Official Review: Righteous Bloodshed
Posted: 11 Sep 2017, 09:45
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Righteous Bloodshed" by Timothy A. Van Sickel.]
3 out of 4 stars
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A quick note before starting the review: While the summary of the book stated that I would be reading the first book in the series, Righteous Gathering, the copy that I received was book 2, Righteous Bloodshed. Thus, the following review is for the book I actually received Righteous Bloodshed.
An EMP has struck the United States. Cars won't run. Cell phones don't work. There is no electricity, and planes are dropping out of the sky. Fortunately, Mark Mays has expected something like this to happen. He is ready, but the rest of the world is not. Chaos abounds; food quickly runs out, and people are hungry. Hungry masses make their way from the city to attack farms in the country, butchering cows and pigs along the way for food. Mark Mays works with locals in his town to form a plan to help the hungry mobs, but will it be enough? Will they listen to reason? Will their survival instinct overrun common sense? How will the world cope with no hope of help to come?
Righteous Bloodshed by Timothy A. Van Sickel is a science fiction/Christian fiction novel of about 300 pages. It is book 2 in the Righteous Survival EMP Saga. Mr. Van Sickel's desire in writing this book is to present how a Christian might possibly survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
When reading a book in a series, I'm always worried that I'll jump into the middle of the story and be lost. As this is book two, having not read book one, I was leery; however, I tried to have an open mind. While there were scenes in which I could tell the story had been revealed in an earlier novel, the book was written in such a way as to still be enjoyable. I really didn't feel like I had missed out on anything by not reading the books in order. At the same time, after reading this one, it made me want to go back and read the first one. That's exactly the way it should be, in my mind.
The characters are realistic and thought-provoking. I'm not sure any of us know what we would do in this kind of situation. How would I react? The author includes a variety of characters that react in many different ways. They face moral dilemmas that are heart-breaking.
Being a book in the post-apocalyptic genre, it's pretty fast paced. The action is steady throughout which makes the reader want to continue the book. There is never a dull moment; so, if you decide to read the book, be prepared to stay up late so as to reach the end.
The book is told from a combination of view points. It's mostly told in the third voice, except when the action involves Mark Mays. In the sections focusing on Mark, he tells the story from the first person. This was somewhat unique, as most writers stick to only one point of view. However, I had no trouble following along, and I appreciated the uniqueness.
The one drawback of this book was the grammatical errors. While not overly abundant, they were enough to be distracting. Mostly there are word substitutions (where is consistently used for were) or missing words. Nevertheless, I still found the story fun and engaging.
Overall, I rate Righteous Bloodshed a 3 out of 4 stars due to the grammar issues throughout. A word of warning to potential readers: though this is a Christian fiction, a few (emphasis on few) sections are graphically violent. These really are few and far between, but I felt I should point it out. I would recommend this to all those who enjoy post-apocalyptic novels and are at least open to Christianity.
******
Righteous Bloodshed
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
A quick note before starting the review: While the summary of the book stated that I would be reading the first book in the series, Righteous Gathering, the copy that I received was book 2, Righteous Bloodshed. Thus, the following review is for the book I actually received Righteous Bloodshed.
An EMP has struck the United States. Cars won't run. Cell phones don't work. There is no electricity, and planes are dropping out of the sky. Fortunately, Mark Mays has expected something like this to happen. He is ready, but the rest of the world is not. Chaos abounds; food quickly runs out, and people are hungry. Hungry masses make their way from the city to attack farms in the country, butchering cows and pigs along the way for food. Mark Mays works with locals in his town to form a plan to help the hungry mobs, but will it be enough? Will they listen to reason? Will their survival instinct overrun common sense? How will the world cope with no hope of help to come?
Righteous Bloodshed by Timothy A. Van Sickel is a science fiction/Christian fiction novel of about 300 pages. It is book 2 in the Righteous Survival EMP Saga. Mr. Van Sickel's desire in writing this book is to present how a Christian might possibly survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
When reading a book in a series, I'm always worried that I'll jump into the middle of the story and be lost. As this is book two, having not read book one, I was leery; however, I tried to have an open mind. While there were scenes in which I could tell the story had been revealed in an earlier novel, the book was written in such a way as to still be enjoyable. I really didn't feel like I had missed out on anything by not reading the books in order. At the same time, after reading this one, it made me want to go back and read the first one. That's exactly the way it should be, in my mind.
The characters are realistic and thought-provoking. I'm not sure any of us know what we would do in this kind of situation. How would I react? The author includes a variety of characters that react in many different ways. They face moral dilemmas that are heart-breaking.
Being a book in the post-apocalyptic genre, it's pretty fast paced. The action is steady throughout which makes the reader want to continue the book. There is never a dull moment; so, if you decide to read the book, be prepared to stay up late so as to reach the end.
The book is told from a combination of view points. It's mostly told in the third voice, except when the action involves Mark Mays. In the sections focusing on Mark, he tells the story from the first person. This was somewhat unique, as most writers stick to only one point of view. However, I had no trouble following along, and I appreciated the uniqueness.
The one drawback of this book was the grammatical errors. While not overly abundant, they were enough to be distracting. Mostly there are word substitutions (where is consistently used for were) or missing words. Nevertheless, I still found the story fun and engaging.
Overall, I rate Righteous Bloodshed a 3 out of 4 stars due to the grammar issues throughout. A word of warning to potential readers: though this is a Christian fiction, a few (emphasis on few) sections are graphically violent. These really are few and far between, but I felt I should point it out. I would recommend this to all those who enjoy post-apocalyptic novels and are at least open to Christianity.
******
Righteous Bloodshed
View: on Bookshelves
Like kandscreeley's review? Post a comment saying so!