Novel Review and Spiriit-filled Fiction Award: Nicholas of Haiti by Joseph Courtemanche.

 I reviewed this novel on 04/02/19 in another blog now defunct. 

Nicholas of Haiti

It was just another business trip until Nick Bacon's plane exploded and he fell from the sky over Utah. Hounded by the press for his sole survivor story, and suspected of planting the bomb by the F.B.I., he flees to Haiti with his boss' mission team to heal his injuries and give the world time to forget him. Haunted by visions of an abused little girl, Nick questions his sanity when he starts seeing demons almost everywhere he goes. He's forced to examine his own soul, and confront the dark forces surrounding him - and endangering the little girl. He winds up in a battle for the freedom of millions with a crew of allies that boggles his mind.

Perspective by Peter:

What a great novel! I thoroughly enjoyed this much more than I thought I would! I am glad I requested to review this for the author. This novel just consolidates that any novel by Courtemanche is worth reading. 

This is a very different novel that his debut novel, Assault on St Agnus. This is not a bad thing. It shows the author's versatility in writing in different genres and styles. I like both.

Courtemanche has crafted a novel that is engaging, a joy to read and one that made me feel very comfortable being in. He has brought to life the lifestyle and culture of Haiti and this is not just due to his research and ability as a wordsmith but also due to being there in his mission work. I felt like I was there. I had a very different impression of what Haiti was like from growing up and from school as a very poor country with a strong demonic influence based on voodoo and other such practices. I did not know there was such a strong Roman Catholic influence and that this was from the French settlers since the 16th century.  

Courtemanche has three main plotlines in this novel. It starts off with the plane that Nick in on being the subject of a terrorist attack, or that is what we are led to believe as it is never proved, but Nick is being framed for this as he is the sole survivor, having fallen 30,000 feet without a parachute and only sustains minor burns to his face and a fractured ankle. Interspersed throughout the novel is the progression of the FBI seeking him out to convict him of this terrorist attack. This plotline also involves Nick's sister, Jean, who is a lawyer and using her professional expertise to outsmart the FBI agents in framing Nick.

Then we have the subplot of the sex trafficking of Haitian children. This introduces Nick to Violene, one of the slaves, through visions of her even before he arrives in Haiti. This is tied in with the supernatural transformation of Nick into a version of St Nicholas of Santa Claus fame. In this novel, he is known as Papa Noel as the Haitians call him. Courtemanche has based the events of Papa Noel from those of the original Nicholas of Myra which is what Santa Claus is based on in this modern era. For those who want to know more, it is the author who is depicted as Nicholas of Haiti on the cover of this novel and who plays Santa Claus as one of his many pursuits in his life.

This plotline forms the basis of the third plotline of this novel and that is of the supernatural. From the explosion on the plane, Nick's miraculous survival and escape from the clutches of the FBI, his visions of Violene, his supernatural confrontation with the demonic strongholds of Haiti, his conversion to Christianity, followed by more supernatural signs and wonders all point to him being appointed by God to break the stronghold of demonic power and rule over Haiti and the eradication of slavery and human trafficking not only in Hait but around the world.

Courtemanche has done a superb job of showing Nick's spiritual and physical transformation into a Spirit-filled warrior and who no longer resembles physically the Nichols Bacon of the pre-terrorist attack. Here the author portrays spiritual warfare Biblically based with all power and authority that the Bible says is given to those who are in right relationship with Him and who use the Biblical principles outlined therein. And he has also depicted the demons as being subservient to this power and by the use of Jesus' name just as the Bible states. But one spiritual principle that Courtemanche has shown well is how Nicholas acted not in his own strength or power in his confrontation with the demonic strongholds but only by the Spirit working through him in total submission to the Spirit. He has Nicholas stating and acting as a servant of God and not anything being about him or for his vainglory.

I found it a breath of fresh air to have some biblical explanation into salvation and other issues explain as they are in helping Nick learn about God and stimulate his need for the Saviour. This is depicted well by Courtemanche has depicted including how he opened himself to the Spirit of God when he realised that God had pre-ordained him to take on the demonic strongholds of Haiti and God was performing many signs and wonders through Him. The contents of this paragraph and the previous one remind me of the verse from Zechariah 4:6 that says,

So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts.

I am not sure if this "principle" is intentional on the Author's part but in depicting it as he has, it definitely comes across as an important message to the Christian as a faith principle and way of life and in this novel, it is a witness to the unbeliever. In this depiction, it can be said that an unbeliever will see the working of God and not of the person who exhibits these signs and wonders. 

Courtemanche has depicted the characters to be ones who are very relational. I have a soft spot for Larry. I wonder if that is because he had modelled Larry on a namesake in the author's life. And I wonder how much of Larry's shepherd and missionary heart is based on the author's same and his experience in the mission field?

