Reviewer: Bruce
Carroll
Author: Reagan
Colbert
Retelling a familiar story has got to be one of the most
difficult things an author can do. Many make the attempt, but few pull it off
successfully. Nineteen-year-old award-winning author Reagan Colbert is one of
those few.
In The Hidden Soul,
Colbert retells the story of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection clearly and
simply, yet compellingly. Everything is seen through the eyes of Marcus, a
reluctant Roman soldier. Marcus is lost, out of place as both a soldier and as
a person. He hates Rome ,
hates the violence he and his fellow soldiers are required to dish out. He also
doesn’t believe in gods.
Then Marcus meets Simon, a former zealot who has given up
his violent rebellion to follow a certain Jesus of Nazareth. Shortly after that
meeting, Marcus’ life takes a turn and follows a path from which he can never
return to the man he once was.
Marcus serves as an everyman, allowing the reader to
experience the events of Christ’s Passion in a very personal, intimate way. He
also serves as a reminder that God not only loves all of us, but each of us. As
pastor Greg Bostrom has said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one
of us to love.” Marcus is an excellent example and illustration of that steadfast
love.
I have only two complaints about the book, and they are both
minor. There are a few typos (or possibly spelling errors) that a copyeditor
should have caught. They were neither so glaring nor so frequent as to detract
from my joy of reading the book. My other complaint is that the book is
apparently only available as a Kindle book. I hope both of these situations
will be corrected in future editions.
You can purchase The Hidden Soul HERE.
Learn more about Reagan Colbert, her writing, and her ministry HERE.
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