Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

View on Amazon

Book Review: Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

“Every now and then we get a break from reality. A glimpse into the other world that is more real than the reality we live in 99 percent of our days. The Bible is about a world of demons and angels and great evil and even greater glory.” - From the Publisher’s Description

This book is a contemporary fiction novel that explores themes of spiritual warfare, as well as healing, restoration and freedom. You will encounter a seasoned Christian (Reece Roth) who, as a young believer, was prophetically told of great things that he would accomplish in his life. His immaturity at that time led to a hasty decision that had devastating personal consequences. He still believes the prophecy, but his battle to forgive himself and ward off accusing voices has led to many wilderness years. Finally, the appointed time for the prophecy to come to pass arrives. Fulfillment of the prophecy would hold great victories for he and his friends, but it would also require each one to individually embrace the call to battle for themselves, one another, and others they have yet to meet.

This story was an engaging and suspenseful read for me. It has been a long time since I have read fiction that dared to delve into the supernatural, especially incorporating the realities of demonic opposition against believers to prevent them from becoming all that God would have them to be or accomplish for His own glory. "Soul's Gate" does this wonderfully by keeping the focus on the superior power and ability of the Holy Spirit to aid the believer to battle and overcome. I was especially pleased to read about characters who did not hesitate to call upon the name of Jesus and put faith in the protection that His blood affords. These are themes that many churches do not teach on even in this age where demonic activity is more blatant than ever. There are many leaders either not willing or equipped to equip their flock in this way. However, this book is not a manual for spiritual warfare and does not claim to be such. There are truths interwoven to be sure, but there are equally fantastical and imaginative concepts (such as entering the soul of others).

The plot was developed well and I enjoyed the fast-moving, short chapters. Each character was not developed at the expense of another so there was a sense of balance to what we know about each of them and they were each quickly identifiable upon reading dialogues. Scenes were described well and it was easy for me to imagine the places described.

At times the prose felt a little too stilted and I also came across a few typographical errors such as personal names that were not capitalized. There were no more than five, and they did not detract from the story or annoy, but it would always help to have these corrected.

Overall, this book is book entertaining and challenging. It caused me to ponder the question of whether or not we really believe that all of God's word is true - in the same way that the characters had to. If we do believe, why do we not experience more than the ordinary? It raised the question of whether or not we are ready for battle in our real lives. Are we as vigilant and prayerful as Scripture commands us to be? Or have we gotten used to regarding everything as normal, everyday life, to be dealt with using no more than normal methods and limitations? There is a discussion guide at the end of the book and I think it is a useful 'extra' especially if this is used in a book club.

I would recommend this book and I would definitely explore more from this author. "Soul's Gate" would be a good tool to introduce and launch into more serious discussion of realities of the spiritual realm (and how they converge with our everyday lives) using the Bible itself.


BookSneeze® provided me with a complimentary e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review only.