“Joshua and Aaron” is the fascinating second book in the ITP series written by author David Gelber. Seven years have passed since Joshua Smith’s confrontation with the evil Richard Crosby. All he wants to do is to live a quiet, unexciting life and forget about the past. Unfortunately Joshua becomes entangled in a murder, cover-up scheme that eventually has him facing the evil Aaron Diblonski and taking the one trip no one ever wants to take, directly into hell.

David Gelber has a knack for science fiction as his descriptions of the future really bring the story to life. Most of it is plausible and there are even a few things I wouldn’t mind becoming a reality, such as the food generator. I also enjoy his ability to make the characters seem larger than life but approachable at the same time. The time is taken to develop the characters to the point where the reader cares what happens to them and will furiously turn the page to see how everything turns out.

This book, as was the first in the series, is described as religious Sci-fi and I have to agree with that assessment. There is much talk of religion and faith as well as good and evil that could turn some readers off. Personally, I didn’t mind because the Sci-Fi aspects of the story are so well written and so intriguing I can overlook the one or two sections that may be a little preachy. Besides, there is nothing wrong with exploring a little faith and religion even if you don’t agree with it.

All in all, I really liked this book and enjoy the series as a whole. The science fiction drew me in and the message made me think about good, evil, and most importantly, the ever increasing complacency of the human race. Will we end up being a mindless people seeking out only that which fulfills our every desire at the expense of faith, or will we continue to fight for our beliefs, whatever they may be? I don’t know the answer but this book did make me think about it and that is never a bad thing. 

Reviewed on 08/23/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member April Hanson