Other bloggers on the CSFF blog tour have actually finished Haunt of Jackals by Eric Wilson, so let’s find out what they think.
Here’s some more plot summary from Karri Kompton:
“Cal Nichols, one of the original Nistarim and Gina’s father, works to keep not only Gina safe, but also Dov Amit, a young boy on the side of good. One of the orphans in Gina’s care, Pavel, shows signs of being a Concealed One. They must both escape to America in order to stay under the Collectors’ radar. Throughout the book, Gina and Cal fight Collectors and banish the blood-drinkers forever to torment.”
Jason Joyner referred us to a past discussion on his blog about whether Christian writers should write about vampires. Twilight is mentioned, as is Eric Wilson’s work. The writers seemed to agree that vampires are evil, and should be portrayed that way. This book by a Christian writer treats vampires very differently from Stephenie Meyer’s treatment of them in Twilight.
KM Wilsher tells us a bit about Eric Wilson’s unusual childhood:
“Eric Wilson, a family man, was born stateside but spent many years traveling abroad with his parents, missionaries. I hear they even attempted to give out bibles behind the iron curtain. Most of what I read about Mr. Wilson says that he wanted to write from a young age. We are all glad he was given the chance. ” She also tells us that he has written screenplays for the films Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel. I am not surprised at this; his high-action style is very suited to film.
Rachel Starr Thompson didn’t find Jesus in the book. “…In this adventure, all you really need to defeat evil is the right artifacts, self-discipline, and good combat training. Cal declares at one point that “We battle not against flesh and blood,” yet his methods of battling are decidedly physical. Vampires are killed with blades, blood, and tent pegs, but never once is a demon vanquished by the power of Jesus’ name or by the power of faith in His blood.”
I am disappointed. I had hoped that the lead characters in the book would turn to Jesus to vanquish fear. I have learned that fear is the opposite of love. It’s fear that the Enemy uses against us most often. Wilson lost an opportunity here to teach Christians how to deal with fear, not by using artifacts but by holding the hand of Jesus.
To find out more, check out other blogs on the tour. Those who had posts on this topic when I looked are checked.
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Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
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Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
+Keanan Brand
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Amy Browning
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Karri Compton
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Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
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Karina Fabian
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Beth Goddard
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Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
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Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Mirtika
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Nissa
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John W. Otte
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James Somers
Speculative Faith
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Rachel Starr Thomson
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Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
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Fred Warren
+Phyllis Wheeler
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Jill Williamson
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KM Wilsher
