Plot Line

by Alton Gansky

There are places we were never meant to go.Ray Beeman went.Ray Beeman is a man in pursuit of a dream. With two published novels under his belt he knew he was on his way. Then his publisher went bankrupt. His future went dark. No money, no income, no profession. Could he start over? Yes, with the help of a stranger who offers him a dream job that allows him to continue writing. All he has to do is make up “PR” plot lines for a government agency. Not hard for a man with an active imagination. Dream jobs, Ray learns, often come with nightmares. Forced to see what no man should; forced to go where no person was meant to step; drawn across a threshold between worlds, Ray pays for his lucrative job with his sanity. Terrified as he is, he fears one fact His actions have put his family in peril.There are worse things than evil men.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Science Fiction

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2012

About the author

Alton 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.

Reviews

[CindyHunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not what you might be thinking...

This book gripped hold and didn't let go until the final sentence. Did it really happen??? Or did Ray only imagine what he saw? You decide...Never take things for granted. Just as Heaven is for REAL, so is Hell!!!
You won't be able to put this story down. And like all of his books I've read so far, they really make you think.
Cindy Hunt

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've not read Gansky before, and usually I like novellas because they serve as a good introduction to an author's work. This one though is just bad, in many of the ways Christian spec fic can be bad.

Ray Beeman is a writer who has just lost his publisher. He's worried, because he faces financial hardship. Out of the blue, a government man named Devlin promises a lucrative consulting job. But Ray finds it involves explaining away secrets the government wants to hide, and one in particular is deeper than he can imagine.

It's just...well, bad. Look, if you name a person Devlin in Christian spec fic, we all KNOW he is going to be bad. If you have aliens in Christian spec fic, chances are they are going to be demons if they are in the least bit harmful. There's a crisis of faith, and it's contrived. Nothing about the novella goes beyond bad, cliched Christian spec fic. I don't say this as someone hostile to the genre. I really enjoy reading Christian science fiction. This novella though is like a template of every cliche in the genre. It's almost uncanny in how it seems to check each one off as if on a list.

Considering his writing, and the original subjects of his other books, this novella is a bit bewildering. I'd try his other books first.

[Jesus Beach Girl Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ray Beerman's life isn't the same after he accepts a PR job with the government. When he sees something he isn't supposed to see, he starts having nightmares and feels he is going crazy. Then he makes a mistake and he nor his family may not come out of it alive. I love Alton Gansky's writing and I give this 4 stars, but I wish this had been a full length story.

[Tina Yeager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous story line! Plot Line provokes thought with brilliant creativity. Readers who enjoyed Angel will love this novel even more.