Author/Novel Spotlight: Drew Boudreaux.

I first came across Drew Boudreaux when he requested  a review of his debut novel, Supraphysica. What impressed me about this novel was the author's combination of faith and science, I guess in Christian circles this is called apologetics. The Bible in 1 Peter 3:15 states,

But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect. (Amplified version)

And this verse also applies to those Christians who work in the areas of science, medicine and all associated fields. I appreciate these Christians who are prepared to use their expertise to defend the veracity of the Bible, or to further prove its veracity. Drew is one of these in his occupation as a Petroleum Geologist and I am looking forward to reviewing his novel. He has now joined an increasing number of Christian authors who create fiction in this apologetic fiction genre. I have some of these novels and I welcome Supraphysica into my collection of such novels in this genre.

  

So let me introduce you to Christian author, Drew Boudreaux. First let's have a look at his Bio:

My name is Drew Boudreaux. I’m 27 years young, and I live in Covington, Louisiana with my wife, Shana; my son, Remy; and my cat, Piclout. The following probably won’t come as a surprise since I’ve written a Christian Fiction novel: I’m a Christian!

Also, I’m not a writer. Well, I guess technically I am now. My actual career is as a Petroleum Geologist. I currently work for Chevron as a Development Geologist supporting one of their deep water Gulf of Mexico oilfields. I really love my job. Basically, what I do is make models of the subsurface and figure out the best way to develop their oil and gas reservoirs.

I want to be totally frank about my lack of literary clout. In school, I’ve always done better with math and science than I did with English and literature. I have never been to a writing conference. I learned just this past year what a literary agent was. Occasionally, I go through phases in my life where I enjoy reading fiction—but I have never considered myself a book worm. 

Now let's have a look at Supraphysica, which was released in August, 2016, in e-book and printed editions:

Book Description:

For Philip, a sociology student at N.Y.U., January 25th was supposed to be a normal start to the spring semester. That definitely didn't happen. As the day unfolded, he came to faith, unknowingly befriended an angel, and was recruited into a covert project to literally build a new world. The next two weeks were equally paranormal—yet a lot more trying as Philip's newfound faith is stretched nearly to the point of nonexistence. Join Philip, Encar, and their respective families in this modern story of faith, hope, and love—and a healthy dose of geoscience.

When I read the title, I wondered what it meant, and why it was two words put together. Without asking, he provided the answer, most likely due to the fact that he has had to answer this query in the past:

The title “Supraphysica” is a latinized way of saying “over nature” or “beyond the physical reality.” It is my belief that there is something beyond the physical world: an all-powerful Trinitarian God who adores His creation and desires to be in community with us.

Obviously, not everyone believes the same, and while I’m always sorry to hear that, I’m also an understanding person and have no less respect for nonbelievers. The last thing I want to do is push someone further away from faith, so if you are a nonbeliever, please be aware that this novel is marked as Christian fiction for a reason. It contains strong Christian content you will disagree with.

By and large, Supraphysica is a story about faith—specifically, faith in God, the only One who is truly over nature. That said, it is also a story about man and Earth, particularly with respect to climate change and other global issues.

According to the Bible, mankind was uniquely created as a bridge between the physical and spiritual constructs. We were given dominion over Earth, which itself is also a very special part of God’s Creation. In light of both of those truths, we are “supraphysical” beings as well. My opinion is that our unique creation and granted dominion came with an inherent responsibility to be good stewards of His Creation.

I asked Drew why he wrote this novel and he replied:

So, why did I write a novel? I don’t just ask that question as a transition to the next paragraph…I genuinely still ask myself that sometimes. Below is how I usually answer my inquisitive mind.

Initially, my motivation for writing Supraphysica was trifold: One, I wanted to undertake a big project and develop a part of myself that I never felt very strong in: creative writing. Two, I love exploring the mash-up of faith and science and saw this effort as a way to glorify God. Three, I think this book could potentially help people, whether that be conservative/republicans/Christians who discredit scientific reasoning (particularly with respect to climate change), or liberal/democratic/secularists who don’t believe science and God can fit in the same universe.

After writing the novel, I decided to self-publish and use the book sales as a fundraiser. Supraphysica leaves the characters and reader with a call to action, and as the author, I think it’s only appropriate for me to model the very call to action I propose. As such, I’m donating 100% of all after-tax royalties to charitable causes.

I hope you will consider giving the novel a chance. Whether you decide to buy or not, thank you for expressing interest in Supraphysica

Now that your appetite may be whetted, it might be beneficial to read an excerpt, just to get a hint of what to expect:

---------------Start of Except:---------------

Aware that Michael and Encar were waiting, he [Philip] turned his attention to the planet looming in front of him. There was so much that needed to be done to progress it to the next step. He was glad he’d decided to build the macro. He mentally recalled it, but instead of thinking about the details of everything, he thought about it as a whole.

