"…As for the cops? Trust me when I say this: The police are the last notification you’d ever want to make...”
Walk Worthy Christian Life Center Pastor Joel Benjamin believes he’s heard God tell him to preach at several Georgia churches. However, he faces trouble on several sides: One, his wife and First Lady Deborah believes he didn’t. Two, he experiences an atmosphere of dread through a series of mysterious visions. And three, both find themselves the victims of cryptic messages from an unknown caller.
Forces of palpable evil align themselves against the Benjamins. Forces that threaten to steal, kill, and destroy their present and future. But the marital acrimony sends them on the verge of breakdowns that create battles for mutual trust, unity, and faith.
Why does God allow bad things to happen to some people? For the Benjamins, maybe God had nothing to do with it. Maybe some choices in the past open the door for the supernatural activity that relentlessly haunts and torments them.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Either the Benjamins feed their faith and live or they feed their fear and die.
There is a war transpiring between good and evil, both in real life and hidden darknesses. Spiritual warfare defines Evil Realms. That's where Pastor Joel Benjamin finds himself called to stand in the gap.
The story actually begins somewhere else. It begins with a police chase and the almost paranormal disappearance of the car being chased. The two inside are bank robbers and violent criminals, believing that they have stumbled on a farm full of women and children, easy pickings for their demented, perverted souls. Instead, they've stumbled upon a cult.
The story then jumps to Pastor Joel Benjamin and his wife Deborah and their broken marriage. Full of disrespect and lost love, their hearts have hardened and they hurt each other only as those closest to you are able. Deborah doesn't believe in Joel's dreams and what he believes is his calling or "another fake Holy Grail conquest" as she sees them. They argue with each other using scripture and their perceived righteousness against the other. Plagued by eerie phone calls and visions of dark forces at work, the story slowly unveils it's secrets and brings us full circle to where it began.
There's a bit of difficulty in following along in reading this I think for the average reader. It's obviously very heavy on scripture and religion but with the main character being a Pastor would you expect differently? Even the blurb lends itself to the feel of Evil Realms. If you go into this expecting something else, that's on you. If, however, you enjoy reading about Christianity and the fight against the legions of darkness, both in the spiritual realm and the worldly one, then Evil Realms may just be for you! While I wouldn't necessarily call this horror, it does have some very unique paranormal aspects that lend itself to creating an ominous supernatural thriller about the fight against preternatural evil forces.
