For the last decade, if you’ve worked in a bookstore then you probably have a Harry Potter story. You probably worked a late night HP Party when a new book came out, or you probably had interesting discussions with customers who berated Potter for teaching kids about wizardry. My own story begins in the year 2000 when I first started working in a bookstore.

I had never heard of JK Rowling or Harry Potter, but I knew where to find them.  We had a huge center aisle display that housed all the books and merchandise.  I remember even thinking Rowling was a man for a few weeks until our children’s department manager corrected me.

When the fourth book came out, I lucked out and didn’t have to work the midnight release.  I didn’t even go near the store that night.  But all week long, I got to listen to tons of complaints from “Christians” who were peeved that the entire back cashwrap display was promoting Harry Potter, wizards, and witchcraft.  It was perfectly okay though when we did a Tim LeHaye Left Behind display, and guess what?  Not one HP fan complained about that.

To this day, I have never read one single Harry Potter book.  I don’t have to be reminded about how good they are and that I should read them.  I tend not to read what’s popular.  And with a franchise that spans eight movies and millions of dollars in merchandise, I’d say Harry is quite popular.  But public ridicule given to books that opened a whole new door for interest in reading amongst a young generation (and old) does have my attention.

And that’s why I definitely wanted to read Derek Murphy’s Jesus Potter Harry Christ.  Murphy takes the great debate between Christians and Muggles to a whole new level and parallels the lives and storylines of their two great leaders:  Harry Potter and Jesus Christ.

At a lengthy478 pages, with a 20 page Index and another 20 pages devoted to Notes, Murphy has done his homework.  Just check out the Bibliography which is another 12 pages. The book is divided into three distinct parts covering a wide range of information based on the beginning, the middle, and the end of both of our lead character’s stories and their many followers, citing the likes and differences.

This debate is not new.  And Murphy does a brilliant job of keeping his facts and his own opinions separate.  He acts as a proctor between the debaters, presenting a wealth of quotes and citations from numerous scholars, reporters, Christians, readers, priests, and more. We get equal opinions from those who support either side and many who support both.

You have those who are dead set against HP because its paganism and against the rules of the Bible.  You have those who love HP for its value in literature and readership.  And then you have believers, like Murphy, who believe in what the Bible says but approach Potter in a more open-minded light.  As one quote in the book suggests, Christianity and its values change with each generation and culture.

Murphy clearly outlines the likes and differences between Potter and Christ from both having a miraculous birth, both having to go into hiding, both having to battle against evil, and both dying and coming back to life. There’s also distinct symbolism that mirrors itself in each story such as evil (or Satan) being represented by a snake.

Probably my only problem with the book is that the information is repeated quite a bit.  Its often broken up with lengthy quotes and references to back up Murphy’s points, but still repeats itself at times as Murphy solidifies the arguments.  The section on the history of paganism was fascinating though and even complete with photographs and illustrations. Rowling fans will also learn a lot about her as as author and a mother with her own personal beliefs and motivations.

I’ve always been a person who’s enjoyed the effects a book can have on people.  I don’t just mean someone saying, “I loved that book.”  But how did the book affect your life?  How did it affect your thinking?  My review probably holds no precedence since I admit I haven’t read the Potter books and that I never will, but how many of you have read the Bible from cover to cover?  Potter is still as much a part of my history as any one elses and will be for a long time to come despite the series being over.

New readers are being introduced to him for the first time every day – both Christ and Potter. And as long as people are reading, for whatever reason, then there will always be debate.  Murphy presents a healthy and spiritual look into the lives of two of the world’s most popular literary characters and in the end, still leaves you to decide on your own whose right and whose wrong – or is there a truce to be met somewhere in the middle between fans and followers.  And to be such a large book, you can’t beat the hard copy or Kindle price.

If you approach this topic with an open mind and consider the facts (and the myths), which Murphy has presented here in a magnificent well-researched volume of information, then you will come away informed and enlightened.  In the end, what YOU believe, is all that really matters.

