Professor Reese Johnson loves a good intelligent debate. That’s made clear in the opening chapter of The Harvest, where he wheedles the students in his “Religion Under Assault” class into expanding their thought process when it comes to the intricacies of religious faith. Little does the professor know that his own paradigm is about to be given a vigorous shaking as F.B.I. profilers approach him for help in determining the legitimacy of a fellow who claims to be God.

Upon meeting the white-haired, white-bearded Elohim, Johnson at first thinks the man is a nutcase straight out of a bad movie. But a series of unexplainable occurrences (miracles?) become indicators that Elohim is indeed some type of otherworldly being, and then the question arises as to which team he really plays for. Is he the Devil?

Elohim insists that he is merely on hand to oversee the taking of “the chosen” to heaven and as the clock ticks down to the big day, the book’s cast of characters display every emotion and attitude you would expect in such a situation. The Harvest is a bit wordy in places, but author John David Krygelski does a good job of looking at faith from lots of different vantage points as this suspense novel plays out.

Grade: B



The Harvest is currently available.