An Echo in the Darkness (Mark of the Lion #2)
by Francine Rivers

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• ISBN13: 9780842313070
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of An Echo in the Darkness (Mark of the Lion #2)

Book Review: The emptiness of Ecclesiastes illustrated!
Summary: 3 Stars

This central question makes "An Echo in the Darkness" much more introspective than "Voice in the Wind". Readers who enjoyed the excitement and action of Rome's bread and circuses in Volume 1, will be disappointed to find that the conflict of Volume 2 is more of an internal nature. Instead of gladiators and lions and battles in the arena, Rivers focuses more on the thoughts and inner battles of the heart, as Marcus and Julia search for peace and meaning in their lives. Rivers demonstrates that she is as skilful at portraying inner conflict as she is at portraying outer conflict, displaying a remarkable ability to convey and describe human emotions, feelings and struggles.

In contrast to the emptiness experienced by Marcus and Julia, is the fullness and joy experienced by Hadassah (you thought she was dead didn't you?) Her scars still testify to the "mark of the lion", but beneath veils, Hadassah becomes known as Rapha, a healer who through God's power develops a miraculous ability to heal. Hadassah proves to be instrumental in the resolution of the internal struggle for both Julia and Marcus, and in the end the lives of this three-some converge in a rather remarkable way.

Sad to say, the book is riddled with theological errors or questionable ideas. The notion of miraculous healing (as worked by Hadassah) is highly questionable - certainly it took place during the generation of the apostles, but it is doubtful whether it extended beyond the apostles themselves or beyond their time. The unique appearance of "Paracletos" and direct revelations from God (p.295 & p.299) are hardly credible in an era when the church was established and God revealed Himself almost exclusively through apostles, prophets, and the written writings. This is a particularly unfortunate weakness because the Paracletos incident functions as a turning point in Marcus' life. There are also difficulties surrounding Marcus baptism (p.301) - was it administered by an office-bearer, and was the extent of his confession and understanding of Christ sufficient for this? - later events seem to prove the contrary. And of course Rivers' concept of accepting Jesus into your heart (p.101,302, 412) and the notion that every one is precious in God's sight (p. 101,273) is typical of Arminian theology. I wonder whether her idea that lost sinners hunger for living water from birth (p.306, 375) sufficiently takes into account the total corruption of the lost human conditions where sinners do not hunger for God but rather hunger for sinful passions (Rom. 1). The function and importance of the revealed and written Word and the church community did not in my opinion play a sufficient role in the novel. What's more, love and forgiveness is presented as a Christian duty independent of repentance (p.136), whereas Scripture suggests that repentance functions as an important pre-requisite for forgiveness and reconciliation. The notion that Abram's obedience in sacrificing Isaac made his descendants the chosen people (p.119) flatly contradicts Scripture which says it was God's mercy alone (eg Deut 9:1-6). And whether prayers to Jesus (p.132) instead of to the Father can be defended as a Scriptural practice is highly debatable. Another major concern is Hadassah's character - it's not surprising that so many readers admire her faith - because it's hardly believable. Stating for example that she has not one particle of vanity in her (p.138) belittles the truth of Romans 7 - that even believers who have the Spirit still have an evil nature against which they must struggle daily. I fear that Hadassah's character could thus be discouraging to Christians because it presents as a model an ideal that they cannot possibly reach in their personal lives.

There are literary flaws too. The amount of coincidence it takes to integrate the lives of Hadassah, Marcus and Julia at the end is disappointing. Also suspiciously coincidental is the amount of people who become Christians - it seems rather disproportionate to the real world, since the central characters of our lives do not all become Christian. This makes the ending rather too happy and optimistic, in contrast to the ending of "Voice in the Wind" which was much more plausible - and so much more powerful.

"An Echo in the Darkness" is in the end a rather inferior effort when compared to "A Voice in the Wind". The picture of the emptiness of human life without God is certainly a redeeming quality. But unfortunately, it's not enough to overcome the many weaknesses and make this book as good as the first.

Summary of An Echo in the Darkness (Mark of the Lion #2)

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