This is not to say that the rest of the characters are not as well developed. I had an inkling that Andre was not who he appeared to be after a certain incident when he was protecting Nick confirmed this for me. Not only did this suspicion of who Andre really is add more suspense to the plot but it also adds credence to Hebrews 13:2 that instructs, 

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained _________ unawares.

Now I have deleted the word here as those who do not know what this verse is, means I have not given away any spoilers! However, I cannot stop anyone from guessing or looking this up for yourselves!!

And what does this well development of characters do for the reader? It makes the latter relate to and identify with their struggles, victories, challenges, and even appreciate some of their personality traits or they might see some of themselves in these characters. And just as importantly, it does add indirectly to the plot, any action and adventure, mystery and suspense, intrigue and other constructs of a plot.  For me, it made me like them with endearment and increase my respect for those who work in the mission field in poor countries. I felt as if I knew them and again as if I was there with them. 

At first, I wondered why Courtemanche had involved the Pope in the negotiations with the FBI in indicting Nicholas for the terrorist attack on the plane and extraditing him back to the US. But no sooner had I wondered why he did this, I realised it was because of the Catholic influence in Haiti and therefore it would be beneficial to extend the solution to the water and human trafficking crisis to the head of the largest denomination of Haiti's religious institutions where he can exert his worldwide influence and power. It was effective but it did provoke my bias against the Catholic church from my childhood upbringing.

I am looking forward to more stories like this from this author and the promised sequel to Assault on St Agnes. 

This is an uplifting, positive and Biblically based novel on spiritual warfare, the power of prayer, being submitted to God, allowing the Spirit to work through you by His Spirit, exercising the authority of God given to Christians over the demonic and who we are in Christ. 

Highly Recommended.

The three ratings below are based on my discernment:

World Building 5/5

Characters 5/5

Story 5/5

The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland:

Spiritual Level 5/5

Enemy Spiritual Level 5/5

Overall Rating: 5/5

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Spiritually, based on my review and on the following reference booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland, and that Nicholas of Haiti contains elements of the criteria of what constitutes Christian Spirit-filled Fiction outlined in this booklet, (click on the title below to see what this is based on), I bestow unto Nicholas Courtemanche the 

Reality Calling Christian Spirit-filled Fiction Award

Congratulations, Joseph!

To buy or preview this novel, click on the link below to Buy or Preview icon below: 

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading Nicholas of Haiti and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, whether Christian or not, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I am required to disclose that book cover images or titles of novels in this post are paid links if they are linked to Amazon and result in a sale.

Series Review: The Baptist trilogy by Ryan David Gerard

I reviewed this series on 22/09/19 in another blog, now defunct.

Series Review of The Baptist trilogy by Ryan David Gerard.

I was asked by the author to review this trilogy many months ago. I was unable to at the time. Recently, Ryan was asking for reviews of this trilogy on Goodreads. I decided to spotlight this series and offered Ryan a guest post to talk about the grittiness of these novels and his concern about depicting Christian Fiction realistically. This became the post, Ryan David Gerard and the Challenge of Depicting Christian Fiction Realistically. From reading that post, I became even more intrigued than I was previously and found myself reading the first novel, Judge's Genesis. Before I go any further, here is what this novel is about:

In the year 2041, the world has become a worse place than we could imagine. On the brink of war, the world is on the verge of actually seeing time travel achieved in order to fix all the mistakes we've made. But, Baltimore cop, John Revele is lost inside the human condition. His passion for retribution of the innocent drives him to madness as he realizes there is not much he can do within the law. Outside of it is a different story altogether. He rises up to battle evil on the streets in a vigilante blitz, but he learns that more is going on in the spectrum of good and evil then he realized. Supernatural forces are at play and God and the devil have made an arrangement for the souls of humanity. From street thugs to mob kingpins, sex traffickers, and demonic forces, Revele brings his fight full force, but only to realize there is a much bigger war going on. In the face of evil--true evil--he will have to defeat his greatest nemesis--himself--in order to truly be ready for the next stage of the fight...

