In FAITH AWAKENED, Grace Bridges has painted a frightening and thoughtful vision of the future. Christianity and science fiction meet and mesh in this original tale that had me speed reading...to discover if faith is rewarded. --Jeremy Robinson, bestselling author of THE DIDYMUS CONTINGENCY and ANTARKTOS RISING.
Just how badly would we wreck things if global society is governed as though humans were the highest power? Can technology apprehend the Divine? Bridges is a literary artist, who paints her dystopian future setting with a vibrant narrative-style brush. FAITH AWAKENED is a Biblical Sci-Fi classic, and I look forward to viewing more of Grace Bridges' futuristic works in my mind's eye. --Frank Creed, author of FLASHPOINT
FAITH AWAKENED is unlike any other book I have ever read.... an intricately woven, well-written tale. Almost without realizing it, the reader is helplessly entangled in the undercurrents of the story...An excellent, touching, and spiritually enlightening read. Your own faith will be awakened as you share the experiences of Bridges' well-defined characters, and you will remember their story for years to come. --Delia Latham, author of ALMOST LIKE A SONG and GOLDENEYES
Even a month after having read FAITH AWAKENED, I still find myself pondering the story. Grace has written a wonderful, unique story and I recommend it to any Christian reader who's looking for something out of the ordinary. --Karina Fabian, author of MAGIC, MENSA & MAYHEM, Editor of LEAPS OF FAITH and INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD
She's a Kiwi of Irish descent living in beautiful New Zealand, and a chocaholic cat-lovin' Trekkie, Jesus freak, repeat globetrotter, hack web designer, and all-round DIY gal who also takes care of the Lost Genre Guild blog.Twitter @gracebridges!
Reviews: Even a month after having read FAITH AWAKENED, I still find myself pondering the story. Grace has written a wonderful, unique story and I recommend it to any Christian reader who's looking for something out of the ordinary. ~Karina Fabian, author of MAGIC, MENSA & MAYHEM, Editor of LEAPS OF FAITH and INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD
FAITH AWAKENED is unlike any other book I have ever read.... an intricately woven, well-written tale. Almost without realizing it, the reader is helplessly entangled in the undercurrents of the story...An excellent, touching, and spiritually enlightening read. Your own faith will be awakened as you share the experiences of Bridges' well-defined characters, and you will remember their story for years to come. ~Delia Latham, author of ALMOST LIKE A SONG and GOLDENEYES
In FAITH AWAKENED, Grace Bridges has painted a frightening and thoughtful vision of the future. Christianity and science fiction meet and mesh in this original tale that had me speed reading...to discover if faith is rewarded. ~Jeremy Robinson, bestselling author of THE DIDYMUS CONTINGENCY and ANTARKTOS RISING.
Just how badly would we wreck things if global society is governed as though humans were the highest power? Can technology apprehend the Divine? Bridges is a literary artist, who paints her dystopian future setting with a vibrant narrative-style brush. FAITH AWAKENED is a Biblical Sci-Fi classic, and I look forward to viewing more of Grace Bridges' futuristic works in my mind's eye. ~Frank Creed, author of FLASHPOINT
Excerpt:
Red sky at night, shepherd's delight. I tore my eyes away from the deep vermilion sunset blazing through the high windows.
What does it matter? We won't be here to enjoy the day tomorrow. A thrill of joy coursed through me at the thought, but there was no time to be glad just at present. This is it!
"Get a move on! No dallying!" My voice sounded sharper than I meant.
The factory hall was lit painfully with neon tubes, and there was a rushing of feet as my companions hurried to enter their sanitised cabins. In a haze born of anxiety and haste, I helped one or two into their tactile suits and prepared the narrow but sharp and bone-puncturing connectors. I worked as carefully as I could under the pressure, and as far as I could tell, everything was in order.
Moving from cabin to cabin, I activated each one. Xu was first. She smiled at me nervously from the bench, and I patted her shoulder. I pulled the headgear over her face, positioned the sensor at the hairline, and pulled the piston arm into place above it. "Climb that mountain, girl!" She flinched as the machinery forced the sensor into her skull, then I flicked the switch, shut the door and moved on.
Anna already had her facial sensors on, and couldn't speak. But she could still hear me. I bent down to whisper. "It's in the hands of our Awakener now." She nodded, lay back and waited for the needle-sharp probe. A cry of pain, muffled by the sensors in her mouth, shot daggers to my heart. I activated her cabin. She won't feel any more pain now. Noah had his suit on, but was fumbling with the zip, so I helped him get it all the way up, then adjusted his headgear. I guided him to lie down on the bench, then in one fluid movement I positioned the insert and activated the piston. The probe shot into his brain. I pressed the switch, ignoring his surprised gasp.
"Three down, three to go," I muttered, exiting his cabin. This feels so strange! Like a dream... but no, I must get on top of my feelings to finish this. Do not drown in the strangeness.
Toni sat on the bench in the next cabin, hope and fear fighting across her features. I took her in my arms, pressing my cheek to hers for a moment. A sob escaped her, and she whispered my name. "Mariah!"
I grabbed her shoulders to look her in the face. "Don't be afraid!" I hugged her one last time. "I'll see you on the inside. Now lie down here." I held the sensor at the right position, then the piston's short but violent movement inserted it through the layer of bone. I felt her body go rigid with fright, and she began to moan. Quickly I switched on the system, stepped out, and shut the cabin door with shaking hands.
Passing the empty booth that would be my own place of rest, I came to the last one. My heart hammered even harder as I saw that Peter already lay prepared on the bench, headgear and all. I loved him, but we had already said our goodbyes, and we would surely meet again somewhere in another life. He jerked a little as I inserted the probe, but he made no sound, and I laid my hand on his rubber-encased shoulder before reaching over to the switch on the wall. He gasped as the coolants began to reduce his body temperature. Soon he would be gone, and I knew I had better get a move on as well.
Now came the hardest part: activating my own booth. With a last glance upwards at the glorious redness of the sky outside the window, I entered the cabin and shut the door, making sure it was sealed properly. Pulling off my white dress with a pang of hope deferred, I stepped into the tactile suit, zipped it up, and lay down on the narrow bench.
The wiring and tubing seemed to be in order, so I reached for the headpiece, placing it over eyes, ears, nose and mouth. I breathed once through the tube and took up the brain probe in rubber-clad fingers.
My heart began to beat wildly. This was not going to be easy--inserting the needle by touch, when my hands were inside the thick rubber suit.
But hesitation might kill me.
My fingers found the spot where the wound from my test run had not healed over yet. Guided by the old pain, I held the insert between my head and the piston. I clamped my teeth together and released the trigger.
Pain exploded in my brain and threatened to rob my consciousness, but I reached out my hand and groped until I found the switch on the wall. Soon I would be gone, too--I would escape this dark world to live my life in Paradise. In truth, that is what I believed. I flicked the activator to "on".
The temperature began to drop then, and I remembered the fear that accompanied a departure from real life. Colder--colder--I was about to black out, but something didn't feel right.
The probe! It felt awkward somehow, and my skull throbbed. Is it in straight? Is the scar tissue getting in the way?
But now there was no time left.
Before I could take another breath, gentle birdsong began to come to my ears. The probe functioned after all.
The jabbing pain in my head disappeared as the cold swept over my body, and I floated away contentedly in a sea of blackness to a better world. The world of Faith.
