Faces In The Fire

"Faces in the Fire, and Other Fancies" by Frank Boreham is a book that covers essays on theological topics as well as plain human interest topics. The author presents common events that teach deep, spiritual truths. Excerpt: "It was a chilling experience, that first glimpse of New Zealand! Hour after hour the great ship held on her way up the Cook Straits amidst scenery that made me shudder and that scowled me out of countenance. Rugged, massive, inhospitable, and bare, how sternly those wild and mountainous landscapes contrasted with the quiet beauty that I had surveyed from the same decks as the ship had dropped down Channel! I shaded my eyes with my hands and swept the strange horizon at every point, but nowhere could I see a sign of habitation—no man; no beast; no sheltering roof; no winding road; no welcoming column of smoke! And when, in the twilight of that still autumn evening, I at length descended the gangway, and set foot for the first time on the land of my adoption, I found myself—twelve thousand miles from home—in a country in which not a soul knew me, and in which I knew no single soul. It was not an exhilarating sensation."

Four lost souls on a collision course with either disaster or redemption. A random community of Faces in the Fire. Meet Kurt, a truck-driver-turned-sculptor with no memory of his past. Corinne, an e-mail spammer whose lymphoma isn't responding to treatment. Grace, a tattoo artist with an invented existence and a taste for heroin. And Stan, a reluctant hit man haunted by his terrifying gift for killing. They don't know each other, at least not yet. But something--or someone--is at work in the fabric of their lives, weaving them all together. A catfish, a series of numbers scribbled on a napkin, a devastating fire, and something mysterious. Something that could send them hurtling down the highway to disaster--or down the road to redemption. But they won't know which is which until they've managed to say yes to the whispers in their souls.

For Freawaru, proud daughter of Danish King Hrothgar, growing up in a sixth-century Viking settlement should be a wonderful adventure. Blessed with a strong mother and a loving nurse, she also bears a birthmark that promises future power. Only the arrival of her treacherous cousin Hrothulf, who intends to become a rival for her father's attention, mars her happiness. But Freawaru has no hint of what is about to come. Without warning, darkness envelops Freawaru's innocence and brings unimaginable terror as a night-stalking monster invades the mead hall. When a stranger arrives and off ers his assistance to aid the kingdom in fi ghting the Grendel with magic, runes, and, shockingly, poison, everyone wonders if Unferth can live up to his promises. Meanwhile, two other contenders enter the picture: Beowulf, a boastful warrior who pledges to kill the monster with his bare hands; and Ingeld, a feuding rival chieftain who gives his word to lay aside his thirst for blood vengeance in order to save the kingdom from evil. Each man presents a challenge to Freawaru, whose path ahead seems unclear. With her survival at stake, Freawaru must decide whom she can trust-before it is too late.

The biography of a plastic surgeon famous for work on airmen mutilated by fire.