A.L.
Marquardt
Copyright © 2010 Background Design by Serif, Everything Else by A.L. Marquardt. All Rights Reserved.
For “A Reason to Hope”
Book Reviews
. . . Pulled right into Preeah's journey with a hard yank that refuses to let go, a reader is opened to thoughts and ideas but left to come to her own conclusions. Right and wrong is pondered, but not "settled," in the vein of John Irving. "A Reason to Hope" gives us a reason to stop and think. It ends softly, giving us the feeling it is not an ending, but a beginning. . .
(Amazon.com Review) This novella packs a fascinating story within a few (78) pages. An assassin, horribly burned during an escape attempt, must become a common thief to support her newly-formed drug habit. Preeah, despite her horrific appearance and loss of an arm, has one useful talent: a telephathic ability that allows her to choose appropriate victims and erase memories . . .
I am not an aficionado of science fiction literature (in fact, I think it’s called speculative fiction these days.) I wasn’t aware that there was even a genre called “Christian science fiction,” aside from Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series.
So, it was with a certain amount of apprehension that I agreed to read and review my friend Andra Marquardt’s novella, A Reason for Hope. Would I have sufficient knowledge of the genre to formulate a valid opinion? Would the slim book be interesting enough to me to hold my attention?
I need not have worried on either score. Andra has produced a work that is long on story, short on difficult-to-fathom “science fiction,” and a thoroughly enjoyable, highly readable, and, ultimately, meaningful tale . . .
So, it was with a certain amount of apprehension that I agreed to read and review my friend Andra Marquardt’s novella, A Reason for Hope. Would I have sufficient knowledge of the genre to formulate a valid opinion? Would the slim book be interesting enough to me to hold my attention?
I need not have worried on either score. Andra has produced a work that is long on story, short on difficult-
. . . The story starts of with very intense action, but then quiets down into more of an inner battle for the main character, but we get little bursts of action later on to keep things hopping. My understanding is that this book came as a spin off from another novel or story Andra is writing. I think the well developed world, and characters reflect this. It's clear that there is a bigger story surrounding the events of this story, and we're only seeing a single crisis as part of a bigger conflict. Yet, at the end, I felt well resolved. Maybe still a little curious about other questions beyond the scope of this story, but left satisfied . . . (Read more HERE)
