#bookreview: There Comes a Prophet by @davidlitwack

So last Saturday night at about 1 a.m., after writing some miscellaneous reviews and generally being lazy, I shut off my computer and decided to load this into Kobo. I figured I might as well read a few chapters before going to bed, but ended up reading until 3 a.m.. Gave up then mainly because my eyes were really tired and I had some misguided notion that I would like to wake up early and maybe go for a walk. Hah. Woke up at about 10-ish, and wondering how the book would end, I dived right in, finishing it at about noon. I haven't done this for a long time. Well, that was partially due to the fact that I've been too busy to read, but also because the book was really, really good.

There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What if all that you have ever been taught as good and right, the light that you've been taught to appreciate turns out to be the hand of darkness that has been holding you down?

When Nathaniel Rush of Little Pond discovers that the vicars of the Light have things to hide, things that may change his understanding of the world, he has to decide if he should run away from this knowledge, fitting back into the normalcy of life he has always known, or if he should pursue it, like in his dreams of being a knight and hero. Along for the adventure is Orah Weber, the girl he would give up his freedom for, and Thomas Bradford, the doubter, the one already broken by the Light. They must find the hidden keep, preserved for centuries by the keepers, so that the truth and knowledge of the past ages and civilisations wouldn't be lost to the world.

I had been a little apprehensive at first about reading There Comes a Prophet, mainly because the other book by Litwack that I read, Along the Watchtower, was a little bit of a let down in the ending department, especially in the fantasy portion of the book. And seeing this was a fantasy too... And yet something different happened this time. I just couldn't stop reading.

Litwack's writing is fresh, and Nathaniel, Orah and Thomas come to life in your imagination as you frantically flip (or click) the pages of this book. That's not to say that the other characters are not well fleshed out as well - they are. You feel for the painful history between Nathaniel's father and Orah's mother, and at times you are even drawn to understand the arch vicar, who seeks the keep for reasons of his own.

(oh yes, and the ending for this one fit just right)

I received this ebook copy for review as part of a Novel Publicity tour.

View all my reviews

What I have to say about There Comes a Prophet is that there is nothing exceptionally new about the premise. Litwack takes a very basic darkness vs light story, turns darkness and light on its head, and waits for his young, rebellious protagonists to (hopefully) make the right choices in life, even if the right choices may not be popular, or accepted, or even pleasant.

It addresses a very sensitive topic as well - religion, and the questioning of it. How much should you accept of your religion (if any) and what should you question? Maybe one of the things that resonated with me in this book is the questions that Nathaniel, Orah and Thomas, and to some extent the Arch Vicar wrestle with. Is it better to live in ignorance and apathy in order to have "peace" in the world? Should we discount the greatness of our age due to its horrors as well? How do we apportion and appropriate what is good and discard what is bad in an era where everything is permissable and everything is (almost) possible?

What price progress?

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, both Along the Watchtower and There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack are on sale this week. What’s more, by purchasing either or both of these fantastic books at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include a Kindle Fire, $650 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of each book. All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment--easy to enter; easy to win!




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1. Pick up Along the Watchtower at its discounted price of $2.99 on Amazon
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Along the Watchtower tells of a tragic warrior lost in two worlds; a woman who may be his only way back from Hell. Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes.

There Comes a Prophet A thousand years ago the Darkness came—a time of violence and social collapse. Nathaniel has grown up in their world of limits, longing for something more. For what are we without dreams? Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes.

David Litwack, the once and future writer, explores the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.  Visit David on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

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