Out of Darkness By Keith Terry Covenant Communications, 1995. Paperback: 317 pages. ISBN: 1-55503-866-2 Suggested retail price: $13.95 (US)
Reviewed by: Jeff Needle

Overview

Out of Darkness is the first of two in this mini-series by author Keith Terry. (It is rumored that a third volume in the series is about to be released by Covenant, but I have not had that confirmed.) I purchased the book on the strength of the comment of the clerk at Deseret Books: "Jeff, this is not your typical Mormon novel." That was enough of a recommendation for me. <g>

The premise of the book is extraordinary -- a wealthy LDS businessman has set aside multiple millions of dollars to carry out a research project with the goal of establishing the antiquity of the Book of Mormon. Non-LDS scholars would each be paid $100,000 to spend seven weeks in a secluded San Diego location, with breaks to visit Israel and Palmyra, along with other LDS-oriented locations. These scholars would not be told the nature of the project, only that it involved the idea of antiquity and authorship.

But trouble arises when the businessman dies just as the project is to begin, and his larcenous non-LDS son does everything he can to put a stop to the project. The result is his frenzied attempt to locate the site of the project and the depositories of the project funds.

The main character is Stephen Thorn. His father-in-law is Robert Moore, a major televangelist in the San Francisco Bay area, famed for his anti-Mormon television seminars. Moore is one of the invited scholars, but when he is unable to attend, he instead dispatches Stephen to take his place. Ironically, Moore is the only one of the scholars to know in advance the subject of the study. He is even more enthusiastic that Stephen attend, not only because he sees this as a way to gather "ammunition" against the Mormons, but because his ministry is hurting financially -- the cash payment will bring much needed relief.

As the story progresses, the author introduces some very familiar proofs of the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Any subscriber to the FARMS newsletter (like myself) will instantly recognize the hand of Hugh Nibley and other apologists in these proofs. They are presented clearly and convincingly.

Evaluation

As I made my way through the book, I was thoroughly prepared not to like it. Such apologetics-cum-fiction works tend to be a bit disingenuous and not very convincing. I was pleasantly surprised at the way Terry handled the material.

To begin, few of the characters, whether LDS or non-LDS, emerge as one-dimensional. The LDS leader of the project is a devout Mormon, and yet finds himself having to deceive the group on a certain issue. The scholars themselves grow in respect for the Book of Mormon, but their praise (and their willingness to accept the message) are not predictable.

The characters are well-formed and memorable. Terry has succeeded in fleshing out the real questions real people ask about the Book of Mormon. And the answers to these questions are never simple -- they are as complex as the people asking them, and I think this reflects reality.

Neither does Terry shy away from the most common criticisms of the literary style of the Book of Mormon. Where they can be addressed, he does so nicely. Where there are no answers, he does not make them up.

Finally, the story takes place just a few miles north of where I live. I've walked the same streets and driven the same roads these folks have. The author knows the area well.

Conclusion

I'm glad to have read this book, and look forward to reading the sequel, Into The Light. Because I'm no expert in Book of Mormon proofs, I had to settle for accepting Terry's accounts of the FARMS-like evidences. I have no way of determining that they are accurate. (For example, a claim is made that certain Dead Sea Scrolls, not yet released to the public, indicate that the name of Christ was known about 600 B.C. This was a new one on me; does anyone out there know of this claim, and can it be substantiated?)

I also came away from the book being a little more sympathetic with the task that BOM apologists face. It's a task I'll profit from, but have no desire to engage in.

And lastly, it suggests that it is intellectually acceptable to believe in BOM historicity. This is not the unanimous opinion of members of the Church today.

I recommend this well-written, nicely plotted book.

Kathy Fowkes Responds (25 February 1997)

At 10:53 AM 2/24/97 -0700, Jeff Needle wrote:

The characters are well-formed and memorable. Terry has succeeded in fleshing out the real questions real people ask about the Book of Mormon. And the answers to these questions are never simple -- they are as complex as the people asking them, and I think this reflects reality.

The questions are real, and I liked reading the information. I have the same questions about whether or not they are based on real studies. Seems the page in the front indicated that they are, but I'm still uncertain.

