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kstep1805's review against another edition
3.0
I am not quite sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I give it major props for daring to go where few Christian books are willing to go. On the other hand, this book is so dark that it almost eclipses any redemption. It is the second book, and as second books are supposed to go, it leaves you off with a minor victory but the war still looming large ahead.
My most significant criticism of the book is the lack of world building. Two books into it and I still feel confused about the Nistriam, the undead, Those Who Resist, Those Who Hunt. Some of them are the same but for awhile I was under the impression that the Nistriam were the same as the Unfallen. But the Nistriam can only be men and in this book we meet a woman who is one of the Unfallen. And if the Nistriam are immortal, then how can they be killed? And who are these other Concealed Ones? A little bit more explanation is needed to complete this story and make it a true homerun because the plot line is novel and very entertaining.
The characters themselves are all pretty intriguing, and not a Christian among them, except perhaps Cal but he refers to himself as a Jew, apparently of the Messianic variety. So while a lot of Christian themes are discussed in terms of how the undead came to be and the ultimate battle between good and evil as predicted by Revelations, there is very little Bible thumping because no one has the knowledge to do it.
It is exceptionally dark, think Stephen King or Anne Rice. The vampires in this novel are depraved, not sparkly. Some of the scenes related in this book make me shutter and I love vampire novels. But the reality of our world is that there are dark and depraved people and even the best of us have darkness within us. Most Christian novels want to shy away from the dark side of life, this novel takes it on. If you are a sheltered Christian, you will be offended. If you are like me, trying to understand your own darkness, the tangled thorns around your own heart, then you will find redeeming messages within this book, because ultimately that is what Revelations is about.
My most significant criticism of the book is the lack of world building. Two books into it and I still feel confused about the Nistriam, the undead, Those Who Resist, Those Who Hunt. Some of them are the same but for awhile I was under the impression that the Nistriam were the same as the Unfallen. But the Nistriam can only be men and in this book we meet a woman who is one of the Unfallen. And if the Nistriam are immortal, then how can they be killed? And who are these other Concealed Ones? A little bit more explanation is needed to complete this story and make it a true homerun because the plot line is novel and very entertaining.
The characters themselves are all pretty intriguing, and not a Christian among them, except perhaps Cal but he refers to himself as a Jew, apparently of the Messianic variety. So while a lot of Christian themes are discussed in terms of how the undead came to be and the ultimate battle between good and evil as predicted by Revelations, there is very little Bible thumping because no one has the knowledge to do it.
It is exceptionally dark, think Stephen King or Anne Rice. The vampires in this novel are depraved, not sparkly. Some of the scenes related in this book make me shutter and I love vampire novels. But the reality of our world is that there are dark and depraved people and even the best of us have darkness within us. Most Christian novels want to shy away from the dark side of life, this novel takes it on. If you are a sheltered Christian, you will be offended. If you are like me, trying to understand your own darkness, the tangled thorns around your own heart, then you will find redeeming messages within this book, because ultimately that is what Revelations is about.
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