Customer Reviews

The Dead Don't Dance (Awakening Series #1)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was very impressed with this book. The writing and characters where extremely realistic. All the characters were very unique and well developed. I really enjoyed the flashbacks in the book. They really made it possible to relate and understand the main character. This book will make you laugh and cry. Unlike many faith based fiction novels, the people were real, complete with flaws.

One of the main themes in the book is the importance of moving forward even when faced with tragedy. I was deeply touched by this book. I purchased Mr. Martin's second book as soon as I finished this one.

Dr. Martin, you've done it! I remember sitting in a graduate class you helped teach 10 years ago, hearing how you dreamed of becoming a novelist someday. Well, you're living the dream -- and doing a fine job of it, too. Your writing is brutally -- and refreshingly -- honest. Real characters with real emotions that resonate throughout the story make this an engaging read. Bravo to WestBow for not asking you to pull your punches in telling the story like you knew it had to be told. Looking forward to reading "Wrapped in Rain." Keep the faith -- and keep writing!

After much anticipation in waiting for the book to ship on May 14th (I heard about it from the author's wife), I knew after reading the first chapter, that it was going to be worth the wait. As a woman, I loved reading about the soft side of a man (Dylan Stiles), and as an African American, I thought that the description of the African-American charactors were tastefully written. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to future books written by Charles Martin.

Dylan and Maggie Stiles have a marriage that seems nearly symbiotic; when she taps him on the shoulder for a midnight swim (and some connubial bliss), they conceive a son. The couple, living on the Stiles farm, couldn't be happier. Nothing is missing.

Or so they might think (although, as the novel makes clear, Maggie knows better all along). But when tragedy strikes (their baby boy is stillborn and Maggie lapses into a postnatal coma), Dylan finds himself alone in a desert. At first he is unwilling to accept the kindness of strangers, but soon he finds that kindness --- from strangers and friends alike --- is all he has for the moment.

Slowly Dylan begins to fashion a post-childbirth life: his friend Amos, the town sheriff, convinces him to take a proffered job at the local community college teaching English 101. (Amos is African-American and Dylan is Caucasian; they've evidently been known as "Ebony and Ivory" for decades). Dylan, the taste of his doctoral training still sour in his mouth, balks at leaving his comfortable farming existence, but Amos shows him that it was Maggie herself who knew that Dylan needed more than plowing, tilling and harvesting in his life.

Characters as specifically drawn as Maggie (with her firm devotion), Amos and the utterly singular Bryce Kai MacGregor make this soft-spoken debut novel a must-read. MacGregor is a bagpipe-wielding, beer-swilling, trailer-inhabiting layabout with a heart bigger than his enormous trust fund. And the bookended characters of Amanda and Koy, both Dylan's students and both faced with similar burdens, offer a perspective on single motherhood not often found in Christian literature, yet at the same time not in conflict with the aims of that literature. Meanwhile, Dylan finds that teaching again both sparks his interest and kindles problems, since his students' reasons for taking composition are as varied as their ethnic backgrounds.

In the slow weeks that follow Maggie's confinement, Dylan finds that, like his diverse classroom, people have different ways of showing him hope: Amos takes him fishing, while Amanda invites him to her church. In a run-of-the-mill Christian novel, that invitation might be the dénouement of the book --- but Martin's own literary training (he has a Ph.D. from Regents University) serves him well. He presents Dylan's acceptance of Jesus Christ as one step in his spiritual pilgrimage --- the most important step, but not the only step, not the final step.

Thus, the actual dénouement does not seem as pat as it might in the hands of a lesser writer. Although it takes a second tragedy to open Dylan's eyes and heart to grace, these events happen fluidly, not awkwardly. One can easily imagine reading more about Dylan Stiles, and yet the best thing about THE DEAD DON'T DANCE is that you don't need to read more about Dylan Stiles. His story and Maggie's has been told, and told well. In subsequent novels, Martin will no doubt find that his talent for creating vivid characters means that he can allow them, rather than dramatic events, to bring meaning to his words.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

I began this book a little biased because it was written by a friend's brother, but after I finished the first chapter, I was legitimately hooked! The characters are so vivid and well developed, and it is even more touching to know that a man wrote this story. The imagery is lifelike. Emotions range from despair to elation, and I felt them right along with the characters in the book. And if you were on Delta flight 1123 on May 17th, you felt them right along with me as I was sobbing uncontrollably the entire flight while I finished the book. These turned to tears of happiness as the book ended and I have a yearning to hear the next chapter in this story of heartache and love. It was so powerful, and the message reached me at a time that I needed to hear it. I feel that everyone who reads this story will come away with something more than what they started with.

I was pleased with this book and loved the quirky Southern characters that did not at all seem cardboard. The author does a nice job of making you feel as if you are THERE in small town South Carolina.

This one is a writer to watch. I look forward to his next book.

Superior Contemporary Inspirational Novel!

The Dead Don't Dance is one of those books that has beautiful prose, great plotting and heartfelt emotional scenes that aren't sappy and whiny like many inspirational novels. With a deft hand, Charles Martin has crafted a story that is heart-wrenching, funny, and memorable. He's a wonderful writer and deserves much more recognition that he's received from both inspirational readers and anyone who loves a well-written book with a great story. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Martin's books.

Charles Martin is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. His characters are real and authentic, his storyline's compelling.

"The Dead Don't Dance" is the story of Dylan and Maggie Styles,although most of what we learn about Maggie are Dylan's memories, since Maggie is in a coma for the majority of the book. While that may sound like a depressing storyline, it is not. This story was a wonderful journey of healing, faith, and hope.

The many secondary characters that affect Dylan's life during Maggie's illness are written with as much depth and clarity as Dylan and Maggie themselves. I went through the full gamut of emotions with this book--everything from tears to laughter.

If you want a real treat, listen to the Recorded Books audio version of "The Dead Don't Dance" narrated by Tom Stechschulte. Charles Martin's beautifully written books are made even more compelling by Stechschulte's wonderful narration (he also narrated "Wrapped in Rain").

The Dead Don't Dance was Charles Martin's debut novel and it clearly stamped Charles as an author to watch. Charles' books have become a "must read" for this reviewer!

The Dead Don't Dance weaves the heartrending tale of Dylan and Maggie Styles, a young couple seeking to make ends meet on their South Carolina farm, while eagerly anticipating the birth of their first child. Their joy is stripped away with the stillbirth of their son, the physical and emotional trauma leaving Maggie in a coma, and Dylan distraught and self-destructive. As the doctors hold out little hope for Maggie's recovery, Dylan stumbles blindly through his grief and commences a journey which will bring him to his knees before he discovers hope in the wilderness of his despair.

Charles Martin's prose is simply a joy to read. He has an uncanny ability with the written word, conjuring pictures in his readers' minds and expressing emotions with painful clarity. Written in the first person, Dylan's tender love for Maggie is transparent and touching, his grief palpable and confronting. The minor characters are well developed and add humour, substance and believability to a novel that is not to be missed.

Mr. Martin's story-telling is fantastic. The way he weaves each of his character's lives together is seamless, leaving you loving each one of them.

This is a great book to take on your summer vacation. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. And if you come from the South you'll appreciate Mr. Martin's descriptions of those hot, muggy summer nights.

I couldn't put this one down and am already reading it again. I'd recommend it to anyone.