A review by glendonrfrank
The Greater Trumps by Charles Williams

hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Williams' writing is filled with ecstatic wonder. The world we see is not the totality of the world, rather, there exist potent and tangible forces of Love at work. While I can't help but imagine Ted Dekker and Frank E. Peretti were inspired by Williams, he outdoes both simply by consistently portraying this more real reality with wonder rather than fear. It's telling that Williams' avenue to the divine in this novel is a pack of Tarot cards. He has no typical evangelical fears of "dark evil forces," rather, if there is a transcendent Good in the world, it is forcefully behind everything. More than any theologian or apologetic, Williams' fiction manages to convince me that genuine Christ-like love is not only possible but accessible, and that simply loving our neighbours and sharing their burdens may be the most cosmically important thing a person can do. I didn't understand half of the themes and symbols Williams is working with, but I understand how it made me feel, and sometimes that's just as important.