God of all Creation, he began to pray. I love You. And I am so thankful for Your love. Even when mankind rejected You, You crafted a way to save us from depravity and eternity without You. Your love truly knows no bounds. Nor does your power. You are the only one that is above nature. You are the only one who can do all things.

I have made known my requests in my previous prayers. I believe they are in accordance with Your will. Under normal circumstances, these natural processes would take billions of years—we have but a few hours. Play them in fast forward. If there are any gaps or if something is incorrect, edit as You see fit. Whereas I do not understand everything, I know that You do.

Philip pictured in his mind scenes of what he expected to see on the planet. The surface cracking. Small bits of land starting to appear. The landmasses bumping into one another and getting bigger. The forming of supercontinents and their subsequent dividing as new ocean basins are created between them. The continental remnants bumping into one another and coalescing into new shapes.

Like he did with the mountain-moving a few days ago, he placed his mental movie inside a container. He filled the container with faith, and he compressed it down to the size of a mustard seed. Then, he shrank it more. And more. His faith seethed and boiled inside the container, increasingly excited with the decreasing size. He shrank it even further, imagining it was compressed all the way down into a single, mathematical point. A singularity, he thought, but he was unsure of where he had heard the term before. He didn’t think he knew that word until now.

Philip held everything compressed for a few seconds. He thought about nothing else but keeping it contained and the limitless power of God. So be it, he prayed, and then he let it explode.

“Wow,” said Encar.

Philip opened his eyes. He saw that the waters on the planet were disturbed. The surface was cracking, just as he had pictured.

The three of them watched in amazement as the surface of the planet transformed before their eyes. The cracks widened and started to glow with lava. Where the plates collided, volcanoes sprouted up, and after about five minutes or so, larger landmasses started to appear. They wandered across the surface of the planet. At three distinct times, all of the landmasses came together into a single continent, only to be broken apart again. After what Philip estimated was about ten minutes, everything came to a stop.

All of it had occurred just as Philip had envisioned. The way the surface looked now was the last scene he’d imagined in the movie.

“How great is your faith, Philip!” Michael exclaimed when it was all complete.

Philip was surprised—he had never heard Michael exclaim anything before. “How great is my God,” Philip replied.

---------------End of Except:---------------

Supraphysica was reviewed by David Bergsland (author and reviewer at Reality Calling) this week and was awarded an award for Redemptive Fiction:

 

This Award is based on David's review on Amazon: 

Redemptive fiction well done for a first novel

By David Bergsland on November 20, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase 

This is one of the most unique books I've read in a while. As redemptive fiction Supraphysica is a surprisingly soft sell. It will take a little effort to wrap your brain around the story. But, once you do, you'll find it worth the effort.

For Philip, a sociology student at N.Y.U., January 25th was supposed to be a normal start to the spring semester. That definitely didn't happen. As the day unfolded, he came to faith, unknowingly befriended an angel, and was recruited into a covert project to literally build a new world. The next two weeks were equally paranormal—yet a lot more trying as Philip's newfound faith is stretched nearly to the point of nonexistence.

The characters are shared in depth. In addition, world-building is expertly done. The story has wonderful twists. And, it's simply an entertaining tale. The resolution is a bit weak, but the ends are tied up well.

Reality Calling: Redemptive Speculative Fiction Award: Supraphysica deserves it

Truly Christian books have become so rare, again, that I have no problem in giving Drew an Award of Excellence for Redemptive speculative fiction. It's not preachy at all. Faith shines as a normal part of the character's life. Philip has some trouble, being dumped into the battle so suddenly.

The spiritual warfare is handled gently. Though, there is a reality to it. The angels are uniquely shown. On the other hand, they seem surprisingly realistic.

You'll be glad you read this book. 

If you are curious as to the background to this Award, you can investigate it here: Award: Christian Redemptive Speculative Fiction by Reality Calling. This is one of five Awards and they are all based on the criteria found in this booklet by David Bergsland: A Spiritual System for Rating Books (click on the title).

If you want to explore more of Drew and his novel, he can be found on social media on these social media platforms:

Website: www.supraphysica.com  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/drew.dreaux 

Readers and reviews are an author's best asset, so I encourage any reader of Christian science-fiction/fantasy, apologetic fiction,  supernatural, spiritual warfare, to consider reading Supraphysica and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).

I am currently reading Supraphysica and looking forward to reading his future works.