Brother Half Angel book review
Martin Roth
November 2013
Amazon Kindle 3.99
Paperback: 10.40
From the publisher:
In this book from
Martin Roth's series of international thrillers, Brother Half Angel is the
leader of a secret new church military order, dedicated to helping Christians
under attack around the world. He is sent to China, where an underground
seminary is under siege from fanatical sword-wielding members of a local cult
who still pay homage to the bloodthirsty extremists who tried to expel all
foreigners from China in the nineteenth century.
But while under attack from external forces, the seminary has its own internal divisions. The director, Uncle Ling, a hero of the underground Chinese church, holds secrets that he cannot reveal. And now the tensions are threatening the marriage of idealistic young American missionaries Daniel and Jenny Westloke.
This gripping thriller offers relentless suspense while raising serious questions – how far can Christians go to defend themselves? When should they turn the other cheek? What happens when a Christian kills in self-defense? And should those who live by the sword really expect to die by the sword?
But while under attack from external forces, the seminary has its own internal divisions. The director, Uncle Ling, a hero of the underground Chinese church, holds secrets that he cannot reveal. And now the tensions are threatening the marriage of idealistic young American missionaries Daniel and Jenny Westloke.
This gripping thriller offers relentless suspense while raising serious questions – how far can Christians go to defend themselves? When should they turn the other cheek? What happens when a Christian kills in self-defense? And should those who live by the sword really expect to die by the sword?
My review:
Without spoiling
the ending, I just want to say that it comes very abruptly. This book is part
of a series, but the story stands alone. There are brutal moments, but they
aren’t gratuitous; faith prevails through every page. I very much enjoyed the
story line and felt a lot of frustrations with the missionaries and the church
involved.
Roth is a
beautiful writer with the ability to take his reader directly to his settings
and plunk them right into the action. Although I felt a bit of whiplash when
Brother Half Angel came to an end, it was a thought-provoking stopping point,
and not wholly unexpected when I think about it. And that’s what we want as
writers, isn’t it?
Idealistic
missionaries, as the author describes Daniel and Jenny, is correct. Their story
of following God’s will above the advice of their earthly supervisors leads to
challenges and revelations which they need in their young marriage. Brother
Half Angel is a character I plan to spend more time with in other novels of
Roth’s. He is willing to wear and act upon his faith in what seems to be an
undisciplined way until the people around him stop to analyze his actions.
Powerful read.
Gripping. Recommended for those who like inspirational action in multicultural
settings.