5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Thrilling Page Turner!, April 19, 2010
This review is from: Isolation: A Novel (Faithwords) (Paperback)
I recently discovered Travis Thrasher through Amazon and I must say that he is now one of my favorite authors. After reading "Isolation" I quickly ordered and read "Blinded" and "The Second Thief", both of which I also highly recommend. Over the last few years I have been disappointed by Ted Dekker's books. I LOVE Frank Peretti, however he simply is not prolific. I have greatly enjoyed some of the books of authors T.L. Hines, ("Raising Lazarus" was one of the best books I have read in a LONG time), Melanie Wells, Tom Pawlik, Bill Myers and Tim Downs. However, Thrasher writes in a style that REALLY appeals to me. In "Isolation" Thrasher has written a Christian novel that gave me chills and goosebumps at various times along with a strong positive message that was in no way preachy. He writes in such a way that everything that he is describing is crystal clear. I had no problem imagining the scenery in my mind. His basic premise, introduce ordinary characters, put them into extra ordinary and supernatural situations and see how they response. Overall a very enjoyable book, my only real issue was a desire to see Thrasher develop more of the past of one of the book's main characters. I am GREATLY looking forward to reading more of Thrasher's past and future books. The Journey is everything!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful Story, June 24, 2009
This review is from: Isolation: A Novel (Faithwords) (Paperback)
Most novels are written for the purpose of providing entertainment for the reader. That's fine, of course, we like to be entertained. We want to escape into the universe the author has created for us, to remove our cognitive self from its daily toil with life and allow our imagination to be immersed in the story. Some novels also contain solid themes or good morals, but the endgame is still about entertaining.
Every once in a while a novel comes along that has both a riveting story and also a powerful message to share. I am thankful to state ISOLATION is such a novel.
"A family on the edge... A house with too many secrets... A relentless killer..." The Miller family is taking time off after being missionaries to a small village in New Guinea. The village is struggling against an intense demonic presence and incidents that occurred before the Millers left are presented to us as the narrative unfolds.
The Millers move into an enormous, 40,000 square-foot lodge in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, a dream home provided for missionaries on furlough. Their excitement soon begins to ebb as baleful discoveries are made, and a foreboding, dark presence bears down on them.
The Millers are thrown into a warzone involving the mind and spirit. This spiritual warfare challenges the existence of the core of their faith as they struggle to deal with what is real, what is imagined, and what they should and shouldn't believe in. It is also a wonderful depiction of human nature, even missionaries struggle with faith.
I respect Thrasher for not attempting to answer our questions about faith. Faith by its very definition means to believe in something we cannot understand. Why isn't God listening to me? Why isn't He dealing in my time zone instead of some infinite, ethereal semblance of time? There are no sermons on the existence of God. Nor does Thrasher try to answer the age-old question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people.
The characters are well-developed and I quickly discovered I empathized with each one of them and their specific fears. I liked the way Thrasher bounced in and out of narration and character thought, at times even narrating in third person and interjecting a thought from the character's perspective in midsentence. The dialog was easy and flowed well. The creepy house is a character in itself, creating a perfect setting for the novel.
Elements of the story may seem familiar to readers of Stephen King's THE SHINING. Thrasher even jabs at the resemblance by referencing THE SHINING in the story. But ISOLATION is a much deeper and even more frightening story. If you've based your whole life on believing in God, then come face to face with demons whose powers claim victory on your lack of faith--that's scary.
The horror elements in the novel are not solely faith-based fears. There is murder, gore, evidence of ritualistic sacrifice and torture... None of which is excessive, but Thrasher does a commendable job of staying true to the horror genre. The demons are terrifying and the house is disturbing. But the story is good.
[Rating: 1-5 Stars]
Plot: 5
Character: 5
Dialog: 5
Setting: 5
Theme: 5
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another good one from Travis, December 8, 2008
This review is from: Isolation: A Novel (Faithwords) (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this book and I really enjoy reading Travis Thrasher's books. Suspense with a Christian view point. If you like Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti, you will enjoy Travis Thrasher. I am looking forward to the next book.
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