Publishers Books

Outstanding reading and will clear up any questions about spiritual attacks. Will show you step by step battle plans to reclaim lost ground.For me this was a real page turner.

This book is the most informative of its type out there. Spiritual warfare is a reality that we all have to face in our lives whether Christian or not. This book shows us how to do that. Families are attacked every single day,one member at a time, dragging the whole family into this battle. We owe it to the ones we love to learn as much as possible about this fact of life. There are plenty of stories between the covers of this book to explain how others have conquered Satan. He only has power if we give it to him!

Book is very helpful for a beleiver to walk out bondage of growing up in or out of a church enviroment. Gives the tools for being free of stolen areas for character strength.

If your looking for a very informative book on spiritual warfare, this book should be added to your collection.. The author knows what he is talking about and offers fantastic advice for protecting yourself and your family... Too bad they dont teach this stuff in churches... This is a Christian approach (and frankly the christian approach is the only approach you should be using anyway! Amen!) You'll be glad you got this book.

Very helpful book. I especially recommend that Pastors read this book so that they can counsel members of their congregation that might be struggling with demonic attacks. As Christians, we are very naive to the wiles and working of the devil. We tend to ignore the fact that we are in a spirtual battle. Until we are knocked down by the enemy, we don't do anything. So we fail to live in the victory Jesus has won for us on the cross. Jim Logan educates on how to reclaim lost ground and how to live in Jesus' victory for us. I think this book will be an eye-opener for many readers. I highly recommended it to every believer!!!!

This is an invaluable companion tool to possess alongside your Bible for defending the biblical doctrine of an Unlimited Atonement of Christ Jesus. John D. Wagner has done the body of Christ an immense service in editing this treasure of a book.

John Goodwin (1593-1665), a Calvinist-turned-Arminian Puritan, defends the biblical doctrine of Unlimited Atonement utilizing both Scripture, church history, and logic. He leaves no stone unturned, but covers the subject in an exhaustive style. He even quotes from the likes of Luther, Melancthon, Chemnitius, and Calvin himself, demonstrating from their own writings the presence of a Universal Atonement, highlighting the fact that though Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to cover each and every individual, even intending (p. 129) to cover all people, His redemption will only be applied to the believer.

In an age when the false assumptions of Calvinism is growing, this book stands as a beacon of hope, exhorting every believer to preach and teach the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1.29). What John Owen's 'The Death of Death in the Death of Christ' is to the Calvinist, so is John Goodwin's 'Redemption Redeemed' to the Arminian. No other book I have read covers the doctrine with such thoroughness and clarity.

John Goodwin, in his classic work Redemption Redeemed, presents us with a thorough examination of the doctrine of Unlimited Atonement, and should be a staple in any Arminian's library. Redemption Redeemed could potentially have the same sort of impact on Christian thinkers as John Edwards' Freedom of the Will, and if not, it should (in my humble opinion, Goodwin blows Edwards out of the water). The work is detailed and covers a broad range of Bible passages and relevant subjects. The language bears some of the seventeenth century style and therefore will be difficult for the average modern reader, but take your time and it will pay off. There is a lot of content, so I'll note a few examples.

In chapter 2, Goodwin focused on passages which state that God desired to save or propitiated for all men. At the forefront is 1 Timothy 2:1-6, where for example we read that "he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (verse 4). What is especially handy here is that he not only did he provide a solid interpretation of this passage, he addressed specifically the various arguments of Calvinists that "all men" doesn't mean "all men." He demolished the interpretation of "all men" as "some of all sorts of men" thoroughly, an argument which is still frequently used today by Internet Calvinists. An aside, one observation you will walk away with from this book is that there is nothing new in Calvinist arguments, and folks like Goodwin already dealt with and refuted many arguments centuries ago, which are still propagated today.

There are many other relevant passages that Goodwin drew from, including many which I never thought of as supporting Unlimited Atonement until now. Chapter 5 started with the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Matthew 22:1-10. As you may recall, the parable outlines a situation where a king's invitation to a banquet gets rejected by his friends. As a result the king instead invites average people off the street. The original invitees were symbolic of the Jews who rejected Christ and the gospel. Goodwin noted from this that as the king intended the banquet for his friends, God intended His grace to be for Jews first. Entailing from this, Christ died for Jewish people who would go on to reject Him. If this is the case then Christ died for people who wouldn't be saved, and therefore He died for all men. Now initially, it doesn't seem to logically follow, but think about it for a moment. If Christ died for one person who would ultimately be condemned, why would he not die for all others? Since God is not partial, one has to conclude that either Christ died only for the elect, or for all people. Since Christ died for some who were not elect, we are left with the only alternative, that He died for all people.

Goodwin was careful in his definition of Unlimited Atonement, neither providing a definition agreeable to Calvinists nor sliding down the slippery slope into Universalism. He spent a good portion of Chapter 6 explaining why the Arminian doctrine doesn't lead to Universalism and then refuted Universalism itself.

Redemption Redeemed is clearly an excellent work. There is much more that I haven't covered here, but I hope this review has whetted your appetite for a good, solid defense of the Arminian doctrine of Unlimited Atonement.

It should be obvious to any objective student of the Word that the Calvinist doctrine commonly known as Limited Atonement did not come about through an inductive exegesis of the Scriptures, but instead through a rigid system of deductive logic imposed upon it. Although I have read and reviewed other books on this vitally important subject, I appreciated the fact that Puritan John Goodwin treats some passages not usually considered in some of the more modern works, and that he comes at it as a contemporary of the scholastic John Owen. Overall, it becomes blatantly and wonderfully obvious that God has indeed woven the doctrine of General Redemption throughout all of His Word!