By this stage, I was so addicted and engrossed, I had to continue with the second novel, A New Testament:

In the wake of the devastating event that broke the space-time continuum, John Revele must begin to find his way through this new realm he finds himself in. With only the instructions of the mysterious Stranger, he will need to track down Jason Richter, the physicist who started all of this, in order to put time back on track.
Meanwhile, the normal realms of time and existence go on. The other versions of John and everyone else push forward--towards the series of events that sparked the anomaly in the first place.
Four years have past and John's new name; The Baptist, has become legend on the streets of Baltimore. Criminals have grown to fear the name as he and his group of friends have earned a reputation for dealing with society's worst. John's estranged wife; Clare, after putting her career case to bed, finds herself faced with a new terrorist group that could be worse than the last. As John tries to decide how far he is willing to take this mission of his, the version of himself that is trapped underneath time must convince Jason Richter to help him fix the space-time continuum.
The result spawns a whole new reality--a version of events that is different than anyone has seen before!
All the while, the ever scheming; Ranston sets up for the climax of his plan and the realization of his dark second chance...

and by this stage, I could stop here but to finish with the final instalment with Revelation:

The epic finale of John Revele's saga! Ranston has won and The Stranger is dead! While John is still trapped in prison, war rages on the outside and his group are scattered. Richter and Ken's plans to fix the space-time continuum are thwarted by the authorities, Clare is trapped north of the border and rest of the twelve are unaccounted for. Hope is been shattered with the execution of their savior, especially when He doesn't rise on the third day and expected by some. Now, each of these characters will have to rely on the help of unlikely aides and some old familiar faces, in order to find each other again. Once they do, they will mount an attack against Ranston and those who have sided with him in this war. It's an all out launch of assault against the enemy of life as the group seeks their revenge--only to realize that the vengeance was never theirs to take...Can Richter make it to Israel and set the distorted timeline right again? Can John finally see the end of all evil?--and what will this mean for the rest of the characters? Find out in this, the final instalment in The Baptist Trilogy!

When I read the guest post mentioned above, I was getting a bit concerned that this trilogy was going to be so far out of the square that I would not enjoy it or think that the author was now orbiting a different planet than ours!

However, I can see what he is talking about from that post. This is not your typical or usual Christian fiction. But, I thought it was very well done. Despite the grittiness, the occasional dark aspects, the descriptions of violence, thuggery, corruption, deception, Gerard instils a sincerity and genuineness to depict it as it is. All of the aforementioned destructive behaviours and attitudes are just as I would have expected them to be if I was involved in the world that he has created. It is not glorified, it is not added for the sake of it, or to cover up a writing deficit he has as an author. His guest post mentioned above gives some much-needed background to this trilogy and I am glad to have encouraged him to compose this. Understanding his motives for writing gleaned from this post certainly enhanced my appreciation and enjoyment of this trilogy. I would also recommend any reader to read the notes from the author at the beginning and end of each novel, especially after the finish of Revelation.

Gerard should commend himself for not compromising any part of the Gospel message, the depiction of Jesus or the demonic/satanic in this trilogy. I found his depiction of these to be of adherence to their biblical origins. Jesus is the Jesus of the Bible and of the Trinity. He is depicted as Divine, the Son of God. Satan is depicted as he is from the Bible as well. Gerard has not given him any more power, authority or dominion than we know from the Bible.

Any author who depicts the events of the Bible, in this case, the New Testament and integrates them into a modern, futuristic but dystopian world would have quite a challenge to pull it off and have it read as if it happened that way. Gerard is a master of this. There were some details that he simply could not address, (and he explains in the notes at the end of Book 3), but this does not make the plot or the worldbuilding fall into any deficit or weakness.

With each novel being in the 400-500 page range, Gerard packs a lot into each and in the overall plot of this trilogy. There are so many levels or layers. There is never a dull moment or lull in the pace of the plot throughout. All the characters come alive and you will find yourself pack of the world that Gerard has placed John Revele. This is epic dystopian fantasy. You will laugh, I found myself crying at some parts, especially the crucifixion and how the characters reacted to Jesus' death. I was infuriated and disgusted at the deceptiveness, manipulation of Ranston who represent satan incarnate. I found myself relating to all of the character's perspective and how they fitted into John's quest for justice in this world of moral corruptness, selfishness and chaos.

Gerad has used symbolism in all three novels. I challenge any reader, especially Christian ones to see who is the modern counterpart of the disciples. I correctly identified who the disciples of John, Peter, Judas, Andrew. It was not at all hard to identify Mary Magdalene. Gerard may not have done anything cryptive for this character, it was fine as it is.

It is interesting how the Bible could be seen as a battle between a good character and a bad one. Jesus versus satan. In this trilogy, Gerard has done the same thing. Satan throws Jesus a wager that if he was given a second chance he would defeat Jesus and God and be what he wanted in the beginning, to rule over everything and everyone, rule his way and sit on God's throne.

Jesus accepts and they both choose their players. Jesus chooses John Revele and satan chooses Jason Richter. Jason is a loner, hates people but loves science. John loves people and stands for justice and treating everyone fairly and as they need to be treated. Jesus "inserts" himself in their reality or world as The Stranger and just like He did in the Biblical times, He drew people to Himself and connected with them where they are and on all levels of their psyche. Satan is depicted as Paul Ranston, a master manipulator, political adviser to the two POTUS and financier of the terrorist groups who do his bidding. And the three novels show how Ranston tries to do things differently. But just when you think, Gerard is depicting this to be so, there is always a twist to prove otherwise.

