Expiration Date by Eric Wilson


Expiration Date is Eric Wilson’s sophomore release. It continues his Sense Series, in which Dark to Mortal Eyes was the first.

Clay Ryker returns to Junction City, Oregon trying to start over from a broken marriage, a failed business, and piling debt, only to find himself haunted by the memory of an accident 12 years ago.

As he enters town, a young mystic tells him he as a gift, one that he will soon feel. Clay doesn’t understand what she means, but before the night is over, he knew. As he brushed hands with his mother, hot numbers fire against his skin and are engrained in his mind.

What are these numbers? 122521. What do they mean? What kind of gift is this? More numbers come.

Clay soon receives a job at the Glenview Monument Company. He soon realizes that these numbers are death dates, Expiration Dates, if you will, of these people.

Are these numbers set in stone, or are they preventable? It seems to Clay that they are set in stone. As these numbers become more frequent and the dates loom in the near future, Clay feels inept to stop any of them.

Taunted by his past and his failure in life, Clay contemplates his own Expiration Date.

Soon, old friends from Dark to Mortal Eyes come into the story. Sarge begins piecing together these Expiration Dates and comes to term with his own past loss. Josie finds that the treasure her grandfather left her could be more than just money.

In the mix of Clay’s story, is the mystery of Engine 418 and its past. The legend of Rasputin and the Romanov’s play out in this small town. Aided by the unseen, good and evil fight against each other for Clay, for the town of Junction City, and for the future of Mother Russia.

It all ends with an unexpected twist. All is not as it seems to be. And more story is left to be revealed.

I enjoyed this book greatly. I loved to see the characters from Dark to Mortal Eyes again. This story jumped into the action from the first page and it didn’t let up till the last.

Often, as Christians, we only see the effects of the spirit realm. Eric takes it a bit deeper and allows the reader to experience it first hand. There are Angels and demons working just beyond the veil of our eyes. If we paid more attention to what is happening in the spiritual realm, and headed the call to prayer, things around us would change, lives would be saved, and hearts turned to Christ.

White: The Great Pursuit

White by Ted Dekker is the 3rd and final installment of the Circle Trilogy. It continues with Thomas Hunter seeking away to save this Earth from the Raison Strain. The beauty of this book comes from the other Earth. While this Earth is quickly falling into disarray from the disease, Thomas of Hunter is involved with the Great Pursuit of Elyon. That is drawing the Horde into the Circle, to become Elyon’s Bride. Will he have to give his life in that Pursuit, just as Elyon Himself had to do? Our will he survive?

How does our Earth fare in the end from the Raison Strain? Is there any hope for an anti-virus? At what cost to the nations? What would be the ultimate cost in this battle against time and a madman, set on destroying all?

In this book, Ted Dekker weaves a tale of great sacrifice, a sacrifice for love. Thomas meets a young woman by the name of Chelise, the daughter of General Qurong of the Horde. This woman captures his heart, which should not happen between those of the Circle and the Horde. She is one that has forsaken the Great Romance of Elyon and believed a lie. Yet, Thomas is taken by her.

He does everything within his power to woo her, to cause her to see that she is loved by Elyon. Will he succeed? The cost of rescuing the General’s daughter is his life, and if she follows after him, it will cost her life as well.

Dive Deep, and Live!

Again, this is a masterfully written book. In it we see a great example of 2nd Corinthians 5:11-19. It beautifully shows the ministry that we as Christians have been given, the ministry of reconciliation. We were reconciled to God by Christ Jesus, and we have been called to reconcile man to Christ. The Great Pursuit of Elyon is all about this. Our God desires fellowship with His Creation, yet those that have pursued after there own desires have no understanding of this Love.

We are called to give up our life for the sake of winning the lost. The word Martyr actually means Witness. In this book, you will see that put in action in every way.

I have walked away from this series inspired to love more, to walk in remembrance of the great sacrifice Christ made for me, and what He has called me to do. I am still in awe of how this story overcame the barriers that so often come with preaching about love and sharing our faith. In a story, the truth comes through so much stronger and we are more willing to accept it.

By the way, in case you didn’t know, Elyon is a name for God. It is Hebrew for The Most High God.

Red: The Heroic Rescue

Red by Ted Dekker continues the saga of Thomas Hunter and the Circle Trilogy.

Thomas is still living in two worlds, trying to defend them both. In the other Earth, Thomas lays to sleep, but this time he doesn’t dream. His wife, Rachelle, has brought him a fruit called the Rhambutan and made him promise not to dream of the Histories. He does this for 15 years. While this time passes, he becomes a mighty general.

He is the leader of the Forest Guard, those that have honored the way and commandments of Elyon. He and the Forest Guard fight the Horde, which are those that were attacked by the Shataiki and turned away from Elyon.

During one heavy battle that has cost him many soldiers, he sleeps. This sleep brings him back to our Earth again and the problems with this mutated anti-virus that threatens the world, The Raison Strain.

He is in a desperate search for Monique D’Raison, the creator of this anti-virus. She has been kidnapped by a madman who has unleashed this virus upon the world.

Will Thomas find her in time? Will he be able to come back and save the Forest Guard from the Hordes?

