love to paint

I remember waiting for each installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy to come out on the big screen.  It was early in my marriage and the films came out around December, if I remember correctly.  It was hard to wait!  I've been waiting again because o ver the past three years, I've been reading Bryan Litfin's Chiveis Trilogy .  One by one they've been published.  The final book was just published in June.  The trilogy tells the story of the demise of our world due to a deadly virus.  The remnant left alive enter a modern dark age and Christianity is hidden.  A dark religion takes over the minds of the people.  The trilogy is about the search for Christ. The first book, The Sword , surprised me.  It was a book of speculative fiction--a genre that is not my usual choice.  I enjoyed the development of the main characters, Teo and Ana.  The plot took unexpected turns.   The second book, The Gift , was a solid sequel. ...

Disclaimer: When I read an average or bad book, I don't usually feel inadequate in writing a review about them. But, when I read a very good book like the one I'm reviewing here, I am very humbled by my own attempts to convey what a good book it is. Reading so many books this past year and a half has often taken from me my joy of reading. (I've read some bad books.) But, there are so many other times when reading the books that I have the opportunity to review engage my mind and heart. A few weeks ago, I received a book by accident--I hadn't requested it (at least I don't think I did). But, I took its arrival to mean that that I was meant to read it--that it was one of those books God has brought into my life for some reason that I didn't know. I usually don't choose to read science fiction or fantasy novels. I have a few favorites that I've enjoyed over the years and they have typically fallen in the category of dystopia fiction: The Giver a...