What do you think?
Rate this book
The Prodigy
Patients in a hospital ward are instantly healed.A killer tornado is stopped in its tracks. A dying businessman is cured of cancer. Undeniable miracles are following a rusty station wagon on its journey west. But the person behind them is no charismatic religious figure. He’s the six-year-old son of a poor single mother and the possessor of a gift he can’t explain. To multitudes, however, Toby Matthews is about to become a New Age messiah--and to unscrupulous opportunists, a ticket to undreamed-of wealth. But one person besides his young mother will see Toby for who he really is. Thomas York, a gifted but searching divinity student, finds in Toby a kindred spirit--brilliant, intuitive, hungry for truth. And as an evil beyond their comprehension unfolds, Truth will become their only weapon against a terrifying enemy unseen by all except Toby.A taut supernatural thriller, The Prodigy probes the influence of the invisible realm on the world around us and the indomitable power of the Light that shines in the darkness.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2001
3 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Alton Gansky
74 books121 followersAlton Gansky is the author of 30 books--24 of them novels, including the Angel Award winner Terminal Justice and Christy Award finalist A Ship Possessed. A frequent speaker at writing conferences, he holds a BA and MA degrees in biblical studies. Alton and his wife reside in Southern California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 26, 2019
The Prodigy is a well-written, fast-paced book. I was hooked on the first page.
Its quickly moving plot certainly held my interest, but I think it was actually the controversial themes presented in The Prodigy that kept me reading. I appreciated how the topics of demonic influence in people’s lives and whether or not miracles still occur today were respectfully explored.
On a note of personal preference, I’d like to point out that The Prodigy has many subplots - something I’m not usually fond of. You see, I don’t like hopping from one story to another and trying to shift my brain over to where the author wants me to go. Surprisingly, however, I enjoyed the subplots in Alton Gansky’s novel. He did an excellent job of keeping the plot grounded at all times by his main character: the prodigy child. He also created characters I could care about, which meant that I liked the side characters equally as well as any of the others and wanted to discover where their stories would end up.
Although The Prodigy held my attention throughout, I must admit that I liked the first two-thirds of the novel best. It seemed to me that nearer to the end of the book, the author switched genres, so I felt like I was reading an action novel (which may not be a bad thing for another reader) instead of a thriller. Also, I generally like to read fiction books that stretch my thinking just a bit more than this one did; and the ending felt a little too “wrapped up” for me. For these reasons, I gave it four stars instead of five.
Its quickly moving plot certainly held my interest, but I think it was actually the controversial themes presented in The Prodigy that kept me reading. I appreciated how the topics of demonic influence in people’s lives and whether or not miracles still occur today were respectfully explored.
On a note of personal preference, I’d like to point out that The Prodigy has many subplots - something I’m not usually fond of. You see, I don’t like hopping from one story to another and trying to shift my brain over to where the author wants me to go. Surprisingly, however, I enjoyed the subplots in Alton Gansky’s novel. He did an excellent job of keeping the plot grounded at all times by his main character: the prodigy child. He also created characters I could care about, which meant that I liked the side characters equally as well as any of the others and wanted to discover where their stories would end up.
Although The Prodigy held my attention throughout, I must admit that I liked the first two-thirds of the novel best. It seemed to me that nearer to the end of the book, the author switched genres, so I felt like I was reading an action novel (which may not be a bad thing for another reader) instead of a thriller. Also, I generally like to read fiction books that stretch my thinking just a bit more than this one did; and the ending felt a little too “wrapped up” for me. For these reasons, I gave it four stars instead of five.
January 1, 2018
I read this a few years ago on a road trip to Canada. I still remember how It sucked me in and I could not put it down. Easy read! Excellent book.
February 2, 2018
Great Christian thriller
January 24, 2012
Excellent read.
June 4, 2012
wish there was a sequel
August 14, 2013
I liked this book. Not a prize winner to me, but I did want to see what happened, although I pretty much figured it out
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews