Imagine…The Great Flood

Title: Imagine…The Great Flood
Author: Matt Koceich
Series: Imagine Series
Major Themes: Noah’s Flood, Time Travel
Synopsis: When Corey falls and hits his head, he wakes up near the Ark as Noah and his sons prepare for the Flood.

I’m always interested in books that retell stories from the Bible, hoping for an engaging account that sticks to the facts that are recorded. Yes, I know that’s a tall order, but I’m forever optimistic. I found Imagine…The Great Flood to be quite engaging—but I was disappointed in my other criteria.

Corey’s story is quite easy to read, and well-written. Corey falls down and hits his head near his home in Texas, and when he opens his eyes he can’t see his mother or dog anywhere. Instead, a lion was standing in front of him, along with a man wearing a long robe. Soon, he found himself in more danger than he had ever imagined before, and helping people he had only ever heard of in the Bible as Noah and his sons prepare for the Flood.

As far as accuracy, I’m just not sure. Noah and his sons are portrayed as going out to get the animals, whereas the Bible sounds, to me at least, as though they came to the Ark. Also, in this story, it was starting to rain as the loading of the Ark was being finished, while the Bible sounds like the family and animals went in, God shut the door, and then, after seven days, the Flood began. Also, Shem had a staff, which he gave to Corey at times, saying that as long as he held the staff the animals couldn’t hurt him.

I found the description of the Nephilim interesting. These were giants with superhuman strength. Their existence is hinted at in the Biblical account, but I’ve never read a story with them in it before. They added a lot of tension to the plot. I did not like the use of magic through the story. There was one character, working against Corey, who could appear anywhere at any time. Shem’s staff was also magical, which I also didn’t like.

I appreciated the ending of the story; I really don’t care for most time-travel stories, but this one was well-done. I also appreciated the encouragement, throughout the story, to trust in God, whether you’re in danger or your life is being uprooted. This is an exciting story for preteens who like short, easy reads.

I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley, and chose to write a review.

WARNING: There is violence, as the Nephilim try to harm Corey, and the inaccuracies noted above.

——————
Related posts:

The Priest The Prince The Prophet The Scribe