And while we talk about this, Gerard is the master plot, worldbuilder and character developer. All these three fit seamlessly together to support the wager satan challenges God with. The mystique, suspense, thrills, action and adventure never let up and layer upon layer is unravelled and embeds you further into this world.

The spiritual and supernatural aspects are well done. A novel of this dimension and with this plot would not be successful without the inclusion of these two aspects. It is the underpinning foundation for it all. While there is no specific redemptive procedure that John Revele's group go through, they show transformation of character, heart and spirit from following The Stranger and living out His teachings and principles in their lives. Gerard has "copied" what the Bible has done. It does not account for how the disciples believed in Him but showed they did by following His teachings and adopting them into their lives, albeit for such a short time (3 years of His earthly ministry before being crucified). So it is in this trilogy. Gerard has depicted the Spirit instructing and encouraging John (and if I remember rightly others) in various circumstances over the course of these three novels. 

If a movie production house translated Gerard's novels into a movie with very little or no poetic licence added, this would make a sensational movie. And it would show the impact and power of the Gospel message. It would clearly define who Jesus is, who satan is and what they stand for. It would show Jesus of the Bible and what He achieved on the Cross, it would show the hatred, deceptiveness and manipulation of satan towards God/Jesus and His creation, mankind. It would show the power of the Cross and how to live victorious in Him. All this wrapped up in an action-packed, dramatic, edge of your seat thrilling account of the Gospel message. Gerard would have to be the screenplay writer or at least the chief advisor of the film's production or some other existing Christian playwright/advisor or Director.

There is so much more that a review of Gerard's novel could include. But this would make the review far too long. Suffice to say that Gerard has not written this trilogy for fun, for the entertainment value alone. He has crafted a saga here with many layers, many dynamics, many spiritual truths and Biblical ones more importantly. I love and appreciate his sincerity and genuineness to tell it as it is for all the right and commendable reasons, to give the reader something to think about and in doing so, shows what a true disciple of Jesus is. These characters are flawed and badly, the world is corrupt, morally bankrupt, messy, life's events and people's reactions to them are gritty, chaotic and irresponsible based on selfishness and warped by man's sin and rebellion against God and His ways.

I believe that Gerard has no major concerns to worry about depicting his fiction the way it is. He needs to stay true to this style and the motives he has in creating it. He truly has a God-given talent for story and being honest, truthful, sincere and genuine about it.

I am the first one to state when a novel dishonors God, undermines the Bible, promotes the demonic or the satanic as being more powerful or greater than God. This is not the case here with Gerard. He is respectful in keeping it as it is and how it should be and needs to be. He has not deviated from these criteria.

My one concern about his depiction is where The Stranger and Ranston have a physical brawl. My first reaction was, "Really?" and then I felt it went on for too long. It needed to be shorter if it had to be depicted at all. However, reading this scene reminded me of Thor fighting Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Gerard does know how to write fight scenes! But unlike the fight scene in that movie, the Good Guy wins, but how would it be otherwise when we are talking about God?

I can see this trilogy not appealing to all Christians. And yes, those Christians who believe that Christian fiction should be sugary sweet with no violence, sex (none in this trilogy!), swearing (cussing), or depictions of Christians being flawed and showing it, will be aghast and critical of this trilogy and of Gerard. No doubt they will insist he repent of his evil ways and renounce his foray into the dark side! But to do that without giving this trilogy a fair go and a chance will be doing Gerard and his world in this trilogy an injustice and deny the Spirit a chance to minister to them. But as Gerard states in his guest post,

This series is written specifically for the world, not the church.  It’s not a typical, wholesome piece of Christian media.  It comes with one of those “explicit content” warnings on it. There is violence, in lots of police-action-style shooting and fight scenes and there is language. Because it’s all about the human condition, it is not a very pleasant subject matter. There are prostitution and drugs as well as gang and criminal activity.  None of the characters is Christian and, as such, they are written that way. It’s a story about how the rest of the world goes through life, popular beliefs about how good and evil should be handled, and how the average citizen would deal with God showing up in their life. 

and later in the post,

The bottom line is that I thought to myself; “Why can’t Christians put out a better product—a more realistic, gritty, raw and unvarnished piece of media?  A well written and well-produced story, and wouldn’t it be awesome to not worry about being safe” or “So I began to realize that I should be the one to produce something like this, instead of waiting and criticizing.”

