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.

December's Child by Deborah Williams

December's Child

Every secret has a key.

As a child worker of the December Mining Corporation, 18-year-old Jett’s plan has always been to earn a life outside the mines by selling her body—a plan she’s nearly fulfilled until she reluctantly takes on a new trainee from the outside world.

The daughter of a government historian, and bartered into the slave trade by her own mother, Fiona is an outsider with a strange wealth of knowledge, and a secret worth dying—and killing—for. While Fiona’s secret may unknowingly bring death and destruction to the December Mines, Jett finds herself letting go of her jaded persona to embrace a friendship that will change her life forever.

When she unintentionally becomes the new keeper of Fiona’s secret, Jett is thrust into a fight for survival and a quest for the freedom she’s longed for. Keeping the secret could cost her her life. Searching for answers all but ensures her death.

The Guru's Review:

This novel was not what I was expecting. Sometimes it pays not to listen to the reviews or even the description. I was under the impression that this novel was going to be dark and gritty all the way through. And yes, at first it was, with the vivid description of the conditions that Jett finds herself living and working in the December mine and being used and abused both in the mine and as a prostitute as one of the conditions of this enslaved environment. 

Williams described this well in all its grittiness and oppression and was effective in making me feel tense, frustrated and angry almost to the point where I could not continue. Just when I was about to abandon this novel, the whole atmosphere changed and this encouraged me to persist. Glad I did. From that point on, I grew to really enjoy this novel. 

One thing that really struck me was that you would never know this is a debut novel from this author. She writes very well, and the topic/themes are very controversial, but Williams does not allow this to weigh the plot down with too much detail or information. She has a healthy balance of this being both plot and character driven if that is possible in the one novel. I am not sure if Williams loves Alice in Wonderland as a fairy tale (I hated it!) or whether elements of that story provided a unique platform for her to strengthen the plot and assist in delivering the novel's message, but either way, it becomes an integral part of Jett's understanding of the world outside of the December mine that she knows nothing about until she experiences it. 

For a novel such as this with its controversial themes, Wiliams must have realised that to show it clearly, she would need to have depicted Jett as a well developed and relational character. She has definitely done so and this is another strength of this novel. Jett is not a two-dimensional character, she is someone who has guts, determination, conviction, a firm sense of justice and right and wrong, although she can be a bit impetuous sometimes. I am sure we can all relate to that at some points in our lives! 

This is going to remain one controversial Christian novel. That will only change when the attitudes of the current "don't rock the boat, don't include topics that we don't want to confront/deal with" mentality that exists among some of the Christian church, Christians themselves and the mainstream Christian publishing world. For a debut author to include such controversial topics as child prostitution/exploitation, cannibalism, and violence is one very brave venture. Even experienced, seasoned authors would not be daring or willing to venture down such a path as this for the most part. It is actions and topics such as what Williams has done that make it all the more edgy and speculative and challenges in a positive way the above-mentioned attitudes that are harming Christian fiction, Christian authors and its readers, whether Christian or not and whether they know it or not. 

I must say having read this novel now with its main theme of child prostitution/exploitation, Williams needs to be applauded for the way she has handled this. There is no glorification of prostitution. There is no graphic detail. What she has achieved (through Jett) is to show the degradation to the human spirit, the demeaning and destructive effects on women and also of men who perpetrate this act. That is what made me feel tense and frustrated, angry and almost to the point of not continuing. But this only succeeded in showing what exists in our real world. Even the other theme of cannibalism is not glorified but shown as part of a warped and distorted mentality and solution to the ills of the dystopian world that has lost its way and is not an answer at all to the failing and diminishing food supply. 

I have stated that the novel becomes very enjoyable after this dark first section ends. Not only has Williams shown she has talent in creating one dark and gritty world, but she is just as talented in showing the opposite. Once the dark first part of this novel ends, the plot takes on a different pace and flavour. There is still tension and suspense but Jett comes into her own. It from this point on that Williams delivers her message concerning the ills that are consequential when a society surrenders its freedom for safety/happiness but is unaware of the enslavement and governmental control that ensues. It is from this platform that motivates Jett to lead her people to fight and restore the freedom that she most desperately longs for and to reveal the secret that Fiona entrusted to her.

I loved the spiritual themes that Jett was introduced to in order to achieve this. Although the relationship between Jett and the Maker was not developed or expounded upon as much as I would have liked, it stood out that Jett was to only continue in her quest by having faith in Him and letting Him be the source of her actions. On a few occasions, Jett identifies that the soft voice that instructs her with the words "Rise" and "Safe" are instructions from the Maker when she is perplexed about how to continue in her quest. On a very basic level, this shows that we need to be obedient to Him who knows the way we should go in any circumstance and that He is always there to guide and protect us. 

I would have loved to have had her relationship with the Maker described more formally and the effects of oppression and sexual abuse and exploitation dealt with through the power of God as this could have shown readers who have suffered similarly in the real world that God can and does heal and restore on every level.

I also loved the romance between Jett and Xylon (Xy). To me, Williamson seemed to focus this from Xy's point of view, with the distinctive male flavour. That I loved and it reminded me of the way that male Christian authors who write romance develop it. This romance theme was another strength of this novel.

For those readers who are undecided about whether to read this novel or not, I have provided a resource to help them understand the controversial themes contained herein, an interview from The Crossover Alliance Publishing company that published the novel, 

The Crossover Alliance Interview With D.A Williams

It is worth reading.  

All in all, a very enjoyable debut novel from Williams. If she continues to produce such challenging and thought provoking novels, the Christian publishing world would benefit from reviewing their guidelines from only publishing the clean and watered down fiction that they believe we want to read and Christians need to expand their horizons and see that Christian fiction can address controversial topics that can glorify God and point the reader towards Him. 

Strongly Recommended. 4/5 Stars.

World Building 5/5

Characterisation 5/5

Story 5/5

Spiritual Level 3/5

Enemy Spiritual Level 2/5

Overall Rating 4/5

To read a preview of December's Child, click on the Preview button below: