2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning Poetry, July 14 2007
By Steven R. McEvoy "MCWPP" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Finale (Paperback)
Miller is known for his explicitly Christian fantasy in the books, like those in this series. He is also well known for his non-fiction and his Christian life application books.
This is the final book in The Singer Trilogy and it is an inspired book of poetry and story. This book is the fantastical retelling of the book of Revelation from the New Testament in a narrative poem. Miller writes in such a way that you cannot help but wonder if the Spirit helped guide the shaping of these books.
Many unique characters such as The World Hater - Satan, Elan Lord or Ellanor, Dreamer and others are encountered in this volume. This story tells an epic tale in a powerful way. Miller is a master wordsmith who weaves a tale that you cannot put down and will not soon be able to forget.
The Finale is also excellently illustrated by Chicago artist, Joe DeVelasco. The drawings done in pen and ink style add to the power of the story by transporting you into the events, events both on earth and in the heavenly realms, and bringing the characters alive.
Each time I read and reread these books, they are always fresh and new, and draw me into the story of Christ in a different way. They are true Christian classic and a treasure for any bookshelf. This book will draw you into the final epic battle between good and evil.
Miller also has a Symphonic trilogy that retells different stories from the book of Genesis. The two I owned were A Requiem for Love and A Symphony in Sand. As far as I can tell, there are also two stand-alone books by Miller in this style, that are often compared to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Lewis's Narnia. They are The Valiant Papers, an account of a guardian angel's experiences, and The Philippian Fragment, the retelling of the book of Philippians from the New Testament. I have owned most of these and lent them out to not be returned. I now have The Singer Trilogy, Valiant, and Singer trilogy 3-in-1 hardcover. Over the next few weeks I will review those I still have, but cannot encourage you strongly enough to pick them up if you find them in a used bookstore. They are all great.
2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More distrubing that hopeful, May 24 2006
By TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Finale (Paperback)
In this third of Calvin Miller's "The Singer Trilogy" the story line is more vague and interspersed revelations caused by radiation poisoning than it is a vison of persecution and salvation. Of course, the Biblical book of "Revelation" that it seems an allegory of is these things as well. During the time it was likely written "Revelation" was responding to a memory of early Christian persecution under Nero. The when of the victory of Good over Evil was left vague on purpose and is merely standard for apocalyptic texts. One would expect then that "The Finale" would show a similar persecution situation but it doesn't until the very end of things. The preparations of the great war take place before, they are almost looked forward to by everyone but the Singer himself. The situation for Singerians is vague too -- are they not part of the world they live in? They are because their beliefs have spread throughout the world and they have many temples. For people who are enlightened they seem have let the world go on and they participate in its destruction by mining and using the technology and science that is derided. In fact, they excuse their behavior by saying that the Singer will return and make things right again.
When it was published in 1979 it seems far fetched to me, innocence Christian child that I was, that anyone calling themselves Christian or Singerian would participate in destroying the world. Now in 2006 I see so many publically, self-proclaimed "good Christians" who are exploiting the planet, exploiting other human beings, and attempting to force their beliefs into law and the lives of others. I think those people might reflect the World Hater and his agent Elan more than the Singerians of this final poem.
Overall I find the book now very distrubing and I worry that people reading it will ignore what is too familar in the visage of the World Hater and cling to the illusion they are like the Singerians of the first two poems.