Title: Soul Wars: An Adventure into the Supernatural
Author: Chris Kline
Publisher: Workbook Press
ISBN: 978-1956876123
Pages: 388
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Susan Brown
Hollywood Book Reviews
A study of religion elucidates good is defined as that which is morally right and, conversely, evil is immorally wrong. This contradiction consequently sets up a war between the two ideas. In Soul Wars, the author showcases this battle by highlighting the temptations the fictional characters she writes about face daily.mmIt is through the lives of four families in the small Midwestern town of Cambridge, brought to life through the author’s fertile imagination, that we experience the cosmic battle waged between angels trying to safeguard these human souls and evil entities trying to take them captive. These characters are challenged daily to make the right choice, to accept God’s blessings and turn away from Satan’s influence.
We are privy to the unfolding stories of the various characters from early in their lives. From our first introduction, the author sets the stage for all of them to be regularly bombarded to embrace their behavioral weaknesses by various evil spirts. Demons with names like Anger, Insanity, Confusion, Violence, Guilt and Darkness are just a few of their nemeses. On the flip side writes the author, “Angels abound where evil grows.” Each person has an angel that tries to protect them from giving in to sinful practices. These angels — Odessa, Gallant, Nova, Regal, Cronan — are sent by God to swaddle His children in goodness and guide them to a principled life.
The strength of this story is in the relatability of the residents of Cambridge. Although it is a fictional town, it is comparable to real small towns everywhere. The townsfolk are faced with the similar challenges to real-life, from addiction issues to financial solvency to marital infidelity and, the overarching theme of trying to live a faith-based life.
This narrative moves along, keeping the reader intrigued by shifting the storyline between families and interweaving their lives in a manner that brings them together. Their interactions enlighten them to the understanding that, as the author writes, “When those of us who have everlasting life reach Heaven, God will say, ‘turn around’ and amongst the sea of faces you will see those who are there because you prayed for them.” That the struggle to lead a non-secular life manifests in a spiritual awakening is at the heart of this story. I think the author does an illustrative job, through the use of scripture passages, to substantiate and underscore this message. She opens a window to the spiritual realm that inspires the reader to reflect on their own walk-by-faith, a journey that can, she sets forth, lead to an acceptance of and belief in God’s promises.
Soul Wars is more than just an adventure into the supernatural, it is a plea to exercise our free will to choose good over evil, morality over immorality and righteousness over sinfulness. It is a prompt, if you will, to acknowledge our own responsibility in the celestial war the author describes and find our way to align ourselves with God’s will.