I was given a free e-copy CTM Publishing Atlanta’s book by author Mark S. Mirza entitled The Pray-ers / Book 1 Troubles in exchange for this fair and honest review.
The challenge in a book review is not to give away the plot, especially the ending, of a book, so I won’t. I won’t tell you any of the plot at all. I will tell you this:
Pray-ers is a story of demons, angels, humans, and the power of prayer, partially in ancient times, partially in modern times. That’s all I’m telling you about the story. If you want more plot, read what other reviewers have to say by clicking on the banner below:
Instead of a plot summary, I’m giving you some thoughts.
I first dove into this book ready for a fast weekend’s read, but I soon gave that idea up. This book is not something you read lightly on vacation. I had to go back to the beginning and re-read with my Bible (app) at hand. The book is loaded with Biblical references and teachings on prayer. It is definitely a novel, but it could also be used as a Bible study about prayer. In fact, that is what it has become for me, as I research each verse as it is notated in the footnotes and read the context to make sure the lesson in the book is Scripturally sound.
I really appreciate the explanation of prayer as a relationship. While it was hard to hear, it was also interesting to learn about how to pray and when God closes his ears. I’m still studying up on that a bit, since it doesn’t entirely jive with my understanding of child-like faith.
The examples of the men of prayer in the book can be taken to heart and applied to our own lives. The historical context is educational and intriguing.
Here’s where it gets touchy: the demons and angels.
Reading about the demons made me feel…creepy. Seriously creeped out people. Like sleep with a light on creeped out. It was almost worse when the demons were kind than when they were outright ugly.
The angels had the exact opposite effect. I felt protected. Well done, author! (Here’s a picture of the author, so you know whom I’m talking about.)
A couple writing issues:
I would have liked to see a little more editing. While the author is indeed an excellent writer, some tightening would improve the readability. It is a deep read and weighty stuff, and it would be more accessible to a wider audience if it were just a bit, well, “tighter” as my editor calls it. Otherwise, there were a few errors that jumped out at me as a writer, but probably wouldn’t bother people who didn’t have errors scream at them.
The demon names are not capitalized. I completely agree with the author’s decision to do this, but it makes it difficult to read until you get used to it. It took me a long time to get used to it, especially since the demons names are not “normal” and I thereby thought they were words I didn’t know…since there are so many. You get used to it in time…probably more time for me than for you.
Also, the author begins the book with a lengthy explanation of what he wants you to get out of the book. I don’t like that. Let the book do the talking. The writing is good enough to convey that meaning. In fact, the writing itself is very well done, moving the heart to want a closer relationship with God and a stronger prayer life. The author moves you to want to take up arms against the demons by getting on your knees, or, in my Lutheran circles, bowing your head and being very quiet and still.
I recommend this book for very mature high schoolers and adults. My older daughters did not want to read this book because of the demon factor. While I respect this, the demons themselves often mention the power their Enemy (Jesus) has over them. Battle fought, battle won, victor—Jesus.
It’s a great read, but more important, it’s a great prayer life builder. I’m still studying up on some of the doctrine to compare it to Scripture, and tossing some things around with my husband—I’m not a Scriptural know-it-all, but if I see anything that I believe is amiss, I will mention it here.