In spite of the sometimes-heavy Puritan style of writing, I have to give this work a high rating for the following reasons:

As with all points of the Calvinist T.U.L.I.P., we find, and Goodwin reveals, that their "horrible decree" of Reprobation is always lurking in the shadows. Since, in their logic, God has in eternity past "decreed" that the vast majority of the human race were to be created by Him as already damned, and that that even "pleased" Him, why should Christ pay the ransom for their sins? This scholastic presupposition inexorably drags them to this end in spite of any normative interpretation of the many verses of Scripture involved. This error has forced Calvinism to become more philosophic and systematic than the Bible allows. In fact, Owen's notorious work "The Death of Death" is shown to be based on a faulty premise of "double payment".

Evangelism 101
Most importantly, and thus the importance of works like Goodwin's, is the sad and practical result of this doctrine: Limited Atonement deadens hearts to the fact of God's love manifest throughout the Scriptures to all sinners without exception. As Goodwin so aptly points out, "In all these Scriptures, with their fellows, evident it is that salvation is held forth and promised by God unto all, without exception, that shall believe; yea, that it is offered and promised unto all men, upon the condition of believing, whether they believe or no. So that, upon such declarations of the gracious and good pleasure of God toward the universality of men as these, the minister of the gospel, or any other men, may with truth, and ought of duty upon occasion, say to every particular soul of man under heaven, "If thou believest thou shalt be saved," even as Paul saith that he preached Christ, "warning EVERY man, and teaching EVERY man in all wisdom, that we might present EVERY man perfect in Christ Jesus" Colos. i.28. Yea, this apostle, saith, that God "now commandeth all men every where to repent, " Acts xvii. 30".

Goodwin's quote of Melanchthon puts it this way, "It is necessary to know that the gospel is a universal promise, i.e. that reconciliation" with God "is offered and promised to all men." And " it is necessary to hold fast against" any "dangerous conceits about predestination, lest we fall to reason thus, that this promise belongeth to some few others, but doth not belong unto us. But let us be resolved of this, that the promise of the gospel is universal. For as the preaching of repentance is universal, so the preaching of remission of sins is universal also. But that all men do not obtain the promises of the gospel," i.e. the things here promised, "it ariseth from hence, that all men do not believe."

This explains why, historically, Calvinists in general have always been so detached from missions and evangelism. Any objective study of men like Carey and Spurgeon reveals that they were at best "non-conformist" Calvinists and consequently persecuted by many of their own "brethren".

In addition, in chapter 8, Goodwin lists 32 noteworthy fathers of the early church, including St. Augustine, along with various synods and councils, which all held to General Redemption. Although this is not in itself authoritative, as their writings were not inspired, it is nonetheless interesting to note that this was without a doubt the view held by the vast majority in the church from the Apostles to even past Calvin's day. However inconsistent Calvin's teaching may have been in the conception of Limited Atonement, it was in fact, as Goodwin states, Calvin's disciple Beza who gave birth to it, and the Synod of Dort who fostered it. For those who call themselves "Augustinians" it should be rather ironic to note that part of St. Augustine's attack against the Pelagian error of his day was "to hold that Christ died not for all men" (p. 285). According to St. Augustine Limited Atonement is Pelgianism!

One last note, non-Arminian readers should be aware that Goodwin repeatedly states that a believer, although once saved, can lose his salvation. Statements like "...salvation is never conferred upon any man but upon his believing and continuance in believing unto the end", and believers must "believe perseveringly" bear this out (e.g. pg. 191).

For those who are looking for further biblical studies on General Redemption, please be sure to reference THE DEATH CHRIST DIED a Case for Unlimited Atonement by Robert Lightner, Did Christ Die Only for the Elect? A Treatise on the Extent of Christ's Atonement by Norman Douty, and the mediate position advocated in Getting the Gospel Right: A Balanced View of Calvinism and Arminianism by C. Gordon Olson (esp. Chap. 16).

This excellent work is the most comprehensive treatment of Atonement Coverage I have seen. Not only does it encompass the broadest scope of Biblical texts in an exegetically accurate, responsible way, but it cites commentaries and works of theologians from Calvin and Melanchthon to authors contemporary to Puritan John Goodwin. These citations show that the L of TULIP is unfounded, both in careful Bible scholarship and by the observations of these noted scholars themselves.

I heartily recommend this work not only to those sympathetic toward "God so loved the (literal population of the entire) World"; "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World (literal earth's population)" viewpoint. But also those disposed to "God so loved the (representative segments in the world) 'elect'"; "Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the (savable, atonable sectors of humanity) 'elect'."

Goodwin, a rare Arminian Puritan, admirably defends unlimited atonement. Goodwin primarily argues from scripture, but he also provides some arguments from reason and church history. Goodwin's primary scriptural arguments are based on passages saying Christ died for the world, passages saying Christ died for all, the universal offer the gospel, passages saying Christ died for those that ultimately perish, and passages saying God wants none to perish. Goodwin then clearly explains what "unlimited atonement" does and does not mean. Goodwin finishes up with giving solid reasons why Christ died for all and reviewing the historical position of the Church on the issue.

