Leviathan
Summary
The first book of R.M. Huffman’s antediluvian epic — Leviathan — centers itself around life in the post-Fall, pre-Flood world. Set in a lush landscape filled with the beginnings of human civilization and all manner of now-extinct species (triceratops! Saber-tooth tigers! Moa!), this tale of humanity, faith, and the basics of good vs. evil is a fantastical ride through the early millennia of Earth.
Assessment
Presenting a well-researched antediluvian landscape, the story outlines two different kinds of evil in believable and plot-driving ways. From the moral evil of humanity and the other sentient forces living on Earth to the natural evil of the fallen world and its toothier inhabitants, the ramifications of the Fall are evident. Through this wide variety of motivations and factors, the characters are pushed towards their destiny as they take on one of God’s more formidable creations, the leviathan.
The writing style is clear and charming, bringing out little details about the characters to make them feel living and breathing in the world. The description style is enough to give the reader an idea of what this antediluvian planet looks like without bogging them down in pages and pages of words. Occasionally the story’s pace is a bit off — sped up in some parts and slowed down in others, especially with some of the action scenes — but overall, it flows well from one scene to the next.
As for the book’s source material, most of the worldbuilding comes directly from the Bible and the Genesis description of pre-Flood Earth, supplemented slightly with what we know of the animals that would have been alive at the time from fossil records and modern data. Aside from Noah and his direct family, most of the characters, however, come from the ancient but unbiblical Book of Enoch. Specifically, the “Watchers”, or sons of God who came down to earth, married and had children with the daughters of men. These characters’ names and roles are all taken directly from 1 Enoch and its more detailed descriptions of the events in Genesis 6.
Light-o-Meter
Writing Style: 3 out of 7 Little Lights
Plot: 3 out of 7 Little Lights
Worldbuilding: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Characters: 3 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 2 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 3 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
I am always extremely cautious when it comes to what I would call “Biblical historical fiction” or “Biblical fantasy”, particularly when it uses Biblical figures directly in the plot. Now, the antediluvian world is a fantastic set up to explore; what would it have been like to live on the Earth when it was still watered by mists and humans regularly lived past 900 years old? When dinosaurs roamed the planet and cities were just beginning to spring up? Exploring this is definitely something we Christians should do, going back to the Bible regularly and pulling data from what Christian scientists have discovered and know about the planet’s history.
The biggest comment that I have on this book is that it has a lot of nudity and sex in it for Christian fiction. Now, I am not of the mind that Christian fiction needs to be sanitized to within an inch of its life. Give me the raw stories, the ones that depict sin in all it’s terrible ruin, the ones that have real characters that truly make mistakes. These are the type of stories that Christians need because fiction is a tool that we can use to learn how to navigate real life situations we encounter. This said, Christian fiction still needs to be wise in depicting sin and needs to be cautious about not causing others to stumble.
Some people may not be bothered by these scenes whatsoever and that’s fine! However, I want to specify that this book does have both nudity and sex throughout. Neither are depicted in what I would consider a graphic manner; the sex scenes are of the “fade to black” variety and end well before anything exciting happens, however they have a fairly sensual lead up. If you struggle with this kind of media, I do not recommend this book.
I’m also not fond of the fact that the only sex scenes depicted in the book were borderline abusive or actually just abusive. They took place mostly between the Watchers and their wives were there was a significant amount of manipulation and physical intimidation. We do circle back to the idea that we shouldn’t shy away from depicting sin in Christian fiction, but without taking a closer look at any of the good romantic relationships in the book, the abusive ones stand out as the only examples, which makes them feel a little glorified. There is no light to prove the darkness is truly that dark and terrible.
With that, I honestly enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the latter half. The first half was a classic, team-assembly/big monster hunt and, if you know me, you know that’s my jam. Give me leviathans, Godzillas, dinosaurs, or giant space whales and I am in my happy place! The second half of the book was much more focused on the love triangle and revolution hinted at in the synopsis, which I did enjoy parts of — the final battle was epic — but I like the monster hunt part better. Overall, I am looking forward to checking out the next installment of this series!
Wrap-up
Leviathan by R.M. Huffman is a monster-hunting tale of epic proportions. Set in the Biblical antediluvian world, young Noah must face both moral and natural evil, assembling a team of Nephilim to take down a man-eating monster in a tale of faith, humanity, and family. This is a good book for those looking for Christian fantasy, although some of the sexual content and nudity definitely make in in appropriate for some readers.
Where to Enjoy
Author’s Website: Buy Books | Mysite (thehuffmanletters.com)
Barnes & Noble: Leviathan by R.M. Huffman, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
Amazon: Leviathan (The Antediluvian Legacy, Book 1) by R. M. Huffman
Christianbook.com: Leviathan: R.M. Huffman: 9781612544533 - Christianbook.com
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