Dark to Mortal Eyes [Kindle Edition]

Describing Eric's storytelling style is a little difficult. The closest I could come to it would be to say reading this book is a lot like reading a Dean Koontz novel. The story is exciting, the descriptions good, and the plot is very deep. There are sections of the book that I got lost in, as a lot of what happens is taking place in the spiritual realm as well. That being the case, you may have to reread parts of the book to get it all. Again, this is because so many Christian fiction novels are similar that you kind of expect a certain formula to one. Once I got my mindset away from that theory, the book worked. This is another reason I compare Eric to Dean Koontz. Both authors can work in the "Is it really happening or not?" realm (see Koontz's "The Face" for a recent example). This is definitely not your momma's Christ Fict. I've heard him compared to Frank Peretti, but I honestly didn't see that. Frank's storytelling is very visual, while Eric's novel had an underlying current of evil running through it that kept you reading and allowed your imagination to do the scary stuff.

The only real trouble spot I saw was at the beginning. The first few chapters throw a dozen or so characters at you and it gets hard to keep them apart. Some have similar names or characteristics, and some are only mentioned briefly but then come in later with major parts. Take your time when you start the book or you'll get lost quickly. Also, as I said before, things happen on two realms here. That makes it kind of frustrating at times because you can't understand what's going on (it took me a while to figure out what a "rook" really was).

All in all this was a very enjoyable novel, and it sets the standard for a new level of fiction in the Christian market. Just as Shane Johnson gave us the first Christian horror novel last year with "Chayatocha", Eric takes that baton and runs about eight miles further with it. Now let's just see if the rest of the CBA market can keep up!

Highly recommended.

I loved the characters. I also liked the idea of his titling the chapters. When it came to that, they not only got your attention, but sometimes had an icy bite to them. I say icy as in cool and awesome, you don't want to miss anything! Chapters such as "Deadline" or "No Rest For the Wicked" or something such as "Games of Chance" or something haunting like "Sorceress" and when I say that, I give nothing away. Awesome chapter titles for an excellent read. And what a title for a book! Whew! Looks deep? Just wait until you read it!

You'll note that I said that this is a book of action, along with other words. Action has many meanings. As a Christian, the biggest action we can use is our faith, which Eric showed throughout this book. I can say already that we can put Eric up there with Ted Dekker and Randy Singer. One thing that I should add. Once you get into this book, and it is very easy to do so, you will probably think of this as a chess match. Pawn here, bishop there. Just kind of an afterthought. Awesome and unforgettable!