Stuff That Matters In Life

I came into this book with high expectations. It’s a book by a New York Times best-selling author, and it’s a Christian fiction. Since I do not read much Christian fiction, I was really looking forward to a good read.

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews is not what I expected at all. It’s the story of David Ponder, an ordinary man given the quest to find the answer to humanity. Angel Gabriel tells him to come up with the two words that answers the question: What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization? In this quest, Ponder meets past great historical figures such as Winston Churchill, Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, and the like to help him find the correct answer. In the process, they discuss the various values that humanity depend on most to succeed.

Learning about the historical figures is certainly the biggest appeal of the book. One person in particular, Eric Erickson, is someone I had never heard of but is said to have hastened the end of WWII. It’s sort of a “Night at the Museum” where historical figures come alive and talk to each other about the world in which they lived.

However, the premise of the story to find two words that will save humanity is rather silly. Since Gabriel already had the answer to the question, what’s the point of having Ponder trying to guess them? There is just a lot of dialogue and discussion about what the answer may be, but there’s no action that I would expect of a story about a “quest” with time travel involved. The writing I estimate to be about a 4th-6th grade level, so maybe it’s a book more appropriate for a younger age. This book is more like an allegory or inspirational book to gain insight into living with strong values.

Disclosure:  Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for this review. Opinions are entirely my own.