Phillip L. Davidson

Dreamer is a book about a group of men who had fought together in Vietnam being brought together to save the wife of one the men who is being held hostage. The men who had not seen each other since the war were brought together for this mission by God. This book has suspense, drama, and action throughout, however, some parts are very slow. I also found it a lttle hard to follow in the beginning because of the number of charcaters and knowing little about the tactics of war. A good story. Original. Well-written. Can definitely see this one being made into a movie. Would recommend, especially to a war buff.… (mais)

This novel is broken down into three separate parts. Part one is the Messenger, Part two is the Leader, and Part three is The Patriots. The main character is David Elliot and his struggles with an incident that took place while on his tour in Vietnam. He was a Green Beret ordered to kill a traitor and he did not complete this mission. As a direct result, some of his men were killed. He is deeply troubled by his actions and has a series of nightmares and flashbacks because of this. Davis is fueled by guilt and remorse for the death of his comrades.
David is married to Sunny who travels to Argentina to aid her parents that were arrested. He knew it was a bad idea to let her go there and to his chagrin; she is arrested and held captive. While in Vietnam, an oath is made for the men to unite and come to her rescue. Each surviving member is now been visited by a mysterious stranger, who wants the men to honor the covenant. David is consumed by the visits of a former member named Keaton, who keeps showing up while the men are on the mission to Argentina. Keaton is centered on the good versus evil and every time he appears, the reader is on the edge of your seat.
I really liked this novel; it is very suspenseful and gripping. It is labeled as Christian Fiction, but I just see it as a Military Adventure/Drama genre. True there were religious quotes on almost every chapter, but this seemed to pull meanings from the actions of the characters. The language is a bit strong at times, possibly too strong for a religious person. I only wish that the novel would have had more focus on the fighting in Vietnam that is the only aspect that would have made this novel a 5 star, in my opinion. I do like how the author shows the progression of each of his characters development. He is very realistic in the action sequences of the novel.… (mais)

David Elliot is a Vietnam Vet who is again being haunted with nightmares/flashbacks to his time in Vietnam. He is deeply troubled about a choice he made while in command of his men. Now, a strange man is visiting each of them. He wants them to honor a pact they made. What is the mystery behind him, and what happens when David's wife Sunny goes to Argentina because her parents have been arrested? The events that unfold will have you looking over your shoulder. Dreamer is action packed and held my attention. This is a book about men who are at war, so there is a lot of blood, gory scenes and lots of sexual references. While I could have done without the latter, the blood and gore was very well written and added so much to the telling of the story. Some of the scenes could have been more well developed while some could have been tamed down, but all in all this was a great read. Although this book is regarded as Christian Fiction and does have some verses from the Bible at the begining of some of the chapers, I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as that. It is more of a suspense/thriller....a very good one.… (mais)

Dreamer by Philip L. Davidson

Book Description:
As war between Britain and Argentina looms over the barren Falkland Islands, a group of men, former Green Berets who left the service in disgrace and now live their lives in the 'darkness', are brought together by God to save one of his servants who is being held hostage in a prison at the end of the earth. For one man in the group, the mission is personal, for it is David's wife, Sunny, who is the hostage they are trying to save. Taking the form of one of their dead comrades, God gives them the chance to stand in the light of men once more. But their path is compromised by God's loyal servant, Satan, who places death and betrayal before them. Dreamer takes place in Washington, D.C., Georgia, Mexico, Central America and Argentina. As they fight their way to Los Estados prison, the men encounter the CIA, Contras, the Narco-Terrorists M-19, and Captain Alvarez, who is the head of the Argentine Secret Police. Dreamer is a tale of redemption, love, courage, belief in God and betrayal!

My Review:

Dreamer is the story of good and evil, heaven and hell, God and Satan, all wrapped up in a military adventure/thriller. Haunted by their past, a group of former Green Berets are gathered together for reasons they do not understand. Troubled by their stint in Vietnam, the group rallies to fulfill an oath they took to a now dead member.

Dreamer is an outstanding story that completely held my interest throughout. The story line was action-packed and suspenseful with many unexpected twists. I was impressed with the individual development of all of the characters. Often with a large number of people to keep track of I get a little lost, but with Dreamer every character was unmistakable. Waiting to find out if redemption would come about and determining who specifically Keaton was kept me enthralled.

Listed as religious fiction, this is certainly not your ordinary religious book. Containing some rough language and harsh situations gives Dreamer that gritty realistic essence. I enjoyed the book very much and think that would create much discussion in both religious (not just Christian) and secular book clubs.… (mais)