Greg Mitchell (3) (1978–)

This is a YA novel that is essentially a retelling of the voyage of the Demeter from [Dracula], but with two differences: there are two teenagers on the ship in the form of the captain's daughter and a stowaway, and there's a great white shark following the ship. Sadly, the first half of the book is more plodding and less weird than I'd hoped. The second half is much more interesting when the children defeat Dracula rather handily, but have to revive him because the great withe shark has been turned into a vampire and is flying around eating the crew. It came as no surprise when I read the author's bio and saw that he had written some made-for-SyFy movies, because the book read an awful lot like a SyFy channel movie. On top of that, it felt like the sort of YA novel where the author feels the need to dumb things down for his audience, which just made it kind of a drag.… (mehr)

Looking for a really great series of books guaranteed to leave you wanting to sleep with the light on, but written by an extremely talented Christian author? Then look no further than The Coming Trilogy Series by Greg Mitchell.

I got hooked on this trilogy after being a huge fan of such talented writers like Ted Dekker and Stephen King. You know the kinds of books that make you jump at noises while you're reading it, but it's so great you can't put it down?

This series is about the Bogeyman or as he is also known as The Strange Man. A presence so evil that he's been staking his claim in the small town of Greensboro since its introduction. That is where the legends and myths came from surrounding late night stories around the campfire, geared to scare you. Only this time, the Bogeyman is real and you're biggest downfall is believing he doesn't exist.

Picking up where the first book left off, Enemies of the Cross continues to struggle to understand what is happening to the small town of Greensboro. Now that a horrible murder has taken place and the town believes that the killer has been caught and is now awaiting his final trial for the death penalty, Pastor Jeff Weldon believes that his brother Dras is innocent. However he feels more than responsible. When Dras came to him that fateful night telling him of the Strange Man and the evil running the town, he didn't believe him. Now Jeff feels that he has to prove his brothers innocence.

Jeff's faith in God is about to be put to the final test as the evil surrounding the town realizes that he stands in the way. They aren't about to let their plans to control the town and bring about the Dark Hour be revealed by Jeff's persistent investigation. Now more than ever, the town believes that Jeff is letting his investigation to prove his brother's innocence cloud his responsibility to run the church and will stop at nothing to have him removed.

Meanwhile the Bogeyman's plans continue to grow darker by the hour as the North Woods surrounding the lake continue to consume all life that draws near and with that, the more powerful he will become especially if he can remove God from the equation.

I received Enemies of the Cross compliments of Greg Mitchell who was kind enough to send me a complimentary copy to review. Being such a huge fan of his first novel in the series, The Strange Man, when I saw that his next one was available in print, I knew I had to read it. Once again, I was not disappointed. Since this is a trilogy, the mystery will not be solved in this one, but will come to a climax in anticipation for the final book, Dark Hour, yet to be available. I LOVED this series and have to rate it a 5 out of 5 stars. Any book that can keep me glued to the pages, and reading it with the lights on, is a best seller for the suspense thriller genre in my opinion. That is what makes an excellent book.… (mehr)

Absolutely AWESOME. That's one of MANY ways that I can describe this debut novel. Greg Mitchell penned this novel with the anticipation that his readers would be engrossed completely by the words, the plot, and the characters. His anticipation was well played because this reader not only become engrossed by this debut, but I became a part of the actual story. It came to life for me, almost as if I was watching a movie, or a real life happening.

This start to an incredible trilogy, has a little of everything. Creepy and scary, mysterious and suspenseful, good verses evil, faith verses non beliefs. All of it combined, created a wonderful, engaging, and often times, a bit scary, novel. Dras was a wonderfully created character and fit his role perfectly. He was there in that bit of Christian world yet not fully grasping everything big brother Jeff was teaching him. Believing that things don't have to change, everything, including his relationship with Rosalyn, can stay the same. Through his relationship with Rosalyn, and a few other characters, Draz lent depth and humor to the story.

I loved the way this book keeps you turning the pages long into the night (although I would suggest you not sit near a window while reading this book!), gets you thinking about how evil works it's way in to the good of the good people, and how, through God and fully trusting in Him you will over come any evil. Added to the story was a bit of romance (I was really pulling for Draz to wake up and see what a catch sweet Rosalyn was!) and, while not being preachy, it spoke in volumes the Word of God.

Definitely a story that I would recommend to all who like the fantasy, scary stories. It's clean and scary and full of wonderful characters who bring the story to life! Definitely a 5 star debut novel and I am highly anticipating the release of book 2!!!… (mehr)

About the book: Dras Weldon is the son and brother of pastors. He has grown up believing in God, but at 22 is really not grown up at all. He wastes his rent money on action figures, money he usually has to get from his parents, and spends his nights getting loaded at The Rave Scene. Rosalyn, his best friend since they were kids, usually is the one who cleans up after him and makes sure he gets home okay. They can usually be found together, and if not at The Rave Scene are watching movies together or on the phone. Dras hasn't given it much thought, much like his faith, but really couldn't live without Rosalyn.

Rosalyn, however, has been accepted at a college out of state. She is not sure she is going to be able to leave Dras, even though they are just friends. Then, one night at The Rave, she dances with a stranger, one that leaves her breathless and lingers in her mind. Unfortunately, he is the devil in disguise, and he is both attracted to her and wants to kill her, as she reminds him of someone from his past.

This Strange Man - as the few who see him in his true form think of him, has not walked the streets of Greensboro for a long time. There are stories that have been passed down from generation to generation about the bogeyman that scratches on children's windows and if they are still awake he snatches them away. Could this be the bogeyman?

The Strange Man realizes that he will not be able to have Rosalyn until Dras is out of the picture. Their love and loyalty for each other is too pure, so he shows his true self to Dras. He finds he cannot harm Dras as he is protected by God, so tells him to leave town or Rosalyn will pay. Dras realizes he cannot leave Rosalyn to face the strange man alone and sets out to share with Rosalyn about God's love - but will it be too little too late? Has the life he lived up to this point made too big of an impact on her already?

My thoughts: This is one book that I could not put down! I ended up staying up way later than I should have one night to finish it - and then remembered it was the first of a trilogy!!! I can't wait for book 2 to go on with the story. Where it was a good ending for book 1, there is still so much that can happen and so much that we don't know. I really liked Dras. He was very realistically portrayed as a young 20 something in today's world - someone who is searching for something, but at the same time not really looking. The book would be great for someone who is on the line about their faith or as a good jumping off point to introduce someone to Christ without overwhelming them at all. I can't say it enough - terrific book and terrifying at the same time!… (mehr)