Frank Creed's novel Flashpoint is his first full-length novel, but you wouldn't know that.
Tight plotting, convincing setting, and intriguing technology work together with believable and
sympathetic characters to draw the reader in and refuse to let go. I love social dystopia, which
in turn makes me rather picky about futuristic settings, so I held my breath when I began
reading about the One State government. Unlike many futuristic Christian novels, the One State
isn't just a religious bully but a more complex evil, combining Orwellian oppression with Huxley's
materialism-gone-wild. The society he creates-- a shallow culture happily distracted by
consumerism while the government quietly ships dissidents off to shadowy "rehabs" -- is a
thoroughly believable portrait that is not as far off from our own culture as we might like to
think. His Christian underground, an organization known as the Body, is refreshingly different
from the militant guns-and-God undergrounds that characterize most futuristic Christian novels;
these are men and women so committed to their philosophies of redemptive resistance that
they use non-lethal weapons, even when logic would dictate otherwise. Creed's main
character, Calamity, goes on a journey from suburban kid to budding hero with a strong faith
and a dash of sarcasm; I'm very much looking forward to the development of this character in
further novels. Like many cyberpunk novels, technology played a crucial role and the
technological aspects of the novel were integrated seamlessly, without any noticeably awkward
exposition dumps.
At times I found the Body to be a little too saintly; even a non-violent resistance is going to
face a few gray areas and some moral complexity at times, and not everyone is going to be
there for the greater good. Calamity could also benefit from a little more complexity, or at least
a more pronounced struggle to obtain his hero status. One of the dangers of the "reformation"
technology that Creed uses to give his characters their physical and mental abilities is that at
times the mindware seems to be making them instantly stronger spiritually rather than forcing
them to learn through their experiences. Some of his secondary characters were forgettable,
but others, like Legacy and the government assassin codenamed jesus, made a lasting
impression.
If you're one of the many Christian science fiction fans who've despaired upon finding good
science fiction with a distinctly Christian worldview, weep no more. Frank Creed has delivered
a novel that will appeal to teenagers and adults alike and that will please even the most ardent
technophile. Flashpoint is more than worth a read.
Karen McSpadden
Review of FlashPoint, author Frank Creed
—Karen McSpadden, author
|