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James Bonk’s Light of the Ark had all the makings of a high-stakes Christian thriller—an ancient relic connected to the Ark of the Covenant, a family bound by secrets, and a battle between good and evil. Unfortunately, the story didn’t live up to its potential.
Instead of feeling like an edge-of-your-seat novel, much of it read more like a series of sermons. As a devout Christian, I usually welcome Scripture and spiritual truths in my fiction, but here the “Christianese” was so thick it bogged down the storytelling. I doubt it would hold much appeal for nonbelievers looking for a page-turner.
The pacing was another hurdle. The first 80 percent moved at a crawl, with long stretches of dialogue and theological exposition. Only in the last fifth did the action finally pick up—and by then, I was more frustrated than thrilled. Honestly, I should have stopped reading early on, because the payoff didn’t feel worth the wait.
Other readers have said they couldn’t put it down. I had the opposite experience. The premise was promising, but the delivery was uneven and, for me, very disappointing.