Review: A Brush with the Beast by Richard Sones

A Brush with the Beast

by 

Richard Sones

A brilliant and exceptionally talented IT executive, Nick Gooseberry, is at his wits' end trying to rid himself of chronic debilitating pain. In desperation he turns to The Order, a shadowy organization that promises him freedom from pain and much more. With The Order's help behind the scenes, Nick lies and blackmails his way into the highest levels of government while plunging into the blackest corners of hell until he sets his sights on ruling the world.

Sarah Johnson is a thirty-something ex-con that the system abandoned in a small town in Texas. As a dime store cashier, her biggest worries are what to eat and what to wear, but she's always late for work. Her boss decides to get rid of her for good by sending her back to prison, enticing her with a shortcut to riches. She meets the Lord along the way and manages to escape from the authorities, but the fact that she's pregnant attracts the attention of the Beast. After being whisked to the other side of the planet, her biggest worry becomes surviving.

A Palestinian schoolboy who witnessed the death of his parents grows into a world renowned terrorist driven by his thirst for revenge on his family's murderers. He hates Israel and their number one ally, the United States. Known by his Arabic nickname, Fanak (the Fox), he orchestrates terror on every continent never realizing that he's a puppet of the Beast.

My Take:

Nick Gooseberry has had it with the chronic pain in his back. A brilliant IT executive and owner of Dervish Enterprises, Nick is at his wits' end. In desperation he turns to The Order, a mysterious organization that promises freedom from the pain, in exchange for a deal with the devil. With the Order's help, Nick lies and schemes himself to the top of the most powerful country in the world, but is this at the cost of his own soul?

Sarah Johnson is a thirty-something divorcee with a Meth addiction, working for a dime store. Her boss decides to get rid of her by setting her up to get sent to prison. During the setup she ends up pregnant, which is now illegal for convicts. This attracts the attention of the Beast, who has plans for her unborn child. 

Fanak (the fox) is a deep cover terrorist causing havoc around the world, all to bring down the nation of Israel and it's number one ally, the United States. He is driven by a deep-seated hatred for the murderers of his parents, never realizing he is a pawn for the Beast.

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - Sarah is a methamphetamine addict. While the book never goes into detail about the effects of the drug, it's the catalyst that propels her to jail.

Violence:

PG - This is a book about the last days. A city is destroyed by nuclear bombs. People disappear, are killed, there is some discussion about the blood of the unborn used in ritual sacrifice. A mosque is destroyed by bombs. Terrorism takes many lives. But none of the violence, while pervasive, is gratuitous.

Language:

PG - very light sprinkling.

Adult Content:

PG - The main character ends up pregnant after a single encounter. However, the encounter is implied, it doesn't even occur on stage.   

Christian content:

This book is strongly Christian. It's a book about faith and hope in a world gone crazy in the last days. It's about the supernatural guidance and protection of a sovereign God. Bible verses are exchanged and quoted, prayers are made and answered. In one place the voice of God breaks in against the devil himself. The book is unapologetically Christian, but it's not overly preachy. There are several Christian conversions that happen on stage. The gospel during those times is clearly presented. Yet it doesn't preach at the reader, but carries him along through the enthralling action.

Final analysis:

A Brush with the Beast is an epic tale. It spans four continents and covers the progress of three main characters and dozens of minor ones. The world it depicts is stark and dangerously close to reality. It is well-written, gripping, panoramic in scope. The settings are immersive, the plot ever-changing. The characters are real, the spiritual realm clearly delineated. Fast paced, immersive, gripping, encouraging. Well done! Five Stars!

About the Author:
Richard Sones grew up as a citizen of the world. Moving every three to twenty-four months from continent to continent, he was exposed to many cultures. As an adult, he continued his tour of the world as a chaplain in the U.S. Army having served 28 years. As a consequence of many deployments, he has first hand knowledge of many varied customs and peoples. Happily married now 38 years, he is a father to four and grandfather to another four. He is still in ministry as the chaplain of a major hospital in El Paso, Texas. He lives just outside the city in the semi-desert where he has time to write, build things in his wood shop, play his guitar, and tinker with the yard.

