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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Return to the world of the Wicker Man, September 15, 2006
This review is from: Cowboys for Christ (Hardcover)
Robin Hardy has woven a wonderful tale out of the wild border lands of Scotland set in the world of the Wicker Man. This book is by no means a sequel to that tale, but a new story drawing on inspiration from the same sources that inspired the Wicker Man (such as The Golden Bough).
Two young American Christians set off to Scotland to save souls. Beth, a gifted singer, grabs the attention of Sir Lachlan Morrison and his wife. Beth is accompanied by her fiancée of sorts, Steve. They find themselves the center of attention in Lachlan's village of Tressock. Beth is even elected the Queen of the May.
Now here is the twist. Christopher Lee has said the story is "Not a 'who done it' but a 'when are they going to do it'" and that is a very accurate way to describe the tale. None of the paganism is hidden in this story - it is set right out for the two Christian protagonists to confront if they so desire.
There are faults with the story - as pointed out by another reviewer - but the over all building of the tale to its split ending does deserve a reading.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A return to heathen Scotland, October 13, 2010
This review is from: Cowboys for Christ (Hardcover)
A thoroughly enjoyable read. It took a small amount of time to get into the book. But all worry was soon gone when the main part of the story started to happen after a chapter or two.
In the book, two evangelical Americans, Beth: a pop and now gospel singer and her fiancé Steve: a Texas cowboy, go to Scotland to preach the word of God. There they are met by the charismatic Laird Lachlan Morrison of the small town of Tressock and are invited to come there to preach. Little do they know that Tressock holds within it a dark secret just waiting to reveal itself to the lovely couple.
Some people have said that the story reads like a screenplay and every now and then it does. However with that being said this more simplistic approach and style of writing makes the story and characters more accessible and the reader more alert to what you might think is going on or whats going to happen.
The book is comprised of small chapters which are surprisingly effective to not only tell the story but give good character development. The characters themselves are well rounded and appealing and the last third of the book is a terrific third act to this intriguing story.
I do agree with reviews from other websites saying it would have been great if the book was longer or perhaps more verbose and descriptive of the small rites, rituals and pagan everyday symbolism that the novelisation of the Wicker Man had. However, overall its still a great read which is written differently from the WM novelisation which makes it fresh even with its similar themes.
A must read for all Wicker Man and thriller lovers or just those who like history and religion unless of course your a Wicker Man 'one and only' purist, in that case you may not like it as much as I did.
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15 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Cowboys for Christ - a cowboy wrote this book!, July 6, 2006
This review is from: Cowboys for Christ (Hardcover)
This has to be the very worst book I have ever read. Initially I was thrilled that a new book was out by this author having been a huge fan of the book and film of the Wicker Man.
The plot was frankly ludicrous, imagine if you will a world famous singing celebrity such as Britney Spears doorstepping for Jesus in downtown Glasgow and I still do not understand why the Laird was the chairman of the local nuclear power plant laughably called Nuada other than it is a pathetic and incorrect attempt to explain why the women of the town were infertile.
The characters were thin and all losely based on the characters from the Wickerman, the writng was very poor, the various plots did not develop and the author displays a quite astonishing crudeness and lack of understanding with regards to women's sexuality, form and beauty which is essential to the pagan plot of this book. All the sex scenes are crude, base couplings straight out of a top shelf mens magazine which may titillate some but are by no means representative of pagan beliefs with regard to the sacred act of lovemaking.
Thai massage parlours are mentioned several times with no real connection to the plot at all which is mystifying.
The end when it comes resembles a particularly feeble teenage gore fest movie unecessary and tedious and by that time I wished all the characters were dead so I didn't have to read any more. A very poor offering indeed from this author.
Louisa
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