Story

Title: STORY
Author: Steven James
Publisher: Revell
August 2012
ISBN 978-0-8007-2065-0
Genre: Christian Living

For those of you who came to Steve James through his Patrick Bower series (as I did), you need to know from the start that the author is shifting gears in STORY. You need to know that, so that you can shift gears with him. It’s time to slow down, and consider with him the history – of us. It’s been used to the point of becoming cliché, but history is HIS story. It’s God’s story about himself, and us, and everything else that was, is, or ever shall be. And that is where Steve James is taking us.

In a mixture of mental ramblings, personal vignettes, prose and poetry, Steve James provides a birds-eye view of who we are, how we came to be, and what we are REALLY supposed to be doing about it. And it comes in a format that forces you to really think about what is being said. Just when you “get on a roll,” and start thinking forward, Steven James will provide a short poem, a break in the story line, a deliberate speed bump that compels you to stop, go back, and read it again. This is a master writer at the top of his craft. And while you may not agree completely with his theological stance ( the author himself admits “I’ll leave the theological and cosmological and philosophical explanations . . . to the people who have the time and energy to study that sort of thing.” ) you will find yourself looking at a lot of the stories you’ve heard (or heard about) in a brand new light.

So, my recommendation to those of you who have not read Steven James is: enjoy STORY as you would a really great piece of chocolate; take your time, savor it, let it roll around in your mouth. Wring everything you can out of the experience. And for those of you who have read Steven James . . . do the same. But recognize, at the outset, that this isn’t a Patrick Bowers mystery. You can’t read it like that. 206 pages. $12.99