Review: The Space Between by Shawn D Brink

The Space Between

by Shawn D Brink

When Hunter and his wife Nora begin to have nightmarish visions of evil and death, they feel driven to find what truth lies behind them. But the truth that they find is terrifying. The enemy they must face is powerful and unless defeated, will mean the end of the world as they know it.
Only by standing firm and relying on each other as well as on God, can they achieve victory. But is victory even possible? For Hunter and Nora, only time can reveal these answers. 

My Take:

Hunter, a debilitatingly OCD office worker and stalwart Christian, has been having a frightening recurring dream. An ancient lady stands before him, stating, "I am the 100 year old woman in the 100 year old store guarding the 100 year old door." The door opens and something flies out and nearly kills him. Something evil.

Realizing that the dream portends rapidly approaching events, Hunter desperately searches for the woman and the door, not knowing whether it will spell his doom. Unbeknownst to Hunter, his wife Nora has been having similar dreams, leading her to the ancient antique shop of Nancy Love, just moments before Hunter arrives.

The door opens and sucks them through, into a fight to the death against the world's oldest and most powerful enemy - an enemy bent upon the end of the human race. Only by standing firm in their faith and relying on one another can they have any hope at all of destroying the monster in the Space Between.

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - A minor character has a seriously alcoholic mother. Another is a drug addict, alcoholic and prostitute.

Violence:

PG-13 - This book has a series of vignettes where lone victims are violently attacked and their brains consumed in a bloody mess.

Language:

G - squeaky clean.

Adult Content:

PG - One woman, as mentioned before, is a prostitute.  

Christian content:

Hunter and his wife are both believers, as is Nancy Love and several other characters in this novel. The main plot is based on end-times prophesy, and the spiritual enemy is very real. Faith and reliance on prayer plays a major part here, and the entire dark path is lit by an incandescent hope for the future.

Final analysis:

I found Hunter and his OCD to be endearing, and his wife Nora to be enchanting. While the back and forth plot and vignettes were a bit hard to follow, and the work needs polish, it was an intriguing and enjoyable high-stakes thriller. The three main characters were the best part of this novel, though the supporting cast and the main enemy were somewhat two dimensional. The split worlds idea was interesting, and the pace, although slow at the beginning, picked up pace about a third of the way through, accelerating downhill like a water slide. While I found the plot solid, the world-building intriguing and the main characters real, the pacing issues at the beginning and the polish needed kept this at a reasonable Four Stars.

About the Author:

Shawn D. Brink was born in Clovis New Mexico, but has lived in Eastern Nebraska since he was five. He holds an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education from Wayne State College and a graduate degree in Management from Bellevue University. His interests (besides writing) include church, playing guitar, and spending time with his wife and four children.

You can follow his writing adventures at his WordPress.

Review: Arcpoint Traveler: Book One by John Wozniak

Arcpoint Traveler: Book One
by John Wozniak

Arcon Franklin has grown up in ArcPoint, a community isolated for over two centuries by an impenetrable mass of tangled briars, as well as an enormous chasm known simply as "the Rift." The people of ArcPoint believe they have created a utopia: no crime, no greed, no unmet needs, and no worries. They do not care to re-connect with the outside world-to them, it is a place of anarchy and terror. Arcon once felt the same way-but no longer. Defying tradition, he establishes communication with the outside world-specifically, a girl named Elaina. Over the years, their rebellious connection blossoms into a desire for a lifetime relationship. Soon, Arcon is risking his life to make his escape. Major religions, ancient civilizations, and even modern day sociologists all point to a coming age of mass terror and chaos. But what happens after that age-after we escape into our own isolated communities, our own versions of ArcPoint? Is a time coming when we put down our weapons? Can evil be stopped, or is it an inescapable part of human nature? In ArcPoint Traveler, John Wozniak examines evidence from the Bible and current events to create a frighteningly realistic scenario of the future. Concise and fast-paced-because time is short-this debut novel reminds us of what can happen when one man is willing to risk it all.

