Be Not Afraid

by James Ellis

Be Not Afraid is a fictionalized conversion story of a nihilist turned Christian.

The journey follows a young man caught in the depths of a bakery, a place so disorientating and miserable that he begins to question the repetitions and assumptions of life which have been taught to him by his nefarious boss Ollneek. He soon finds himself in the company of various Guardian Angels, who seek to help him walk in the right direction.

James Ellis is the author of A Methodology of Possession and Exiting Modernity, alongside being the host of Hermitix Podcast.

Genres: Fiction

155 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James Ellis (under the pseudonym 'Meta-Nomad')

Reviews

[Max Berendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a great read. As someone who is in the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity, I can really identify myself with the anonymous protagonist and his struggle with the nihilism of the (modern) world.

The story starts in the depressing bakery of a retail store where the protagonist works under the supervision of a man named "Ollneek" (a personification of the devil). At first the protagonist is in full agreement with Ollneek's nihilist philosophy and could even be considered his disciple. After a gradual disengagement from Ollneek's views and teachings a number of guardian angels guide the protagonist on gradual journey to faith.

The only downside to the book is that Ellis uses a lot of abstract language which the ready can get a little lost in from time to time. Don't let that discourage you from reading this gem though!

[Nick Imrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the Hermetix podcast - I felt I understood less than a 3rd of what was going on here. So much of it seemed to be abstractions of abstractions, and words which I have never been able to get properly defined in my mind.

My boyfriend worked in a supermarket bakery though, so I can say with confidence that the description is accurate.

[T.Z. Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short novel by the host of the great philosophy podcast Hermitix, inspired by his personal story of a nihilist becoming a Christian. It is a very philosophical book, mostly told through dialogue between the characters. It reminded me of Albert Camus’s existential novels, though Ellis comes to a different metaphysical conclusion.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good. This is a radically and truly sincere work without being sappy or sentimental. At the level of the sentence it is extremely dense, compelling, and aesthetic. I also enjoy all the voices present throughout the work. It even ends with the young man talking to the narrator - a delightful ending. Furthermore I like how it isn't clear in what "realm" this work is taking place: it isn't after death, at least it seems to me. I also have to say the choice to capitalize words like Above, Home, and Joy was cool.

That being said there were points where I feel the "idea" talk was heavy-handed and longwinded, especially when the young man is working in the store and is given the "rules." Furthermore, I believe some more of the authors obvious talents should have been used to describe the scenery a bit more. Also, the beginning in the bakery is a bit too long and, frankly, a little boring.

Overall Mr. Ellis has gained a fan and I am excited to see what he writes in the future

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really powerful and moving book. Lots of ideas, definitely deserves more than one read through.