Sunday 9 October 2011

A Wolf in Man's Clothing...

Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos, follows Luther on his path to transformation. The only 'problem' is that Luther is a werewolf. How can he change his lycanthropic ways so that he can become a better husband and ultimately find Christ?

Whilst on this journey, the reader meets zombies, a vampire and a mad scientist and his android. With the lead being taken by the author, Matt Mikalatos, himself as someone who believes that Luther can be rid of his wolfish ways and endeavours to assist him in finding a 'cure'.

Mikalatos' allegorical tale is funny and insightful. In a world of vampires, zombies and monster hunters, he uses this subject matter to full effect. Vampires are the opposite of Jesus, they have eternal life, but are not living. He suggests that a lot of Christian's are zombie like - following a preacher's sermons without thinking for themselves; that they should try to see how they can be true to Christ through their own actions and not wait to be told how to be a Christian. That so many churches are filled with people who have insurmountable faith but don't have any 'deeds' to confirm their faith. Why live a life that isn't transforming you?

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and mixed fantasy with reality seamlessly. I had to stop myself from trying to decipher the allegory and just enjoy the story - the story of a man who committed a wrong act which lead him to losing his wife and child, who wanted to better his life, to change in the hopes of being happy again. And, with the help of his newly found friends and eventually his faith, he did that. There was certainly no predictable happy ending and, not to give anything away, Luther does transform, but his re-birth is both a painful and joyful one. A lesson for anyone wishing to make their lives better and more fulfilling.

Mikalatos' style of writing and humor is great and it's very down to earth. His references to monsters etc are based on his childhood where he would watch films like 'Them' with his father, plus reading a lot of comic books. This influence is very prevalent in this story.

I highly recommend this book for everyone - especially those who feel that they may have lost their way and definitely for those with lycan feelings! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing for review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

No comments:

Post a Comment