I’ve said it before in other historical or nonfiction books I’ve reviewed here: I was not a fan of history class back in school, and I blame the bland teachers who doubled as coaches and only taught history because they had to teach something besides kick ball.  History was boring to me thanks to those boring teachers.  But I have authors like Michael E. Newton to thank for bringing me back to the fold. If you are not a fan of historical nonfiction, I absolutely beg you to pick up his book and at least give it a try.  I have only two words to describe it: Brilliant and Intelligent!

First, I had an idea what tyranny was and I admit I almost looked it up before I started to read Mr. Newton’s book. I assumed his book was written for a specific group of people who should probably already be well versed in the subject.  I was wrong. Tyranny is defined right on page 4, and Newton doesn’t use “over your head” terms that you’ll find yourself going glassy eyed over. In fact, the text is laced with infamous quotes from George Santayana (“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”) to James Madison (“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”) which help you become quite comfortable with the material.  Newton draws you and obviously knows how to relate to his reader.  A sign of a good teacher, perhaps?  As for that definition of tyranny:

The word comes from the ancient Greek tyrannos, meaning “absolute ruler.” With time, the definition of tyrannos changed from “absolute ruler” to “illegitimate, cruel, and oppressive ruler.” Today, the dictionary definition of tyrant is “an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution” and tyranny is “oppressive power” especially as “exerted by government.”

Still too much to wrap your head around?  Don’t worry.  From there, Newton spends a chapter each on Ancient Greece, Ancient Israel, Ancient Rome, Communist Russia, Fascist Italy, and even Nazi Germany explaining how each free society descended into tyranny.  Newton ultimately ends with the United States and the jagged path they may just be leading us in the same direction.  Readers will be shocked but informed at the evidence of our destiny, which is actually already happening right in the headlines.  We’ve just been too blind to see it.  But we aren’t necessarily the ones to blame.

Newton stretches all the way back to our forefathers and the signing of the constitution.  The taste of wealth and freedom has shielded our eyes from the same demise that all of the other societies mentioned in the book eventually met, so this descent has been slow going, but has happened throughout our history. Newton even sites examples of when tyranny isn’t such a bad thing, but ultimately a single leader even gets greedy.

Newton’s book is impressive on all accounts.  It’s solid – inside and out.  The book’s cover is beautiful and eye catching.  Although it only contains 8 lengthy chapters, each is informative and not a page is wasted.  Newton had my full attention throughout.  And while Newton does lightly input his own opinions throughout the text, his facts are in plain sight.  The citations and bibliography sections in the back of the book take up an impressive 40 pages!  Newton did his homework. This is another book I’m going to call the attention of other indie authors to – buy Newton’s book for a reference on how self-publishing should be done!

His solution to our problem is limited to just two pages in the last chapter on the U.S.  And it’s quite simple.  I won’t reveal it here because I don’t want to ruin the book for readers, but this is not a how-to-get-out-of-tyranny book anyway.  Newton just peels back the layers of history – the pop quiz questions on who fought who – and shows us what the world’s history sadly had in common, and that in the end, as a country we are no different. With politics and “change” all over the news lately, Newton’s book is for the voter.  Yes, it’s a wake up call.  It’s informative.  And it encourages us to use the two freedoms we’ve fought the most for: the right to vote and the right to speak.

History buffs, political junkies, conspiracy theorists, or just those who enjoy a good nonfiction read or like to be informed – there’s a little bit of everything for everyone here.  Ten years ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about this book.  But in today’s society, today’s economy, today’s America, this is a book that I will be suggesting for a long time to come.  If you loved history back in the day, or even if you hated it, Newton’s book will astound you and open the eyes of the student inside all over again.

Being an English major in college, I became well versed in the life and works of Shakespeare.  Not once did a professor ever mention the theory that maybe Shakespeare wasn’t really the man behind the great plays he’s still celebrated for today.  Being a conspiracy theory junkie today, I jumped at the chance to read and review Daryl Pinksen’s Marlowe’s Ghost.  Like I said, I had no idea who Christopher Marlowe was before I read Pinksen’s book, or did I know about the theory that he was Shakespeare.

