One of my favorite things to do at Gen Con is to visit “Authors Avenue.” Last year at GenCon 50 I met Daniel R. Stevenson, the author of The Moment: Blood Bowl. After chatting with him I decided to pick up a copy and recently had the chance to read it. The Moment is a fast paced, Christian fantasy novel set in modern day that contains several surprising twists and turns.

At the time my reading consisted mostly of astronomy, historical, and sword & sorcery books so I figured I would give Daniel’s book a chance. The Moment sounded like a good change of genre.

This wasn’t my first time meeting Daniel. I had read another book of his. The previous year I had stopped by his table and picked up a copy of his book “How To Be A Great GM.” I liked that guide to running a successful roleplaying game and figured I might like The Moment. Daniel is an avid gamer which was also a plus. It was Gen Con after all!

My first impression was that this is a short, fast paced read. Daniel doesn’t waste anytime jumping into the story. We’re not given a lot of background on the characters but I think that works here. It plays into the suddenness of the events.

Our protagonists are Jeffery Shaw, Charlie, Kelly, Jackie, and Gloria. Jeffery, a divorced single father, in what initially appears to be a strange twist of fate comes into the company of a well to do family. Gloria, the mother, her two daughters Kelly and Jackie, and her son Charlie. After Jeffery finds himself in a bind he has to accept an offer of hospitality from Kelly and is introduced to the rest of her family. Their meeting seems odd at first and little do they all know what awaits.

The bowl is literally just that. An odd antique found by Gloria on the property of her late husband. This random discovery also proves to be more than just luck. Something is about to happen which will pit the forces of good and evil against each other.

Jeffery, Charlie, Kelly, Jackie, and Gloria are destined to be God’s champions called “Paladins”. The Devil’s forces consist of monsters and human cultists led by two demons, Saul and Nero. This isn’t a simple fight to the death. The entire conflict has strict rules. Each side has limitations and advantages they can use to effect the outcome.

The role of faith plays a large part in the book. Our heroes must find their inner strength and with it their faith. Daniel has a message he wants to bring through the book. But he delivers his message of Christianity in a realistic and human way. Characters don’t simply drop to their knees and accept Christ into their lives. Some come to find a faith in God whereas others accept what is happening but have a longer journey to take.

The whole book, in the hardcover version, is 195 pages but don’t be mistaken. This isn’t a story where all of the “good” people live and the “bad”people are defeated. The stakes in The Moment are high.  Not everyone will make it through to the end. Daniel uses a little creative license in his writing to drop in a surprise plot development. It had me asking “what just happened” but he does double back and explain it.

Near the end of the book the author breaks away from the story to have a personal discussion about faith with the reader. It’s not hitting you over the head with a bible preaching but just a casual conversation. That part of the book might not appeal to everyone but I understand why it’s there. It didnt interfere with my enjoyment of the book and if you stick with it here is a final explanation of earlier events in The Moment.

I was impressed by the concept at the center of The Moment. It was an intriguing setup that at first confused me but little by little, as the characters learn what is happening, so did I. When the ramifications of what is happening clicks the book takes on a whole new meaning. I found myself, early on, questioning why I would care about some of these people. A couple are selfish, whiny, and self centered. But the lives of these men and women are are going to change in a major way. You can’t see it at first but as the pace accelerates they come together.

The way Daniel wrote it there is the end of the story and the end of the book. As I mentioned he gets creative in how he wraps things up. The end of the story left me wanting to know more about this world what will happen next. There is a lot of potential to continue this beyond the events of this novel.

The pastor of a Chrurch who writes Christian fantasy may not sound like the type of person you would expect to see at Gen Con. But he has some serious gaming chops. Daniel R. Stevenson has been running a consistent Dungeons & Dragons campaign for over 25 years. That is a lot of creative work and definitely a labor of love. Being able to talk about his campaign you can tell he truly enjoys the game and writing.  Now, a Christian fantasy novel might not sound interesting to some but I would recommend giving The Moment a read. It’s not packed with “goody goody” heroes or predictably “evil” antagonists. These are regular people caught up in extraordinary events. The demons aren’t evil just for the sake of being evil. There are motivations to what they do too.

The world is an imperfect place and that state of things plays directly into the events of the book. There is no happy ending where suddenly world peace is declared. The battle between good and evil continues. Each side is left preparing for the next conflict, not knowing when it will happen but knowing for certain it will.

I would like to know what you thought of The Moment so be sure to  add a comment below.

Best regards,

Oliver Greytome