Book Review: The Way by Christopher St. Clair II

The Way (The Terran Empire Series) [Kindle Edition]

Christopher St. Clair II (Author)

Kindle Edition: .99 cents or Free w/ Amazon Prime.

Paperback Edition: $14.99.

The story, from the authors own words at the conclusion of the book, is a retelling of Paul’s journey; except the setting for this is far into the future. By this time religion has been outlawed, Muslims have made an Islamic community on the outskirts of the empire and Christians, known as followers of “The Way”, are hunted down, tortured, and killed.

If you are like me, I do not normally enjoy a lot of “Christian” Fiction (Sci-Fi, mystery, etc.) because I think a lot of it leaves the grit in humanity out of the equation; however, the grit, the evil and harsh undertones are the very reasons I think humanity needs a savior. This books does a great job at both retelling Paul’s story in a futuristic space setting, looking at the grit in humanity, and also pondering the questions of why people become Christian and how are they different from others (or in what ways should they be different from others).

I give this book four out of five stars. Why not five out of five? Well, there were a few places where poor editing was noticeable; however, it was not enough to distract from the books readability. My biggest qualm with the book was that the author could have drawn it out better, creating more suspense. Despite the fact that this is a retelling of Paul, the reader does not really know that fact unless they read a ways into the story and are familiar with the Bible. My only real critique would have been to draw out the chase in the first book, seemingly making the Christians looks like the Villains (not calling them followers of “The Way” but instead calling them criminals throughout the book), and then at the end of the book the big reveal is that they are being chased down for being Christians. An example of this kind of suspense was in the movie “Book of Eli”. *Spoiler Alert* At the end of the movie it is revealed (1) The man is Blind and (2) The Book he is carrying are the scriptures. If these had been revealed earlier in the movie, it would not have made the ending so special and dramatic.

All things being considered though, this is my friend’s first work and is certainly worth a read and even a re-read. My qualms with the book are minimal and the story itself is really engaging and picks up as the book moves along. The end seems open for the possibility of a second book, one I hope will be written. I would love to dive more deeply into this story, its characters, and its world.

~ Daniel Brockhan