Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden
“Left Behind for the Hunger Games Generation”
In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?
adrenaline and thrills of a suspense/thriller novel, but the mood was terrifyingly eerie like a Horror story. There was almost too much sensory information for my primitive human brain to handle. Still, all of these genres combined made for one unique and fascinating story. This kind of book is of the same flavor as The Hunger Games with its originality, which I really appreciated.” - Katelyn Hensel for Readers' Favorite “Sanctuary is a fast-paced Christian fantasy thriller that is original and quite entertaining. The story revolves around Jennie and her family, Pastor Billy and his wife, and two brothers who are polar opposites of each other. Each chapter is presented in the point of view of Jennie, Brad or Hugh (the brothers), which gives Pauline Creeden's Sanctuary, a multidimensional feel. The three different story-lines merge into a full-fledged fantasy/horror novel that never sags or lets up on the action. While there are Christian themes present in Sanctuary, and Jennie's faith is an important part of who she is, I, a non-Christian, did not feel I was being preached to or proselytized. I recommend Pauline Creeden's Sanctuary -- it's well-written and a lot of fun to read.” – Jack Magnus for Readers Favorite
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My Thoughts:
This story is told from three main viewpoints – Jennie, Hugh and Brad. Jennie is a college student. Hugh and Brad happen to be brothers and they don’t get along. Brad is a mechanic and a womanizer who likes women that can take care of him. Hugh is a biology teacher at the local high school who has been working on his PhD.
I don’t typically read books about zombies. I mean the walking undead? I love fantasy, but that’s just a little too unreal for me. Well, I found myself caught up in this apocalyptic novel, totally captivated, and suddenly discovered that these poor suffering people that couldn’t die were…. You guessed it. Zombies. I have to admit I have never looked at the quote just before the beginning of Chapter 3 that way before: Revelation 9:6 “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them” (Note: in the book the reference is given as Revelation 9:3).
This was a really scary, gripping book. I enjoyed the way Ms. Creeden told it from the three points of view, bringing the three characters together about half way through the book. It gave the opportunity to see into their characters and lives in a way that we wouldn’t have been able to if the entire story was told from a single POV.
There are spiritual lessons to be found in Ms. Creeden’s book too. At one point in the story, Jennie needs to get help for Hugh, who has been bitten by one of the alien creatures and is unconscious, but she needs to get Mickey her 5 year old brother to a safe place first. She carries Mickey from the mess hall down the street to the chapel past several of the alien beings who either seem not to see her or are uninterested in her – something totally unheard of before. When the pastor asks her how she did it, she says “I just kept thinking, ‘Walk by faith, not by sight,’ and determined to trust God more than the fear of what I saw.”
Mickey, Jennie’s five year old brother was my favourite character. He is such a sweet child, who is so innocent and caring. Even in his innocence he is such a good judge of character. One of the first things he says to Jennie when he meets Brad is, “I don’t like him”, and shortly after meeting Hugh, he tells her that he likes Hugh. Jennie doesn’t understand that because her opinion of the two men is totally opposite.
I also enjoyed the romantic element in this book. There was no kissing or sex or falling in love with someone because they were beautiful or handsome. It was about getting to know the character of a person and learning to love the character of the individual. That’s real life.
This was a gritty, suspenseful apocalyptic novel that will keep you biting your nails all the way through. It was thoroughly enjoyable. I gave it four stars.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Why on earth did I write a Christian novel that has both aliens and zombies in it? When I was a teen/young adult and my faith was wavering at best, there were several movies out with the likely design to shake faith even more. End of the world movies were in their hay day. Alien invasion was another big one. And I couldn’t help but wonder. If something like this actually happened, would anyone be able to maintain their faith? And now today, Zombies are on the rise. Could aliens be reconciled with the Bible? Zombies? This is the purpose of Sanctuary. Because of its poetic nature, the book of Revelation lends itself to a plethora of interpretation. I am not saying that my book is the only true possibility, but it could be one. Could not demons be misinterpreted as alien life forms? Might not Satan use this mirage to his advantage to explain the bitter water or the blotting out of the sun, moon, and stars? And then there’s Revelation 9:6 - "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." Zombies? If anyone reading this book at least opens themselves up to the fact that yes, a biblical interpretation could resolve the problems between faith and an apocalyptic reality, then Sanctuary has completed its purpose.
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