bookshelf

THE RETURN

Name: THE RETURN
Author: Gail Dawson McNally
ISBN: 978-1-4392-1499-2

: CHRIST HAS DIED, CHRIST IS RISEN, CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN

by Gail Dawson McNally ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2009

An engrossing novel.

bookshelf

Intellectually serious and absolutely riveting, this religious fiction challenges believers and nonbelievers alike.

Much of McNally’s bold new book takes place in a bleak future in which the continued rise of radical Islamic terrorism has endangered the fate of the Catholic Church and the basic bonds of civilization. In desperation, the Vatican conceives a radical plan–to encourage the Christian faithful and spur a worldwide religious revival, the Church will stage the second coming of Christ. Their manufactured savior–unironically named Christian–is a seemingly perfect candidate, and his handlers hope that he will grow into the role. It’s a last-ditch gamble, but one with fascinating narrative possibilities. The Return is a strong novel built from a very daring concept. The back cover compares the book to Dan Brown’s blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, and readers may initially expect another in a long line of frail wannabes. But while The Return lacks the taut excitement of Da Vinci–its narrative rope falls slack a bit too often– McNally bests Brown in her treatment of religion. Unlike Brown, McNally doesn’t seem to have an axe to grind with the Church (or with its detractors either), so her work with religious themes is thorough and objective. This is no faint praise, because the author isn’t pitching softballs–the book takes on a bevy of hot-button issues, such as Islamic extremism, human sexuality and church-state conflicts, to name a few. The politically sensitive will blanch at McNally’s cardboard-cutout Muslim fanatics (especially as they fire automatic weapons, screaming â€œAllaju Akbar”), and unfortunately, religious fundamentalists of all stripes are often little more than cardboard cutouts. However, the seriousness of her project more than compensates for such caricatures.

An engrossing novel.

Pub Date: June 23, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4392-1499-2

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

RELIGIOUS FICTION

bookshelf

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

by C.S. Lewis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1942

bookshelf

These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942

ISBN: 0060652934

Page Count: 53

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943

Categories:

RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
ALL MY ROAD BEFORE ME
by C.S. Lewis

- BOOK REVIEW
PRESENT CONCERNS
by C.S. Lewis

- BOOK REVIEW
BOXEN
by C.S. Lewis

bookshelf

THE DOVEKEEPERS

by Alice Hoffman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2011

bookshelf

Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.

This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.