Goodwin provides a unique level of depth on the issues. For example, he goes over the word "world" in great detail, and then reduces multiple Calvinist interpretations of passages like John 3:16 to absurdities. Goodwin covers multiple Calvinist counterarguments to all of his arguments. Through detailed explanations of his position, and contrasts with Calvinists views from multiple angles, Goodwin crystallizes the Arminian viewpoint on the extent of the atonement.

Along the way of accomplishing his mission of defending unlimited atonement, Goodwin gives the reader some real gems. Among my favorites were Goodwin's explanation of the will of God as well as his explanation on conditional election.

Goodwin's style is similar to most Puritans and as such Redemption Redeemed is a tough read. One could use Redemption Redeemed as a reference tool. There's a comprehensive index of scripture references in the back. But my advice would be to put the work in and reap the full reward! It's well worth it.

I struggled with the concept of second innocence (still do); however, the premise is that we can maintain or recapture a sense of wonder, delight (whatever you want to call it) throughout our lives. And it is this sense of wonder that keeps us growing and allows us to become truly wise. I'm old enough to know wisdom when I see it and young enough to appreciate that innocent wonder in children. Izzo takes us through various aspects of our lives and shows how a sense of wonder keeps us young while allowing us to truly grow older with grace.

At first, this book seemed to me to be trite, full of little aphorisms and such. By the time I reached the end, I finally understood the underlying message. As with our personal relationships, what counts in our daily living ARE the little things. The author presents this insight with a gentle hand that matches the mood of the message. Thank you, John Izzo, wherever you are.

"John Izzo has written yet another fantastic book that has profound impact on the reader's daily life. Upon finishing the first reading, I turned the book over and began reading it all over again. A few weeks later, I picked it up and read it a third time and I just could not stop talking about it! This truly is a book that will not stay on a bookshelf for long.
Written in such a way as to remind us what we already know, but do not practice, Izzo's simple views on life can help the reader realize the full potential of their lives. His compelling stories are useful tools to view our own lives, jobs and families with more kindness, while discovering the peace that was always within our grasp.
A rich, thought-provoking book such as this could very well make the world a better place - one reader at a time." ~ Lillian Brummet, co-author of the book Trash Talk - a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

Just wanted to thank John for writing inspiring words that convey wonderful foundational thoughts and feelings. I too am a great believer in an abundance mentality and try to live and act in the "now" every day.

If the population of our world would take the time to slow down enough to contemplate and realize that we all (most?) really want the same simple things from life, what a great place this world would be.

Author writes about rediscovering the wonder and joys of life. Based on his own experiences including death of his father, first love, a family suicide and other compelling stories, Izzo cheers you on to reconnect with and learn from your own life stories. It can be difficult at times to maintain optimism and grace in a world filled with cynicism but Izzo's inspirational book certainly helps you down the right path.

By writing the stories from every character's point of view, Dubus gave me an understanding of why people do the things they do. It sounds simple enough, but it obviously isn't. People we know or read about, suddenly explained.

Andre Dubus never seems to have quite made the splash Raymond Carver did, but the two are similar in style and concerns. Carver's strengths and weaknesses are seen in this collection. I found most of the writing overwrought and overdone. Way too often I was thinking, "Oh, come on, no one thinks like that except a writer trying to create a 'character'." The occasional deft detail or intriguing quirk was lost in a level of introspection that would exhaust Molly Bloom. Good writing overdone is as bad as dreadful writing; the legs get tired from slogging through the piled on adjectives and morose reflections. And if you hated the film of "In the Bedroom", as I did, wait until you read its source. Even worse!

I was ready to toss the thing, but for whatever reason (psychotic completion syndrome, I would guess) I plowed on to the end. And discovered two mega diamonds. The final two stories would rank among the best I've ever read. "Adultery" is just about perfect. Clearly this is a geography Dubus knows well, and wow, does he portray it with devastating power. The small details pile up as we watch a self-absorbed Dostoevskian jerk destroy life and love while gaining plaudits and producing (we assume) mediocrity. What a story; it is easy to see how even fine writers become such megalomaniacal fools. And the conclusion, "A Father's Story" (a prefect title for this gem) wrenches and tears and torments the gut and the conscience. The two final tales show what could have been; the preceding ones left me, at least, annoyed and bored, and, when reading the greatness achieved, sad.

I just finished reading Dubus's Selected Stories for the fourth time. I've also read his other books, and I'm glad to report that Dubus is one of the few writers whose work can be read again and again with increased pleasure, a rare enough thing.

So many kinds of stories are packed into this volume -- short stories and novellas, deep character studies ("A Father's Story"), topical stories ("The Fat Girl"), "high concept" stories ("Killings"), stories with a deep knowledge of the intersections among family, sex, and faith ("Voices from the Moon"), stories that understand compassion and forgiveness ("Rose"), and stories that explore love in the midst of reckless violence ("The Pretty Girl")

Although many of these stories are thrilling enough, plot-wise, to keep you reading, it's the deep knowledge of the motivations, the pecadillos, the generosities, the anger, the unease, the longings, and most of all the love we are all capable of holding in our hearts, all at once, that makes these stories so worthwhile. Andre Dubus does not shy away from the dark places, and he writes his characters with such empathy that we are willing to go there with them, with him.

Selected Stories is an important book, and a book well worth a patient first read. I think it is a book that will stand the test of time. If there is any justice in the world, it will be read a hundred years from now, a necessary bit of news about what it was like to live in the twentieth century, no less indispensible than Hemingway, Faulkner, or Fitzgerald, and ten times as wise.

