What an incredible book! Told as two stories, one a mundane family in Oklahoma, the other a small group of radicals with a great deal of power. Kept me up night after night, as I tried to discover how the boy was connected with the other part of the plot. Excellent writing as well, so I'll be seeking more by this author. Highly recommend this book. D.
First time I have read Dean Briggs and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Certainly the metaphor of Jesus sacrifice was explicit throughout (from his name to the blood metaphor at the end), not a bad thing...but I thought the story that supported this metaphor was fascinating. So from the beginning with the computer virus to the end, I was engaged in the story.
From a emotional perspective, I really appreciated the dynamics of the family as well as the father and son portion at the end of the book. Rarely do you truly think of God, the Father, regarding the story, but I liked the take that Briggs had on it with the father and uncle taking up the two sides of the argument. Anytime an author can get you to stop and think about things in a new way like that, they have done a good job.
Overall, I would certainly recommend the book as an enjoyable read, though it certainly could be emotional for some readers, and I am sure that I will pick up other Dean Briggs books based on the quality of this one.