I have no doubt that Gerard has succeded in his quest here. Christian authors can put out a better product just as he described it, realistic, gritty raw and unvarnished. I welcome more of it from Gerard. I pray he can be an inspiration to more Christian authors out there who are maybe afraid to go down this path and show fallen mankind and the world that results from this.

Highly Recommended.

If you would like to investigate The Baptist trilogy, click on the image below:

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading The Baptist trilog and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, whether Christian or not, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I am required to disclose that book cover images or titles of novels in this post are paid links if they are linked to Amazon and result in a sale.

Novel Review: Angels, Saints and Sinners by William David Ellis.

I reviewed this novel on 03/07/20 in a previous blog I had, now defunct.

Angels, Saints and Sinners.

Sherlock Holmes scoffed at the notion of the supernatural. Till a demon stole Watson’s soul. Forced by his own famous logic: eliminate the impossible and whatever remains however improbable is true and a dark ripper haunting the hovels of London. Holmes faces the most fascinating and transforming adventures of his life.

Once that door opens, and he begins to see, all types of creatures, living… dead… and parts, make their way to 221B Baker Street. This is the journey of the world’s greatest consulting detective from agnostic to practitioner.

You’ll love this is the journey of the world’s greatest consulting detective from agnostic to practitioner because the stakes are eternal.

Perspective by Peter:

I was asked by the author to review this new novel. I accepted as I have not read any of the novels concerning Sherlock Holmes, including the original by Arthur Conan Doyle. I have not seen any of the movies, only the TV series with Cumberbatch and Freeman (circa 2010 to 2017) and the odd depiction of the author in the TV series Murdoch Mysteries where his novels were being created and hinted that Sherlock was to be based on Detective Murdoch.

I thought it would be interesting to see how a Christian author mixes Biblical Truth with the mind of one who relies solely on his investigation abilities, his intelligence, his logic, his disguises, and his use of forensics and on pure observation on what is seen rather than not seen.

Now, due to my ignorance of all things Sherlock Holmes, I wondered why Ellis depicted Holmes as an Injecting drug user. I was shocked. I knew Holmes smoked tobacco as his pipe is part of the many images of his head with his deerstalker cap and this pipe, see the cover of this novel for that. I Googled this and was relieved that Ellis had not taken poetic licence here as Doyle has his cocaine addiction as part of Holmes' persona and, like pipe-smoking, was a common practice in the 1800s. I found a very good article about Holmes' addictions.

It must be a challenge for any author to continue the characterisation of one of fiction's most famous and celebrated characters and detectives. Maybe I am not the best one to comment on this seeing I have not read the original stories by the Doyle, but only have the TV series mentioned to compare it to. However, from this TV series, I believe it did give me a good insight into what the original Holmes is like from Doyle's depiction. My only caution here is that was not set in the era of 1887 to 1914 in which Doyle had set his Holmes. However, in the Murdoch series, it does give an indication of what this era would be like as Murdoch Mysteries is set in this time period, albeit in Toronto, Canada. However, I can say that Ellis's version does give an 1800's England era feel about it and I felt that this version of Holmes is an accurate one from what I have seen of this character.

The other aspect of this era and of the persona of Doyle's Holmes is the language spoken in this time period. I loved it in this novel. Occasionally I had to look up a few words that I was unsure of the total meaning or had never heard of before or had to re-read the sentence to get its meaning from how it was phrased and constructed. I do like it this in a novel but the language and syntax do need to suit the period of time it is set in and for it not to detract from the novel's plot or pace especially if it is an action/adventure and/or fast paced one.

Ellis is successful here as his language and syntax reflect the character of Holmes as we have come to know him and of the era of this time. However, I found it amusing when Holmes is transported back in time to the 1300s and some of his refined language was totally lost on the character he was defending and others which resulted in some confusion by these.

I was expecting Ellis to have depicted Holmes as being resistant to the supernatural, trying to explain it away with various theories or from physics and/or forensics, but Ellis has Holmes' use his detective expertise of observation and logic and his trademark adage of,

"...when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. What I have seen wth my eyes and heard with my ears and touched with my hands, I believe." 

I do not know if in any of Doyle's series he has introduced the supernatural or from any of the other TV series, films or authors who have continued the storylines of Holmes, so I can only say here that if this is the first novel where this has happened, Sherlock has therefore not excluded the impossible (supernatural as perceived in the era he is depicted in) if he has not been exposed to it or experience it until this novel.

So when he accepts that the murders in the first story arc can only be from a disembodied spirit, he is exposed to the supernatural realm. He not only experiences it but is now convinced it is real and the majority of the population of the world is unaware of its existence. This changes both Watson and Holmes. He does not deny it or believe this to be from the effects of drugs or other substances causing hallucinations but feels the tangible effects on him. He sees first hand how the effects of prayer and spiritual warfare using Biblical principles overcomes the spirit and reverses its dominion. It was fun to read Sherlock dealing in the usual Holmes manner having the last word before the spirit was banished from London. It was also good to see the seed of faith is planted in Holmes from this subplot and his recognition of the Biblical God.