My Take:
Nestled in a remote part of the Mojave Desert, the tiny Christian community of ArcPoint seems like the perfect, isolated utopia. The genetically modified Arc Trees, a source of food and fuel for the community, also creates an impenetrable region of massive needle-sharp briers. Nobody gets out, and nobody gets in. And that was a good thing, as two hundred years ago, the world had gone crazy, murdering one another and devolving into total anarchy. Then the radios went silent. But the ArcPoint community thrived in its isolation.
But that was back then. Now, the society of ArcPoint is in trouble. With inexplicable declining birth rates and a critical lack of females, the small Christian community is about to die off. And Arcon Franklin, descendant of the founder, isn't satisfied with life in the community. He feels an unquenchable drive to leave, to pass the barrier and meet the girl he's contacted on the outside. Will he find love, and purpose, in the world outside? Or will he bring about the destruction of the world he's known?

Content:

Drug Content:

G - if there's anything alcoholic in the novel, it's not obvious. 

Violence:

PG - There's a very real danger from the four inch long thorns forming a deadly barrier around the community, and risk from the coyotes living in the perimeter of the barrier. There's a risk of death in the bottomless rift protecting the community, and some minor descriptions of the violence in the world outside. In one scene a couple is blown up from an accident involving a pressure cooker. Arcon bears the scars of many falls into the thorns.

Language:

PG - there is not any cussing that I recall in the book. The D word might be dropped a time or two.

Adult Content:

PG - The father of the girl Arcon has been communicating with has a discussion with the Ranger about sleeping arrangements and the risks involved in that. There's some discussion of fertility and barrenness.

Christian content:

The community is strongly Christian, if isolationist. Most of the characters in the book wear their faith like a comfortable cloak. The book is set during the Millennium Reign of Jesus, so for the most part there is virtually no evil except in flashbacks to the past. God gives guidance and orchestrates the lives of individuals, and they depend on His provision, guidance, and grace. I'll give latitude on the possible divergence of the plot to biblical prophesy in Revelation, as there are varying views as to when and how the Tribulation is to take place, etc. As a whole the book is wholesome and solid and an example of God's provision, guidance, and the faith of the believer.

Final analysis:
The genetic enhancements of the ArcPoint trees is well-thought out, and interestingly described. The world inside the utopian society is well-constructed and the plot is interesting. The novel is a fast-paced, encouraging read, and the world building is excellent. The characters are real enough, and the book is clean and uplifting. Five Stars!

About The Author(s):

John Wozniak is a retired international trouble-shooter in a mechanical trade.  He joined Mensa at age 28, and is currently owner of Elisha Records. He enjoys the lapidary and jewelry hobby with his wife of 30+ years in their home in Oregon.

As a trouble-shooter, he was tasked with creating multiple “what if” scenarios to protect millions of dollars worth of equipment against damage. He researched every option and contingency, because failure was extremely costly. When he transitioned from being an atheist to belief in a Creator, he utilized those skills in his faith. He discovered new terms like end of days, rapture, tribulation, and millennium. Like other buzzwords, their use was widespread, and their meanings were convoluted. In this book series, Wozniak examines life in a world after these events have happened. Actually, two lives and two worlds, that are about to collide.

Review: Dark Destiny by Thomas Grave

Dark Destiny
by Thomas Grave

Great friends. A perfect girlfriend. Life is good for 17-year-old Sebastian until tragedy shatters his blissful existence, awakening a dark power inside him. Visions of a ghostly and broken world lead to a mysterious woman who tells him that he's the reincarnation of Death. With the title comes great power. Will he use it for good? Or, will he drown in the darkness of his own selfish purposes?