However, I found the characters shallow, especially the main character and his family. In fact, I'd say the characters were all stereotypical. The charming, attractive, easily-bought, bigoted televangelist, the wife who still worships her father and chooses him over her own husband and refuses to listen since her husband's new beliefs now go against her father's beliefs. (I could say more about her, but I won't weary you all with it). Even the scholars were types, right down to the one who leaves in self-righteous indignation at the disclosure regarding the material to be studied.

I do think Terry accomplished some good in that he managed to cram all that scholarly info into a novel and have it still remain a novel. Somewhat boring, but still a novel. It's not easy to include so much scholarship and not bog down the story.

It just wasn't terribly well-written over all IMO -- usual problem with Mormon novels. Typical, trite phrasing, little imaginative and vivid imagery such as Kristen's description of how she reads, some typical reiteration of the obvious or of that which has been previously stated, that sort of thing. The bane of LDS Fiction. . . .

I have the second novel, but just haven't been able to force myself to get past chapter one. It's too unreal and predictable a plot, and too boringly written, to suspend disbelief long enough to plow through it just to read the next installment of scholarly research he's included in it.

Okay, he had a few surprises now and then in the first one, but they were far too few and far between. I'm not sorry I read it, but I doubt I would read it a second time.

Kathy F.

Jeff Needle Responds (28 February 1997)

Kathy wrote:

The questions are real, and I liked reading the information. I have the same questions about whether or not they are based on real studies. Seems the page in the front indicated that they are, but I'm still uncertain.

However, I found the characters shallow, especially the main character and his family. In fact, I'd say the characters were all stereotypical. The charming, attractive, easily-bought, bigoted televangelist, the wife who still worships her father and chooses him over her own husband and refuses to listen since her husband's new beliefs now go against her father's beliefs. (I could say more about her, but I won't weary you all with it). Even the scholars were types, right down to the one who leaves in self-righteous indignation at the disclosure regarding the material to be studied.

I'm sympathetic with your comments, but found, for example, the "charming, attractive, easily-bought, bigoted televangelist" to be a bit more complex than that. I sensed in him a struggle over his actions and motives. Sure, he knows what he's doing, but he seemed to stall every now and then before taking what might be the next, predictable step.

The wife, I agree, is a marginal and predictable character. The scholars, on the other hand, were a surprise, mostly because they didn't behave, and react, in the way a typical Church-tract-novel might have them react. That only one in six comes away with a "testimony" made the book believable, at least to me.

I do think Terry accomplished some good in that he managed to cram all that scholarly info into a novel and have it still remain a novel. Somewhat boring, but still a novel. It's not easy to include so much scholarship and not bog down the story.

Funny, I didn't find it boring at all. I agree, he did a good job keeping the story moving, while all along lacing it with FARMS-type scholarship.

It just wasn't terribly well-written over all IMO -- usual problem with Mormon novels. Typical, trite phrasing, little imaginative and vivid imagery such as Kristen's description of how she reads, some typical reiteration of the obvious or of that which has been previously stated, that sort of thing. The bane of LDS Fiction.

I gather you haven't read much other so-called Christian fiction. It is just awful. I just read a Christian mystery novel that made me literally tremble. If I hadn't paid full price for it, I would have thrown it in the trash. Imagine the Christian private eye standing over the perp, holding a gun to his head, hoping he doesn't have to kill him before he gets a chance to witness to him and hope he gives his heart to Jesus before he blows his head away. Yuck!

I have the second novel, but just haven't been able to force myself to get past chapter one. It's too unreal and predictable a plot, and too boringly written, to suspend disbelief long enough to plow through it just to read the next installment of scholarly research he's included in it.

I've also begun the second book. I was surprised that the story picks up with Stephen having been baptized under circumstances that he loudly proclaimed would keep him from being baptized in the previous novel. A slip.

But again, I don't find it boring at all. The story seems to move along nicely, and I'm happily learning something with each chapter.

Okay, he had a few surprises now and then in the first one, but they were far too few and far between. I'm not sorry I read it, but I doubt I would read it a second time.

Kathy F.

Fair enough.

I'll be back with a review of volume two when I'm done.

Thanks for the nice response.

... nfx v3.1 Jeff Needle/jeff.needle@giffy.com