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There's no questioning the creativity and talent of author Bill Myers. As one of the creators of the insanely popular McGee and Me series and the bestselling Blood of Heaven, he comes to this latest novel with the freedom and ease of someone who has nothing to prove, only a lot to say.
Myers smartly uses the character of Gerty Morrison, an old prayer warrior, to explain some of the spiritual goings-on we wouldn't otherwise be privy to: "She was now conscious of the forces gathering, moving into position around the boy." Touches like this epitomize the skill with which Myers draws us in and keeps us interested.
His fictional world mirrors our real one, where life is tough and the best of intentions sometimes backfire. As far as the stereotypes Christian writers just can't seem to get over -- well, Myers blows those away too.
Brandon Sanford, the protagonist of Threshold, for example, is a trouble-making youth, who resists the call to fight evil. He doesn't understand the gifts of prophesy, spiritual vision, and connectedness with God that he eventually wields as weapons. Another good- hearted character, Sarah Weintraub, carries some unwholesome baggage, including an out-of-wedlock pregnancy and a subsequent abortion.
Even the story's mortal villains (the true bad guys, as Ephesians 6:12 says, who are the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms"), while ruthless and wicked, aren't the coolly powerful antagonists of less-imaginative fiction. Myers' black-hats are not calculating geniuses, but befuddled drones of their own sinful nature and spiritual influences.
Don't think, though, that this grittiness makes reading Threshold a bummer. On the contrary, aside from the superb writing, it's a joy precisely because of this realism, this unapologetic bucking of Christian fiction conventions. Even while leading readers into the decidedly fantastic realm of demonic manipulation of humans, Myers holds our attention by making it all seem real.
And for the most part, it is. Myers went way above the call of duty in researching the paranormal, its spiritual ties, and the people who are seduced and duped by its power. The way Tom Clancey scrutinizes the inner workings of the military, Myers rips the covers off psychic activity. He explains in minute detail the realities of what most of us know as ESP and telekinesis, the methodology and equipment used to measure and harness them, the building interests and money for research. Scary stuff.
Combine this exquisite research with sharp storytelling, and you have one doozie of a page-turner. While the title suggests a climax that is stunningly frightful, readers can only hope that it also predicts a new day for Christian fiction that is as exciting and thought-provoking as the story Myers has created here.
Robert Liparulo is an author and reviewer in Colorado Springs, CO.
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