Vanish by Tom Pawlik

Amazing. Outstanding. For years, I have confined myself to a small subset of authors - and found myself in a bit of a rut. I feel like reading a thriller ... Okay, that means Ted Dekker, Dean Koontz, Robert Liparulo ... Those are excellent authors, but sometimes I need to stretch myself and look for something new. Well, in this case, I am very glad I did.

I stopped by the library the other day, perusing the 'Inspirational' section, and happened upon Vanish. I can't believe I've never read Tom Pawlik before! This author has a very natural and flowing style, and his sense of story is enthralling.

As I began reading this book, I wondered why it would be classified as inspirational. It didn't necessarily seem to have a 'Christian' message at first. Vanish starts out like a story of alien invasion, but it's nothing so simple as that. For those who have read The Taking by Dean Koontz, you'll remember how much of a twist that 'alien' story turned out to be. (By the way, I would highly recommend it as well.) This story is different, but the twist is just as unexpected. Maybe I'm not the best detective when it comes to figuring out a book, but this one kept me guessing most of the way through.

Tom Pawlik has that same gift for imagery that I've always enjoyed in Ted Dekker's books. Both authors do a great job illustrating various aspects of God's character through story.

I came away from Vanish with a sense of satisfaction. It made a lot of good points, without coming off preachy. And the ending was realistic and believable. The book is as good - and as believable - as anything out there. But it's also SAFE and worthwhile reading to recommend to your older kids. Now that I've finished, I'm passing this one to my teenager who enjoys thrillers, and I've already reserved Pawlik's next book at the library. Yea!

This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti

I just finished re-reading this groundbreaking novel. I remember reading it when it first came out in 1986 and being utterly blown away. This is Chrisian fiction?! I had no idea what other books would be written by authors following the trail blazed by Mr. Peretti. It was my first big step into the category of 'thrillers,' and I was amazed. Enough reminiscing, although I'm sure that many others could echo these thoughts. What about the book itself?

This one is a bit difficult to explain. The author maintains his storyline on two levels: one level tells the story of physical activities, and another shows what's going on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm. Think angels vs. demons, light vs. darkness. The piece that makes this interesting is the way that the two levels interact and play off each other.

The central plot revolves around the humans, and the spirit characters win or lose according to how they can influence those people. The spirits whisper thoughts into minds and give nudges at just the right times to move the story along. Angels are strengthened when people pray, while demons find strength in numbers and in their own pride.

Now, for those who enjoy realism in a story, you might struggle to suspend your disbelief a few times as you read the book. Most things will have you thinking, "Wow, could it really work like that?" There will be times where things seem a bit unbelievable even from the perspective of a spiritualy sensitive Christian.

The pastor, Hank, can call out demons by name - and that always fixes everything in this particular story. Okay, well, it is a story after all, not a theological treatise. And, in our stories, we like a good hero. A theology instructor once explained:

"We often base our idea of the normal Christian life on our own experiences - and lack thereof. Instead, we should base our views on what the Bible tells us, and if our experiences don't match up, then maybe we're not exactly living the normal Christian life as prescribed in the New Testament."

That's not a word-for-word quote, but hopefully, you get the idea. Just because there are some things in this story that we don't often encounter (e.g., casting out demons), that doesn't make them unreal.

Almost every plot twist in this book traces back from the obvious physical occurrence to some subtle spiritual cause. In one sense, that's just too easy. We all like to think, "the devil made me do it" when we actually have our own set of motivations. Still, this book makes me wonder how oblivious we are to battles happening all around us. (See my wife's blog for more on some of our struggles and battles in the journey of adoption.)

By the end, you might be thinking, "That seemed to work out a little too nicely." Maybe so, but I am a firm believer in Romans 8:28, that God orchestrates things for our good. I see this in real life, so I don't have too much difficulty believing when it happens in the story.

Well, this reads more like a sermon than a book review, but I guess I got carried away. I recommend this book for all people of all ages. At the very least, it will probably spur some interesting conversations.

Catacombs by Paul McCusker

Many fictional accounts have been written about the persecution of Christians, and I avoid almost all of them. I read the Left Behind series, but it felt like a fairy tale to me. Would Jesus really want to spare his church the pain of persecution? What about when Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me"?

In a time of political correctness when the government would like to dictate our morality, Catacombs feels eerily realistic. Unlike many other books about persecution, this one doesn't try to place any timeframe around its events. There are no allusions to prophecy or end times. This is simply a picture of a place where Christianity is outlawed.

If you are like me and enjoy happy endings, you may choose to avoid this book - and I wouldn't blame you. Personally, I had a very difficult time getting into it and then staying with it. I noticed myself thinking, okay, it's going to get better now; something good is going to happen. But that's not the point of the book. It's sad, but then again so is the whole subject of persecution.

Still Catacombs is so good that it merits the journey. It's a kind of sweet sadness to see how faith might play out under extreme circumstances. The government in this book resorts to electric shock, torture, and even death in its attempt to stamp out Christianity from the world. As a result, people learn what they are really made of, and we get a glimpse of what Jesus meant when he said:

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. - Matthew 10:37-39

People in this book are forced to make choices. They must decide whether following Jesus is worth their lives. Catacombs has really challenged me to examine my faith. Would I stay true to Jesus in such a situation? I think so, but it would have to be a supernatural work of God.

I recently read Brother Yun's non-fiction account of persecution in China. Here in McCusker's book - as in real life - we see that God gives grace to his people to stand up under whatever evils man can throw their way. In one of the sweetest, most heart-rending scenes of the book, a number of Christians are able to face their own deaths with peace because of God's presence.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. But be warned: you may feel as though you have been through an emotional 'wringer' when you're through.