Marlowe’s Ghost was also the grand-prize winner of the Writer’s Digest 17th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards competition.  “The title competed against 2,600 total entries last year in nine different categories,” says Melissa Hill, Associate Editor for Writer’s Digest magazine, “The competition judges selected his book as the grand prize winner based on its solid writing, user-friendly design, and the fascinating, careful case he (Pinksen) builds for his premise.” Competition judge and author Anthony Flacco notes, “Whether or not one accepts Pinksen’s position that Christopher Marlowe was actually William Shakespeare, his arguments are precise, thorough and compelling.”  In a 2010 issue of Writer’s Digest Pinksen himself called this “the greatest story that no one has ever heard of.”  And since I’d never heard of it, I had to read it for myself!

Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare were born the same year, led similar lives, and received similar educations but in different parts of the country.  “Between 1585 and 1593, Christopher Marlowe single-handedly transformed the face of English drama.  Before him, Scholars say, neither true English blank verse nor genuine English tragedy existed,” states Pinksen.  But who is credited as the father of such verse today?  Shakespeare.   Pinksen states that Marlowe demonstrated the ability to write “Shakespearean” plays and had he remained alive after 1593, his plays would have equaled (or possibly even surpassed) those of Shakespeare himself.  So, what happened to Marlowe, you might ask?

Though he was briefly a celebrated English playwright and lay the foundation for Shakespearean drama, Marlowe’s political views got him into trouble.  In 1593, he was accused of atheism and heresy.  A member of the English intelligence network, he was murdered and his body dumped in a mass grave used at the time for victims of the plague.  His grave went unmarked and his name went unknown for 400 years as Shakespeare became a household name in relation to poetry and drama. But did Marlowe really die or did he go into exile? Theories suggest that Marlowe was actually Shakespeare, or that Shakespeare wrote as if he were actually Marlowe’s apprentice. Pinksen points out that the “persecution of a writer who dared to question authority may have led to the greatest literary cover-up of all time.”

I’m not usually a fan of nonfiction, particularly books on English drama and playwrights. I expected Pinksen’s book to be a dry volume of regurgitated theories and footnotes, but it is quite the opposite. Minus the notes and references, the body of text is only 230 pages and divided into smaller well-developed chapters which made this a quick read for me.  The Foreword is a  letter from Michael Rubbo, director of the PBS Special Much Ado About Something, which also explores the Marlowe theory and served as inspiration for Pinksen. What follows is seven sections, each divided into smaller chapters, and each exploring a different part of the overall theory.

Pinksen begins with a nice introduction about the theory itself, teasing his reader with just enough information to want you to know more and introducing you to who Marlowe was and where he came from.  Chapter 2 of Section 1 contains numerous quotes from others about the Marlowe theory, showing that Pinksen did his homework and proving that the information (truth) is out there.  What follows is a brief biography of Marlowe, leading up to his death and even a detailed look at the coroner’s report.  From there, Pinksen leads the reader into the concept that Marlowe went into exile instead.  Although we know where Pinksen’s own opinions lie, I did not feel he is trying to sway the reader into either direction.  Devout Shakespeare fans will certainly “enjoy” getting angry over the theories here.

I was impressed with the rich colors of the book’s cover.  The book’s formatting and editing is flawless, probably thanks to a good copy editor or to investing in one of the editing packages that IUniverse offers.  Either way, this is a book authors considering self-publishing should buy as a reference if they want to study technique and layout of the book itself.  Pinksen is very deserving of his Writer’s Digest award.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book, learned a lot from it, and will definitely be sharing it with others.  And as for Marlowe, all preconceived notions I had of Shakespeare, before reading this book, have just been thrown out the window.  Marlowe’s Ghost is a book that makes you question, and that’s exactly what good literature in this genre should do.

Explore this book online at marlowesghost.com!

