As I noted before, I'm in the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program. And I just finished the first book I received from the publisher: Field of Blood by Eric Wilson. It is the first installment in the Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy.
Field of Blood is a novel with Christian roots and background. There is Evil in the world and it takes the form of the vampire-like Collectors that live on blood and possess living beings (people, animals, insects, etc). The story focuses on a particular set of Collectors who have been waiting at Akeldama, the field of blood where Judas committed his suicide (Acts 1:18-19). Given special power because of the blood spilled at Akeldama, these Collectors set out across the Earth looking to bring about the final destruction of humankind.
It took me a little while to get in the swing of the book, I must admit. Wilson gives some historical background on the region but not on the characters. He instead lets the characters reveal themselves. It turns out to be a good way to develop the main characters and it gets me to start caring about Gina, the protagonist, and investing in the unfolding stories. So, I was really glad that I kept going through the initial pages to get to the real meat.
Speaking of Gina, Wilson does a great job of building her character through the book so that, when it reaches the climax, her thoughts and actions are completely appropriate. The rest of the major characters are developed just as expertly.
The book has a lot of Jewish and Christian reference: geography, history, belief, ritual, and theology. Wilson does a wonderful job of weaving this in to the story and it is completely relevant. It is not just hanging on to the edges awkwardly nor is it just introduced and pushed aside. The importance of the salvation given through Jesus Christ (called "the Nazarene" by the Collectors) is shown as important. It is also shown in a realistic light across the characters in the book. Some are sure of their salvation, some are beginning their journey, some do not believe at all. As the story unfolds, it is great to see how Wilson brings a character through the progression of distrust of religion on to a budding faith in Christ.
This book ends with some resolution of the storyline but it leaves things wide open for the next books in the trilogy. More mystery is unveiled just as some pieces are revealed. I am really looking forward to the next book: Haunt of Jackals. I just can't believe I have to wait almost a year for it!
If you like fantasy novels or even just a great story, go get Field of Blood by Eric Wilson. It'll be worth 400 pages of your time.
UPDATE: To find out more about the Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy, and see a cool video trailer for Field of Blood, go check out Eric's site for the books at JerusalemsUndead.com.
Per the recent FTC ruling, I am required to tell you that I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson in return for publishing my review.
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4 comments:
Steve, thanks for the great review. I'm glad you stuck with Gina and her story, and yes, much more will be revealed in the coming books.
Haunt of Jackals should be out next July or August, so it's not quite as long as you thought. Hey, that's a good thing, right?
Eric, thanks for a great book and thanks for stopping by and commenting.
July seems soooooo long. But I'll stick it out. Any ideas on pre-release of a chapter or two? :-)
Peace.
Actually, I have a preview chapter on my website, under The Trilogy, then Haunt of Jackals. There are also extras if you can find the hidden link that takes you into area for the Concealed Ones (hint: it's in The Author section).
Hey Eric. I will definitely begin searching your website... :-)
Thanks again for interacting with the community. It's good to see people who "get it" with respect to social media and, as Seth Godin calls it, the Tribe.
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