CFBA Review – Isolation

by Jason Joyner | Sep 18, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews

Don’t turn the lights off with this one…

This week’s featured book for the CFBA tour is Isolation by Travis Thrasher.

The Millers need a retreat after being burnt out by bad experiences as missionaries in Papau New Guinea. Jim struggles with doubts about his faith. Stephanie is sleepwalking and having visions of blood and death.

Jim takes Steph and their kids Zachary and Ashley to an isolated house up on a beautiful hill in North Carolina as a getaway to reconnect with God and each other. The mysterious mansion, built by an eccentric millionaire, strikes them all as eerie as soon as they arrive and meet up with Stephanie’s brother Paul.

Before they can leave, a winter storm traps them in the house, as it slowly reveals its dark secrets. Will they survive with their faith, or will they survive at all?

The idea of a Christian horror novel may seem counter-intuitive, but it really is a genre that is ripe for the exploration of good and evil. The concept of spiritual warfare lends itself well to a very suspenseful book.

Thrasher’s novel keeps the suspense level high from the start, with an attention-grabbing opening chapter to the deadly finale. He notes Stephen King as an influence, and though I’ve only managed to read one of King’s books, Isolation does cause white knuckles and short, gasping breaths in abundance.

The main characters are fleshed out rather well, but secondary characters don’t come across as interesting or more than placeholders. There’s some backstory that isn’t explored enough for my taste, leaving me wondering too much.

It is an easy read, and the tension is intense. I didn’t want to be interrupted during the last quarter of the book. He makes good use of the characters’ thoughts to add to the mystery and creates a strong feel of turmoil and confusion.

The book is not for the faint of heart (or big honkin‘ chickens either). I found it a little disturbing, only in that kids are threatened, and I’m not a fan of that. Still, the spiritual themes are powerfully presented throughout the book.

Overall it was a good read and should be considered by fans of intense suspense or horror. The squeamish would want to give it to their non-squeamish friends!

If you would like to read the first chapter of Isolation, go HERE

CFBA Tour – In the Shadow of Lions

by Jason Joyner | Sep 12, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews

This week the book from the CFBA tour that I am reviewing is In the Shadow of Lions by Ginger Garrett.

It is a familiar tale, or is it?

In the 1500’s, history was exploding in unexpected ways in Europe. King Henry VIII sat on the throne in England, desperate for a male heir from his wife, Queen Catherine. The religious climate of the continent was in turmoil due to the works of Martin Luther and other so-called “reformers”, and in the Isles Sir Thomas More put his considerable strength into protecting England from such devilish influences.

Into this background, we meet Anne Boleyn.

Is Anne the seductress history has portrayed, a woman who beguiled the king and stole the throne? Or could she be a key player in the Reformation, helping to introduce the English Bible to the people, and her religious motivations being the real reason to abstain from Henry’s advances until she was made queen?

These are the questions raised in Garrett’s new book. It is actually an intriguing premise focusing on three women – a modern day editor on her death bed, visited by the Scribe, an angel with a story to tell; Anne Boleyn and her journey to the throne and the guillotine, and another woman named Rose who is a street girl brought into Thomas More’s household as an act of charity.

I was interested in reading this book because her previous books, Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther, and Dark Hour, had premises that had me quite curious to read. I also recently did some study on William Tyndale, the English reformer and Bible translator who figures prominently in Ginger’s new book.

The book has strengths and weaknesses. The set-up is an original one in my mind. She does a good job showing the setting and putting the reader into 16th century England. Unfortunately, the plot suffers quite a bit throughout the book. I felt the book was too mysterious in how it set up situations – trying to be suspenseful and having the reader wonder what was happening next, but not fully explaining what was occurring or giving enough information. I was often left confused, unsure of what happened. Many times a character did something with little motivation or cause introduced to make it believable. I mainly enjoyed the brief parts with the modern editor and the angel, although I got confused in those sections as well.