I have to admit I haven’t always been a fan of history. And even today I find myself more intrigued by the events our history books left out, or the people of our pasts who are just as important but less celebrated.  The fabulous fifties were my parent’s era, not mine. But what attracted me to Jim Chambers’ book was actually two things: the cover and the fact that it’s a personal memoir (although Jim says it’s not!) and not just a historical account.

Thanks to Wikimedia Commons, Jim’s book has an attractive cover made up of numerous black and white and color photos right from American culture that’s sure to catch the eyes and attention of anyone.  From Cracker Jacks to TV Dinners to Elvis to Eisenhower the cover, with its bright yellow background, draws the reader in and gives them lots of interesting things to relate to.  Without having read one single thing about this book beyond its cover, I knew I wanted to review it. True, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the fact that my opinion of the cover is positive speaks for itself. The author captured the essence and theme of his book perfectly, and this is a great example of just a good book cover all around!  Jim should definitely be proud.

That said, the story inside is just as amazing as the book’s outside. The Foreword begins with the age old question, “What if the hokey pokey really is what it’s all about?”  The author immediately reels you in by telling the reader about one of his favorite books, Bill Bryson’s The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, a recollection of what it was like to grow up in the 50s and 60s.  Jim then explains why the 50s were such an important period for those who were growing up at that time:  war, science, sports, literature, history, medicine.  The landmark of events was a never ending journey that commands attention. Here’s just a small list right from the introduction of the book:

• Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states
• WWII ended
• The Cold War began
• The Great Depression ended
• Women went to work
• The double helix DNA structure was discovered
• Polio Vaccine
• The Space Race between the US and the USSR
• Don Larsen pitched a perfect game at the ’56 World Series
• The Catcher in the Rye became a bestseller
• Marlon Brando won an Oscar
• Ben-Hur won 11 Academy Awards
• The Kinsey Reports were published
• Demonstrations led to the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act to be passed

And all of this and more in just the first four pages!  At the end of the Foreword, the author states, as I said before, that this is NOT a personal memoir.  And while it is indeed more of a historical account, the author does provide personal commentary along the way.  Just as the title states, the book is made of “recollections.”  The book has that “tell me ’bout the good ole days” feel to it while also keeping true to preserving the historical facts.  Jim’s account is not biased, although some parts definitely have that grumpy ole man “back in my day” feel to it. But rather than being grumpy about it, Jim just captures a simpler time that other baby boomers can only reminisce about now. He explains the way certain headlines made him feel and how they shaped and changed our country.

At only 135 pages, the book is divided into 12 chapters covering war, family, kids, arts, food, entertainment, shopping, travel, medicine, science, and more. I particularly liked the family chapter where Jim paints a picture that I even remember myself when my Mom stayed at home in the 80s to raise the kids and we didn’t even have cable TV:

Family life was in some ways simpler and less hectic in the Fifties than it is today. Since cities were much smaller then, commute times were shorter than today, so working fathers were usually home by 5:30 in the afternoon. When my dad got home from work, we all had dinner together. Meals were real sit-down family affairs, not the quick grab-a-bite-on-the-run things they often are today. My mother got up in the morning long before the rest of us did and started making biscuits from scratch and frying sausage or bacon and eggs (“It ain’t breakfast unless a pig died!”) Pillsbury made refrigerated canned biscuits that weren’t bad, but our mom insisted on making them from scratch every morning, even though it was a lot of work. Weekday lunches were at school, but dinner was a sit-down time to talk about the day and fill up with our mom’s wonderful home cooking. There weren’t many so called convenience foods then, so meals were made almost entirely from scratch, a very time-consuming process.

From the clothes drying on the line in the backyard to Leave It To Beaver playing on the black and white TV set, Jim Chambers’ Recollections is a fantastic journey down memory lane for the baby boomers and a trivia filled, historical reference for the younger generations.  I’d love to see the author extend Recollections to possibly include a 60s and 70s edition.

