Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The God Hater by Bill Myers



Bill Myers is a favorite with all ages in our home. My son loved his "My Life As..." novels, as well as his "Agent Dingledorf" series. Our daughter couldn't get enough of his "Forbidden Doors" books. And my husband and I have been a fan since we picked up a copy of "Blood of Heaven".

Yup, between all of us we've pretty much read just about every book Bill Myers has written. So I was thrilled when I learned he had a new novel out, called "The God Hater". I devoured half of it in one sitting, went to sleep bleary-eyed, then picked it up and finished it first thing the next morning!

It's THAT good!

Dr. Nicholas MacKenzie loves to tackle topics of faith, especially with students new to his philosophy department. He's crotchety, jaded, and as atheistic as one can get. But more than that...he's hostile toward God and the things of God. Dr. MacKenzie truly is a God hater.

Which makes his friendship with fellow professor Annie Brooks such an odd pairing. While Annie doesn't overtly teach Jesus in her courses, she leads her students to the trough of faith and lets them decide whether or not to drink.

Dr. Mac's brother is trouble on wheels, and it seems that Trevor has gotten in over his head once again. When the Homeland Security appears to be hunting for him, Dr. MacKenzie journeys out of his safe zone to find his brother and to uncover what has the government so heated up.

Turns out, Trevor needs Dr. MacKenzie's expertise in philosophy for a new virtual reality project he's created. His computer-generated world needs a way of life to keep it from destroying itself, and it's up to Dr. Mac to propose a philosophical way of life that will keep the society functioning, and possibly thriving.

Buddism, Existentialism, Relativisim...they try them all. Which one will actually work? And can Dr. MacKenzie protect the people he loves from the government bound to hunt them down? What will happen when Annie gets involved? Will she lose her son?

You may think you can figure out where Bill Myers is going with this one, but think again: he's known for crazy but logical twists and turns that will have your mind blown within a few chapters.

Remember something vital, though: you cannot get your belief system from a work of fiction...so even though his allegory works, it will break down at some point simply because that's the nature of allegory. So don't base your faith on a story...base it in something real and true...the Bible, perhaps?

My thanks to my friends at Howard Publishing for sending me an advance copy of "The God Hater". This book is now available everywhere, and is an excellent read...especially for the doubters in your life! I love a good, intellectual story that is accessible to everyone, and Bill Myers always delivers.

That's why "The God Hater" gets five out of five bookmarks from me, with a fake ID badge as a charm...oh, did I say 'fake'? Pay no attention to me...bwahahahahahahhaha!

Happy Reading!

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1 comment:

Kim said...

When I see your sinister laugh:

"bwahahahahahahhaha!"

I know you are back in rare form!

I'm so glad!!

Kim