Then there is another problem. A man named Justin, a former Lieutenant under Thomas. He has been seen in the midst of the Horde, preaching peace with the Horde amongst the Forest People. He has saved The Southern Forest.

Martyn and Qurong are the two leaders of the Horde. Who are they and why do they want to create a truce with Justin? What could be in it for them?

Many believe Justin to be the savior, but many believe him guilty of treason and blasphemy of The Great Romance and Elyon Himself. Which is true?

The truth will be revealed, and it is not what it seems.

Dive Deep and Live.

Personally, this book is probably the more allegorical of the 2 so far in this series. Again, I shed many tears at the end of the story. The beauty of Grace shine through, yet the pain of rejection hurts the deepest. This book kept me hooked from the first page to the last. So many times I wanted to jump ahead a few chapters just to see if a character was still alive.

Black: The Birth of Evil

Black by Ted Dekker is the first of the Circle Trilogy. The book takes the reader into two worlds, lived simultaneously by one man, Thomas Hunter.

Imagine being pulled into another world in your dreams. Now, imagine that both worlds are lived in a dream. Being awake in our Earth meant that you are asleep in the other Earth, and vice versa. But which world is real? What is causing these dreams? Are they even really dreams?

In our Earth, there is a plot to release a nasty airborne virus that could wipe out the whole planet in a matter of weeks. While in the other Earth, Thomas finds out about this plot and tries with all his might to prevent this destruction from taking place.

In the Alternate Earth, a band of Black Bats, called Shataiki, are drawing a member of the Human Race to themselves, so they can destroy them.

In the mix of all of this, there is the Story of the Great Romance, the story of the Love of the Creator, Elyon, for His creation.

As a reader, this book took a few minutes to adjust to. I am not much of a fantasy/alternate reality reader. But this book won me over. In the mix of both worlds, great spiritual truths begin to surface. It is ultimately a Love story, not a tawdry romance, but a story of the Great Love of God and His wooing of the Human race. I found myself crying in many places, my heart leaping with the discovery of Elyon, and it breaking with sorrow over Elyon’s pain at the end of this book.

Be forewarned though – do not get near finishing Black without having Red on hand. There is a major cliff-hanger on the last page.

Upcoming Reviews::


Expiration Date by Eric Wilson
The Best of Evil by Eric Wilson (release date Sept 19, 06)
*Black by Ted Dekker
*Red by Ted Dekker
*White by Ted Dekker
*Showdown by Ted Dekker
*House by Frank Peritti and Ted Dekker
*Edge of Eternity by Randy Alcorn
*Deadline by Randy Alcorn
*Dominion by Randy Alcorn
*The Weeping Chamber by Sigmund Brouwer
*Blood Ties by Sigmund Brouwer


* I have already read these books, but just have to write the review

Dark to Mortal Eyes by Eric Wilson

Dark to Mortal Eyes is a heart stopping, roller-coaster ride, spiritual thriller. This is a story that spans 3 generations, starting with a WWII veteran and his ties to a German chemist, and ends with a young woman finding her faith in God again and her family.

It takes the reader though the dark mind of a German chemist who is intent on destroying the world then, and now. The Professor, as the chemist is now known, hatched a plan that takes 60 years to come to fruition. Josee Walker happens to be the key to this destruction, but will she comply and be the pawn that the Professor wants.

While searching for the parents that gave her up for adoption, Josee is thrown into this battle. She is days from meeting her mother, Kara, only to think that she was abandoned again. Her father wants nothing to do with her, yet due to a twist of fate, joins Josee to search for Kara, and come to terms with his own past.

Dark to Mortal Eyes uses the game of Chess to press the story onward. It is filled with chess strategy, but in no way makes the book a bore. Also filled with spiritual imagery and Biblical Truth, Eric weaves a tale of beauty and grace in the midst of evil.

I will have to say that this book is one of my favorites - and I am an avid reader. My personal book collection numbers in the thousands. This is a new beginning for CBA Fiction and I am very glad to see this change.

God bless,
KingdomWarrior
As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God,
for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

I hope that this blog-spot will become a resource for great fiction books. I have just started writing reviews, but have been an avid reader for many years. My personal collection stands at over 1000 books (this includes Anthologies as well as complete volumes of literature from various authors).

My personal tastes are Christian fiction and Classics. Even in Christian fiction, I have my preferred style. I love the thrillers (psychological, spiritual, or technological), murder mysteries, and current events.

Favorite authors are Randy Alcorn, Terry Blackstock, Sigmund Brouwer, Ted Dekker, Bill Myers, Frank Peretti, and Eric Wilson.

I do read many non-fiction books on prayer and Christian Living.

I prefer the classics in this case. CS Lewis, Andrew Murray, RA Torrey, AW Tozer, Charles Finney, EM Bounds, Charles Spurgeon, ect.

These men of faith have lived and died serving their Lord and Savior. We can see where they have faltered, but can see that they fell into the hands of God and relied on His Grace and Mercy to bring them through. I do hope to place some reviews of these books also, as time goes on. But my focus is Christian Fiction.

God bless,
As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God,
for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?