Fatherless by Dr James Dobson and Kurt Bruner - A Review

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I have long known the name of "Dr. James Dobson" because of his Focus on the Family program many years ago. I was surprised when I found out he had a novel soon to be released. Then, after reading the synopsis, I decided it seemed different enough to be something I'd like to lend my time to checking out. Today, I finally finished this novel, Fatherless, which he coauthored with Kurt Bruner. Wow. This is what you'd call dystopian, speculative fiction. It's something of a futuristic, political suspense. But it touches on key issues of society and what it means to be human.  And what it means to be a Christian in a society that seemed to have forgotten what it means to value all human life.

This really is a book about the future that you hope never actually happens. The following is from the official synopsis of the book:

The year is 2042, and a long-predicted tipping point has arrived. For the first time in human history, the economic pyramid has flipped: The feeble old now outnumber the vigorous young, and this untenable situation is intensifying a battle between competing cultural agendas. Reporter Julia Davidson-a formerly award-winning journalist seeking to revive a flagging career-is investigating the growing crisis, unaware that her activity makes her a pawn in an ominous conspiracy. Plagued by nightmares about her absent father, Julia finds herself drawn to the quiet strength of a man she meets at a friend's church. As the engrossing plot of FATHERLESS unfolds, Julia will face choices that pit professional success against personal survival in an increasingly uncertain and dangerous world.
In the dystopian tradition of books like 1984, Brave New World, and The Hunger Games, FATHERLESS vividly imagines a future in which present-day trends come to sinister fruition. The second and third books in the series, CHILDLESS and GODLESS, will follow at eight-month intervals.

The book is intelligently and maturely written. It is firmly for the adult who wants a little more than a light read, but is not bogged down with heavy discourse. I really liked how the authors were able to express nuances of emotion and thought patterns in the characters' interactions. The book also contains a few suggestive sexual hints in the context of a marriage relationship. Nothing graphic; but I don't think this is fare for the average teen. There were a few times in the earlier half of the book got a little slower than I'd like, but I'm glad I stuck with it as Dobson and Bruner laid a good foundation for the events of this book, and (what I now know will be) two upcoming books in the series.

All in all, this was a nice blend of speculative and yet, informative, fiction. It forces one to think of what present-day government policies could evolve into in the future. If you need a break from only romance historicals, and murder mystery, I recommend this for worthwhile variety in your diet of fiction.


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley but this is my honest review, at my own initiative.