Like I said, I was just a baby day dream back then because my parents were in their teens in the 50s, but I can appreciate Chambers’ book for the beauty of a much simpler time he has captured that I would have loved to have experienced, that I miss today in our socially inept world that’s plugged in, downloaded, and wired for the future.  I plan to share my copy of his book with my parents because I know they will appreciate it too.  Thank you, Jim, for the memories!

Read a preview of Jim’s book here!

For years, I was a true crime buff.  I still possess more useless knowledge about some of America’s infamous serial killers than I care to admit to.  Give me a good “true” ghost story or A&E/ Travel Channel historical haunting feature or reality ghost hunting show and I’m glued to the television for hours. So, when Curt Rowlett approached us with his three books devoted to mysteries, murder, and the occult, I immediately wanted to read all of them!

Labrinth13 is my favorite of the three, and covers the subject matter of the other two books which I will discuss in this review as well. L13 is divided into three sections: Occult, Crime, and Conspiracy.  There is an outstanding introduction where Rowlett explains how this book was born out of a website he created by the same name to record his research while preserving his artistic integrity and capturing a reading audience.  Rowlett even goes into great detail to explain where the title came from, giving a nice explanation as to the fear behind the infamous number 13 while citing a long list of historical events and information related to 13 including classical composer Arnold Shonberg who suffered from triskaidekaphobia which is a fear of the number 13.  And he had a right to be afraid of it.  He was born on Friday the 13th, and died on Friday the 13th and 13 minutes before midnight!

Vampire fans will enjoy the first chapter of the Occult section where Rowlett explores the history of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and how Stoker might have also been inspired by unknown vampiric history that took place on American soil. This is based on newspaper clippings found in Stoker’s papers about a Rhode Island vampire named Mercy Lena Brown who might have inspired Stoker’s character named Lucy. Rowlett also covers werewolves in another chapter for those of you who enjoy lycanthropy over vampires.

Rowlett does an excellent job of weaving his research and theory into nice tight chapters that move at a decent pace, definitely keeping the reader interested, and also cause a few chills along the way.  Take this opening paragraph as an example, from the story about a strange visitor to Edgar Allan Poe’s grave:

For over 50 years since 1949, on the night marking the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birth, a mysterious man-in-black has entered the cemetery where the master of the macabre lies buried, and, making his way through the dark shadows to Poe’s grave, he places a partial bottle of expensive French cognac and three blood-red roses there, presumably as tokens of admiration and in tribute to the great author. This ritual completed, he then slips away into the night as quietly and as mysteriously as he came. The identity of this dark stranger — dubbed “The Poe Toaster” by observers — has never been revealed.

My favorite chapter in the Occult section is Chapter 8, where Rowlett covers several “uncanny occurrences” in small sections including an odd tale about Mary Shelley and her deceased husband’s heart, one about Mark Twain and a Ouija Board, and another coincidence concerning Poe and the unfortunate fate of a literary character and two different real life men all named Richard Parker. Writers will also enjoy the frightening tale about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and one man’s “insane” passion for words.

Part 2 of the book, Crime, starts off with an extensive piece about the Zodiac killer, followed by focus on Charles Manson, David Berkowitz, and the Process Church and what role Christianity and Satanism both played in bringing fear to America during the late 70s and early 80s.  Rowlett lays out some fascinating research on symbolism and how it also played an important role during this time.

Part 3 of the book, Conspiracy, begins with a bizarre look at how our government might have been involved in mind control and creating programmed assassins. Rowlett focuses on several well known gunman including Sirhan Sirhan, Lee Harvey Oswald (a favorite subject of mine in high school), James Earl Ray, and Mark David Chapman, pointing out their political ties, military background, and literary tastes. Rowlett also points out the odd rise of serial killers in the 1980s may have very well been “a stockpile of sleepers who woke up too early.”

Consider that for the most part, serial killers tend to prey on the so-called “undesirables” of society, such as prostitutes, drug addicts, homosexuals, and other targeted minorities of the ultra-right wing. (The FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit has stated that as many as 150 serial killers may be operating undetected in the United States). Serial killers, like mind-controlled sleepers, outwardly appear normal to the rest of the world, but also seem to be acting under a programmed obsession to kill, usually in the same way, over and over again, as if trying to fulfill some sort of mission that is echoing around in their heads.

