PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2011

he Strange Man is the first act in the upcoming Christian horror trilogy,The Coming Evil, which tells of a world filled with horror movies and comic books, where there is no longer anyone who believes in such things, but yet they are still real.  Dras Weldon has grown up in this world hearing of monsters and goblins, and of the creature called the Bogeyman who takes away bad little girls and boys.  Dras is a twenty-two-year-old unemployed man stuck in the world of adolescence, collecting GI Joe figures in his unkempt apartment.  He has lived a life under the watchful eye of his older brother Jeff, the local pastor.  Dras has always professed Christianity but has never had a life of spirituality, but soon everything he believes in will be put to the test.

When a powerful storm comes to town everyone seems to sense what is about to happen.  A demon known as The Strange Man has shown his face in town and the darkest evil follows behind.  He has been known for ages as none other than the dreaded Bogeyman.  Dras soon receives a threat from the man and begins a race against the clock to change not only his own life, but that of his lifelong friend Rosalyn Meyers, to save her at any cost.

This story reaches into every person’s darkest past as a child, awakening those fears of the monster at the window coming to get them.  As the story progesses, the action builds from page to page drawing the reader through to its intense climax.  You can almost picture yourself sitting up in bed as a child, your mean older brother or sister telling you the story of the monster in the closet.  Occasionally you may have to pull the covers over your head or pull out your trusty flashlight to keep the shadows at bay.  The Strange Man captures the inner child and takes it out the window through this intense ride.  It is sure to join the author’s film The Time Changer in Christian cinematic glory.

The book does an excellent job of blending its prominent Christian themes in with the tale, keeping them an important part of the story while not shoving the ideas in your face.  The characters are all flawed with Dras most of all, and yet the reader can cheer him on as he learns how badly he has lived his life and how much he needs to change.  Many can empathize with him as he tells Rosalyn about Jesus and how the Bogeyman is after her soul.  He fails utterly at first and is beaten back with words about him being a hypocrite.  Who is he to tell her she needs Jesus?  Overall I enjoyed the movements of Christ throughout the book, and the Bible is shown to have much power over evil.  It is a great book to give to struggling and strong Christians alike, as we all have something to learn.

I definitely recommend reading The Strange Man under the covers with your nightlight on!  Please enjoy this great book as I did.  Thanks to the author Greg Mitchell for writing such a great novel and I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

–Preston Cain