Title: Beckon
Author: Tom Pawlik
Year: 2012
Pages: 416
Publisher: Tyndale
Publishers
Note: I received a
complimentary copy from the publisher for an honest review.
Grab
hold of the arm on your couch before you even open the book cover! At first I wasn’t sure what I was reading at
all. During the first few chapters, I
was reminded of the movie Journey to the
Center of the Earth. I kept reading
on as the plot was thickening and different genres of writing were
included. What kinds of genres? Well, science fiction, mystery, and suspense
type genres. The author definitely takes
the reader on one wild and crazy ride, making it hard to discern the plot.
As you
continue down the path of reading, more characters are introduced. The scenes are changing as well as questions
rising faster than you can read. The
story begins with a dad who is saying good-bye to his son before embarking on a
journey to study ancient people. The
father has been mocked by colleagues for the premises published in his professional
writings. After a decade of being gone,
we find that Jack has decided to take up the path of his father’s study in
hopes of discovering what happened to his dad as well as to exonerate him. Jack’s father was an anthropologist. Jack grew up without a mother, but was raised
by a loving aunt.
Jack
isn’t the only one looking for answers, so is a woman named Elina. Having been a daughter of a murder victim,
she has become a cop. Her decision to
search for answers proves to be more dangerous than any other decision she has
ever made. Then, the reader is
introduced to George. As we continue
down the path of discovery, we see George is quite successful and married though
bares a heavy burden. Like all who find
themselves at the end of their rope, he is searching for a miracle for his
wife. What cost must George pay in order
to secure the hope he no longer has? The
villain in the story sounds like someone we might know--you know, the type who
sees a chance to take advantage of someone’s heartache placing before them… I
can’t tell you or that would ruin it.
Finally,
we come to the last chapters of the book.
Here we see the warfare that is raging all through the book come to a
climax. Many characters are lost, hurt
or are locked up for future experiments maybe?
No, something more sinister is in the works far worse than anyone can
imagine. The story is filled with
twists, turns, action, and surprises.
Though at first I wasn’t sure I could even finish the book, I then found
I couldn’t put it down! Beckon is definitely a unique story. I was glad I had an opportunity to read
it. For me, the book rates a 4-star as
it is not something I would have chosen, but found it to have
great story telling!
