Last updated on September 21, 2023
The subtitle of The Night Cometh by Lorilyn Roberts, 20 Fantastical Short Stories, is an understatement and is almost misleading; fantastical means strange or wonderful, but in this instance, it could be more aptly named horror. Agnostics beware, and Christians, question every action in your life to date.
The stories all begin with a Bible quote, a monochrome illustration, and/or photograph, and each one covers a different character, all of them so alive they step off the page. Some of the more noteworthy include the hard-working, successful, Braylon in “Seducing Spirits,” Hailey Becker in “Have Pink Suitcase, Will Travel,” and the frightened elderly lady in “Enemy of the Soul,” and “No Fear,” told by Deborah, is set in the future. Lorilyn Roberts’ The Night Cometh is a book to read more than once.
“The Empty Paper Tray,” the first story in The Night Cometh, shocked me to the core. In an extremely clever allegory of Judgment Day – the point after death where one stands before God – Lorilyn Roberts held me enthralled until the true meaning was revealed. My favorite tale is “The Last Dance,” and I couldn’t resist seeing how Earl Ludwick’s Christmas romance panned out.
The selection is enormous. “The Dragon,” complete with a complicated sketch, is the devil in disguise. He plans to let humans destroy themselves, gleefully recounting likely scenarios but giving God credit for one thing only: designing him as a creature of great beauty. The Night Cometh by Lorilyn Roberts is entertaining, but it is a book that demands more of its readers than momentary pleasure.
Reviewed by Sarah Stuart for Readers’ Favorite
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