Review of Flashpoint, by Frank Creed

Frank Creed, founder of The Lost Genre Guild--home of biblical speculative fiction, releases his debut novel in September. This story is cyber-punk, for those of you who know what that is. To me it's kind of like sci-fi with a comic book flair. If you want original, this is for you.



MY REVIEW:

Jen and Dave live in an America where the government is their bitter enemy. In a nation where Christian Fundamentalists are labeled “terrorists”, they must go underground to survive. Their sympathizer parents, on the verge of being captured and thrown into a Rehab, stash Jen and Dave under an overpass, hoping they can evade Peacekeepers long enough to be rescued.

Every believer has a place in the Body of Christ and Dave and Jen find theirs as “Calamity Kid” and “e-girl.” They find an underground group of “fundies” who use the latest technology available to penetrate the enemy and regain contact with their families, while also reaching lost souls with seemingly no hope.

Told from Calamity Kid’s POV, the story chronicles his move from obscurity to valuable member of the fundie team. He must learn to use his new abilities within the BOC to help accomplish its goals, one being to save he and his sister’s parents from the Rehab Ward.

I admit I was a bit lost in this novel, primarily because I’ve never read “cyberpunk” before. The fight scenes proved sufficiently confusing to me because of the use of future weaponry However, that doesn’t mean Creed doesn’t write well. On the contrary, he gives us likeable characters, a believable futuristic plot and a plethora of his patented witty one-liners. The ending was predictable, but hey, I like happy endings.

It’s basically a story of persecution, survival and learning to use one’s Spirit-given gifts to encourage and assist Christ’s body of believers in the world. That theme with a post-Christian era as a backdrop made for a very original book. I applaud Creed for his originality, doing his part to again bring the lost genre of speculative fiction to light.

Frank's website
The Lost Genre Guild