Andre Dubus's stories, as they wrestle with the issues of religion, morality, and familial duty, captivate the reader with strong narration and elegant foreshadowing. They also employ various shifts in point of view, and sustain the reader's interest while taking detours for lengthy description and interesting back-story.

I was unable to finish the book all in one shot because I found I needed to stop and reflect in between stories, so moved was I--mostly because Dubus had a way of taking our simple understandings of the world--juxtaposing violence and innocence, faith and the faithless, priests and adulterers, sinners and the redeemed, the dead and the living--and making them complex.

I was bowled over by some of the first stories in the selection, "Killings" and "The Pretty Girl", which take horrible, violent situations and try to make some sense of them by offering the protagonists the opportunity for revenge. But the satisfaction in that revenge is fleeting for it takes almost as much out of those who have acted out of revenge than the original crime did.

"If They Knew Yvonne" is another story of revenge--except this time it is a young man who at one point seeks to wash away his sin (masturbation) by doing himself physical harm. He does not like that he is weak in his body and seems to believe that his sin taints the rest of his life. That is until a priest sets him straight. In the end, he is left reflecting on his two young nephews and hoping for a better understanding for them.

At his best, I think, is Dubus when he took the POV of a woman or girl. In "Anna" , the protagonist, Anna Griffin age 21, helps her boyfriend, Wayne, to rob a drugstore and is then weighed down by guilt (although she never names it as such--either she is incapable, unaware or avoiding the truth). After the robbery, Anna and Wayne go to their local bar and get drunk--out of a sense of exhilaration and fear. In a poignant moment, Anna walks outside to clear her head and briefly reveals her youth and, perhaps, her sense of hopefulness (which one imagines will never be fully realized)--almost as though she is reborn. With the money they have stolen, Anna and Wayne buy a bunch of things at the mall (instead of filling their fridge). But neither of them can fully enjoy these things as they imagined they would. They are still the same, poor desperate couple but with a vacuum cleaner, television and stereo. It would be easy to project their path as one of disaster, but Anna's hopefulness in the end leaves the door open for a breakthrough. In the Laundromat, she washes their clothes and seems to cleanse them both of their sins and bring them back to the beginning.

"A Father's Story" is the last story in the book and the only one I had read previously. It is deserving of its location and an intense and moving story--once again how man can become his own God and thus be forgiven for what he does to protect his children.

Still, the story that left me most breathless was the second to last one, "Adultery." It is a complex story of a husband--Hank (a writer)--and wife--Edith--who have fallen into an open marriage (the husband sort of springs it on her several years in that he believes in fidelity but not monogamy). For a few years, Edith takes revenge on Hank by taking several lovers, but he is nonplussed and brings his own girlfriends by the house on occasion. It is not until Edith commits adultery with the ex-priest Joe--whose frail body comes to embody their sin--that she is awakened. It is when Joe becomes ill with cancer and has his final point of communion (the night before he is admitted to the hospital for good they have sex one last, fevered time) that Edith realizes what she must do--still it takes a while for her realization to live and it is not until the very end that she speaks it: she will divorce Hank--thus signaling the death of her true love. She sacrifices their marriage to condone for the sins they have all committed.

What is most beautiful about Dubus's writing is his love of his characters. He seems not to judge them. He seems to see their faults, allow them their failings, ask that they redeem themselves and then offer them forgiveness. He is, then, their God--but not a pure God, not a God without sin himself. A God who can empathize because, in the end, that's all we really have that makes us human.

I really don't have much more to add to the other reviews. I just whole heartedly agree! I have been counting the days since summer 07 until the last book in the series, The Infinite Day, is published in June '08.

I echo all the other reviews. Note there are only 5 stars to date! I found this as good as Ted Dekker's circle series. Ted has more adventure along the way, but this story has thought provoking dialog, stuff that makes you think. Chris has very thoughtfully come up with a unique society, far more creatively than most fantasy writers. This is great science/fantasy fiction. There is romance too.

I have travelled far in the realms of fantasy and sci-fi... to Narnia, Empyrion, Middle Earth, Byntar and Albion, but never have I journeyed so far away as this book has taken me. Nor does anything even come close to the distance we encounter in "The Shadow and Night". As I opened the book and read the first pages, the thought came to me: perhaps this is the story I have been waiting all my life to read - or the tale I have always wanted to write. Well, not quite. But darned close to it.

In the Year of Our Lord 13000, the Lord's Peace is about to come under attack. Over eleven thousand years have passed since the Great Intervention; since that time there have been no wars, indeed no evil at all among humans. The Assembly's far-flung colonies have been created from inhospitable planets over thousands of years of terraforming and atmospheric adjustments.

But I'm not just talking about physical or temporal distance. The people on these worlds are redeemed, almost unfallen, incapable of sin. Far-advanced technologies are a part of daily life, but not overbearingly; simple, useful concepts are a joy to behold, such as the personal diary: a computer, telephone, camera, journal, dictaphone all in one; and the perfection of the Internet to a virtual-reality library containing all the information in the known universe.

The most distant Made World is Farholme, six hundred light years from Earth. Merral, the forester, finds himself an unwilling fighter for the cause of good when he becomes aware of strange happenings at his uncle's farm. The array of characters surrounding Merral is headed by Verofaza, a visitor from Ancient Earth, sent to investigate reports of a possible threat at Farholme.

