Book Review: Save Him
The first thing I want to say about this book is that I have mixed feelings. It’s very complicated for me because this book was given to me during the worst possible time. I’m currently in the middle of transitioning The Rebel Christian into a blog that exclusively reviews Christian material—books, music, or even Christian businesses. So, reading Save Him was partly bad timing and partly just not my cup of tea.
Let me explain a little further. Hayes reached out to me and described a pretty interesting concept; a brilliant scientist is faced with an extraordinary mission that challenges his faith, his integrity and threatens the safety of all of mankind. Rydel Scott, our protagonist, must go back in time and save Jesus Christ from the Cross. When I first began reading, I didn’t really know what I was getting into. I’d been approached by the author and asked for a review, but I wasn’t told that this book was not Christian fiction until after I’d already agreed to review it. I felt a little deceived by that news, but I thought, how on earth could a book about Jesus Christ Himself not be Christian??
Well, first let me stop and say; I thought this book was good. Even though I have a few issues with the plot, I will admit the writing was good and the structure of the book made everything seem like it was moving very quickly. Emotions were high and the tension was thick, Hayes has a way of presenting an incredibly stressful atmosphere with the most elegant of writing and descriptive style. The characters definitely had a strong sense of growth—we watched each person develop in their own way, whether through their beliefs, emotions, or grit. I was not disappointed with the quality of the book, but I was not exactly happy with the content.
Hayes—or his representative/agent—was right, this book is NOT Christian fiction. While it certainly does have strong elements of faith and at least offers a nod to Christ as a historical figure, it is not something I would recommend to Christian readers. And that’s what leaves me incredibly perplexed. The plot of the book is to go back in time to “save” Jesus from the Cross, but any Bible believing Christian knows that Jesus didn’t need to be saved at all. The Cross was the mission from the start, but that’s not something I need to get into here. My point is, this book is not Christian because it doesn’t treat Jesus Christ as the Messiah but more of a historical figure whose existence is really just important because lots of people believe in Him—whether or not He is the Son of God is just kind of left hanging in the air.
As a Christian writer myself, I know Christian fiction doesn’t always stick to the Bible word for word. Like most fictional stories based on reality, some things are changed for the sake of entertainment—and that’s FINE. But I have a hard time swallowing a book about Jesus that doesn’t truly recognize His nature as Christ the Messiah. Because of these reasons, and because the author himself admits this book is not Christian fiction, I cannot find it in my heart to suggest this piece to other Believers, but I also cannot imagine someone who isn’t at least slightly religious enjoying this book very much either. It is full of so many faith elements and Christian themes, I don’t know if someone who isn’t religious will like it. As I mentioned earlier, the writing is good, and the plot is unique—truthfully, it is quite original—but I feel it’s a tossup as to what sort of reader would add this to their list of favorites. Maybe if you enjoy time travel, thrilling historical fiction, and dramatic adventures that deeply challenge characters and readers alike, you might want to take a look at what Hayes has to offer.
*The Rebel Christian received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*