The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

Having first read the first book in this series The Traveler's Gift I realized one without the other would not suffer. However, having a background of the main character Mr. David Ponder, I better realized his depression in Chapter One.

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews was a challenge for me to review. As a reviewer of mainly Christian non-fiction works, this type of Christian historical fiction left me with mixed emotions regarding take away and entertainment value.

I appreciated the "Seven Decision For Success" which was certainly the theme throughout. The story unfolds at the end of Chapter One as Mr. Ponder is an old man and though he has overcome many financials struggles and was at the pinnacle of affluence, he is lonely. The archangel Gabriel is ushered in and the adventures begin starting in Chapter Two.

Without being a spoiler of events, there was a lot of interesting historical discoveries and intermingling accounts of the human sinful condition, which was relatable to me. Hopefully relatable to readers also. There was a considerable amount of reminiscing about past time travel and the character seemed to take the role of a man with the purpose of helping humanity.

Though the writing style was inspirational, encouraging and warm as well as entertaining, I was left with one question. Wouldn't Scripture have added a deeper value to this book? I do believe God's Word would have added a point for further discovery.

The text on page 217 entitled A Personal Declaration was awesome! I appreciated the encouragement that writing provided as well as the beautiful images the author shared his reader. However, ultimately the point of any Christian truly is to give God all the glory and honor and praise. I felt there was a flavor of New Age mixed with a positive, self-help style of preaching to the reader. No doubt if Scripture had been infused into the pages of this book there would be no doubt as to what The Final Summit truly was all about (giving Glory to God).

The Reader's Guide at the end of the book was a great idea for a Christian Book Club to utilize (along with the Bible of course). This resource will drive the reader back into the book and hopefully be a tool to introduce the Gospel.

I am still absorbing this interesting read. It was a book I shall not soon forget. The take away was no doubt our free will and how we make decisions according to the choices we are daily presented.

What is your final summit? I pray every reader that closes this book will understand that though the archangel Gabriel (with or without wings) may never visit them, they are going to be facing their final summit one day. Romans 10:9-11. They may never travel through time or space. However, the God of the Bible is and was and shall ever be. And this He has accomplished without ever having to launch the Time Travel machine once. This story of the Bible as outlined in Genesis I will no doubt refer to again and again...
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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