Otherworld: A Novel

It almost seemed as if the writer wanted the reader to decide if the characters were dealing with interdimensional beings or demons or if they are the same thing. I was upset that the police involvement was so down played. I always suspend belief when beginning a fantasy type book but this was just too off the mark.

I don't often read books like this (kind of Frank Peretti-esque), but the plot did draw me in and the resolution was satisfactory on both an emotional and spiritual level. My guess is that folks who enjoy Peretti and Dekker will enjoy this book.

Although this is fiction, truth,both frightening and glorious ,is front and center in this gripping story. A page- turning suspenseful novel with intricate twists and turns. You will care about the well developed characters . Jared Wilson keeps your attention in this thought-provoking story.

How refreshing to read a book with no sex and bad language. This book did have a lot of violence and images but I enjoyed reading it. The beginning was a little slow and detailed but was necessary for the background. I would rate this 7 out of 10 .

A cow mutilated beyond human capabilities sends the rural suburb of Trumbull, Texas into a frenzy of excitement as alien involvement seems to be the only logical explanation. Whether or not aliens are behind it, or the recent murders of Trumbull citizens, journalist Mike Walsh, police captain Graham Lattimer, and disillusioned pastor Steven Woodbridge find themselves caught up in the middle of the investigation.

What I liked about it:

The plot, incorporating elements of science fiction and speculative fiction, was interesting.

As another reviewer mentioned, I like that Christian fiction can extend to areas beyond Amish romances

The narrative is structured in a similar manner to Stephen King's Carrie. That is, the story is surrounded by journal entries, magazine articles, and other assorted documents that further the story. It's both handled well and makes it interesting.

What I didn't like about it:

Wilson did not include any characters in this story. He wrote a story including time-worn tropes and cliches: a disillusioned pastor who only became pastor of a mega church because his parents forced him to, a college professor with scientific skepticism of Christianity, a teen punk whose drug addiction leads him to crime, and a police chief skeptical of extraterrestrial activity to name a few.

While I understood the need for certain characters to be in certain places, the police in this story were generally incompetent and verged on being unbelievable after some time.

What I especially didn't like about this novel was the way it incorporated the same element of man-bashing sexism that is prevalent in most Christian fiction. We learn early on in the story that Mike's wife Molly left him because he chose to spend more time watching TV than with her. Mike not only accepts this as his fault completely, but kicks himself for thinking that perhaps Molly also should shoulder some blame for leaving him without talking to him about his behavior.

The novel appears to agree with Mike, because Molly's behavior is never questioned, examined, or argued against. At one point, Mike temporarily reunites with Molly, and the manner in which she is described as "a picture of grace and beauty, mercy personified. An object of desire, a purpose for sacrifice. His love, his life. His wife." This not only reads as goddess-worship, but ignores Mike's earlier speculation that perhaps he has created an idol out of Molly.

As if this isn't enough, the novel goes on to commit every other relationship cliche Christian fiction has come up with before: everything wrong in the relationship minus Molly's leaving is a result of Mike's taking her for granted; Molly is essentially faultless, which is highlighted by her marrying a highly flawed Mike; Mike wasn't all that into God which contributed but got more interested after she left; and she didn't really want to leave him, but she felt like she had no choice.

In the end, it wasn't a horrible book, as the plot kept my interest despite the cliches. If the cliches listed above don't seem too imposing, Otherworld will make a nice read. However, if you don't want to read the typical flawed husband/perfect wife story intermixed with cliched character types, pass this book on.

A good read. Enjoyed it and would recommend it.

The truth be known, as Christians, we are in a battle everyday. A spiritual battle for the souls of men.

I pray God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

As a pastor/theologian Mr Wilson makes a really terrible novellist. Inane plot, goofy characters and a poor attempt to be profound. The occasional flash of descriptive writing saved it from total disaster.

Otherworld is a book that, at best, is an acquired taste. Portrayed largely as a science fiction book, it is truly nothing of the sort. It deals mostly with the paranormal, and how it is dealt with from a Christian point of view. In the end, it is a story of Christian fiction, and does not greatly even succeed at that.

The main characters include Mike, a journalist who seems to second-guess every move he makes. His indecision gets quite tiresome, and really never improves. Though he is used as the foil to bring out the Christian message, he displays little curiosity, desire for growth, or anything else one would normally see in a seeker. Pops Dickey is a grizzled old farmer with no scruples at all; Graham Lattimer is a typical small-town police chief, though he is also a prayer warrior. He has headaches through almost the entire story, so it is obvious from early on he is being attacked by the evil spirits. Then there are the two college professors, one immersed in Christianity, and the other desirous of secret knowledge and power. Finally we have the self-doubting preacher. These are all little more than caricatures of a standard Christian story. Sadly, the ones you would expect growth from, Mike and the preacher, really do not develop much at all. The characters mostly spin their wheels as the story line flits around them.

