terse and usually give the bare minimum of description, mostly just concentrating on telling the reader what occurred. Susan MB Preston has invested a lot of time in historical research to tell the story of John and his family so that we can relate to them as people like us with a family similar to ours.
In my opinion, the author has succeeded admirably. The writing in Hold the Faith is top notch. The details of life in 92 AD are descriptive and bring the past to life. Susan MB Preston shows us the stress between the followers of Jesus and the Orthodox Jews. We see the pain and politics of the Roman occupation of Ephesus in Asia Minor, but just as importantly we see the daily life of ordinary people. John is old by 92 AD and we see most of this story through the eyes of his great-grandson Benjamin, and other young people. The characters are portrayed very well, bringing a new perspective to an old story. Susan MB Preston has done a great service for Christians everywhere by bringing this story to life.
Contact Author -