Sebastian Scott is just an average video-game loving seventeen year old living in a single-parent home with his police lieutenant mom. He has the perfect girlfriend, Sara, a great set of friends, and life is looking up his senior year. But when Sara hands him an ancient book she found in his attic, his life turns upside down.
That same night Sara is killed in a tornado that destroys her home, and not a natural one. One that destroys only her home, and leaves the neighboring homes untouched. Devastated, Sebastian descends into a fog of depression, one that somehow draws him back to the book she gave him.
Upon opening the ancient tome, Sebastian learns that he is a reincarnation of the Angel of Death, and has great power. Possibly even enough power to bring his dead girlfriend back.

Dark Destiny began with more flashbacks, plot twists and jump scares than a season of Lost, and the author kept me guessing about the true nature of the story up until the very end. The book was packed with anime-style overpowered battles between Sebastian and the Archangels, not to mention the Seals, shades, poltergeists, zombies, and the ghosts inhabiting Purgatory. The action in the book was gripping and I could see it making a decent anime.

That having been said, the flashbacks got me quite confused early on, and I found it a bit difficult to keep reading until I hit about chapter 3. After that point the action was constant, and I was pretty well hooked to the exciting showdown at the end. I'd recommend reading this, with that in mind.

Content:

Violence:
R - Wow, there was a lot. Ripping souls out of chests and eating them, destroying buildings and wiping out neighborhoods, a gang beating someone to death, a demon breaking into a peaceful home and killing everyone in it. Lots of anime-level violence between the angels and Death, and other lesser beings.

Language:
PG-13 - I don't recall seeing the F-bomb, but there was a scattering of other curse words, even by some of the angels.

Adult Content:
PG - several scenes involved kissing, and one of the bad characters is a girl who dresses very provocatively. There's some teen angst, and a girl is threatened in a bad neighborhood by some thugs who aren't interested in her money.

Christian content: (Catholic?)
Well, where do I begin here? From a Catholic standpoint, there's not as much to object to, so I'll hit this from that perspective. There are the basic archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, but they dress in black and have badditudes. They obviously don't like humans and for the most part don't want to deal with them. At least at the beginning, this casts them in a negative light. Raphael is softer to the fallen humans than the others. But they sometimes drop a cuss word, which just struck me as out of character. Then, there's Purgatory, a shifted copy of our world but Zombified, and broken into rubble. Judging by the fights over there, I'm not surprised... For the most part the view of Purgatory lines up with what I know of it, a chance to process and get to heaven, or wait to end up in Hell.
The seven Seals from Revelation are depicted here as characters, rather than as wax seals, and they are more powerful than the archangels, it seems, though not more powerful than Michael. God does not intervene at all in the story, other than through the characters and events.

My biggest yellow flag I would drop here is the concept of Souls being destroyed or absorbed by those in Purgatory that want to advance in rank. That's obviously counter to Scripture, as each person gets to stand in judgement for an eternity somewhere, Heaven or Hell.
So I'll close this by saying it's a good read, but be aware of these deviations, it's not meant to be a devotional, just an entertaining read.

Final analysis:

I gotta admit, the idea of a Teen who discovers he's Death was intriguing, and kept me reading, though I had to plow through multiple flashbacks in order to get to the meat of the story. The content of the flashbacks was important but could have been (and was) touched on later in the story.
Sebastian was a Good guy turned Bad turned Good, and as he re-learned who he was and his powers, he had to make some tough decisions and learn from some rough mistakes. His character and those of the archangels were real and well-defined. Most of the supporting cast were... not so much. The principle antagonist also had dimension, but for the most part just seemed all bad.
The book was entertaining and reasonably well-written, with plenty of action and a few meaningful emotional scenes in the mix, with a touch of teen romance to spice things up a bit. Four Stars.

About the Author:
Thomas Grave stepped straight off his yacht in a crisp, pink Ralph Lauren polo, pressed khakis (no pleats), and a pair of Sperry Topsiders that gleamed in the bright sun. He'd paid $12 for that shine. Surveying the treeline, he slid the Ray Bans down his nose, leaving them just at the bridge. He said, "I'm going to write a book about Death today." After sliding the Ray Bans back up, he nodded once. He turned around, walked back up the ramp onto his luxury yacht, down the steps into his leather and mahogany study, and got to work.

