Robin Hardy Reviews

Page Six

Added September 25, 2008

Sammy Arenamania

Author: Robin Hardy
Publisher: Westford Press
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: Available now
Genre: Fiction/Christian
Format: Trade paper
Price: $15.95
ISBN-13: 978-1-934776-00-1
Author Email/Website: www.robinhardy.com
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Fans of Sammy Kidman, that arrestingly attractive Dallas detective, will love his latest undercover assignment with the local arena football team. When the owner of the Dallas Guns started receiving death threats from someone on his team, the police department decided to put one of their finest on the 50 yard line. To make Sammy's appearance in the locker room look natural, he had to endure the grueling two-week training camp to secure a spot on the team. Besides running, memorizing plays, and getting tackled, Sammy has to find the would-be assassin before the final touchdown.

The only thing this book is missing is the concession stand! Readers will enjoy following Sammy on to the field, as he accepts the accolades from the fans and the aches from the opposing team. His boyish enthusiasm is contagious, as he loses himself in a sea of padding and praise. Yet, he has a job to do, and his investigative skills need to be on high alert. But our dearly beloved Sammy is a mere man, (hey, that's why we all love him!) and his dreams of being a star player blunt his detective senses, blindsiding him to a 'play' that could take him down. But don't despair, dear readers, his wife, Marni, takes an offensive position without ever donning a uniform.

I love Sammy. Not only is he gorgeous, he's godly as well. After getting tackled, and coming up with a mouthful of turf, his thoughts don't get ugly, but he stops to seek the Lord. Now, that's a man after my own heart. Even though the thrill of the game gets him slightly sidetracked in these pages, Sammy's love of the Lord and his family soon have him running for a<> touchdown-the kind where everyone hugs and the sun quietly dips below the horizon.

If you've never met Sammy, please do so. He's a hero with his heart set on heaven.

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Added June 6, 2008

The Idecis

Author: Robin Hardy
Publisher: Westford Press
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: Available now
Genre: Science Fiction: Christian
Format: Trade paper
Price: $15.95
ISBN-13: 978-0-9761964-9-5
Author Email/Website: www.robinhardy.com
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

I'm not going to write one of my ordinary reviews because, quite simply, The Idecis is no ordinary book. Author Robin Hardy takes her writing talent to an extraordinary, new level in these pages. I usually don't make predictions (hey, I read what happened to the Old Testament prophets when they were wrong!) but I really believe that The Idecis has what it takes to become a Christian classic. There is a space reserved for this book on the shelf right next to the "Space Trilogy" penned by C. S. Lewis. I'm not kidding.

Cassandra Uland, space-station anthropologist, roams the universe in a hermetically sealed spacecraft observing and cataloging the various life forms throughout the solar system. On a routine census sweep, something goes horribly wrong, resulting in a crash landing on a planet that was reeling from a previous ecological disaster. Cassandra struggles to survive in a world void of her rules and reasoning. Yet, finding the key to life brings her some unexpected and unearthly encounters.

If this novel were merely a science-fiction story, it would be great. But the author gives the book a spiritual dimension that is (dare I say it?) out of this world. The underlying spiritual truths are incredible, yet Robin Hardy smoothly weaves them into this tale, making them seem as natural as breathing.

Cassandra is an extraordinary character. As she crash-lands into a society that is decidedly different from her own, her anxiety is captured through her dialogue and actions. Cassandra's halting speech, as she struggles to communicate, is superbly written and gives the entire novel a taste of realism. As she is jettisoned into a group of people that have a belief in a Creator, she tries to make sense of their stories through her anthropologist lens. Eventually, events escalate to a point where Cassandra has to decide between flight or faith.

Never in all the years of book reviewing have I compared one author with another. Until now. The Idecis has entered into the same spiritual dimension that C.S. Lewis traveled in his classic Space Trilogy. Both authors deal with the larger issues of faith, salvation and trust. Their arenas are the heavenlies and their audiences will be spellbound by the significance of the stories.

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