Book Reviews March 2017

March 2017
3. The Great Divorce and the Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis (an audio Library book from Overdrive)

The Great Divorce is a fantasy about what happens when we die. The story seems to examine how a human shade can move into a position of solidity as the person progresses from a bad place to a better place over time. The whole subject offers answers to the problems people encounter from types of thought. The story is unfolding philosophic discussion.

“I was not left very long with the tousled headed poet.” A man who has died recounts his journey into the country of death. He meets different types of people as he moves forward into the countryside. Everyone he meets presents different types of thought that influences, whether they move toward heaven or back into hell.

Each person is eventually met with a guide who tries to convince them to move forward toward the heavenly place. The short story enlightens the reader about sociological personalities as it moves along.

The Abolition of Man is not fiction, it is philosophic and sociological in its content. The writing takes up the last 3 chapters of the book. The two subjects presented in one book leave the reader with in-depth thought provoking information.

Lewis quotes phrases from Confucius, Jesus, The Green Book and other philosophic writings. He presents a lot of ideas by lumping all into a Chinese thought process called the Dow. “So he sent the word to slay and slew the little child-er.” this quote by Carol begins the first of the last three chapters of the book.
The whole book does not take long to read but it will blast your mind with thought that is ancient and also gives understanding of today's society. Here is an ancient question: What will happen with society when we are done with it? In other words when each generation moves into death what philosophic questions rule the next generation?

2.The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (a kindle e book from Amazon)

It is interesting that Lee Strobel was not spiritual or a Christian until 1981. The book is an extremely researched journalistic endeavor. Strobel’s education consists of journalism and law.

Each chapter begins with an authentic legal case. He uses the cases to introduce his witnesses and draw attention to the next subject he is writing about. He presents both sides of the case for and against within the chapters.”One of the most obvious lessons was that evidence can be aligned to point in more than one direction.”

Each witness's credentials are presented to the reader. Of course the book offers the reader facts about the time of Christ. The story is a presentation of the works of Christ. Are they were real or not? It presents the crucified Christ. Did he really die? Strobel dug deep into historical records, “I plunged into the case with more vigor than with any story I had ever pursued.”

Strobel flew to many places in the world to interview experts. Personally, it never occurred to me that there were so many people on the earth that had dedicated parts of their lives to finding out the truth about what happened in Israel so many years ago. There are historical records involving the death and resurrection of Christ. There were real witnesses to these events. Strobel presents the reader with facts about the writers of Matthew, Mark Luke, John and other authors of new testament books. He asks questions that readers may not have thought to ask? This is a nonfiction book looking into historical records and facts. The answers he finds may surprise you.

3. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Book 1) by Michael Scott (a library epub book from Overdrive)

This book is a New York Times best seller series. The stories are fantasy. Filling the stories with every kind of fanciful creature must have fulfilled Michael Scott’s ambition to create this series. It follows a well worn theme about people who want to possess the earth, control other living beings, and other well known ideologies.

And, of course there are two sides to this theme. On the opposite side are the people who want to save the earth and make it into a beautiful environment where all creatures are free, happy, and safe from danger.

Populating the stories are witches, a necromancer, ancient gods from ancient civilizations, specialized warriors and ugly creatures of all kinds. Magic and its ways are a special entertainment factor throughout the story.

The first book in the series is called The Alchemist. It sets up the story line and introduces characters who you will read about throughout the series. The immortal Nicolas Flamel loses a book called the Codex created by Abraham the Mage. “But before all these I was an Alchemist.” Flamel was born in 1330 and is six hundred thirty years old. “Without the book she and I will age.”

“An authority on mythology and folklore, Michael Scott is one of Ireland’s most successful authors.”