Early
this year I decided "Soul's Gate" by James Rubart is my new favorite
novel. Now that I've read Memory's Door, Book 2 in the Wellspring
series, I can say that the series is now my favorite as well. What would
be very hard would be choosing between these books. Book 1 struck me as
brilliant, largely because it was so different than anything I've ever
read before--closest I could describe it would be the Frank Peretti
books but with a fresh, contemporary twist--but book two stands on its
own and has powerful and unique qualities as well. It is an incredible
follow-up to book 1, but can also be enjoyed as a stand alone novel.
One
might consider this book a spiritual allegory, but I think it would be
better to explain it as a book that takes spiritual realities and puts
them into words and pictures that we can understand with our limited
human senses. As a person who is open to spiritual experiences, I would
say that many of the descriptions accurately capture, as best as one can
with our limited vocabulary, aspects of the spiritual realm.
Jim's
passion is bringing people to freedom. Book 1 in this series focused on
inner healing and growing in awareness of the spiritual dimension, but
book 2 takes a closer look at two specific areas: freedom from regrets
and from religiosity. The religiosity aspect especially tickled me. I
feel like I have found freedom in this area, and yet it still tries to
sneak up on me at times, not to mention, we can all become more free in
this area. Jim's depiction of religiosity actually made me giggle in
delight at times, because it was such an affirmation of what I should
leave behind and what it truly means to be a believer. And let me
mention without spoiling anything, that I absolutely loved who "the
wolf"' turned out to be.
Jim's
writing is fresh and clean and keeps you quickly turning pages. Then,
when you least expect it, he hits you with a gorgeous description or
unique perspective that truly causes the book to shine. This is a
perfect example of what some are calling "life-changing" or
"transformational" fiction. It is sure to touch your heart and effect
you in a significant way. Little wonder book one took the 2013 Christy Award for visionary fiction. I can't wait for the next installment coming May 2014.
If you'd like to read my full review of Soul's Gate, click here. And to watch the amazing trailer for Memory's Door I featured last week, click here.
What is the most life changing book you've ever read? If you could only choose one book or series to recommend to everyone you know, what would it be?
What is the most life changing book you've ever read? If you could only choose one book or series to recommend to everyone you know, what would it be?
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