American Omens by Travis Thrasher

About tHE Book: 

In this taut thriller that imagines a near-future America following the decline of the Religious Right, the Christ-followers who have anticipated a rising intolerance for their beliefs for decades find out they're right after all.

In the US in 2038, a secret society is imposing its agenda on outspoken Christian leaders, killing when necessary. Corporate regulations restrict religious expressions and policies. A recent convert, Hutchence, uses creative and guerilla-like techniques to spread the Gospel of Jesus. This enigmatic man enlists a rag-tag group of individuals to help him proclaim a warning to the rest of the country: God is sending his judgment on our nation, and his first act will be to destroy Chicago.

One recruit is a young and talented computer analyst who specializes in mastering algorithms for corporate and political use, and who is on the run from the company she works for while trying to discover the truth about her father's mysterious disappearance. Another is a conspiracy-theory-junkie and survivalist who has discovered proof of assault on people of the Christian faith. A widower with three girls is also recruited by this mysterious Hutchence to help lead a return to God in America. 





MY REVIEW: 

Chillingly realistic. From the microchip type brain implants that complete thought control sot that there is no privacy, this future is scary. Christians are on the hit list, because it's not complete conformity. There are three stories happening at once, but they don't intertwine. It's just three slices of things happening in the same time frame. People are dying and one character seems to be the rise of the anti-Christ. Some of the book was slow in pacing with long waits for an answer to burning questions. How faith survives in persecution is a theme in this book, something that is ongoing in many places and truly sad. The end of the book left me frustrated. While I'm sure it will have more answers in a sequel, this book doesn't stand alone and leaves a good bit muddled or unanswered. 

My copy is from WaterBrook &  Multnomah. My review is my own, left of my own free will.

About Travis Thrasher

Travis Thrasher is the author of more than 20 works of fiction, including collaborations with musicians like Jimmy Wayne and Thompson Square. Thrasher lives with his wife and three daughters near Chicago.