The sudden re-entry of evil to the universe is all the more terrible because no one has any experience to deal with it, whether on a global or personal level. Temptations go unrecognised at first, and negative feelings are puzzled over as unknowns. Clues to the impending threat are woven in from the beginning, almost utterly harmless to start with, but creeping in with unabated increase of the suspense factor.

The author is an advocate for "slow creation", in other words, God-designed evolution, as this is taken for granted by all the characters. In the story, evolution appears to have passed from being a theory and is presented as a proven fact.

Nonetheless, the writing and the story drew me in from the first page. Descriptions and characters are sharp and vivid, from sunsets to animals to spaceflight, and particularly the unknowing innocence of saintly heroes in the face of insidious evil. Yet they too must grow, and that is what they do.

I'm glad the two books are joined in one volume here, because the first, while ending at a quiet moment, provides no conclusion to the mystery of what is going on. That is the epic quality of these stories; there is no quick-fix solution anywhere to be seen, but at the same time the reader is dragged into a personal journey of unimaginable proportions.

In the second part, things get exciting. If the first part is gripping suspense, then the second is pumping adrenaline. A peaceful people must prepare for war, and the tale moves increasingly from sci-fi to include the realm of fantasy - but it fits. After all, in a tale at the very end of time I would consider it normal for angels and fallen angels to appear. It's like seeing a war from the inside, up close and personal, with all the emotional reactions of those involved.

Vero changes almost overnight from a timid graduate to a decisive army organiser, studying ancient war histories and pondering a good many Ancient English metaphors along the way. Of course they don't make much sense to him, but that doesn't stop him using them. There is also much telling revelation of the first-time soldiers' initial excitement at battle, followed by the grim horror of reality.

This book will make you think. It will shoot you into the far distant future and make it believable. And it will take you all the way back to the roots of evil, and the triumph of good. If you're anything like me, it will surprise you, shock you, and bring you to the edge of laughter and tears. You will see yourself in its pages, and you will be reminded of the almighty power of the Lamb among the stars. Certainly a most incredible feat of writing (it took me around fifteen hours to read!) - I look forward to getting hold of the next installment. Much more is yet to come for the people of Farholme.

This edition of The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley, Ph.D., includes the first two books of his The Lamb Among the Stars series: The Shadow and Night and The Power of the Night. The series continues with The Dark Foundations and concludes with The Infinite Day.

In the Assembly of a thousand terraformed worlds are held together by instantaneous travel through interstellar gates, the reality of good and evil is not questioned--the Creator intervened in the course of human history ten thousand years before and banished evil from the lives of men and women.

But now evil returns.

And when Farholme's gate is destroyed, the remotest world is cut off from the safety of the Assembly. Suddenly, the people must battle an adversary thought long vanquished while confronting an alluring malevolence that springs from their hearts, minds, and souls.

Dr. Walley writes with an understated smoothness comparable to the style of a fellow British writer--H.G. Wells. His prose does not call attention to itself--this is not a cliff hanger--but page by page, he steadily builds story tension as every avenue of escape is cut off from his characters.


"They were separated by no more than twenty meters, and Merral could see the face clearly despite the shadows. It seemed to him that, despite its flattened appearance, the face was more human than ape. The large brown eyes seemed to stare at him, and Merral decided that if the face conveyed any emotion at all, it was of a cold intelligence and a determined and calculating hatred."


Most books in the SF genre depict stable societies as dystopias, be they theocratic, such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, or secular, such as Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Social stability comes at the cost of human freedom and vibrant creativity. Particularly in the America, the bureaucratic State has been personified as the villain, and the hero becomes the lone ranger who fights against unforgiving societal rigidity.

Dr. Walley turns this story tradition on its head. What if a truly good and stable society were to arise that did not sell its soul in a Faustian Bargain? What if the people were so unpretentiously sublime that they did not know they were good? Where would pride or boasting be? What appeals to me most about this story is that Dr. Walley pulls off these tricky themes without any insincere preachiness directed at the reader. The characters act because of who they are, not because Dr. Walley has a point he wants to make.

And into this world, evil comes. Night falls. How can mere men and women survive?


"We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the World." John 9:4-5


Highly Recommended

So what happens when Utopia...no longer is? Not physically, of course, since Farholme is still being shaped and terraformed, but rather a societal utopia. Small things start to go wrong, and though they seem innocuous, they're the first breaches in the dike.

A well-described world, thought-provoking characters, and a very interesting plot should hold most readers' attention. Give it a try!

Another great survival story. The stength and faith of this little girl is very inspiring. It is a good young readers book but as an adult it held my attention.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes to read about people helping people and who know the importance of remembering the Holocaust is important.

Among us were the crippled and old
Brought here by Hitler and his followers
`Cause we are different from the rest
Does Vati, Dad, know that we are struggling?
Eating is a privilege because
Food is hard to find and scarce. There's no telling when the
Gestapo will knock on your door asking you to leave.
In these hardships, I turn to God for help
Ja, I'm a Jew and I believe in God. I may never see my
Kin again for they have separated me and Mutti. "Meir
Liebling," My sweetheart, as my mother always called me. How I wish
Mutti was here with me.
Now, they are moving us to another camp for the war is closer.
Open fire, is all around us now. All we can do is
Pray for God to protect us. Protect Mutti, Vati, and Hilde
Quietness is all we hear since we escaped.
Realizing that the war is closing. I see that the
Shadow of God's Hand has been upon me.
The search for my family is on:
Under the circumstances, I would never see Mutti again.
Vati may also be dead or in jail.
What was I going to do without my mom or sister?
eXamining my mother's camp, I found nothing. I stood there
Yearning for my family. I was
Zealous when I saw something in the distance.

