This month’s theme is self-published books by homeschooled authors. It’s a repeat theme from last January, but all new books.
“The real world won’t accept me, ma’am. I won’t sign the file.”
Summary
The pressure on Philadelphia, her father, and the other Christian’s in their tiny compound is growing. In the government school for Christians, the children are offered an opportunity to be adopted into “normal” families. Philadelphia refuses. She is shocked when she returns home and told by her father that she should have accepted. He’s received word that his services are needed on Mars. The summons is not optional, and Philadelphia is not allowed to accompany him. Mars. The same place her brother went and never returned.
My Thoughts
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started this book, but it had me hooked from the very beginning. Sci-fi isn’t usually my thing, but stories of persecuted Christians always intrigue and challenge me. So, persecuted Christians on Mars? Why not? When Christians talk about reclaiming the sci-fi genre from the largely amoral path it has taken, this is the type of book their talking about. Who knows. If more Christians pop up on Mars, I might become a regular reader of sci-fi. š
Leah E. Good 
I’ve seen this book around and have wondered if it was any good. I’m just a bit skeptical of self published books. What did you think of the strength of the plot, prose and feel of the book? Was if worth reading?
Well, if you’re going to be turned off by prose that aren’t as polished as the average traditionally published book, you’ll probably get distracted. Also, it’s a short story…it feels a little rushed and it ends a bit abruptly.
Those are the cons. In my opinion, the pros outweighed the cons for this self-published book. I loved the characters, found the plot compelling, enjoyed the strong theme, and was relieved to have Christian elements play such a strong and natural role in a science fiction book.
Bottom line is, it depends on your tolerance level on the prose. They’re strong for the self-published world, but don’t quite match traditionally published quality the way the authors other book does. But to answer your question directly, yes, I think it’s worth reading!
Ok. Cool. I’ll have to look into getting it.
The e-version is only $2.99 if you have a reader (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rain-Prequel-Crook-Unaccepted-ebook/dp/B005K21VU6/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391793324&sr=1-2&keywords=red+rain)