Month: March 2022

Considering Gallimore

Title: Gallimore

Author: Michelle Griep

Published by Black Lyon Publishing

Year: 2009

Format Read: Kindle 

Pages: 227

Language: English 

ASIN: B002RHP56S

I am trying different authors and genres. I found this author on a blog; the blogger reviews a lot Christian fiction, and she was reviewing one of Griep’s books. I had a look at her books on Amazon, and I decided to read this one. This is probably the first time travel fiction novel that I have read since middle school. I really enjoyed this book! Although the opening chapter is sad, the rest of the story is extremely fun to read. The writing is both witty and profound, and the figures in the story have fantastic characterization. I am definitely interested in reading some of the author’s other writings.

In the acknowledgments, I love that Griep writes “To my own Captain of the Guard who will soon come for me. Rev.22:20”. The story emphasizes faith, God’s presence, God’s mysterious ways, burying grief, love, forgiveness, releasing pain. It’s interesting how the first chapter starts with Dan’s demise. Then, the story picks up with Jessica on a trip to England after the passing of her husband. She meets a stranger on the plane who gives her ideas for sightseeing. Eventually, she is caught in a storm while searching for Gallimore castle. She is “whisked away” to the 14th century. She meets several colorful characters including a forthright knight, the ancestor of the stranger on the plane, and his creepy villainous brother- the Earl who practices divination. Jessica’s exchanges with the characters are engaging! Some comments she makes about her dress, the foul odors, and treatment of the servants are realistic yet coated with humor. I was so caught up in the action that it was bittersweet when the storm came again and Jessica returned to the present. You know that she gets together with the guy from the plane and the miraculous event in her life is discussed in the epilogue. I love how the scenes are drawn and depicted.

Dates Read March 15 to March 26 2022

Thoughts on The Oath


Title: The Oath
Author: Frank Peretti
Published by Thomas Nelson
Language: English
Format Read: Kindle
Edition Year: 2011
Pages: 564
ASIN: B006IE7XQQ

I tried to read a book by Frank Peretti in high school, but I lost interest so I didn’t finish it. I decided to try reading something by him again because a lot of Christians have raved over his books, and I’m trying to read more modern Christian fiction. The Oath seemed like a good read so I went with this novel. There is suspense from the beginning. I like how the different characters are introduced in the first chapter. The entire novel is an easy to follow thriller. He describes the setting in great detail since it’s tremendously important to the story. To me, the setting felt like a rural Alaska town settled by pioneers with the golden days behind it yet still populated with roughneck people in close quarters.

Impressions and Assumptions with Some Spoilers (click)

The main characters are investigating crimes and fighting this mystery creature, known as the “dragon”. According to the introduction, this creature is the personification of sin. The novel’s theme is about sin controlling, consuming, and eventually destroying humans. However, I was not expecting the creature to be an actual dragon. The whole time up until near the end of the story, I thought that the creature was going to be revealed to be a group of people committing the crimes and behind the disappearances- a cult of hunters dressed in high tech armor who have perfected the art of illusion and waging war. No, It’s an actual supernatural creature- a real dragon. The marks on people’s chests are real and not a metaphor.

I’ve not yet read a lot of modern Christian authors writing Christian fiction. Before reading this novel, I assumed that if any romance, it would not go past passionate kissing. Reading this novel, I was a little surprised at some of the content at first, but then I realized maybe I shouldn’t be because lost people act lost, there has to be some adult situations, and the content advances the story elements. The two characters Steve and Tracy, who are actively trying to solve the mystery, fornicate but it’s not described in detail. They get marked on their chest, and this act does advance the plot. However, I was very shocked that Tracy was eaten by the dragon. I really thought they would both make it by the end because she was a major character in the novel.

Other Thoughts
I’m glad that the ending was satisfactory. I would consider reading other works by this author. I meditated on the seriousness of sin after reading this.

Dates Read March 1 to 13 2022