Now that Holmes is a firm believer in the supernatural and that of the Biblical side of it, he is ripe for more of his expertise in another supernatural case. This time, he experiences time travel as we know it, and correctly identifies who his client is, leaving Watson surprised at this revelation. But Watson is not to accompany him on this case. This was a great story arc. Interestingly, when I Googled the date and year of this subplot, nothing came up in the search results. I had to wait until the end of this subplot to find out the significance of this in history. I could not find the crime this person had been accused of and trialled so Ellis may have taken poetic licence in the story here to show Sherlock's expertise in solving another case but now with a supernatural twist. I loved that. It also could be seen as an example to someone who has not read anything about Sherlock Holmes what he is all about and the uniqueness of his detective style and deduction.

The third case in this novel only ups the pace, mystery and suspense and develops further the supernatural and faith-building of Holmes. In the first case, he was more of an observer of the demonic but in this one, he has first-hand dealings and leads the charge against this "criminal". He uses his detective skills in identifying who the culprit really is and despite his newfound faith, does not know specifically how to deal with this using the Biblical methods of spiritual warfare. Instead, Ellis has depicted him in ridding this spirit using physical items that repel these entities.

I would have liked Ellis to depict Holmes using Biblical methods such as commanding this spirit to leave in the name of Jesus and/or prayer. However, he depicts the end result as the same, the spirit leaves but is not bound to Hell but free to roam and continue their possession and havoc.

The fourth case is not as suspenseful or involved as the previous three but it does set up the scene for the next volume. And it should be interesting to see where Ellis goes with this. I know this author has a sense of humour as I have listened to him being interviewed. I roared laughing at the answer by Holmes' client (who is made up of many parts from other people's bodies, can you guess who this would be?) as to why his wife left him. His answer is so outrageous and shocking that it is funny! I can still see this being said today for all the same reasons Holmes' client said it, from ".....acting like a very young husband!"

I am pleased to see that Ellis has a desire to continue this series. He does put a condition on it though, that this novel is well received and readers want more of it. I hope it is well received and there are more volumes. I can see Holmes becoming a supernatural warrior using the usual Holmes flair and expertise in solving crimes that we are now so used to reading and continuing to enjoy.

This is one inventive and imaginative version and further development of the Sherlock Holmes phenomena. If there is a future volume or in the plural, then having full-length novels would be a better working than the 101-page length of this first offering (Kindle version).

Strongly Recommended.

If you would like to investigate this novel further, click on the image below:

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading Angels, Saints and Sinners and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media platform you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I am required to disclose that book cover images or titles of novels in this post are paid links if they are linked to Amazon and result in a sale.

Gods They Had Never Known by Julie Helms

Gods They Had Never Known 

They will enhance your lives,

expand your fortunes,

better your health,

destroy your soul. 

The Guardians look down from their mountaintop to the valley of men below—and they desire the women they see. Abandoning their rightful home, they commence their plan to infiltrate mankind amicably but with disastrous consequences.

Haven, a young man of strong faith, lives in the pleasant valley that is now under invasion. A blind prophet has been warning the people for years, but Haven seems to be the only one listening. The Guardians, who look like men--but are not-- exchange forbidden knowledge for the use of the mortal women. The people love the new technologies and how they improve their lives, turning a blind eye to the monstrosities that are born of these unions. As violence and depravity increase in the valley, Haven desperately tries to warn the people—and the woman he loves—that judgement is coming, putting himself in the crosshairs of both the Guardians and their malevolent offspring.

In this epic retelling of 1 Enoch: Book of the Watchers and Genesis 6:1-4, experience the plunge into chaos when the divine order of creation is violated, leading to idolatry, corruption, and the threat of extermination.

The Guru's Review: 

I volunteered to review this novel when Julie Helms asked for advice in a Facebook group how to publish her debut work and offered free electronic copies for review. For me, this was a no-brainer as the topic concerning fallen angels and the Nephilim is a favourite genre of mine. 

Straight up, I will say that for a debut novel, this is very impressive! It does not read like one. It is well constructed and has a natural flow. No peaks and troughs. It would not surprise me if future readers read this in one sitting or over the course of one day. I got frustrated when I could only read this on my train journey to and from work and on my lunch breaks. I was so engrossed in each sitting that many times, I nearly missed my train destination or was late back from work!