Review: The Extraordinary Temptation by Patrick McCusker

The Extraordinary Temptation
by Patrick McCusker

While on a routine sewer line dig near a thousand-year-old monastery in Ireland, the crew unearth an unmarked cubic meter of white marble. Young archaeologist Ed Weaver, assigned to the dig, finds funding from a Texas billionaire, arranges for the marble cube to be broken and its contents stolen.

Ed's girlfriend Jennie is murdered in process of the theft, and he is bent on finding the murderer, retrieving the stolen contents, and bringing the perpetrators to justice. But how can you trace a stolen artifact when you don't even know what was stolen?

Bill Bronoski, the Texas billionaire, discovers that the stolen artifact is none other than the Crown of Thorns placed on the head of Jesus Christ. Attached to a thorn is a tiny piece of mummified flesh, and Bill uses a team of experts in his biotech labs to attempt to clone Christ.



My Take:
The idea behind this book is both riveting and revolting. From the perspective of a Christian, murder and theft pale in comparison to the heinous blasphemy of attempting to clone the Savior. The author reflected this in the extreme deliberation the antagonist went through before taking advantage of the singular opportunity his crime provided. The protagonist, Ed, uses his wits and training and his expert contacts to prove who was behind the murder of Jennie and theft of the artifact, even determining through evidence what was stolen. The pursuit by Ed and the struggles the biotech team have to accomplish the impossible make for a reasonable read. But, it didn't end there...

Content:

Drug Content:
PG-13 - There's a bit of drinking in this book, and several references to hallucinogens.

Violence:
R - The murder of Jennie is not very graphic, but there is a fatal automobile accident that is described in horrific detail. There is a description of a raider attack in a flashback that is quite graphic.

Language:
R - The Lord's name is taken in vain throughout the book, several characters seem to have difficulty communicating without it... The F-bomb is dropped a few times, and there is a scattering of other curse words here and there. The language was obviously intentional to depict the characters as they are.

Adult Content:
R - One of Ed's American friends spices up each contact with oblique and direct innuendos, sometimes even hinting at bestiality. There are multiple references to women as objects. I do not recall any actual sex scenes.

Christian content:
Sigh. From a Christian perspective, the book gives a clear and winning testimony of the deity of Christ, of His power and Godship. Of God's eternal power, omniscience and omnipotence. Evil spirits are very present and allowed to attack and harass the antagonist and the staff on his ranch.

On the other hand, it also depicts all other beliefs and paths as equally valid and saving, which does not agree with Christ's own claims to be the only Way (John 14:6) (John 15:5). While the book's request that the church return to simple origins and eschew opulence is valid, some of its points don't align with scripture.

Final analysis:

The first half of this book was an excellent and engaging read. I was riveted by the action and struggle of Ed to discover the truth, of the scientists in their attempts to do the impossible, even the terrorizing of the villain. The book could have been a five-star if it had ended when Ed retrieved the crown, or with Bill's punishment. Unfortunately, it didn't end there, and the second half of the book devolved into a second coming advented by the cloning, and a message to the global church by God to simplify and go back to its roots. This was almost a book in itself, when it could have been a few chapters, even though it spanned a few decades. I loved the first half of this book, and really wanted to like it as a whole, but just couldn't. Three Stars. (Really, three and a half, but I'm not given that option...)


About The Author:

Patrick McCusker is a published author, lecturer and nature conservationist.

My first book "Planet Dancing" is about conserving nature on large scale and was published by Open Gate Press, London in 2011.

My second book entitled "FEAR" is an American Medical thriller with a young Japanese-American doctor as the heroine. The story opens in China but then moves to the USA, Boston in particular. Something in a river that flows through Harbin, a city in NE China, is killing people: not just killing them but reducing them to dry husks.

