New Review from Cafe of Dreams

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Review - Distant Thunder by Jimmy Root Jr.

Distant Thunder
By: Jimmy Root Jr.Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: American Book Publishing (August 10, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1589825535
ISBN-13: 978-1589825536
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5 x 0.7 inches

Distant Thunder is the first book in The Lightening Chronicles with the promise of more engrossing stories to follow. I, personally, love stories based upon prophetic beliefs and ideas. I find it incredibly interesting to take an idea that has been tossed around for centuries and turn it into an almost true-to-life occurrence, such as Jimmy Root Jr. does here in Distant Thunder.

I found myself quickly and immediately absorbed within the pages and story of Distant Thunder. This is a story that will take the collection of "what-if" questions that flow through people's minds and bring them to life. I greatly enjoyed the author's style of writing and the way he is able to breathe realism into his characters and situations, placing the reader within the pages of the book.With the constant threat of terrorism, mother nature, and so many widespread catastrophes, one is often left to wonder if those long ago prophecies may be heading toward truth.

Distant Thunder takes the biblical prophecies and puts them in a light of current times with a non-stop, heart-pounding thriller that is sure to leave the reader up late into the night, flying through pages. Once the final page is turned, eagerness will consume, knowing that a new installment will be on it's way soon.I highly recommend this excellent book and cannot wait for the next in the Lightening Chronicles!

New Distant Thunder Book Review Sept. 14, 2009

Reviewed by Chris Phillips for Bestsellerworld.com

This is a work of speculative fiction; the events that occur here have not occurred in our reality, but they could. Root makes a very good case for that possibility and then shows how they could be prophetically fulfilled.


Ty Dempsey, a pastor in Plattsville, KS, is lead by God to begin teaching prophecy from Isaiah and Ezekiel. Moshe Eldan, a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, begins to see signs of increased terrorist activity and is lead to the same passages in a different way. Both watch as ancient prophecies come to life. These two experience events on different parts of the Earth, but their experiences are strangely parallel and culminate in an explosive climax where the central prophecy is complete.


Throughout the story these two fight battles that, although not in the same war, are the same in tension and dramatic effect. From the handling of a pastor’s issues leading a congregation to a renewed closeness to God; to piloting a fighter over the Golan Heights and fighting intense dogfights there; Root masterfully develops the plot. Then, when least expected, he twists it bringing prophetic and spiritual issues to the front, challenging many believers to see prophecy in a new light.


The action is compelling, even edge-of-the-seat tense. The plot is consistent and well-executed. The two main characters are thoroughly developed even if the others are paper thin in comparison. Throughout the book many of the antagonists seem to be interchangeable and non-descript, names changed but nothing about them distinguishes them from each other.
Read this story and prophecy comes. The only let down to this reader comes at the end, when it becomes clear that this volume is but the first part of a series. Hopefully Ty and Moshe will come back defending right in the next book, and the other characters will get their deserved development, becoming more completely fleshed-out people, believable to every reader.

What Does Plausibility have to do With It?

Have you ever listened to a storyteller spin a yarn and all the while you were thinking, “This makes no sense?” The reason you came to that conclusion was either because that particular bard was terrible at telling a story or, the story itself didn’t promote plausibility.

As my fingers were sending sparks flying from my keyboard in the writing of Distant Thunder, every ounce of grey matter in my head was pulsating. It was shouting, “Keep It Plausible Stupid. Make it believable!” So, I took the headlines being broadcast on the news and projected my story into the world of current events and how they align to Bible prophecy. The trick worked. My story immediately took on a level of believability that captivates the reader.
How does a writer create plausibility?

I believe there are two distinct methods the writer can use in creating a tale that is plausible.
The first is the creation of a true-to-life scenario, with characters that reflect at least some elements of authentic human nature. Take for instance the popular series “Smallville.” The setting is a small Kansas farm town where Clark Kent got his start in life on earth. His character eventually transforms into Superman, but in the developmental years, Clark goes through all of the emotional ups and downs that the rest of us had to suffer. The only difference was that Clark could pick up a tractor and throw it across the county. What makes the story plausible is the realism of the setting and the human likeness in the future Superman. We all know there is no such thing as a Superman, but because we see he battles the same inner drama as the rest of us, we are willing to accept his fictional existence. We are easily pulled into his continuing saga. That is plausibility.

There is a second method of producing plausibility in a story. It has to do with how the characters see themselves and the setting in which they exist. For example, no one in their right mind believes there is a way to travel at ten times the speed of light. It is a physical impossibility, at least with our limited scientific knowledge. But the crew members of the USS Enterprise have believed it since Gene Rodenberry created them. Therefore, we join in on their adventures to go where no one has gone before, and we suck it all in as if we were there. Why? Because Captains Kirk and Piccard see every world they discover, every alien they face, and every circumstance they encounter as completely plausible. Only Spock has difficulty from time to time with plausibility. He can’t see beyond his logic. Logically speaking, warp drive doesn’t exist in the real world, but it does exist on Star Trek. One can easily see the concept. If it is plausible to the character, it is more palatably plausible to the reader.

As you write your story, ask yourself a couple pertinent questions. Does the near-reality of the story lend itself to plausibility? Is my story believable because of its reflection of authenticity? Is my wild scenario plausible to the characters I have created? If the answer is yes to any one of these questions, your story is probably quite believable.