I have to commend Rowlett on his research and attention to detail.  The notes, resources, and appendix of this book is well over 100 pages.

Rowlett’s book, Riding on Your Fears, is a 67 page essay and more extensive look into the Manson Family and the murders they committed.  Rowlett mentions Manson quite a bit in L13 and discusses in great detail the effect Manson might have had on the hippie movement.

Could Manson be considered a true counter-culture revolutionary? Was he a well-intentioned, but ultimately misunderstood guru whose followers took it upon themselves to murder for him? Or was he, as the prosecutor at his murder trial portrayed him, simply a crazed cult leader and career criminal? This book contends that Manson is a varied combination of all of those things.

Through research and interviews, Rowlett points out several mysteries behind Manson, his “family,” and the infamous murders he’s still known for today.Rowlett also discusses  several rumors and urban legends that have followed Manson over the years.

I have to admit I had never heard of Palmyra Island before reading Rowlett’s book, The Curse of Palmyra Island. It’s a small South Pacific atoll which is shrouded in mystery much like the Bermuda Triangle. It has a long history of strange events, supernatural occurrences, and murder. Much of Rowlett’s 72 page essay is featured in L13, but in this book Rowlett also covers the history of the island along with a map and beautiful illustrations.

Rowlett cites a book called And The Sea Will Tell which focuses on a sailing couple, Mac and Muff Graham, who were killed in 1974 on the island by another couple who were inhabiting it. Rowlett was later contacted by and given the chance to interview a lady named Sharon Jordan who actually discovered the remains of Muff Graham washed ashore on the island seven years later. Mac Graham’s remains have still not been found to this day.

When I see things like this in the news, or read of a murder in the newspaper, I’m always the one who questions everything and usually suspects the most bizarre and unusual thing to have happened. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Curt Rowlett’s work because of my fascination with such stories.  He is truly a well versed student and expert of the supernatural and occult.

If you are a fan of such writing, theories, mysteries, and more, then you can visit Curt on the web and read more of his work at labyrinth13.com.

Today, I have remained neutral throughout most of my life when it comes to the topic of religion, but I grew up a Southern Baptist and carried a small hardcover Bible to Sunday School.  It had a cartoon picture on the cover of Jesus walking through a rocky valley while carrying a baby lamb.  Inside, there were a ton of other colorful illustrations that kept my young mind entertained when there was no chewing gum left in my mother’s purse or I’d grown tired of drawing stick figures of my own on the back of the church bulletin.

There was Adam and Eve in a pretty garden with a snake in an apple tree, and fig leaves winding out across the middle of the picture to strategically cover any private places. There was a glorious picture of a giant ark with hundreds of animals coming out of it; a dove and a rainbow in the sky.  An old man clung to a mountain top with two tablets in his hand beneath a dark sky full of lightening.  A mother and father in dirty clothes knelt next to a manger in a barn.  Cows and sheep lay in the background.  Colorful kings carrying shiny gifts were looking through the gate.  And in the makeshift crib lay an angelic baby on a bed of golden hay.  Angels filled the sky overhead and shepherds could be seen guiding their flocks in the distance.

The next photo was of that mother holding her child.  She wore a white and blue hood and gown; the cherub-like baby was wrapped in crisp white fabric.  Books later in the Bible, there was another picture of that same mother, a bit aged, standing in the front of a crowd along a street.  A single tear made its way down her cheek. Her mature son was being paraded down the street, half naked.  His back had been whipped and was bleeding. A crown of thorns was wrapped tightly around his head.

These are images that any of us, religious or not, have seen somewhere before.  They’re used throughout religious history and teachings, and you could say Mary and Jesus are iconic figures in the photo albums of our minds.  But what about Joseph?  Who is he really, besides the tall thin character standing behind Mary in your mother’s Christmas nativity set?  What do you know about him?  Thanks to Stephen Bruce’s novel, The Father, I have a pretty good picture of him now.

