A Christian Frankenstein? (2 stars)
“Cain” is the book which established Huggins in mainstream fiction and was later developed into a movie. It follows the formula he began with novels like “Leviathan”, where scientific experimentation unleashes a super-human creature hell-bent on destroying the world. In this case, the scientific meddling has resulted in Cain, a virtually indestructible super-soldier with an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Cain is especially after the blood of Amy, a young girl whose blood he needs for an occultic ritual that will guarantee his complete supremacy. Like “Leviathan”, Cain’s hunters are faced with an ultimatum – they must kill the unkillable within ten days, or else he will destroy the world. Cain was the first murderer, and he threatens to be the last (p45). What to expect:
1. Action thriller. The novel starts with a bang, and rarely slows down. Huggins has a style that leaves your heart pounding, and you’ll find yourself racing over words and through pages. The roller-coaster ride of action never lets up. Only one problem: expect the same scenery. The “terrible roar” of Cain and the “hate-filled rage” of his hunters rapidly wears thin after the umpteenth time. While the action is fast and furious, the battles become rather repetitive and tiresome, and are marked by episodes that defy credibility. Also be warned that the extent of blood and gore is unsuitable for children.
2. Apocalyptic themes. Unlike most thrillers, Huggins clearly works with deeper themes. There is a clear and cosmic conflict between good and evil, a picture of the conflict between God and Satan. Cain is no ordinary super-human, because his body has no human soul but is inhabited by Satan himself, who allies himself with various occultic associates. Over against Cain is the soldier Soloman, whom Huggins identifies in the line of king David, and representative of the God’s kingdom. Both David and Soloman are shadows of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Christ Himself. Because “the Nazarene” (Christ) has already defeated Satan once, Cain/Satan is eager to exact vengeance. Huggins clearly intends the conflict against Cain to be a spiritual picture of the great struggle against Satanic evil (p.40,55). “The present, if we are to survive at all, must mirror the oncoming final conflict between God and Satan.” (p114) The battle against Cain is ultimately a microcosm of the great and last battle between Christ and Satan, as Huggins reveals in the acknowledgements: “I have done my best to capture what we cannot see – the heart of an eternal war, if it be true, between the two most powerful beings in the cosmos.” In this war Soloman and the Catholic priest Marcelle are Messianic figures, Marcelle in Christ-like fashion sacrificing his own life for the sake of victory.
However, it is doubtful whether Huggins is successful in his depiction of spiritual war. The spiritual war that the Bible speaks of is a very real war involving true Christians, whereas Huggin’s protagonists are far from that. Moreover, Huggins cheapens spiritual war, turning it into a techno-thriller combat movie with repeated bloody battles between thugs and goons. It is more like cheap Hollywood violence than a serious treatment of spiritual war. But the real war against Satan is not like Hollywood’s entertaining blood and gore. Admittedly Huggins has developed as a writer since his earlier novels, and his characters are more developed. But this doesn’t detract from his fatal flaw: this is more in the style of Hollywood than in the style of heaven and hell, more about Rambo than about religion.
Whatever religious meaning the novel does have to offer is further undermined by the stream of hate and curses unleashed by its heroes, the surprisingly frequent instances of blasphemy and unnecessary oaths, and the overdose of murderous hate. Consider these brief excerpts: “Stumbling, he cursed savagely as he tripped backwards over a small golden couch. And Cain roared in laughter, horrific bestial fangs violently exploding from his jaws like prehistoric tusks. The hellish mirth made his face fiendish, fangs hurling back the light with an ultimate killing wrath.” (p.141) “With a curse, Soloman leaped the hood of a car and went into the stairwell, expecting to be hit instantly. But he didn’t give a damn because he was in a hot mode to kill anything that got in his way regardless of what happened to him in return.” (p.336) “Heated, on fire with killing rage, Soloman slammed six fresh rounds into the shotgun, cursing as he racked it…” (p.357). It’s not hard to see why Hollywood finds it an attractive book to make into a movie. That fact alone should make sincere Christians suspicious. It’s more about the glorification of violence as a form of entertainment than it is about a serious message. In fact, the focus on murderous rage violates the sixth commandment, and doesn’t fit the Scriptural standard for what Christians should be thinking about (Phil. 4:8). Using apocalyptic themes doesn’t justify joining Hollywood in violating the sixth commandment.
In the end, I felt that I was reading a formulaic script for a Hollywood Frankenstein movie, rather than a Christian thriller novel. That a serious spiritual message can be communicated to fans of violence is highly doubtful. They are too busy giving kudos to Hollywood’s blood and gore to take home any truth about heaven and hell. As long as people identify the real Satan with a warped scientific Frankenstein, they remain blind to Satan’s very real supernatural threat to today’s world. Sorry James Byron Huggins, but this is the last of your books I’ll be reading. Not recommended.