Helms has a solid command of the English language and is an asset to this novel (as it should be for any novel) but this command does not obstruct your reading, it aids in being a launching pad for the novel, you just sit back and let the story take you on a very enjoyable journey.

What impressed me was the fact that Helms has adhered to the Biblical account of the Nephilim and has borrowed from the extra-biblical text of the Book of Enoch. This latter book gives a much more detailed account of the fallen angels and the Nephilim than what has been included in the Bible. This former book was not included in the latter due to it not meeting canonical criteria, one of these being that there were many different versions of it compared to other books of the bible that have few versions of themselves and these books have adhered to exact copying of these books. However, one of the main reasons for the Book of Enoch rejection from Canon is that it contains a lot of false doctrine or conflicts with various doctrines of Scripture. Go here for a specific list of these.

These reasons alone are enough to still polarize Christians today. There are two camps, those who will only accept the books of the Bible (due to them meeting the canonical criteria as stated above and are Scriptural) and those who also accept the Book of Enoch as having some historical or theological interest although not inspired by God as the books in Bible have been. However, this book is regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Helms is not the only author to have based their fiction on Biblical texts and the Book of Enoch. Many other Christian authors have done so and some secular authors have either ignored the Biblical account, referenced it only, or used poetic licence from the content of the Book of Enoch only.

Helms has adhered to both and built her story around this content. I must say that I found the complete product very convincing. In some of fallen angels/Nephilim novels both secular and Christian, the authors have not expounded much on the finer details of why the Nephilim were created or the agenda of the fallen angels, but this novel does and its inclusion not only adds depth to the plot but sets the stage for the spiritual elements of this novel and the judgement that the Bible has outlined for the fallen angels. And it is the reason for these inclusions that is one of the motivations for Helms writing this novel. 

I decided to contact the author to let her know that I loved it. In the conversation that followed, we talked about her motivation for writing it and this reinforced my previous decision to review this novel. It seems that there is so much ignorance, denial, rejection and controversy among the Church about the very topic of the Nephilim; who they are, how they were created, will they and how they will return, the origin of demons, God's judgement of the fallen angels, etc. When Helms would talk about the ins and outs of these two topics or teach it in her Bible classes very few were aware of what the Bible says about fallen angels and Nephilim. And Churches of today (no matter what denomination) do not instruct or educate their congregations in these issues. It is either too hard, too controversial, or will affect the reputation of the Pastor or the Church or affect church adherence for this to be expounded upon (there are many more reasons!). We have both had some negative and severe warnings from Church authorities about these topics. In my case, it affected the relationships between my fellow Christians. Being a heretic and being led astray by false doctrine are just two of the accusations I have had to deal with, albeit from those who know nothing or very little about these topics!  Helms' motivation to write this novel was to expound on the facts as outlined in the Bible and to present supporting accounts that do support the biblical account (as in the Book of Enoch despite it being considered to contain false doctrine regarding other topics it contains).

And it is against this plot construction and motivation that Helms has successfully created a novel that not only entertains but educates about fallen angels, Nephilim, both of their origins, the origins of demons, spiritual warfare, God's judgement, resting on God's promises, taking a stand for God and  remaining faithful when dire circumstances occur including to the point of death. I applaud Helms for this as one cannot expound on the issues surrounding fallen angels and the Nephilim without showing the spiritual side of it concerning what God and the Bible have to say about it. That is a responsibility of all Christians in our witness to others that we present all the facts backed up with the spiritual side and especially this latter element. Helms is very successful here.

How does Helm show this in this novel? She uses a character called the Teller, a blind prophet, to represent the voice of God and to instruct, educate, encourage and confront the evilness of not only the fallen angels and Nephilim but any person who has been deceived and then participated in their demonic and nefarious schemes to lead the community away from God and become spiritually oppressed as a result. Enter one of the main characters, Haven, who has a strong faith in God and who is led by the truth as spoken by the Teller and encouraged by Haven's father to always listen to what this Teller has to say. He becomes quite the evangelist in alerting members of his community who the Guardians really are and what the agenda is even evoking anger from others death threats from both the demons and the fallen angels (Guardians in this novel).

As a response to this Helms introduces angelic warfare where members of the Heavenly Host are engaged to protect Haven and Rachel against these threats. This is together with Rachel calling on the name of God (Shalliyt, in this novel) where she came under demonic attack while asleep. These Heavenly Host also resist the temptation from the Guardians to join them in their rebellion against Shalliyt. I applaud Helms for portraying these Host as they are depicted in the Bible. So many other Christian authors and secular ones as well depict angels as either more than or less than what they Biblically are. In some cases, they are given more autonomy and independence than what the Bible depicts them as having. Sometimes poetic licence can be very misleading and inappropriate, but that is not ok if the author knows they will have to give an account to God of their actions. 

