Product Description

Young Toby Matthews, eight years old, undeniably has miraculous powers. But where did they come from, and how did Toby become the center of a new cult?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #510813 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Amazon.com
Since Frank Peretti penned his groundbreaking Christian suspense novel This Present Darkness back in the '80s, he's been often emulated, usually without much success. Enter this supernatural page-turner, The Prodigy, which raises the bar for the genre. Gansky weaves theological questions about spiritual forces in contemporary culture into a thrilling saga that will keep the reader hooked from the first pages. Six-year-old Toby, a child prodigy from the backwoods of North Carolina, has strange powers. Toby walks through a hospital corridor, and patients with incurable illnesses are suddenly healed. Storms melt away at his words. He diagnoses and cures the innermost mental and physical afflictions of strangers. When Toby and his unusual gifts are noticed by those seeking money and power, disaster is inevitable.

Deeper questions underlie the text. Does God still perform wonders in today's world--and does he work through individuals, including children? Is there a dark side to the spiritual realm that can manifest itself? Although the ending is a bit of a shoot-em-up, good guys vs. bad guys- type of resolution, this novel provides a chilling look at greed, religion, and spiritual phenomena framed in fictional form. Expect some goose bumps. --Cindy Crosby

From Publishers Weekly
Demons, greed, and theological questions about wondrous healings and miracles intermingle in this chilling tale of suspense. Gansky, a clergyman who most recently wrote Distant Memory, combines a flair for atmosphere with supernatural events that will raise a few goose bumps for fanciers of Christian mystery and suspense. In a lonely cabin in the hills of North Carolina, an unwed teenage mother gives birth to a son, Toby. The tension builds as he evinces an unusual intelligence that belies his heredity and environment. Strange things occur when he is six years old, Toby walks down a hospital corridor, and patients are suddenly healed; he speaks to a tornado, which dissipates; he diagnoses physical and mental ailments with just a glance. It's not long before a popular radio talk-show host seizes on Toby as a potential gold mine, and things spin out of control as the boy is cast as a Messiah figure. Despite the intriguing story line, there are some glitches and occasional clich‚s. Toby's mother is transformed from hillbilly to polished sophisticate in only a year and a half, which is a bit of a stretch, although Gansky is careful to note that she still shows traces of her previous life. The novel disintegrates slightly in its second half, ending with a predictable showdown between the villains and the good guys. Despite these flaws, however, Gansky's credible thriller should gain him some new fans.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Six-year-old Toby Matthews is a prodigy. He intuitively grasps the way things work and constantly amazes his mother, Mary. Her problems start when she takes Toby to the hospital after his finger is smashed in a car door. The doctor is stunned at how quickly Toby's finger seems to be healing, and when Mary takes her son and slips out through a patient wing, Toby heals the sick people just by walking down a hallway. This "miracle" brings the boy to the attention of Richard Wellman, an unscrupulous radio host who sees Toby as a New Age "Messiah" and his ticket to money and power, and Thomas York, a divinity student who sees God as a philosophical challenge and Toby as a case study. As a supernatural creature stalks Toby, Thomas discovers the depths of a faith he didn't know he had as he teaches Toby about Jesus and the Bible. Gansky's J.D. Stanton mysteries (A Ship Possessed, Vanished) offer a more spine-tingling, terrifying journey into the supernatural aspects of the Bible, but The Prodigy will appeal to readers awaiting the next Frank Peretti.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

I couldn't put it down...
Because I hoped it would get better....The story had potential. A little boy and his mother, trying to escape a hard-knock life in Appalachia, set sail for California (cause where else do people escape to?). Along the way they encounter people who Toby seems to know intimate details about. He can see inside them, know their suffering and heal them if the need is there. Toby is discovered by a man who doesn't have his best interests at heart, who then (of course) exploits Toby's gift for fame and profit. And there's a "Shadow Man" thrown in there for a supernatural twist. This is a typical protaganist vs. antagonist story. And of course, the protaganist overcomes. A boring and overdone theme. The writing in this book is painful to read. I can tell the author is trying to be creative and original in his descriptions but comes off painfully cliche and sounding like he's trying too hard. Also, the names of some of the characters are cringe-worthy. A name can define a character. It can sometimes stand alone in revealing the personality of a character. But, when it's obvious, like some of the character names in this book, it induces a groan. In the end, the story is wrapped up all too quickly and tidily. Honestly, I wouldn't waste any time reading this book.

Good Fiction!
The Prodigy is one of those books that occasionally makes you say outloud "Yeah!". But unfortunately has a few moments where you say, "That's it?" I think Alton Gansky is a great writer, but I think he needs to concentrate on the climax of his novels. He starts off his novels with a punch so strong, sometimes the endings can't live up to the previous writing.

However, all that said, I think The Prodigy is an excellent story. I felt the pain and suffering of Toby's mother through-out this story. Anyone who wants to read a suspense/mystery novel written by a storyteller committed to his craft (not just after a paycheck) should purchase The Prodigy.

I would also highly recommend all of Gansky's other novels. I haven't found a bad one yet.

See ya next time!

www.therunninggirl.com

Great start, fascinating premise, could have ended better
The premise of this book unfolds quickly. A boy born to a poor single woman in rural Appalachia has the ability to heal others with a glance, and see into the hidden psyche of the people he meets. After going to the hospital with an injury that quickly heals on its own, he simply walks down the hall and people are healed of terminal illnesses! The story is at its best from here.

His mother who tires of the abuse by the boys father, moves with just her belongings in an old car and sets out across the country for California and a better life. This part of the story was wonderful, rich and full of images and moods. One could almost see the country unfolding along the way, as anyone who loves road trips can attest to. When a late night conspiracy based talk radio disc jockey gets a call about a boy with strange powers, a cross country search for the boy by a super rich and dying business man ensues.

While I loved the story, and the experience, the author really doesn't fully explore the theological implications and the ending wraps up all loose ends except for the main premise itself. It is obvious the author is talented, and the book has wonderful moments, but a sequel would be great to further explore the life of the prodigy.