Customer Reviews

World in Shadow (Eternal Warriors)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Book two in The Eternal Warriors series, "The World in Shadow," shows Theodore Beale in top form as a writer. In my opinion, this book is even better than the first book, "War in Heaven," which I greatly enjoyed.

First of all--the story. Beale brings this second book down to earth. Instead of a rampaging war that crosses the boundaries of planets and time (though that war is still the backdrop), the setting of The Word in Shadow is an average suburban high school.

Jami, Christopher and Holli are confronted by a largely unfelt and unseen threat. They are given the chance to save many lives and eternal destinies. The question is: do they have enough resolve and faith to do so?

The answer will likely surprise you (it did me).

Now--to the writer. I have been most impressed by Mr. Beale as an author. His development from his first novel to his second is phenomenal. What strikes me most is his dead-on ability to catch the dialogue and culture of his characters. There are few writers who come close to his ability at this.

More than that, he is writing not only page-turning stuff, but page-turning stuff with a brain. His depiction of his human villains (or victims--depends how you look at it) does not suffer from the usual one-sidedness one finds in "Christian" literature.

For all these reasons and for the fact that once I got a hundred pages into it, I could not put the book down, I give The World in Shadow my highest recommendation.

One last thing--I also appreciated Mr. Beale's nod to Douglas Adams in the naming of one of the novel's characters.

I'm an agnostic, but I read this book and its sequel with an open mind, even knowing they were Christian novels.

The characters are believable and ring true. The story is engaging and the book is a page-turner.

This is a great book for fantasy fans. The Biblical material is applied in a fresh manner, even though I am sure many aspects will anger some Christians that have narrow-minded views that don't coincide with the author's.

I truly appreciate the fact that these books are written from a Christian perspective without being preachy and lily-white.
The books make you think about the Bible and its implications without being overwhelmed.

I think similar attitudes such as the author's would be well used in modern films as well.

Not only an amazing sequel to the first story, but dives right into the logical consequences in 'real life' of the universe the author described in the opening book.
I got the first book for my daughter, thinking it was a cool-sounding fantasy world mirroring a biblical perspective with the same kind of feel as Frank Peretti's "This Present Darkness" This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness- and found myself amazed at Beale's ability to draw me into the story myself.
This second book, I must say, was even more enjoyable and immediately identifiable than the first. I literally could not put the book down once I got into the story line a few dozen pages into the book.
I cannot more highly recommend any fresh author than this one, his ability to enjoin the reader with relevant experience and parallel spiritual awareness with wit and humor is likely to make him both a much-loved and much-maligned target of attention from all sides.
Without spoiling anything I will inform any intelligent adults who enjoy deeper insights into humanity and the air of weaving revelations about reality into fictional settings that only the best of science fiction and fantasy typically provide, YOU WILL APPRECIATE THIS BOOK.

OK, so if you read my review on the first book I can say with confidence I enjoyed this much more! The battle continues but this time it is on earth! I tore through this book with great enthusiasm and could not put it down. Please keep in mind this is a Trilogy and the third book is out of print. I did (through some help of a fellow Amazon reader) find the third book online and was able to download it to my computer (thanks Greg!). I can not wait to start the third! This book will remain in my home library.

There are things going on in the Shadow World, where spirits war, beyond anyone's imagination. Theodore Beale uses his to create an engaging tale of what invisible spiritual warfare might be like in the halls, parties, and coffeeshops frequented by Minnesota high school youth. We might not all have opportunities to interact quite so personally with the likes of Melusine and Paulus as do the human protagonists of this book--nor am I really sure we would want to. Nevertheless, there is a lesson in practical Christianity here that can be carried away: the "path of least resistance", the turning of a blind eye on those who suffer cruelty, has serious consequences, even eternal consequences. Wage spiritual war by loving someone today.

Christopher, Jami and Holli Lewis are teens who fought one battle in the cosmic war between Good and Evil. They are now God's Eternal Warriors, fighting on the front lines when they are called upon to defeat, at least temporarily, the fallen angels. Christopher, who fought on the wrong side before he saw the light, is much more serious about the war around him then the twins who want to have a little fun.

The fallen angel Kaym vows retribution on his former protégée Christopher for turning on him. He sees the tools of his vengeance in high school seniors Brien and Derek, victims of the school jocks who hold them in contempt and consistently beat them up. Kaym intends to use Brien and Derek to do it. Even a powerful fallen angel can forget that in the war between evil and good, good will can eventually triumph in unexpected ways.

IN THE WORLD IN SHADOW, the cosmic battle of good and evil is played out against a high school in the heartland of America. The novel can be read as visionary fiction or a fantasy novel but either way Theodore Beale makes it lucid that the light of goodness always clearly shines in the darkest of night. The three protagonists are believable characters, which makes their actions and decisions a victory for fans.

Harriet Klausner

The World In Shadow was a really great book. Though some have said that it is better than the first, I think I must have to disagree. It's probably just because of my style of reading, and what I like in the book, but that's just me. The first book really showed what it was like on the other side, and how it could bring a family together in Christ. I probably liked the first more because it had a lot more combat, but that's just what I like. In the second book, I liked that Beale gave hints about them being possesed, i.e. the tattos. I like how in the end he kept Tessa alive to appoligize to Brien. Overall, it was a great book, and I would read it again if I wanted to!

this book was better than the first. without a single doubt. It brought the spiritual war to Earth, where it indeed is being fought daily. Although ficticious, it gave a real perspective on daily life. Showing the overall influence of the war on everyday life. How most of us are blinf to the fact that we are being used. The way Kaym used Brien and Derek, without them even knowing until the end.

The war we fight with our sin is influenced. and Mr.Beale put it into a gravley real perspective, how the Fallen can use just a bit of hatred and sin to create a mass problem.