Structurally, the book is very good. Grammar, spelling, tense agreement, homonyms, all are well done overall. The author using some interesting scene changes within chapters that can sometimes be a little hard to follow at first, but as a device, the reader soon gets used to it.

I downloaded this book as science fiction; it quickly became obvious this book was not of that genre. Since I also enjoy good Christian fiction, I continued on. The problem is that as Christian fiction, this story is weak. The portrayals of the people, the demons, the situations, all are very trite and predictable. There is no real hook to the story that pulls the reader in. Plot points are foreshadowed to death, and there never is a twist to keep things interesting. For the good writing structure and an obvious desire by the author to provide a good story, I give it two stars at best. If you are looking for very basic Christian evangelizing fiction, you might enjoy this book. If you want depth to your characters and story, I would recommend you look elsewhere.

Update: It's been a while since I wrote the above review. My opinions have not changed, but access to the book has; it is no longer available in Kindle form. It appears to be available only in various paperback offerings, new and used.

Outside of Houston and its suburb of Trumbull, old Pops finds one of his cows dead with a laceration created by no earthly means, and through which all her internal organs had been removed. Next thing you know, stories of UFOs and little gray men start circulating and grab national attention.

From there, a wide cast of characters get drawn in to what is no longer a story of UFOs and little gray men, but of violence, evil, and demon possession.

Although the story is definitely Christian Fiction and definitely supernatural, I'm not sure what to think of it. It was compelling enough to keep me going, and Jared certainly knows how to pull a reader in, but there were so many . . . curiosities to the structure of the book that threw me off and yanked me out of the story. Jared presented newspaper or magazine articles, some of which seemed to rehash what he'd just written. POV characters started coming in out of the blue. Far too much time was spent presenting the eulogy and sermon of a minor character--not even a character, really, but a minor character's sister.

And the most curious of all wasn't in the battle between good and evil, but afterward. One night, the sheriff gets his arm shot off, and seemingly the next day he's joining his friend at the cafe--without his arm, of course, but he claims not to miss it. Frankly, I don't know how long it takes to recuperate from blood loss after having an arm shot off, but the turn-around time seemed more unrealistic than the fantastic climax.

Aside from what I've presented here, I think Jared unnecessarily complicated the telling of what would otherwise be a good story.

Wilson masterfully tells a story of supernatural brilliance. The characters are believable and the plot is addictive. This is one of those hard-to-put-down books that perfectly balances existential realities with paranormal suspense. I highly recommend this book. Just don't read it at night.

I am a Jewish believer in Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I encourage you to read Otherworld, A Novel. The Bible, God's Word, is true, and Jared Wilson brings this to light in this book. He is risen; Jesus is risen, and I pray that you will h have your eyes and heart opened in reading this book. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that who believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. JOHN 3:16

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I bought it this morning and couldn't put it down until I finished it this afternoon. Wilson does a great job making a Christian novel that is Gospel-Centered, profound, entertaining, addictive, and unpredictable. In a world where Christian fiction is apparently controlled by middle-aged Amish women, Otherworld stands head and shoulders above it's competition. Do yourself a favor and get it.

I was excited to finally get my hands on Jared C. Wilson's first (published) work of fiction. Overall it was a decent read, but I had to work at it. If I could erase my memory and read it again here is what I would tell myself:

-Jared's narrative style is unique, so erase your typical narrative expectations and just let the story take you along at it's own pace.
-Jared is a well known pastor, and he's writing the book in his own name. Whether at his own choice or the publisher's, the story is oddly censored. Expect violence and action, but the cops never swear, saying "sheesh" instead of "shit." It's odd, but that's the expectation of the Christian industry.
-The story has plenty of excitement, but it takes a leisurely pace getting there, so sit back and relax.

Overall I'm excited for this author's career, and I will certainly read his works in the future, though this book itself was not mind-blowingly awesome to me. I truly wish the author had published this book under a different name so he wouldn't have to pull so many punches. The cheesy euphemizing take the reader out of an otherwise gritty story. For those interested in further reading along these lines, I would recommend C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy (though prepare for some heavy reading).

I am with those who say this is a great read. I loved the storyline and the characters, I was drawn into the story, seeking the outcome. This novel is a thriller among thrillers, 256 pages that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page is read. I had to check a couple of times to remind myself who the author was, this could have been written by Stephen King, or Dean Koontz, except there is a christian undercurrent to it. This story would make a great move, LOVED it!! Great Book, Great Storyline, Great Read.