Field of Blood
by Eric Wilson
When I came across Eric Wilson's Field of Blood on the shelves of the Christian bookstore near my parents' house, I expected it to be just the sort of book I would love. I was very intrigued by the premise – the notion of Judas' suicide at Akeldema as the catalyst for recalling a legion of dark spiritual forces, which would ultimately face off with the dead who were raised when Jesus was killed. The fact that the novel would span the generations since that time and set the spiritual battle up to continue into our time (or the very recent past) was al the more intriguing. Lots of promise.
Unfortunately, I didn't feel the book delivered on that promise. There were some parts that were enjoyable – even gripping – but the real down fall seemed to be overload. There are too many characters, too much going on. I assume this is because this is the first book in a series, and these subplots and side characters will be important in later installments. In this particular novel, though, they feel underdeveloped and unnecessary. I think the vision for the entire project must be quite expansive, and it is just not fleshed out enough in this book to make it work. The result is a novel that feels too convoluted, with too many threads left hanging.
On top of that, there are places where the dialogue is stilted, and the ending felt a little rushed. That all added up to make Field of Blood a rather disappointing read for me.
reviewed by Shelly Bryant ©2015