Official Review: In the Beginning by Jaime Reyes

[CataclysmicKnight]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "In the Beginning" by Jaime Reyes.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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What do you do when you're a Neanderthal who's getting too old to hunt? You create a belief system and become the world's first spiritual leader, of course!

In the Beginning: The Early Days of Religious Beliefs by Jaime Reyes is a historical fiction novel that takes place way back around 40,000 CE. Og was getting on in age and was worried he wouldn't survive his next hunt. One day, during a terrible storm, he came up with a story about appeasing the spirits to keep the tribe safe. When the storm eventually dissipated, Og was seen in an entirely new light. From then on, food was never a problem for Og. Neither was loneliness when he married the chief's sister. The two of them end up raising a family, expanding upon the religion, and ensuring that its teachings were passed on through their children.

In the Beginning (as I'll refer to it for the rest of this review) was a surprisingly awesome book. I was a bit worried when the introduction spoke of how essentially all religions were created "for some form of profit and in order to manipulate or control others." But then it ended up being a well-researched book with the perfect marriage of research and creativity. I recently said that another book I reviewed was one of my favorites in a long time, but In the Beginning is even better!

In the Beginning is about Og's fictional religion, sure, but it's also about hunting, relationships between families and villages, discovering new concepts and inventions, and woman's place in society. Watching the religion grow, evolve, and spread was superb, and the way that so many of Og's offspring added individual aspects to it by creating and naming new spirits made it something they were all invested in.

Above all, though, this is a historical fiction novel. The plot is still the most important aspect of In the Beginning. There are also excellent characters: Og struggles with ensuring his religion isn't used with bad intentions, his wife Su supports him and contributes with her crafts and ideas, and Olo, the chief, worries at first that Og may come for his job. But the best character of all is Mina, one of Og's offspring who wants to become a great warrior even though she's a woman. The book is full of action, tough choices, and tense moments. And while the names were sometimes hard to keep straight as more characters are introduced, it was always easy to figure out what was going on.

But my favorite part was the way spirituality affected everyone. The religion was made up, yes, but it still greatly improved the village. Morale increased, people worked harder, and Og's words carried more weight. This last point was especially important; Og was older than the others, so he experienced and learned more than anyone else. This made him a great tactician and an excellent second-hand man, which is a good thing because the world of 40,000 BC was a very deadly place.

The only negative thing I have to say about In the Beginning is that I found 7 errors while I was reading it. None of these were major, and the rest of the writing was perfectly smooth. I'd probably call In the Beginning my favorite book of 2019! While people who are very serious about religion may be offended by the idea of someone creating a religion, I'd absolutely recommend it to everyone else. I'm Christian myself and loved the way that religion was handled in the book. Those who are interested in Neanderthals, the way people think, the ability for thought to transform into reality, or the potential formation of a religion will love In the Beginning. My rating of the book is 4 out of 4 stars. "Hell" was the most profane word I came across, there's no gory violence, and there's not even a single instance of kissing. Finally, people who appreciate well-researched novels will enjoy the book as well, particularly the Epilogue and Historical Notes sections at the back where the author goes into detail about his research.

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In the Beginning
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[Diana Lowery]

Your review is tempting me to read this book. I appreciate your review from a professing Christian perspective and applaud your warning to those who are not so open-minded.

[vchandler6880]

I agree. Even though I went to Bible college I am tempted as well LOL

[Laura Ungureanu]

I think I will love this one! It seems well-researched and thought-provoking. I've never heard of a book that tries to recreate the creation of religious beliefs. Great review!

[Nisha Ward]

The formation of religions is a fascinsting thing to imagine and having it set in the prehistoric ages even more so. I really like that Og seems to have good intentions in continuing with it, but I do wonder if his kids would follow in that tradition.

[hisamluv]

I like the description of Og's personality. He appeared to be more of a religious hero rather than a dying old second-hand man. Salute!

[DonnaKay]

This sounds like a great thought-provoking book and would love to read it. Great review.

[Maríe Wamakima]

I'm also Christian. I don't think I would have a problem with a religion that encourages hard work and good morals. The character Og is a wise man. Or clever. Or very smart. He used religion to keep hunger at bay and improve his society. Great review.

[MustaHarleen]

Awesome themes in the story. I would love to review it in the future. Thanks for a wonderful review.