"Sin Salvation & Shadowmancer" Review

It's been a while since I've reviewed a book. Recently, I finished "Sin, Salvation & Shadowmancer". It's really different from what I normally read. It's the testimony / biography of Graham Taylor, better known as G. P. Taylor, the guy who wrote Shadowmancer. For a guy who wrote a fantasy series that rivaled Harry Potter in the UK, I figured he must have a pretty cool story to tell. Turns out, he does.

The book is incredibly well written. Despite covering many decades of his life—from his childhood experimentation with the occult, up to when he became an Anglican priest and Christian novelist—it all flows very well and ties each season of his life nicely into the next.

It's not all biography, though. There is some insightful commentary from Graham, looking back on certain events in his life and realizing now, years later, how God had used that seemingly unfortunate circumstance for His glory. It's very comforting to be reminded of God's sovereignty, even over the parts of our lives we'd wish never happened.

The book has some humorous parts. I usually don't laugh at books, but this one make me laugh more than once. There's a great incident involving a whole squad of police officers helping Graham chase a rampaging kangaroo throughout a small English village.

Probably my favorite part of the book is how honest Graham is. It's shockingly honest, in fact. Some of his feelings he expresses towards God would likely be considered inappropriate to say in church. But I was inspired by the prayers (more like protests) he makes to God during times he felt God let him down or abandoned him. It was real and raw and you could tell that this guy was seriously steamed at God. But I think God is okay with that. God knows that we get frustrated and knows that it's difficult to go through life without seeing the whole picture. In a strange way it was comforting to see Graham get angry, confused, and sometimes even lose hope. It reminded me that even priests or famous Christian authors don't have all the answers, but God still works in their lives.

I strongly recommend this book, both as a biography and for learning about the grace and sovereignty if God.

G.P. Taylor: Sin, Salvation & Shadowmancer By G.P. Taylor & Bob Smietana Laced with humor and filled with incredible twists and turns, Taylor's life story is not unlike the plots of his best-selling novels. From rebellious student and punk rock roadie to police officer and Anglican priest, he shares how he became "hotter than Potter" on both sides of the Atlantic.