Overall this is a book that has potential as a suspenseful historical novel, but falls short in its execution of plot cohesion and character motivation. It is a wonderful time frame that has lots of drama, and it still is an insightful story in ways as far as introducing a new theory on Anne Boleyn, but I was generally disappointed in reading it. This is supposed to be a series of books – hopefully subsequent books will be weaved together in a tighter pattern.

If you would like to read an excerpt from In The Shadow Of Lions, go HERE

CFBA Tour – In the Shadow of Lions

by Jason Joyner | Sep 12, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews

This week the book from the CFBA tour that I am reviewing is In the Shadow of Lions by Ginger Garrett.

It is a familiar tale, or is it?

In the 1500’s, history was exploding in unexpected ways in Europe. King Henry VIII sat on the throne in England, desperate for a male heir from his wife, Queen Catherine. The religious climate of the continent was in turmoil due to the works of Martin Luther and other so-called “reformers”, and in the Isles Sir Thomas More put his considerable strength into protecting England from such devilish influences.

Into this background, we meet Anne Boleyn.

Is Anne the seductress history has portrayed, a woman who beguiled the king and stole the throne? Or could she be a key player in the Reformation, helping to introduce the English Bible to the people, and her religious motivations being the real reason to abstain from Henry’s advances until she was made queen?

These are the questions raised in Garrett’s new book. It is actually an intriguing premise focusing on three women – a modern day editor on her death bed, visited by the Scribe, an angel with a story to tell; Anne Boleyn and her journey to the throne and the guillotine, and another woman named Rose who is a street girl brought into Thomas More’s household as an act of charity.

I was interested in reading this book because her previous books, Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther, and Dark Hour, had premises that had me quite curious to read. I also recently did some study on William Tyndale, the English reformer and Bible translator who figures prominently in Ginger’s new book.

The book has strengths and weaknesses. The set-up is an original one in my mind. She does a good job showing the setting and putting the reader into 16th century England. Unfortunately, the plot suffers quite a bit throughout the book. I felt the book was too mysterious in how it set up situations – trying to be suspenseful and having the reader wonder what was happening next, but not fully explaining what was occurring or giving enough information. I was often left confused, unsure of what happened. Many times a character did something with little motivation or cause introduced to make it believable. I mainly enjoyed the brief parts with the modern editor and the angel, although I got confused in those sections as well.

Overall this is a book that has potential as a suspenseful historical novel, but falls short in its execution of plot cohesion and character motivation. It is a wonderful time frame that has lots of drama, and it still is an insightful story in ways as far as introducing a new theory on Anne Boleyn, but I was generally disappointed in reading it. This is supposed to be a series of books – hopefully subsequent books will be weaved together in a tighter pattern.

If you would like to read an excerpt from In The Shadow Of Lions, go HERE

CFBA Tour – House of Wolves

by Jason Joyner | Aug 23, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews

How many secret societies ARE there in the world?

Matt Bronleewe is back with another adventure featuring rare book dealer August Adams, his ex-wife April, and his 10 year old son Charlie, in the new book House of Wolves.

In the first book of this tale, Illuminated, we’re introduced to the Adams family as they work to solve a mystery in a old tome. The basic pattern remains, with more twists and turns and new characters to spice things up, like August’s estranged dad Cleveland.

House of Wolves almost never lets up with the suspense, as characters are almost always left hanging in distress while the bad guys (a secret society called the Black Vehm) try to obtain the Gospels of Henry the Lion from August. The action is good and the pacing keeps things moving briskly. For a suspense fan, it will be a good read.

The characterization is a little weaker, perhaps because main characters were introduced in the first book. Other characters receive an extended back story flashback, which slows the pace down at times, and some of these featured people really don’t figure deeply into the tale.

The story moves along from Berlin, New York City, and finally Antarctica. There is a good set-up for further adventures with some questions left unresolved.

The book is aimed to appeal to fans of the National Treasure movies, The DaVinci Code, or perhaps Indiana Jones. They should generally please these people. It was an enjoyable read, but not my favorite of the year.