The Called: The Beginning of the End
The Called is an action packed apocalyptic sci-fi thriller written by Justin Price. In a world where all religion has been purged from society, a remnant of individuals is called out for the purpose of withstanding the evil that has emerged onto the world scene. The World Council takes steps to snuff out the pockets of believers who will not swear their allegiance to Samyaza al Assad, the Syrian leader of the new world government. Advanced technology causes untold chaos as the battle between good and evil spills out onto earth.
The Guru's Review:
One of the great things about being an avid reader is getting absorbed in a novel that is in the genre you love, written well, fast paced, plot flows seamlessly, content grabs you and does not let go, and the characters are ones you can relate to. The icing on the cake is when you also know that it is written by a new author! That for me is a real treat and a win/win for both the reader and the author. The reader gets a well-crafted novel and can get straight into it and be transported to the world created and the author has had a great head start into his new field.
Such is the case for myself reading Price's The Beginning of the End. I am very impressed with this. It is a real page turner and I became lost in the apocalyptic world that Price constructed very convincingly and consequently I could not put this down. It has a real cliff hanger ending not just for one character, but a few; not just for one plot line but more so. This makes it even more baited with anticipation for the next instalment and according to Price, he is more excited about this sequel than this first instalment! I would more than agree with this.
Price has successfully blended the genres of the supernatural, science-fiction, apocalyptic and eschatology into a multi-layered construct that works very well and adds depth to the plot and the overall enjoyment of this novel. It is this that is all the more enthralling and is what draws the reader in. This also is a great part of the success of this novel and series.
The spiritual elements are excellent in this novel. I loved the sincerity of Price to show the Christian characters being faithful to God and willing to risk everything including their lives to know the truth of the Gospel, and to lead those who seek Him to this truth. It is really confronting reading how realistic this scenario is where all religion is banned and the penalty for disobeying and defying this ban is either death or imprisonment for life.
I pray that the reactions and motives fo seeking the Truth of Christ and the Gospel by these characters challenges and encourage Christians to not falter but to take a stand for Christ and the Gospel. I pray that these reactions serve as a role model for us to consider when what is described in this novel becomes our reality; because this is our future.
I thoroughly enjoyed the angelic visitation to various characters and this is significant as Price shows the reader a God who is active and present in a believer's life or in one who is not a believer but seeking Him. I feel this is a strength in this novel. Just as the Spirit is alive and acts in our lives, so He needs to be in fiction. I believe that fiction can portray the realities of life and also of the supernatural. The Spirit can minister to the reader in fiction just as He can with His Creation.
Price has successfully blended the genres of the supernatural, science-fiction, apocalyptic and eschatology into a multi-layered construct that works very well and adds depth to the plot and the overall enjoyment of this novel. It is this that is all the more enthralling and is what draws the reader in. This also is a great part of the success of this novel and series.
The spiritual elements are excellent in this novel. I loved the sincerity of Price to show the Christian characters being faithful to God and willing to risk everything including their lives to know the truth of the Gospel, and to lead those who seek Him to this truth. It is really confronting reading how realistic this scenario is where all religion is banned and the penalty for disobeying and defying this ban is either death or imprisonment for life.
I pray that the reactions and motives fo seeking the Truth of Christ and the Gospel by these characters challenges and encourage Christians to not falter but to take a stand for Christ and the Gospel. I pray that these reactions serve as a role model for us to consider when what is described in this novel becomes our reality; because this is our future.
I thoroughly enjoyed the angelic visitation to various characters and this is significant as Price shows the reader a God who is active and present in a believer's life or in one who is not a believer but seeking Him. I feel this is a strength in this novel. Just as the Spirit is alive and acts in our lives, so He needs to be in fiction. I believe that fiction can portray the realities of life and also of the supernatural. The Spirit can minister to the reader in fiction just as He can with His Creation.
I am so glad that I came across Justin on Twitter. I definitely had a good feeling about his book when he described it to me. It has more than been worth it.
Highly Recommended.
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