Faith is the greatest adventure.

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Thursday, May 11, 2023, 16:14

 

Second chances and suspense at an orphanage in cartel country. My rating: ★★★★☆

 
Content warnings: violence (not graphic), romance (very mild) | Click here to read full post

 

Just what I was looking for, even as a re-read. A bit predictable, perhaps, and far too abrupt at the climax, even for Bunn. That’s the moment when I want to see what’s happening and watch it unfold. But altogether, this is an enjoyable read. Because several of Bunn’s books have strayed into speculative fiction, which is not my cup of tea, I wasn’t sure how realistic the presentation of this fantastic new invention would be, but it comes across as very plausible—although no one seems to address whether “free power for the masses” is really an effective way to solve a country’s problems. It would have been nice if the terms were more precise than “the apparatus,” “the machine,” “the device,” etc., but perhaps Bunn didn’t know what to call it either.

As I said before, great characters and great action scenes. I love Bunn’s action scenes. My original review also said, “Great salvation arc.” I still partly say that, but it does seem a little vague—more the notion of accepting divine help and recognizing that Jesus is right there waiting than acknowledging his substitutionary death and resurrection on behalf of personal sin. But what’s there is well developed within Simon’s character arc. I also appreciate that faith was Sofia’s deciding factor in relationships, something that is too often ignored in Christian fiction.

I’ve now seen the movie as well, and as is typical, there is wide divergence between the book and the movie (although in this case, the movie came first). But both are good, and I enjoy having faces and voices to imagine while reading (although I think I prefer to read about maniacal bad guys rather than watch them). I’ve read so many of Bunn’s books now that I can say this is definitely typical Davis Bunn, and I was excited when I found a good one I hadn’t read yet. Perfect for a few slow days when I just wanted something to relax with. Somehow I can relax while reading Bunn’s suspense—well, except for the moment near the end when I just wasn’t sure…

Still four stars, and recommended for readers who like Christian suspense fiction with a bit of a scientific bent. (And for anyone who’s wondering—yes, I do read authors besides Davis Bunn, despite what my recent reviews may indicate!)

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Happy reading!

 

 

Jayna Baas is the author of Preacher on the Run. She is a member of ACFW and The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free short story here.

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