To Wrestle with Darkness

by Alan D. Jones

Michael always knew that he was different, but he never knew how different until the day he discovered that he was born into a family with very special abilities. Jonah, a man born many years after... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966667913
• ISBN13: 9780966667912
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Rising Sun Group
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

`The hopeless have no regard for life, not even their own.'

The two main characters in this novel are Michael and Jonah. The novel begins with Michael's first person account as he begins to learn more about himself and his family and their history. As Michael's knowledge increases, his perilous journey really begins. The tale of Jonah is a third person account of events that occur sometime after Michael's story. The stories are ultimately related but separate, and are recounted in alternate chapters. The link between Michael and Jonah is one of seeking knowledge and truth. In Michael's case, he is seeking for information about his family. In Jonah's case, he is living in a time where most religion, including Christianity, is outlawed. This creates challenges and difficulties for Jonah and his fellow Christians, and much of Jonah's part of the narrative is centred on these struggles. `Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.' This is speculative fiction exploring the battle between good and evil from the perspective of Christian mythology. I read it primarily as a morality play, although the main characters are not one-dimensional and there is plenty of action as Michael and Jonah undertake their respective journeys. There are elements of allegory which, while they are essentially universal in epic tales of good versus evil, will be readily recognised by Christians whom I expect will be the primary audience for this novel. Overall I liked this novel but the frenetic activity and the number of characters involved made the pages very crowded at times. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This is a deep somewhat convoluted and extremely complex and enthralling amalgamation of religion, s

His mom tried to keep Michael out of the family mission however, her efforts prove futile. A junior at Georgia Tech, Michael's cousin Akina text messaged him that something bad happened and he needs to meet her at Piedmont Park. He rushes over only to see Akina with blind Uncle Paul who must be a zillion years old; Michael has questions about freaky photos to ask his uncle about, but no time. Akina cries that her Mama Avis has Cousin Carla. Darnell, Carla's twin, arrives agitated as does family friend Sandy. The family, in an instant, travels from Atlanta to New Orleans in order to confront Avis, who has turned to the dark side. Michael the atheist begins to understand there is a lot more out there as he finds his power to change the physical state of an object or a being's body part during the effort to rescue Carla from Avis and her demonic horde. Meanwhile as Michael begins to learn of his skills and that of his family, in the distant future Jonah and Monica struggle to survive in a suppressed world in which the Blue control everything. An inventor Jonah saw at what was once the Smithsonian the Heart of Mystery gem that belonged to his family. He risks his life to regain what he believes he should possess. However, he is unprepared for the Blue Lord horde, though he proves to be a poor sport. This is a deep somewhat convoluted and extremely complex and enthralling amalgamation of religion, science fiction and fantasy into a terrific allegorical thriller. The ensemble support cast for the two subplots makes the powerful story line work as they seem real while Jonah and Michael share star billing. Fans will anticipate the blending of their subplots, but never figure out how Alan D. Jones cleverly achieves this. TO WRESTLE WITH DARKNESS is an excellent tale. Harriet Klausner

Fun to read - gread adventure

This story grabs you like the Harry Potter series. Great collection of characters and timelines make a great read.

Good read, thought provoking

A great read. You won't want to put this book down. I really enjoyed the combination of fantasy, science fiction, and Christianity.

Powerful!

To Wrestle with Darkness was powerful. Suprisingly, it touched on a variety of genres - thriller, action, suspense, sci-fi and even romance. Well rounded, well written and even inspiring! If you like fantasy, this one is for you.