Heavenly Vision by Koos Verkaik

Genre: Adult, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Nothing is what it seems, in this new, exciting Koos Verkaik novel… 
It starts with the finding of an old manuscript hidden in an old atlas of the Cape of Good Hope, around the year 1745. 

“Allart Vroom climbed down from the ship, and we stood ready to catch him,” wrote Captain Adriaen Kalf. “His clothes, his flesh, his bones pulverized in our hands. He formed a small heap of powder at our feet. Please, believe me—it is not, like someone suggested, the contents of broken hourglasses.” 

Jan Glas, an Amsterdam publicist, reads about a machine that could cause the end of the entire world! Of course, he wants to find out the truth about the remarkable manuscript! A long journey takes him to England and the USA. 

A peculiar man crosses his path - Wesley Dunn, Raso Preacher, Center of the Heavenly Vision, Franks Knight, Florida, USA. This man says that the world will be destroyed by ‘the Machine of Colton’, which is also mentioned in the manuscript that Jan found! Only a few people will survive – the true followers of the odd Mr. Wesley Dunn, and the Raso way of life! 

Murder, mystery and intrigue will keep the reader guessing as to what is going on. Is the world coming to an end, and if so, who will survive? 

My Thoughts:

If you like books that bounce back and forth between the past 1700s,  and the present then this is the book for you. It makes it a little confusing, but if you are willing to hang in there it all becomes clear in the end. In the past we have an old manuscript, in the present we have a machine that is said to be able to end the world. What are the connections if any between these two? The author has taken these two events and woven them into a story that will have you reading cover to cover just to find that connections. Once again this author has created a book that grabs you and forces you to read to find the answer to all of those questions you had at the beginning. I applaud him for this ability.

All Father by Koos Verkaik

Genre: Adult, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:

Peter Jonker has special gifts at his disposal. As a provoked, frightened child, he has come under the spell of master painter Poolman and his evocative, terrifying canvases. Poolman has spun gory tales about Wodan, god of the Germanic tribes, and the fearless Scandinavian berserkers. And now it seems Peter has seen the magic truth behind those sagas. In his agony he discovers unknown talents, and soon it is said he has the possession of immortal powers! Haunted by the fantasies of his youth, the adult Peter is going downhill, and in his vulnerable state strangers intervene trying to reach their own dubious goals by taking advantage of him. Wodan is looking for him and wants him to join the Army of the Dead - Berserkers who carry death and destruction... Peter's life becomes a choking nightmare. Is he responsible for the death of four people, or being set up by unknown forces? Brought under hypnosis, the horrible truth may come out... Koos Verkaik, born in Bolnes, near Rotterdam, is a prolific Dutch author of fantasy, science fiction and horror - a master at creating sensational work full of magic, horror, mystery and adventure! At the age of 16, Koos published the comic Scotty Clay in weekly Sjors, four pages every week. At 18, he wrote his first science fiction thriller, ADOLAR, during one weekend. He now he has over sixty titles in publication. After meeting Bill Thompson, editor of both Stephen King and John Grisham, in the USA, Thompson became very enthusiastic about the work of Verkaik, working together with Koos on several manuscripts. Sarah Book Publishing is proud to be chosen to publish Verkaik's All Father!

My Thoughts:

Peter Jonker has a gift. There are those out there who would take advantage of him and his gift for their benefit. As a young boy he was told the stories of Woden, god of the Germanic tribes. Now this god is hunting him? What is the purpose? Is it good or evil. There are murders. Is Peter responsible? All of these are questions you will find answers to when you read this fast paced book. The adventures just keep rolling in until suddenly you find yourself at the end asking, “Did I really just read that?” One thing I’ve noticed is that with this author we get a look at the gods of other cultures that we here in America may not be familiar with. I think it is this thirst for knowledge that has made his books so appealing to me.

I’ll Always Be With You by Violetta Armour

Genre: Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

If you are looking for a great book, one that will tug at your heartstrings then look no further. This is a story that could have been ripped right out of the headlines. It is told through three points of view. First we have Teddy, the son and survivor of a horrible accident. He is dealing with survivor’s guilt because  he was at the wheel when a drunk driver hit them killing his father. Then we have his mother Mary who is trying to hold it all together for the sake of her three children, help her son “deal” with the accident while feeling she is being guided by her husband to make decisions that will affect them all. Finally there is  Rosetta, the girlfriend from the past, a past that frowned on blacks and whites dating.  All three of them deal with grief in their own way.

There are several things I found amusing. Whenever Teddy comes upon a situation he immediately sees a headline.  His first friend is a girl he has to share a locker with. Mindy is very unusual. She had one best friend who moved away. She remembers the weirdest, random facts and they seem to pop out  at the most inopportune times. But Mindy really was a character I loved.

The author did a great job of showing realistically how death can tear a family apart, while at the same time showing that it doesn’t mean we lose our memories of the one who died. She also showed the process  that grief takes and how it is different for each person. The steps to getting back on their feet and learning to live life again was so realistic.  I have only one warning for you. Do NOT go into this book without a box of tissues.  This is a great way to start off my new year of reading. Definitely a book I will recommend to everyone. There are life lessons for all. It is such a clean read that I believe it is a book I will put on my shelves at school, because it seems every year I find one student who experiences a death in their family and maybe what they learn by reading Teddy’s side of the story will help them.