2014, 272p, LDS Fiction
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received copy from publisher for an honest review
Robert Williams didn't expect an early honorable release from his mission, but upon his return home, he sees the reason for the surprise decision. Unemployment, rampant violence, and frequent food shortages have put the United States on the brink of another civil war. As the threads of society unravel, the Williams family must adapt to drastic changes as the long-foretold gathering begins to take place.
This is an intense book! It starts out strong and doesn't let up. Robert Williams is sent home six months early from his mission with an honorable release. He's struggling with this because he really wanted to finish and feels that he's done something wrong. He learns that others have also been sent home but they aren't given details as to why. As he comes off the plane, we meet his family: his dad, John, mom, Becky, and siblings Lucas and Sara. Their part of the story takes place in Houston, Texas.
Then we shift to Washington, D.C. and meet Calvin McCord, the Secretary of State who is in the opposite political party as the President. He's a pariah and is able to get important information to the President with much difficulty and opposition.
The book continues to shift back and forth between different members of the Williams family and Calvin McCord. Robert is trying to adjust to life after his mission and it's difficult, especially when work is hard to come by. Becky is trying to run her household as well as possible and we learn some of the consequences of food shortages. John gets a huge church assignment which takes him away from his family for a while.
This book has a lot of tension. I felt on edge a little bit while reading it but was so fascinated that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I'm used to books where the end comes with a bang and everyone has to quickly figure out what to do but this book explores a more gradual end of times scenario, which is quite realistic.
Each character has their fair share of trials and I felt for each character as I was reading about them. Robert, as he's trying to find a new life plan post-mission and deals with more violence than he's used to, John, as he's in the middle of nowhere away from his family trying to bring a group of men together and dealing with a neighboring hostile town, and Calvin as he's in the middle of a group of people that hate him and want to stop him from doing his job. I felt the most for Becky, though, probably because she's the one I can relate to the most. She had to try to keep everything running as smoothly as possible and she ran into some scary challenges. I wanted to have a breakdown for her but also know the importance of hanging in there and doing your best during those times.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. There are some good times, too, and hope and faith are spread throughout. The ending left a lot open and I'm looking forward to reading more! If you enjoy end of days type of books, this is worth reading! And also be sure to check out the Discussion Questions at the end. They're thought provoking and timely.
RANDY LINDSAY is a native of Arizona. From an early age, his mind traveled in new and unusual directions. His preoccupation with “what if” eventually led him to write speculative fiction. According to his wife everything is a story to Randy. And it is. Although this is his first novel, Randy has been published in a variety of science-fiction and fantasy magazines. He lives in Mesa with his wife and five of his nine children. If you want to find out more you can check him out at RandyLindsay.net.
1 comments:
Sounds like a heart pounder! Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the referral.
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