Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Review # 77: Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos

Description:
     It's a dark October night, and you are patrolling the streets as a neighborhood watchman, when all of a sudden you come upon a startling scene - a mad scientist and his franken-robot messing with a strange machine attached to the streetlights! So what do you do? Well, that's the question Matt asks himself when he finds the pair tinkering with the neighborhood power supply. Unfortunately, he isn't able to stop the mad doctor before he turns on a device that will supposedly call all of the local "werewolves" out of hiding; but when he sees the onslaught of zombies, he knows they were somehow telling the truth, especially when a friend turns out to be a vampire. Now that Matt is in the middle of all this unbelievable chaos, what will he do, who will he trust, and will he survive the Night of the Living Dead Christian?
Review:

     I don't think that I have ever read a Christian book that has made me laugh as much as Night of the Living Dead Christian. Matt Mikalatos' metaphor-laden spiritual allegory is a mix between classic Hollywood horror movies and Monty Python-like humor. Every chapter went deeper and deeper into the question of transformation - whether spiritual or supernatural - and described the monstrosity that levels of belief can become; (zombies surrender their minds, have no original thoughts, and are motivated by their own desires, vampires steal the life force of others and are notoriously selfish, werewolves are animalistic, carnal, and uncontrollable, etc...). I found the characters to be well-developed and very funny, especially the zombies and Luther the werewolf, and the plot was constructed nicely and well-executed. I think that the author did a wonderful job tackling the misconceptions about being a Christian, and what it means to be a true Christian. After reading the book, I have actually started relating some of the people in my life to the "monsters" I read about - particularly some of the people I see in church from time to time. I will definitely recommend this book to the teen confirmation class at my church, because there's actually a terrifying amount of truth behind all the metaphor. Overall, this book, although quite a laugh-out-loud riot, was surprisingly full of hope and optimism, and it is definitely a page-turner that readers will enjoy, especially teens and young adults.

Rating: On the Run (4/5)

*** I received this book from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

  • For more information on Night of the Living Dead Christian or Matt Mikalatos' other projects, visit: http://mattmikalatos.com or www.tyndale.com
  • Want to win a copy?! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below the author video
Night of the Living Dead Christian: Author Video
a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 comments:

  1. Allizabeth, thanks for this great review, and I'm so pleased that you enjoyed Night of the Living Dead Christian. And hey, if your teen confirmation class reads the book, let me know, because I'd be glad to call in on skype or a phone conference call if the class wanted to chat and ask questions. Thanks!

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  2. I don't get the giveaway but w.e I will put it my wishlist because it sounds cool ;))

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  3. Tyndale sent me gift certificates to mail out to the winners, so if you win, you will get a certificate to turn in at any Christian bookstore near you in exchange for the book.

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  4. Great giveaway!

    I love the title of your blog(;

    New Follower
    Katie
    Curse of the Bibliophile

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  5. Great giveaway! Great idea about suggesting it to teens.

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