Book Review: The Strange Man

Dras (pronounced “drAHz”) Weldon lives in a world of horror movies and comic books. Twenty-two and unemployed, he is content to hide in the shadow of adolescence with a faith that he professes but rarely puts into action.

But when a demonic stranger arrives and begins threatening his friends, Dras is drawn into a battle that forces him to choose which side he is on. In a race against the clock, he must not only fight these evil forces but also somehow convince his best friend, Rosalyn, to join him—before she is lost forever.

 In stores now, The Strange Man: The Coming Evil: Book One is the first act of a trilogy that depicts a world where monsters are real and simple men and women must overcome their doubts and fears in order to stand against the unspeakable creatures of the night.

Greg Mitchell is a freelance writer who screenprints by day and writes about monsters by night.

My Impressions:

I have a few words to describe Greg Mitchell’s novel — scary, horrifying, creep-inducing and thought-provoking. Thought-provoking, you say.  Yes!   I always know a book is getting to me — challenging me to look more closely — when I have to put it down and head to the computer, either for info from Wikipedia or scripture references that keep echoing in my brain.  I had to look up bogeyman and the origins of the legends, and I had Deuteronomy 6:6-9 reverberating in my head:

These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up. You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead. Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. 

Dras Weldon is one of the most irritating and unlikeable characters I have run across.  And he is the hero of the story!  A self-absorbed, lazy, stuck-in-adolescence 22 year old, Dras is a disappointment to his family, church and small town. His faith is as shallow as everything else in his life.  He is content to go from one drunk and horror video to another with no end in sight.  Enter the Strange Man, and everything in Dras’ world turns upside down.

There was some discussion on the tour last month on how to characterize Mike Duran’s novel.  I don’t think there will be any confusion with The Strange Man — it is definitely in the horror genre.  Demons and the bogeyman have free reign in Greensboro, a town on its way out due to the relocation of the highway and subsequent closing of businesses and factories.  Even before the demons arrive on the heels of a storm, the town has an air of desperation and malaise.  And strange and secret things have been going on in the North Woods on the edge of town for at least a century.

Probably not a pick for those who steer away from anything scary, The Strange Man does present a number of themes worth exploring — what is our responsibility in the faith life of others, what sacrifice does God expect, and just how real is the bogeyman.

I would recommend The Strange Man to someone who is not afraid of bumps in the night, storms or rooms without night-lights.  But if you can put those things in the proper light, pick up a copy of Greg Mitchell’s novel.

Recommended.

To purchase The Strange Man, click HERE.

Tomorrow, just who is the bogeyman?

(I received a free copy of The Strange Man in return for a review and my participation in the CSFF Blog Tour.  All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

For more opinions on The Strange Man, follow the links below.

Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Kathy Brasby
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