Wendy's new book, Shadow of His Hands, is written in such a way that you are taken back in time to see, hear and feel what Anita Dittman saw, heard and felt! It touched my heart to know that the story was true for no child should ever experience what Anita did. Written for children to understand and feel what it is like to be picked on and hated for what they believe but instead of getting bitter or wanting revenge,this book shows children how to depend on God for each day--some times each hour. Great job, Wendy!!! Highly recommend this book for not only children to read but those adults who need to know the truth about the Holocaust.

Anita Dittman gave up much in her brief childhood--dancing shoes, a teddy bear, her family, and nearly her life. Wendy Lawton paints a riveting picture of a real Jewish girl who struggled for existence during the Holocaust of Nazi Germany.
When others lost their faith, Anna Dittman was determined to find hers. I ached for this fragile girl who lived under the shadow of Hitler but survived under the greater hand of God.
The Daughter of Faith series has captivated this reader and Shadow of His Hand will inspire you as well.

I have read several of the books in Wendy Lawton's Daughters of the Faith series, inspiring stories of young girls who made a difference. Each one held my attention and caused me to identify with the main character. Wendy Lawton has written another winner in SHADOW OF HIS HAND, the account of holocaust survivor Anita Dittman.

The story opens when Anita is six years old and an aspiring ballerina. Soon all dreams of a dancing career are shattered-along with the lives of many of her family, friends, and neighbors in Nazi Germany. Anita's Aryan father deserts his family for political reasons. Anita, her Jewish mother, and her sister struggle with increasing persecution and hardships. The family is forced apart, and Anita and her mother end up in different concentration camps. When Anita escapes, just before the arrival of the Russian liberation army, she travels a dangerous course to find if her mother is dead or alive. Lawton shows the evil of the Nazi regime and the holocaust without excessive graphic details. Anita learns that no matter what, she can trust her loving heavenly Father.

This is the sixth and final book in the Daughters of the Faith series. Look for Wendy Lawton's new Real TV series books, CHANGING FACES and FLIP FLOP.

A friend referred to the Sharpe series as literary opium...he may be right. They are guilty pleasures, for sure....and I worry what will happen when I have read them all.

The thing is, drug or not, Cornwell is a wonderful writer. I laughed out loud a couple of times, was riveted by a love scene, and ran to the computer to look up the actual battle and scenes described. Great stuff.

And then I had the misfortune to read the new McMurtry novel....

"Sharpe's Sword" is a decent entry into the Sharpe series, but I happen to tend to prefer the Sharpe adventures that are primarily military rather than the ones with espionage plots. And, for my taste, "Sharpe's Sword" is a bit heavy on the spy angle and a hair light on the battles. But the book's action scenes, while failing to rival those in, say, "Sharpe's Rifles," "Sharpe's Eagle" or "Sharpe's Company," are still pretty satisfying. "Sharpe's Sword" is far from the weakest of the generally very strong Sharpe series (of the ones that I've read so far, I'd say that "Sharpe's Prey" my least favorite), but it doesn't quite rank among the very best, either.

I've been reading through the entire series chronologically and up until now i've been hard pressed to pick a favorite. After reading Sharpe's Sword however i have a clear choice.

In Sharpe's Sword, Cornwell gives the reader his true best - putting together a plot so interesting that one can even claim that in this novel it trumps his ability at "battlefield writing" where i believe Cornwell is the best living author- and that's saying something.

If you want a good introduction to cornwell's writing ability and you don't mind starting most of the way through a series i highly recommend Sharpe's Sword.

This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.

Many people insist in compare this series with Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. I don't think this is fair for any of the series, they are different entities. What they have in common is that once you start you may get hooked and devour one book after another...

And in the literary world today that is a rare and marvelous thing.

Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series is one of the most beloved collective works in the sub-genre of historical fiction. Spanning over twenty novels (and counting!), Cornwell has treated his readers with thrilling battlefield and bedroom exploits from Flanders to India to Spain and France. While the novels have a definitive formula, they never grow stale.

"Sharpe's Sword" is among the best of the Sharpe novels. Sharpe is a captain of the 95th Rifles, attached to the South Essex regiment as a light company. As fans of the series know, Sharpe has made himself indispensable to the British army (including his patron, Lord Wellington) by being the most lethal rogue in an army full of cut-throats and vagabonds. But in "Sharpe's Sword," Cornwell has created a foe worthy of Sharpe - the French spy-hunter Leroux, a lethal aristocrat whose charge from Napoleon is to topple the British spy network.

Leroux is captured by Sharpe early in the novel, but takes advantage of a foolish British officer's notion of "parole" (in which a captured officer may keep his weapons and freedom if he gives his sworn statement that he will not try to escape). Acting quickly, Leroux murders his way back to freedom, but in doing so he earns Sharpe's undying hatred . . . and envy. Sharpe hates him for being a backstabbing liar, but Sharpe envies him because Leroux has the most magnificent sword Sharpe has ever seen, and Sharpe wants it.

And so Sharpe and Leroux are caught in a duel to the death while the French and British armies slug it out in the gorgeous city of Salamanca and also on the plains of Spain. "Sharpe's Sword" has it all - humor, romance, intrigue, friendship, betrayal, and battles. And what battles! Nobody writes a better battle scene than Bernard Cornwell, and he tops himself when describing a suicidal, insane cavalry charge by Wellington's German heavy cavalry against formed French squares. The reader is flung into the wild madness that is Napoleonic warfare, and it is a glorious madness indeed.

