Fury: 1825-1826 (The Great Awakenings Series #4)

This book is the last book in a series of books titled The Great Awakenings Series. The series is based on history and takes the reader through different periods of the awakening of the Christian church. Our book group read the first book in the series that was entitled Fire. We all continued to read on to the end of the series and each was just as good as the last. The late Bill Bright and Jack Cavanaugh did a great job with the team writing.

This is the last book that Bill Bright wrote. The whole series is very well written and worth the read. You will learn a lot about the Great Awakening even though it is a work of fiction it is filled with historical facts.

"Fury" is a great book that addresses the fury that occurs in people's lives. It was written in part by the late founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, Bill Bright. It is a historical novel and covers the time from 1825 through 1826. The main character of "Storm" is now the uncle to the main character of this book.

Following his parents' ship sinking at sea as they were returning to America after preaching in England, teenager Daniel Cooper goes to live with his aunt and uncle in Cumberland. He works for casket maker Cyrus Gregg, a powerful businessman. One night in the alley behind the store, Daniel is playing his recorder when he hears a noise and sees fellow worker Emil Braxton knifed to death; the killer and Cyrus make plans for Epps to get paid for the hit. Daniel informs his Uncle Asa and Aunt Camilla what he observed, but they don't believe him. Asa tells Cyrus what Daniel related to him. Daniel falls into a trap, but escapes Epps' attempt to silence him. Epps has fooled Asa, into thinking he is a pal; so the two men chase after Daniel. In the upscale town of Wright's Settlement, Daniel befriends evangelists who heard a charismatic evangelist preach.. They keep him safe while he confronts Asa, who believes him about Epps but not his best friend Cyrus. When his Uncle returns to Cumberland, Daniel follows to keep him safe from the long lethal reach of Cyrus. FURY is a cat and mouse thriller that focuses on a protagonist still hurting from the loss of his parents leading to his turning his back on God until he finds him again when he most needs him. Epps is a complex villain, who likes Asa and regrets having to kill him and his nephew, but will do so because he wants to remain inside Cyrus' influential circle. Readers will enjoy this fine historical suspense tale. Harriet Klausner

Fury starts out with a bang and doesn't let up! Set in 1825-1826, Fury captures the message of repentence and forgiveness through Charles Finney's preaching, when the revival now referred to as "The Great Awakening" shakes upstate New York. The main character, Daniel, is running for his life. As the reader, your pulse will pound with his as he tries to evade a killer hot on his trail. If only he had obeyed his uncle and stayed in bed. If only he hadn't been out that night, he wouldn't have seen his coworker murdered. Thus the story begins... Daniel cries for help so many times, but no one believes his story about being pursued by the killer. He's angry with God, his uncle, and just about everyone for his losses. Daniel has also hardened his heart by resisting the Holy Spirit, but as he runs from the killer, he discovers that God had been there with him all along. Fury is an engaging story demonstrating the power of deep faith, and the discouragement that often comes from battling fear, such as the real threats perceived by Daniel's gut instincts. Many difficult choices have to be made, and often without much time. When Daniel is dragged to church by friends to hear Finney preach, his world is altered...permanently. Riveting and thought-provoking, Fury leads the reader down a dark path paved by the enemy, and places readers in various situations alongside the deceptive killer, the concerned uncle, the forsaken aunt, the runaway teen Daniel, and even Daniel's wimpy boss. From each of their points of view the reader gets a healthy dose of each characters' perspective. There are light moments as well, to help break up the intensity of the story, like when Daniel pretends to be a tree come to life to scare off some boys who were picking on a younger brother, whom Daniel fiercely identified with. There were also tender moments like when Daniel realizes for the first time that beauty in a woman is much more than skin deep. Fury is a passionate story about life during hard times, death nipping at the heels of a young man, the redemption of lives, and the impact revival can have on an entire community. Fury comes with my highest recommendation, especially to history buffs.