The Glimpse

Very interesting read on where our country is possibly headed without a major revival in our churches and especially among our youth!

This isn't the normal Christian fiction novel, but based on a dream with a warning. It comes across as being preachy with so much "telling" rather than "showing." But if the dream was indeed prophetic or at least a warning, skim past the preachy parts and pay attention to the rest. It would be scary to live in such a time as shown, but those of us who revere Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior need to be bold in standing on His side so the world doesn't deteriorate as in this story, by showing the world a more loving and kind way.

If you are looking for a book that is evangelistic in nature then this is the book for you. The messages are very simple, basic and repetitive. I've been an avid reader of Christian fiction for 30 years and my favorite books have always been those with life-changing messages such as Randy Alcorn's Safely Home and John Bevere's Rescued. Entertainment is not my primary reason for reading novels because I believe a well crafted parable can be more powerful than a theological treatise (although I do like them). "The Glimpse" takes the reader to a place where Christians are persecuted to the point of prison, torture and death. Although nothing new in most of the world this takes place in the United States. The reader is forced to ask themselves "What would I do if or when this happens here"? Although I love a good End Times study that's not what this book is about. No Rapture, Antichrist or World War III. The author takes us to a small town where we can experince a glimpse into the personal effects of persecution on believers. Now for the warning. I think this book is good for teens and people who are not really readers. If you are used to well-written novels then you will most likely be very disappointed. The storyline a very weak and repeditive. Very little happens in way of progression until you are over 80% into the book. The characters are two dimentional with very little differentiating them from one another except their names and gender. The suspence could have been very intence in the hands of a master word-smith but unfortunately that never happens. I like the approach the author took but in order for something like this to work it needs to be rich in character and personalities. There were many little things in this book that were not thought through very well. For instance:Why ask a church secretary about a computer device when a computer I.T. guy is standing right next to you? The guy would have known immediately before being asked that these computers were not available today.The author mentions in the country it is so quiet "all you can hear is the deer rustling through the brush". Really? Have you ever been in the country? It's super noisy at night (the deer are not out during the day).An underground Christian group is meeting "secretly" so not to be arrested but yet they invite unbelievers to hear the Gospel. Really? You've got to be kidding. Why not reach them where they are?Daniel wakes up with his wife's head on his shoulder. They are sleeping on cots. How many two man cots do high schools have?Over halfway through the book Austin never considered how they were supposed to get home. Really? Who does not have getting home a priority when they are lost? Absurd.Too many people becomes Christians in this book and it happens way too easily. The author must have the idea that converting to Christianity will be easier when imprisonment will be the reward. Personally I doubt it.There is a "surprise" towards the end of the book that was no surprise at all. It was so obvious my head hurt.I did like the final ending and I'm glad the author didn't give it a Hollywood close.Please get your teenager a copy of this book. If anything I think it will be good motivation for them. The author has an obvious love for Jesus Christ and it shows in this book. I regret saying it's a poor novel but that's why Amazon has reviews. I would have liked to have known ahead of time.1 Star = Pathetic2 Stars = Fair3 Stars = Good4 Stars = Excellent5 Stars = Life changingFor those who give me a negative vote on my review please comment and let me know why. I'd like to improve my reviews so they can be helpful to those who read them. Please understand I choose not to give a synopsis of the book because it's already given at the top of the home page. I find in doing so too many reviewers give away too much of the plot. Thank you.

After I read the back of The Glimpse I didn't really have any interest in the story. It sounded like the usual run of the mill christian story where everytihng releating to God and the Bible seems forced, really fake and unbelivable...but I was totally wrong and am glad I gave it the time to read.When I had finally worked up the nerve to read The Glimpse I was exspecting to be bored out of my mind. But after I read the the first page of the prologue I was imediatly sucked in and I easily read the first three or four chapters with great ease and enjoyment. Every character was so fleshed out and realistic I couldn't help but to marvel at Mr. Carrol's talent for writing. And as I kept on reading I was so enthralled with the story that it didn't matter that for the most part there wasn't any "action" for say. Everything flowed perfectly and it never let me down. For the first two thirds of the book I was planning on rating this with four stars. But in that last third the twists were so great I had to give this a whole five star rating!The Glimpse made me seriously ponder certain things about my christian walk. For one it showed me how I wasn't really taking God's word as seriously as I should be. It also showed me how there is so much more I could be doing to help spread God's word and his love.I don't normally enjoy full on christian stories because as I said, they usually seem really fake, but The Glimpse really changed my life and has made its way into my very small list of favorite christian books. I would place this book up there on the charts with the Left Behind series easily. (Maybe even a little better.)

This book is just so fantastic I could not rate it properly. I gave it a 5. It should have a much higher rating than that though. This book is a mix of fiction, Christianity, and reality written in direct line at what the fate of Christianity will be if we Christians don't share this book and spread the word. It is well written with a tight plot. The characters are completely believable and you will find yourself relating to them completely. After the first few 'setup' chapters, you will not be able to put this book down.We get introduced to Christian parish workers who are struggling to keep ministry to their fellow parishioners going and successful. They decide to go on what I am calling a work related sabbatical. Here they take a row on the lake to go to an island across the way. They encounter a storm. When they finally hit land again, they realize it is nothing like what it should be. And from here, the journey begins. The journey these people travel to keep The Word alive is inspiring and awesome. I am not even going to touch the ending of this book here because I don't believe in giving spoilers. Let's just say, prepare for an unbelievably awesome ending.I applaud the author and his wife for having courage and writing this book. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. The material is exactly where this country is headed if we don't pray and spread the Good Word.Needless to say, I recommend this book to all, young, old, men, women, pastors, and all. In fact, this would make a great gift to your pastor!

Engrossing and nice twist to the end.

Took a bit to get into but found it thought provoking and being a Christian an interesting take on the future. A few tears were shed!

This book pulls you in with its "Introduction"! The next few chapters almost had me putting it down and then... WAM-BAM, I was hooked. Well worth reading, get it and enjoy it. Thanks so much Grant, when is your next book out?

Finished reading this book last week and found it very to the point and quite thought provoking. Well written and not difficult to read. Draws you right along through the story.

I think it could be really good if you are a Christian but I'm not and therefore didn't enjoy this book.