G. P. Taylor: Sin, Salvation and Shadowmancer

by G.P. Taylor, Graham P. Taylor

The bestseller Shadowmancer stormed the literary world, rocketing to top sales. Who could have predicted that a country vicar would have such a hit on his hands?

But that's only one chapter in the amazing, faith-sustained life of G. P. Taylor. Kicked out of school for trying to set fire to a teacher's desk, Graham Taylor's future looked bleak. He became a roadie for a punk-rock band and launched into a life of nightclubs and drugs. It appeared he would live hard and die young ... but God had a different plot in mind.

In one awe-filled moment, Taylor heard God telling him to go home to Yorkshire. There he found a job and his future wife waiting, just as God had promised. Before his ordination, though, Taylor panicked, joining the police force instead. Like Jonah, he had to learn that hiding from the Lord's will is impossible.

How did Taylor become a vicar in a part of England filled with tales of smugglers and storms at sea? How did he write Shadowmancer and his other runaway bestsellers to counteract the growing occult presence in so much of today's fiction? How did he find hope and healing when a near-fatal heart condition almost ended it all?

This story is filled with unpredictable twists and revelations. And like Taylor's Christ-inspired novels, it's a tale you won't be able to put down.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

(born 1958 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire), pen-name G.P. Taylor, is the author of the best-selling novels Shadowmancer, Wormwood and Tersias. Before taking up writing full-time, he was an Anglican vicar in the village of Cloughton, North Yorkshire.

His works reflect his faith, carrying Christian messages like The Chronicles of Narnia of C.S. Lewis. He began to write his works to counter the increasing number of works, such as Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that he believed were encouraging children to investigate the occult. His works have also garnered some controversy however, because whilst Taylor has claimed to be "an authority on Wicca and paganism", his books have been considered offensive by some neopagans for describing them as being tricked by the Devil.

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm skeptical of a few parts of this book, but overall found it extremely engaging, relatable, humorous, and relevant.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consumed this is one day.

[Muriel Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A candid account of a man's journey. From a rebel to a social worker, a police officer, a vicar and an author. Definitely maturing over the years and coming to understand that 'hurting' has got an intention behind it. He came to understand and empathize with his father's private world. When he got catapulted into an accomplished author, his feet remained firmly on the ground.

[Christine Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting life Graham Taylor has lived! It's obvious that God can use every life that is offered to Him. Even though his books are written to appeal to younger audiences, I'm anxious to read one now.

[Lydia Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting life of someone on a destructive path who finds God and manages to turn it all around. Not your usual tale of such.