First, I have to commend the author on his beautiful and captivating book cover.  He has not attempted to set any certain preconceived images in the reader’s mind about what this book is about.  There are no people on the cover engaging in any event to even give you a hint.  Rather than a typical blue cloudy sky, he has painted it red…the same color of blood or also a typical color associated with love, which also happens to be in the title.  (It has often been suggested to POD authors to use some red on your book cover to grab attention.)

You are looking down a cobblestone road with a flash of light at the end, possibly indicating reward or hope at the end of a long rough journey (the light at the end of the tunnel?).  The buildings along the road and the scroll-like font of the title might indicate a story of Biblical nature, but my point is that this is a well thought out cover which I believe would grab a book browser’s attention for all the right reasons.

And that’s just the cover.

Mr. Bruce writes in a third person narrative, which I often prefer.  It goes back to the days of enjoying having someone else telling you a story.  We also assume our narrator knows all, and for a writer it is much easier to present multiple points of view using a third person voice overhead that sees and knows all.  Writing technicalities like this aside, right from page one the author puts you on that dirty stone road which you see on the cover.  You are standing next to Joseph and watching with him as Jesus is led through the streets carrying a cross.

Such was his rage. It was an anger that he could not express, an impotent fury which had suggested itself to him before but which was now close to consuming him. In his mind’s eye he saw a black tidal wave, of immense size, racing towards him, destroying everything in its path and blocking out all light as it rushed to embrace him. Dreadful as this image was he felt a willingness to allow the wave to wash over him, to obliterate him completely, sparing him the agony of watching his beloved son suffer.

I immediately recalled images from Mel Gibson’s Passion movie from a few years ago; you will as well if you read this book and you’ve seen that movie.  The pain and suffering of Jesus is vivid and heart wrenching, despite the violence and rage which other movies and the news have blatantly shown us everyday, desensitizing our eyes and minds to horrible things of that nature.

But I believe that is why Stephen Bruce has chosen to tell this well-known story from the point of view of someone else who may or may not have been there…Joseph, the “foster” father of Christ, a man that most of us only know as a modest carpenter.  In the Bible, Joseph never even speaks in the Gospels. Christian tradition, though vague on the time and place of his death, represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of Jesus.

That is why the characters are a truly important part of this novel.  Stephen Bruce breathes such life and emotion into them, causing this novel to read like a biography which the author might have penned as the very events on the pages were taking place.  From the crucifixion to Joseph pleading for the body of his son, you too will feel the agonizing emotion and love of this man.

As a reader, I tend to stray from books like these which present a story that I may personally only know bits and pieces of, but it’s a traditional story that “everyone” knows some part of which often makes it look very predictable in our eyes and not worth reading.  Bruce’s novel is in no way such a story, despite being about the death of Jesus.  It is much more than that.    More so, it is about the love Joseph had for his son and the inner turmoil any father would go through should he have to watch a dear loved one suffer.

Clean, in-depth writing, vivid detail that captures and holds your attention, and strong powerful characters that you will want to visit with again and again, The Father is a book I will be adding permanently to my bookshelf with intentions of sharing it with friends and loved ones of my own.  I applaud Stephen Bruce on a magnificent piece of work, and if there are any traditional publishers out there reading this now…this book is worthy of your attention!

I am speaking of Timeline of America, written by Floyd M. Orr who is chief of the PODBRAM review site.  His book was published through iUniverse, which was the main self-publishing company he focused on reviewing books for until earlier this year.

His book is a fun romp through American history and pop culture, complete with pop quizzes at the very end, and filled with fun facts that chances are you never got out of a grade school history classroom.  I won’t spend too much time reviewing it here, but instead invite you to check out his book at Amazon and read my review of it there.

Kudos to Mr. Orr for a brilliant book that I sincerely believe deserves the attention of a traditional publishing company!