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: A Way out of Hell by Jim Baton

A Way out of Hell 

by Jim Baton

When ISIS turns your city into a living hell... ISIS unleashes a reign of terror across Indonesia. As a former jihadist, Abdullah knows all too well the high cost and absolute ineffectiveness of fighting such violence with violence. He accepts the impossible challenge of finding the ISIS cell hidden in his city, and disbanding it non-violently. But time is running out, and there may not be any city left to save. Meanwhile, he has to protect his adopted daughter Sari, a Christian university student, who is one of ISIS's targets. Together they come face-to-face with the holy warriors of mass destruction and strive to overcome that evil with good. In this riveting sequel to Someone Has to Die, Jim Baton introduces us to the real people caught in the web of terrorism, with their wide variety of backgrounds and motivations, and the possibility that they, too, can change.

My Take:

Abdullah the former jihadist has a serious problem. After watching his only surviving son die at the hands of a band of terrorists, he learns that this terrorist cell is planning something significant - something that will turn his peaceful Indonesian city into a bloodbath, and a war zone. He is given a seemingly impossible task - find the active ISIS terrorist cell developing in the city, and disband it... non-violently.

This is the second book in a trilogy, yet it stands alone in its own right. I have not read the first book, and there were some references scattered throughout to some of the action in the previous book, yet it was not off-putting and the novel stands alone.

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - There's a bar scene with drinking involved. There's also a small amount of social drinking. 

Violence:

PG-13 - Though it's not exceptionally graphic or gratuitous, there's quite a bit of violence and death in this novel - not surprising, it's a thriller about terrorism and jihad. Many people die in multiple bombings, an airport disaster is orchestrated that kills hundreds, and the method of death for the passengers is described in some detail. There are ritualistic beheadings, violence against children. A man is engulfed in flames. 

Language:

PG - There's a small amount of cussing. The F-bomb is not dropped, that I recall.

Adult Content:

PG-13 - The bar scene has strippers with 'other occupations'. There is a rape scene. 

Christian content:

There is a lot of content that is Muslim in nature - the daily call to prayer, various greetings, customs, and dress code. There is some scripture central to the story's theme. There is solid dependence on faith in the face of death.

Final analysis:

This novel is well-written. The action is gripping and fast-paced. The characters are believable and their struggles are real. It's a compelling story with a clear lesson about the power of forgiveness and love. Five Stars!

About the Author:

JIM BATON has spent the last 20 years in the world’s largest Muslim nation, building bridges between Muslims and Christians who both desire peace. His speaking and writing call people out of fear and into authentic friendships that can change the world.

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.