When I first started the Science Fiction and Christianity mailing list and web site (now merged with Christian Fandom), I wasn't aware of any science fiction by Christian authors since C.S. Lewis' Cosmic Trilogy, and I assumed that we would spend most of our time discussing Christian themes and allusions in secular science fiction. Well, the more I've gotten into it, the more I've discovered that, not only is there a surprisingly large number of SF works by Christian authors out there, but that the quality can be extremely good. Bill Myers' Threshold is a case in point. Unfortunately, Christian publishers seem to be a bit sheepish about the science fiction they do put out, because they don't seem to publicise it at all. In fact, I asked Zondervan point blank (twice) if they had published any SF, and never got an answer. Then, a friend offered me a copy of Threshold. The moral seems to be that there is good stuff out there, but you have to know where to look, because nobody's going to help you find it. (Well, I might have found it faster, had I known about Christian Fandom a year ago.

The premise of the book is stated right on the cover: "One of Revelation's two witnesses is already among us. He just doesn't know it." Brandon Martus is one of the two people whom God has called to be His witnesses during the tribulation. But while he started out full of promise, apparently due to be a preacher in his father's footsteps, his father's stroke and his sister's death in a car accident (while he was driving) have taken his faith from him, and he no longer believes. Instead, his sits in church and "zones out" during the sermons, and is therefore unprepared when demonic opposition arises to try to prevent him from entering into the ministry to which he has been called.

Other Comments: For the print editions, check the book page.