Moments of beauty, moments of blah.

books:


	• The Singer: A Classic Retelling of the Cosmic Conflict Calvin Miller InterVarsity Press, 2001 - 151 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

The Best of the Best

This has to be a book which will live through history as one of the best of the best. It's not your usual book. Not your usual Christian book. Not your usual poetry book. Not your usual story.

It's all of those, and still a look at the creation of manking through Jeaus' life and death. Not like anything i've ever read. Give it a try. I don't think you will regret it.

Moments of beauty, moments of blah.

This allegory of the life and death of Jesus Christ has several pages of illustrious and thought provoking poetry. Unfortunately, the majority of its content falls short of brilliance. I think that it is a nice book for devotional reflections, but aside from that, it has no real artistic value. My rating is 2.7.

for more information click here

for more information click here

Remembered wth affection

I read this book a few years after it was first published. I was a young teen and in search of.... meaning. Throughout the years, I have thought of this book, thought of re-reading it, but didn't want to lose my memory of how gently, how beautifully it tells the story of Christ. I remembered it with such fondness that I didn't dare risk re-reading it.

Finally, I've decided it's time to take a drink from the well Calvin Miller created in The Singer once again. I'm sure it will be just as refreshing as it was the first time I read it, and... perhaps I'll enjoy it even more this time!

for more information click here

Intense and Beautiful

I think of "The Singer" as a collapsing of the four Gospels in the traditional Christian Bible. Told in allegorical fantasy or science fiction this was one of my favorite books when I was a teenager and it introduced me to Calvin Miller's fiction. It isn't easy to read, things jump around a bit, and are at the same time condensed, but I also remember sharing it with non-Christian friends who thought it was pretty cool too. As an adult now I can see more the Gospel of John is the strongest influence on the work but there is also a strong role for women in it.

for more information click here

Awesome!

This is one of those books I read over and over again. I have read it probably 20 times since my first reading. Calvin Miller puts biblical stories into narrative poems that are so well written they force you to turn the page again and again. This book is the first in the Singer Trilogy, followed by The Song and The Finale. It is a poetic retelling of three biblical books: The Singer parallels the 4 Gospels, The Song retells the story of Acts, and The Finale is Miller's version of the book of Revelation.

Miller writes explicitly Christian fantasy in these books. He is also widely known for his non-fiction AND Christian life application books.

The Singer is a powerful retelling of the life of Christ, where instead of Jesus and The Gospel you have the Singer and his song. His song, if you are open to it, can bring healing and restoration. The World-Hater, wants to destroy both the Singer and his star song. Miller's words moved me to tears the first time I encountered them. The story is so well written, it can be read over and over without losing its freshness. The book is also excellently illustrated by Chicago artist Joe DeVelasco. The drawings done in pen and Ink style add to the power of the story by transporting you into the events.

No matter how many times over I reread this book, it is always fresh and new and draws me into the story of Christ in a different way. It is truly a classic and a treasure for any bookshelf. Each time I pick these up and reread them, I find a deepening of my relationship with Christ, and of my prayer life.

Miller also has a Symphonic Trilogy that retells different stories from the book of Genesis. The two I owned were A Requiem for Love and A Symphony in Sand. As far as I can tell, there are also 2 stand-alone books by Miller in this style that are often compared to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Lewis's Narnia. They are The Valiant Papers, an account of a guardian angel's experiences, and The Philippian Fragment, the retelling of the book of Philippians from the New Testament. I have owned most of these and lent them out to not be returned. I now have The Singer Trilogy, Valiant, and Singer Trilogy 3-in-1 hardcover. Over the next few weeks I will review those I still have, but cannot encourage you strongly enough to pick them up if you find them in a used bookstore. They are all great.

Over the next few weeks, I plan on reviewing some of the others that I still have from this author. And if I find the others again, I will review them. (It has just been too long since I lent them out and did not get them back for me to review them from memory.)

Other Miller Books:
The Singer
The Song
The Finale
The Valiant Papers
The Philippian Fragment (Currently OP)

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

The Singer quickly became a favorite of evangelists, pastors, artists, students, teachers and readers of all sorts when it was originally published in 1975. Retelling the story of Christ through an allegorical and poetic narrative of a Singer whose Song could not be silenced, Miller's work reinvigorated Christian literature and offered believers and seekers the world over a deeply personal encounter with the gospel.Now available in hardcover for the first time in many years, this edition features a new cover illustration by Jerry Tiritilli to complement the classic interior illustrations by Joe DeVelasco. Miller also includes a new preface in which he reveals how he came to write The Singer and how he, like so many other readers, has been transformed by its imaginative power."The Singer is one of a handful of contemporary Christian works that will still be read a century from now." Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching"The Singer is one of those rare books that cannot have enough good said about it. It absolutely sings to us of the greatness and goodness of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Richard Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline"The Singer is a classic." Leonard Sweet, author of SoulTsunamiHere--again, or for the first time--is the opportunity to experience the good news as you are drawn to and immersed in this magnificent tale.

for more information click here

hot