The Corescu Chronicles by Ellen C. Maze (Excellent)
Fabulously frightening! Insanely imaginative!
Hope
Brannen has just met Mark Corescu, the man of her dreams. He’s
handsome, charming, and he’s a doctor! He’s also a vampire. Not to
worry, though. This vampire only sucks the blood of evil people because
he believes he’s doing God’s will by punishing them for their sins. Hope
and her pastor-friend, Tony, have some questions, though. Can murder
ever be within God’s will? Is a vampire supposed to judge humanity’s
sins? Or is Dr. Corescu simply rationalizing his need to kill?
Things
heat up when Corescu starts hearing voices in his head and begins to
remember who he was before he became a vampire. In the midst of all
this, a certain reporter is beginning to ask questions and the doctor’s
servants are starting to rebel.
Ellen Maze delivers an intriguing plot with captivating characters and an extremely natural writing style.
The Judging is a clean read with no objectionable material or language.
I give The Judging a recommendation of Excellent and will certainly look forward to reading the next installment in the Corescu Chronicles, Damascus Road, as well as Ellen’s earlier work.
Feckless Edited by Ellen C. Maze (Good)
Vampires, Werewolves, and Ghosts, oh my!
Meet
a woman who can kill you with a single touch, a man who is friends with
Death and a dying dragon, an alien preacher, a very special magician, a
man who just can’t leave his ex alone, a woman who loves her husband
despite his being possessed, a serial killer who gets exactly what he
deserves, and more.
Feckless
was put together by Ellen Maze, Christian vampire author
extraordinaire, and many of the stories are of her own creation, which
is a definite plus for the book.
Like
most short story collections, there are some pieces in this volume that
you’ll enjoy more than others, but I believe there is enough good stuff
here to satisfy any horror fan.
A
few of my favorites were “dtour” by Kevin Maze, and “88” and “Bully” by
Ellen Maze. “dtour” is neat because the story is told all in text
messages being sent between two people. “88” is a very touching tale
about a man preparing for his 88th birthday party. “Bully” is
an effective story that jumps from following the victim of a
neighborhood bully to a serial killer to a werewolf and back around
again.
Many of the stories in this collection also contain a strong Christian message.
I give Feckless a recommendation of Good and encourage any horror fan to pick it up. It’s well worth it.
Winter by Keven Newsome (Excellent)
What’s your spiritual gift?
Winter Maessen’s is prophecy, even if she isn’t the most mature Christian yet.
Winter
is a new believer and a new college student attending a small Christian
university. God directly told her to go to this school shortly after
she was saved because He has a mission for her – to stop a serial
killer.
Keven’s
writing is natural, his characters realistic, his story intriguing, and
his action well-paced. The best part of this book, however, is watching
how Winter develops through the course of her young life. Having
experienced tragedy and then God’s redemption, Winter shows us exactly
how events in our lives can change us and what it means to be a work in
progress. I also appreciated the importance Keven places on friendship
and looking beneath the surface of things. God knows exactly when we
need a friend or two to come alongside us and He knows that our
character is shown by more than our appearance.
Whereas
this is a perfectly clean, Christian novel, I do have to warn you that
it is not a pretty book with a completely happy ending. There is murder,
there is gore, there is occult practices, there is rape. As you read
and begin to care about the characters, you will find some things
happening to them that you didn’t want to happen. This of course makes
for a more realistic read, but I’m just letting you know – it will get
to you emotionally.
Overall, I’m giving Winter a very hearty recommendation of Excellent and will look forward to the much-needed sequel.
Never Ceese by Sue Dent (Excellent)
Wow!
Can werewolves and vampires be saved? That’s the question in Sue Dent’s novel, Never Ceese.
This
is a Christian fantasy novel about a werewolf named Ceese and a vampire
named Richard, who are both on a mission to break the curse of what
they are and regain their salvation. It’s captivating, edgy, humorous,
and realistic – the perfect combination of light and dark. I especially
appreciated the tangibility of each of the characters. They are dynamic
and memorable and Sue has a wonderful gift for taking us inside each of
their minds to make us feel what they feel.
The
story begins in early America and quickly brings us to modern day.
Among Ceese and Richard’s allies are an old, psychic woman, her
great-granddaughter, and some surprising characters from the past.
Their
enemies include their darker natures, a scientist who wants to learn
how he can use their curse to live forever himself, and three
questionable college students.
If
you’re looking for a great read with werewolves and vampires, look no
further! Stephenie Meyer has nothing on Sue Dent! And look for the
sequel, Forever Richard, which will be reprinted soon.
Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider by Ellen C. Maze (Excellent)
God’s Word is potent and His followers are powerful!
Meet Beth Rider. She writes Christian vampire novels. After reading her latest publication, The Judging (also authored by Ellen Maze),
real vampires are being inspired toward salvation. The problem is that
the vampire hierarchy doesn’t appreciate so many of their underlings
turning to “Beth Rider’s” God. Marking Beth as an enemy of the
Brotherhood, the hierarchy orders that she, and all those vampires who
are turning toward God because of her, be caught, tortured, and
eliminated. Now the chase is on as Beth and her new bloodthirsty friends
must trust God for their very survival.
I
continue to be impressed with Maze’s writing. Her prose is clean, her
characters well-formed, and her pacing flawless. The action will grab
you from page one and keep you turning to the end.
I
especially love how Ellen paints such strong Christian characters in
her novels. They are obvious proof of the author’s own Christian passion
and maturity shining through her work.
I have definitely become a fan of Maze’s writing and will look forward to reading the follow-up volumes, Loose Rabbits and Rabbit Legacy. The Judging and the forthcoming Damascus Road, are written as the character Beth Rider’s fictional novels. You can start with either Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider, or The Judging, but I did enjoy reading The Judging first as it gave me more of an insider’s view on what the characters in Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider were referring to.
Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider is an Excellent novel. I can’t recommend it highly enough.