Well-researched and lovingly written, "Sharpe's Sword" exemplifies all that is good in the Sharpe series.

A very excellent book about a family durint the american depression. Anyone interested in American history would enjoy reading this and receive a lot of information about that period of american history.

Great book. Enjoyed it very much. One of the best books I have ever read.

i have been reading books by bodie and brock thoene since i was a junior in high school. now that i am a senior in college, i still enjoy rereading their older books and discovering their newer books. i believe it is safe to say that you can never go wrong when you choose to read any of their books.

what is especially interesting about this book is the tremendous amount of detail in it and the complexity of each and every character, from
"Caro-line" Jensen, to Jefferson and Willa-Mae Canfield, to Grandma Amos and even to little Joey Tucker.

and what blesses me even more is that, unlike other Christian or non-Christian authors, she does not compromise the name of Christ. in fact, faith in Jesus even with all the craziness that happens in the world (good and bad), is the whole point. that when one puts their faith in Jesus and tests it against everything good and bad in this life, it always proves itself true and strong ("Never will I leave you or forsake you"-Jesus the Christ). i always learn something new, historically and spiritually, when reading thoene books.

two thumbs up!

This story is so wonderfully gripping. The back says it is based on the life of the authors family. As with all the Thoene books, this one is a hit and a stand-alone book, which is rare for these authors. A must read!

Where do I begin? This book, as each and every one of The Thoene's are, had me feeling unusually emotional. I had goosebumps and tears. I laughed out loud. These authors are so addictive I have bought every series they have written. My husband does not care to read, so I buy the cassette tapes and we listen to them while driving on trips. The characters feel like your own friends. The style of writing is so engrossing that it's hard to get into other books after reading theirs. I find myself sad once I finish the book because I do not want it to end. It's like some friends of mine are gone. Everyone needs to read this series, but read "In My Father's house", before you read this, because it is a continuation of the Shiloh Legacy Series. You won't regret this reading, ENJOY! Megan

This is a very well-written book, in plain English, with clear answers to difficult questions. I appreciated the Biblical support for each conclusion drawn because I wanted to know what the Bible said about this topic, not what somebody's opinions were. It was also very interesting, never boring. I highly recommend this book!! Thank you, Dr. Walston!

Walston has done it again! I have been a pastor for thirteen years, and regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage, I can find no better resource on the subject. Walston shows his ability to reach his audience; although he is a very well-educated individual, he doesn't boggle down the mind of his readers with scholarly terms and definitions.

The book is good for the graduate level students as well as the lay person in the congregation that has a heart to minister and counsel those that are just starting off in marriage and those that are looking for answers in their struggling marriages.

With the study questions for each chapter, the reader(s) will find this book becoming a practical study of biblical insight and knowledge.

This book is highly recommended.

Dr. Rick Walston brings more than two decades of ministerial experience to this work that examines the biblical view of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. He writes with a pastor's heart while sharing real-life stories that he has encountered over the years during counseling couples.

I highly recommend that ministers read this book so that they can learn from Dr. Walston's insights and experiences so that they know how to better minister to those who are struggling in a marriage, divorce, or remarriage.

Likewise, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is currently married because there are biblical lessons that can be learned from it that can strengthen the marriage covenant. This book is also helpful for the individual who has gone through the tradegy of divorce: God is capable and able to help individuals through the healing process that follows the divorce. Furthermore, those who have experienced divorce and are now remarried can learn biblical truth on their situation as well.

I was amazed at the way that Dr. Walston wrote this book . . . it was almost like reading a novel, but it was full of theological insight. The real-life stories at the start of each chapter really sets the stage for the truths that are to come. I learned about divorce and remarriage the hard way, "school of hard knocks." Then I learned about my real-life D&R in the context of the Bible and What God has to say about it through this book. I wish I had known about these things that Walston teaches on years ago; perhaps, then I would not have made the mistakes that I did. I've been recommending this book to many friends.

After Reading Dr. Walston's other book, "The Speaking in Tongues Controversy: The Initial, Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit Debate," I was excited to read this book, so I bought it immediately. I was not disappointed. Walston demonstrates the same level of Biblical scholarship in this book as he does in his other book, yet all the while making it easily understandable for the lay-person. His writing is clear and easy to understand. He takes some very difficult issues (and passages of Scripture) and makes them very clear. This book has now become my primary text for premarital, divorce, and remarriage counseling. If you are divorced and remarried or you minister to people who are, you need this book. It is, in my humble opinion, the single best book on these difficult subjects.

In Straight, Francis gives us another of his honorable and vulnerable heroes who find themselves in trouble through no fault of their own. True, part of Derek Franklin's problems stems from not getting to know his much older brother, Greville, but the rest of his problems just seem to happen. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is never in one's favor.

Derek is a successful jockey whose ankle is broken in a fall in a race. Just after he learns that his brother has been killed in a freak accident. Now, Greville was a gemologist who tended to be more than a little paranoid. He loved gadgets and puzzles and lives in a house outfitted like a fortress. Unfortunately, the strength of the house does not prevent Derek from being pummeled and otherwise abused nearly to the point of death. The worst thing is that he doesn't know why. This is a story of many mysteries most of which have nothing to do with one another. True to form, though, the villain once identified, proves to have no compunctions about doing whatever it takes to get what he/she wants and for self protection. Or is that villains?

