Into the Fire

Greg Mitchell is the author of The Coming Evil Trilogy beginning with Book One entitled The Strange Man and published by Realms, a division of Strang Company. A contemporary supernatural suspense, grazing the cusp of horror, this speculative tale situates itself in the spiritually and physically dead-end town of Greensboro.

Beginning with a too long prologue to set the stage for the historical impact of the North Woods bordering the edge of Greensboro, the townsfolk all seem to be aware of the scary stories which depict a “bogeyman” who kidnaps rebellious kids and takes them into those woods never to be seen again.

The story presents the Weldon family composed of a retired father/pastor who is ill, his wife, and their two sons, Jeff and Dras. The older Jeff, married to Isabella, has taken over the mantle of pastor to his father’s church and Dras, at 22, drinks, visits the local club scene with his lifelong friend Rosalyn, and indulges his love for comic books and horror flicks, occasionally showing up at church to broker a peace that doesn’t exist with his brother because of Dras’s loose lifestyle.

Others in the community dot the landscape of the story but they appear more as neighbors we don’t really know but greet in our everyday lives. As a storm makes itself visible on the horizon of the town, Jeff Weldon fears it’s bringing more with it than weather hysterics. Once it arrives, an ominous presence infiltrates the town, but only a handful of people recognize what’s happening until the onslaught of evil is well underway.  

The club scene introduces us to “the strange man” and allows us to learn of his intentions. He sets his sights on Rosalyn but must first eliminate people who stand in his way. The process of accomplishing his goals begins here.

There’s no question Greg Mitchell can write. However, there are “first novel” weaknesses in Book One of this trilogy, and his vision for the movie screen might’ve slightly hindered the practicalities of creating the visuals in this story. As writers, we all instinctively know how difficult it is to be unique. “Nothing new under the sun” applied in Solomon’s time so how absolute is that fact now in trying to create a “new” twist on old stories? The visuals of demons have all been tried so in this story—for me—they didn’t provide any impact and felt cartoonish. The damage done by hordes of demons seems inconsequential to those who search for a single killer after the murder of a young man when it’s obvious something supernatural is underway, providing inconsistencies in plot points. The primary weaknesses in this story for me were the unlikable, underdeveloped and a bit stereotypical characters plus dialogue which “sounded” over-simplistic at times.

It seemed the “fun” of portraying the demonic personas and their attacks took precedence over the meaningful relationships needed with the characters to establish the desire to root for their safety, deliverance, or even salvation. The symbolism chosen at the climactic end of this first book felt forced. Used to demonstrate the descending spiritual climate of the town (I assume) and the element of sacrificial love, for me it was overdone and didn’t fit.   

When you write speculative fiction, you, well, speculate. At times the strange man couldn’t penetrate locked areas and other times he could, giving the story a bit of an uneven feel. On rare occasion that “preachy” mode ventured into the story unexpectedly instead of organically.

However, there will be plenty of readers who will like The Strange Man and eagerly await the next two books in the trilogy.

At the end of Greg Mitchell’s The Strange Man, there’s a bonus short story called Among the Dead which takes place ten years before the advent of Book One in The Coming Evil Trilogy.

Father, please continue to provide those stories you have for Greg to tell. Watch over him and his family and help him to realize his dreams according to your design. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.