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Brady is a young man full of potential. But even considering the broken home and underprivileged background he comes from, he proves to be his own worst enemy. And he’ll one day cross paths with Thomas, a chaplain who feels he’s got very little good to show for all of his years of ministry.

Author Jerry B. Jenkins says that Riven is his life’s work, the novel he’s always wanted to write. So I approached this novel all the more seriously.

Although it’s darker and a lot more depressing than my usual reading preference, and I found much of it to be predictable, the story still kept me interested through most of its 500+ pages. I’ll admit I didn’t always find the characters or the plot to be the most convincing, and the way the story rushes over some crucial years is unfortunate. There are also key areas of the story that I couldn’t get with—theologically, politically (though I almost hate to use that word, due to its tendency to minimize critical matters affecting humanity), and just as a reader of fiction.

Nonetheless, I have to applaud the intense and risky route the author takes to get an earnest message across, and the way he does it is ultimately powerful. I do think a reader has to be good with highly evangelistic, Christian material to enjoy this book, so if you have an appreciation for “the greatest story ever told,” this novel may very well hit you where you live. ( )

This is definitely worth your time reading. The book raises many moral and religious questions. Yes, the author comes at this from an evangelical angle. But, this book is far from being a syrupy sweet, idyllic view of religion. It embraces the grit that is present in real-life, such as a child that turns her back on the faith, petty church congregations, and the lack of immediate (visible) results from devout response to one's calling (including the frustration and energy-sapping that follows). In the end, the book made me think, which is really the highest praise I can give any book. ( )

I think that this is very poorly written. It was worth the read just to get the illustration of a workman (author) who does a poor job for his readers. ( )

The story was interesting enough that I wanted to find out what happened next - but the format of the novel was clunky (the continual changing back and forth from one story to the next). Also, I felt like the message overtook the story and it became more sermon than novel. But I found the message challenging in a thought-provoking way. ( )