As the story unfolds, the reader finds out as much about the deceased Greville as Derek, his brother and sole heir. (There are two sisters who live abroad.) It's difficult not to care about both and to feel the regret about not getting to know someone before it's too late.

Straight is a typical Francis novel in that it's a fast read, one cares about the protagonist, and pretty much despises the antagonist. Few surprises when it comes to it, but one of Francis's good ones.

I hve been reading Dick Francis books for at least 15 years. My father introduced me to them. When I go on vacation this summer, some of them will accompany me. "Straight" will be one of them.

Greville and Clarissa had concealed their love affair for three years.

Greville was a middleman, who had traveled the world to search out reliable sources of semiprecious gemstones. The successful London company he founded would have the stones cut in Antwerp, Tel Aviv, New York, or elsewhere, then distribute the gems in quantity to creative designers and producers of fashionable jewelry. Greville also owned racehorses, starting when someone had given him one in settlement of a debt.

Clarissa was the attractive wife of an older British lord, who had pursued her. Greville became Clarissa's first love, as she became his. When he was not on a trip, and she could come to London, they would meet. When apart, which was most days, they had agreed to pause at a set time of day to think of each other, knowing that each was doing the same.

A sudden accident ended all this. Greville had been walking down the High Street next to a construction site, when collapsing scaffolding from high up, struck him, sending him to the hospital, where he never regained consciousness and soon died.

Here are Dick Francis's very first words of the story: "I inherited my brother's life. Inherited his desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress. I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me."

The speaker is Greville's brother Derek, younger by nineteen years. Too tall for flat racing, Derek is a steeplechase jockey, which is especially dangerous because of the jumping. In the story he is, in fact, on crutches recovering from a broken left ankle injured in a race.

Derek's racing world and Greville's business world collide throughout the book. Derek must pick up the complex gemstone business traces, while undergoing continuing pressure from racing owners and trainers to hurry up and heal.

The company employees tell Derek that Greville did not deal in diamonds. In going to the bank, Derek discovers otherwise. The manager tells him that three months earlier the bank had loaned Greville a million and a half U.S. dollars, specifically to expand into diamonds, and would soon be looking to Derek to start repayment.

Where are the diamonds? Stolen? Who are the customers who wanted them? Greville's company business and his house are broken into. Derek is assaulted and shot at. The action is nonstop. The book is a fascinating, literate page-turner.

Note: Probably all of us readers like to notice where a book's title appears in the text, and to see the meaning in context. I frankly lost count after more than a dozen instances, many of them different -- from Intensive Care Unit monitor lines going flat, to straight thinking versus labyrinthine, to honest test reporting versus shadiness, just to name a few. And a big one near the end of the book, which I wouldn't want to reveal here. Your reading will have to decide which of the many applies most strongly. Or perhaps they all do?

This has to be one of my all time favorite Dick Francis novels. It has everything a mystery should have in it - murder, missing jewels, mayhem... In my opinion, it's going to be difficult for Francis to top this one, but I can't wait while he keeps trying!

Straight takes the reader behind the scenes of the jewel trade and it's not an industry that's always on the up and up. Derek Franklin has been on a roller coaster ride of late as his steeplechase jockey career is nearing the end with him sustaining yet another injury. During his forced leave to heal, Derek finds out that his older brother, Greville, has been attacked and is on his deathbed. After his brother succumbs to his injuries, Derek is told that he has inherited his brother's business. Too late to protect himself, Derek realizes that his brother was a target and Derek suspects it has something to do with a fortune in missing diamonds.

This isn't a direct "who dun it" but also has a few subplots that are enjoyable in their own right. When Derek is summoned to his dying brother's hospital bed, the interaction (or lack there of) made me very thankful for the close relationship I have with my brothers and sisters. This thankfulness was reinforced throughout the story, as Derek learns more about his older brother and begins to understand him.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Derek is sure that a clue is hidden in his brother's computer, but he is unable to access the correct password. Greville's secretary comes to the rescue. After hearing the clues left by Greville, followed by a brief mind struggle, she comes up with the correct code word and up pops a message on the computer screen congratulating her and promising her a raise. Now that's the kind of boss I want - he sounds fun!

The only negative some may have with this book is that it is a detour for Dick Francis. As most of his books revolve around horseracing, his devoted fans have come to expect that background. In Straight the only reference to horseracing is the fact that Derek is an injured jockey.

Want to read a mystery that will have you guessing until the end? If so, then this is the book for you to read next! It's very enjoyable and will have you wondering until the very end.

A reader knows what they are getting with a Dick Francis book. The mystery will be well plotted, the hero (usually a jockey or former jockey) will bravely face whatever trials that face him overcoming his troubled past and/or secret sorrow and the action will center around the some part of the racing world. Every once in awhile though a surprise pops up, this time the jockey is thrust into the totally alien world of gems.

Jockey Derek Franklin has been sidelined by a broken ankle, shortly after his brother Grenville is murdered. As Derek tries to settle the estate he finds himself drawn more and more into his brother's world of finance, gems and quirky little gadgets. Gradually he begins to sort out the mysteries surrounding Grenville's life and death but soon discovers that there are others who are determined to keep him from the answers. In the end, of course all is revealed.

This is a well plotted and clever mystery. The clues are all there for the reader to follow. The characters are well written, and draw the reader into the story.