My latest release, "The Extraordinary Temptation" is a science fiction medical thriller where a piece of mummified skin is discovered in a medieval monastic settlement in Ireland. A wealthy American attempts to clone a human from this flesh and unsettling things happen to all those who become involved in this work.

I have won a number of prizes for short stories and at the moment I am attempting to write a stage play. I expect it will be a complete disaster - but here's hoping!

When I was younger I lived in the USA and Canada. While in Canada I stayed for four months in a First Nation's village. I tasted real clam chowder on Vancouver Island and Florida introduced him to my first bowl of homily grits.

I now live in Wicklow, Ireland, with a lump of a cat that chases big rabbits without success. But she insists on prowling the one hectare garden that one day ...!

Contact me, or the cat to collaborate at: mccusker.patrick@gmail.com

Review: Conspiracy Rising by Simon Driscoll

Conspiracy Rising
By Simon Driscoll

Simon Driscoll has woven prophecies from multiple religions into an engaging, action-packed fictional thriller. Conspiracy Rising traces the lives of the Shumway family, together with a small host of others giving a range of understanding for the End Times Prophecies set in the near future.

Bryan Benson is out for revenge, prepared to turn the tactics of the terrorists who destroyed his life back upon their own heads. Gideon Shumway is a CIA analyst with extensive knowledge of these prophecies and how they affect current politics. His younger brother, Ben, is an operative for the CIA, ready to take the fight to the enemy’s home. Their oldest brother, Jon, has been estranged from the family, but he’s finally coming home for Christmas.

We live in an age when prophecies are being fulfilled. While the conflict between good and evil continues rising, who will be able to stand in that day?

My Take:
From the opening page where the Pope is assassinated, through the coordinated suicide bombings of seven churches just letting out from Midnight Mass, this book carried me along with white knuckles, wondering how this was going to end, and how it could possibly end well. 

Conspiracy Rising is the first book in Simon Driscoll's Warriors and Watchmen series. It is a well-written gripping end-times thriller written from the perspective of Mormon prophesy. In a way, I would label it a Mormon 'Left Behind'. While I am not LDS, I found the book significantly instructive in LDS end-times prophesy. The author did extensive research in end-times prophesy from multiple different sources, mainly drawing from his own knowledge of Mormon prophesy. What ensues, though, like in Left Behind, is a gripping race against time to determine who is behind the vicious terrorist attacks before the world is plunged into a bloody Holy War. 

The only quality issue I found in the copy I was provided is that there were sometimes multiple quotes in a single paragraph. While I normally wouldn't mention it, it would yank my head out of the story, because of the inner editor who wouldn't shut up. Your mileage may vary, dear reader, and those may be corrected in a later version.

Content:

Violence:
The story opens up with a brutal attack on the Pope, and there are many terrorist attacks from both sides leaving bodies in their wake. The violence, even so, is not too graphic, but probably PG, leaning toward PG-13.

Language:
Very clean.

Adult Content:
G. There is a scene involving home birthing, the reader is kept out of the room. There is no sexual content that I recall in the book, it is squeaky clean.

Christian content:
This book is clearly LDS in nature. There are multiple references to the visible glow of the believer, and the Calling and Election. Some prophesies in the book originate from sources other than the Book of Mormon, though the prophesies probably parallel in some respects, or flesh out details. There are a couple conversion scenes where some in the faith make their Calling and Election sure. From a Mormon perspective, this would be a wonderful read, and I doubt there would be anything objectionable in it. From a Catholic or Protestant perspective, I would simply say the book is a good read, and understand the perspective it's written from.

Final analysis:

I found it gripping and fast-paced, a barn-burner page-turner. While LDS is not my cup of tea, I found it instructive, encouraging, and engaging. Five Stars.

About the Author:

Simon Driscoll grew up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He has been writing for the last three decades and minored in English in college, focused on creative writing. Writing has always been his first passion. His understanding of the Scriptures and Prophecy comes from a lifelong study of the written word. These two passions are combined in this series.