Helms has depicted the Guardians as tall (all over 7 feet tall) handsome, muscular, ever so polite, gentlemanly like with decorum and intelligence. Young women fall for them without question and so do their parents who give them over to the Guardians in marriage in exchange for knowledge and practices in metallurgy, technology, fashion, and the dark arts of astronomy and the supernatural and weaponry resulting in profitable financial and economic community. But unknown to the community at the time, all this comes with a heavy and destructive price. It is here that Helms very competently shows the finer details of the interaction between the Guardians and the human population that seems to be missing in other novels of this genre and in this one it results in a very plausible and credible account. So is the progressive destructiveness of the consequences of this union between Guardians and the human population resulting in the decay on all levels of the established community: spiritual, financial, moral, ethical, marital, and on all levels of personal relationships. This results in one last warning announced by the Teller of Shalliyt's coming judgement if people do not repent and abandon their sinful ways and return to a relationship with Shalliyt.

This leads to an action-packed and suspenseful ending albeit a fast one at that.  

I can imagine the author having some very difficult decisions to make in how to depict the violence and sexual promiscuity/fornication of the Guardians and Nephilim with the human population of women. Even more so how to depict what the Bible and the Book of Enoch say about them corrupting sexually various animal species resulting in hybrid offspring. However, Helms must have realised there was no need for any gratuitous descriptions of such so she has kept it to a minimum and played it safe. There is only one scene where the detail is slightly more but again, this stays within the no graffic/gratuitous boundaries she set. This scene is necessary to allow a character to see exactly who the Guardians are, what is their agenda and for her to have nothing to do with them on any level. It also acted to further consolidate in Haven that he must alert his community of this spiritual and physical threat to their very livelihood.

Helms has been more graphic in depicting the violence between the Nephilim towards each other and the human population, but it is not enough to detract from the themes of the novel or included just to add action and suspense to the plot. There is more than enough of the intricacies of its themes for that to be necessary at all. It does, however, show just what the Bible and the Book of Enoch mention concerning their behaviour. In both Helms depiction of the mixing of the genes of the Guardians with humans and of animals, their offspring were more violent, destructive, erratic and immoral than their individual parent species and this just adds more to the reason for Shalliyt's decision to exact His judgement on this community just as he had done in the Bible concerning Noah and his Ark. Just goes to show that when you cross a boundary set by God, it always ends in a no-win situation. In this case, it shows why God created each species to reproduce after their own kind and only within their own kind. If mankind or other created beings act in defiance and rebellion against God and cross this boundary to mock Him, then this is the result. Elimination or a permanent and eternal punishment. God is Sovereign and will not be mocked.

Helms has been very graphic and specific in depicting how it may have been for the first demons to possess spiritually and physically a willing human. I do not know of all the specifics for this to happen (I know enough of how it does happen in today's society) so to say that how Helms depicted it is total adherence to actual practices or if there is any poetic licence used, I would have to do more research or ask the author. However, this depiction shows how easy it is for the undiscerning or vulnerable members of society to be lured into the false promises from these demons. What Helms depicted here is very occultic and definitely, a crossing of yet another boundary and one warned by God, in the Bible, to not have anything to do with this. Yet again, and not surprisingly, the consequences will lead to the spiritual bondage of those involved unless they see the truth of this sinful/occultic lifestyle and repent of it and be restored to God. Again, I can see Christians being polarized by the depiction of who these demons are compared to other depictions in other novels based on what those authors (and certain Churches for that matter) consider to be the true origin of demons and who they are.

I can also see this novel will polarize readers from both of the Christian groups mentioned earlier in this review or even maybe those from a non-Christian background. However, if any reader decides to read the Biblical accounts of the fallen angels and Nephilim and the Book of Enoch and other accounts from Christian apologists and scholars, then I am sure that such polarization and criticism/scepticism would be alleviated and the reader then convinced of the Biblical account.

My prayer for this novel is that the Spirit of God will use this to do just that in the reader. For the Christian reader, to show them the veracity of the Biblical account and for the non-Christian, the same but to show them who God is, His love for them, His gift of salvation and redemption and be drawn to Him to accept this.  

I highly recommend this novel. Read it for what it is and with an open mind. Research the Bible and the Book of Enoch and other reputable Christian resources that support and further expound on this subject.

The way the novel ended, at first I wondered why it was left undone then realised that it could be set up for a sequel. I am hoping that this is the case. If not, then this is my only gripe about this novel.

I am looking forward to more from this author. Julie Helms has such a promising future.

Highly Recommended.

The three ratings below are based on my discernment:

World Building 5/5

Characters 5/5

Story 5/5

The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland: 

Spiritual Level 4/5

Enemy Spiritual Level 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

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