A young man with a troubled past . . . A failed pastor rejected by those he wants to help . . .
RIVEN is a gritty, compelling, and gut-wrenching story of heartache and redemption. RIVEN will remind you that the love of God can transform even the hardest heart. Immerse yourself in the acclaimed story of a man who seems hopelessly lost before he meets the One who can save even the most troubled soul.
Letters have been pouring in from readers who have been impacted by reading RIVEN by #1 New York Times best-selling author Jerry B. Jenkins. We haven’t received this type of reader feedback since Left Behind and A Voice in the Wind were released. RIVEN is staying with readers long after reading it and they’re starting to tell others. We know that once somebody starts reading, they won’t stop, and once they finish, they won’t forget it and will want to tell others about it.
“RIVEN has believable characters and dialog, and a good guy and a bad guy. You end up wanting to smack the bad guy (Brady) and try to shake some sense into him. The good guy I also wanted to shake some sense into (Pastor Carey). The story line was easy to follow, and the way Jerry breezes through time compression is amazing. I read a lot of fiction, and a little of it in this genre. I cried at the end, which says a lot for the conclusion of this book. Jerry’s got a great way of ‘showing, not telling.’ You really can picture the ending. Any book that can draw such emotion from a critical reader like me earns five stars. I’ve read a lot of other works by Jerry, and this is one of his best. I’m not sure this is his magnum opus, because I know he’s still got a lot more writing to do yet. I recommend it. It’s a great weekend read. Besides being entertaining, it has spiritual merit. That doubles its value because so many books out there are good reading, but of little after-value. This story goes on into eternity.” J. Zabolski
“I just returned from a long walk. You know why? Because, I had to come back into the real world in Lincoln CA. I have been living the fate of each character for the last two weeks. While on the airplane, I thought, use this opportunity to share the book with the man sitting next to me. He looked at it, peered over the seat where his wife and children were sitting. It’s the same one she is reading and we exchanged where in the book each of us were. Without a doubt, it is the best book I have ever read and with the content and message so CLEAR. Today many pastors and seminary students are not clear as to how to work with people, but in their hearts they have a desire to. If they only knew to purchase the book RIVEN.” Gerrie
“I just finished reading RIVEN a short while ago and I just wanted to say that it was amazing, the memories and emotions are still stuck on me even though it’s been a while. Thank you so much for blessing me with RIVEN!” Mallory
“Well, this lesson gave me an excuse to stay up late and finish Jerry Jenkins’s latest book. RIVEN was awesome. I have been so busy with things that interrupt my time I was glad for the book to read. I sat at the side of my daughter–in-law’s hospital bed and read. She was admitted for a kidney infection—that is a serious thing when you are pregnant. But she is doing well now. She only had to stay overnight. Jerry has certainly challenged me—this is what great fiction is all about. This is what I hope to accomplish someday—great fiction.” Cindy
“I just closed the back cover on RIVEN this morning, and I don't know how to express to you how much I am getting from it. I hesitate to put into words what I think I am taking away, because there is so much more to it than that. I am still processing. Whenever I could pull myself away from the book, I found my mind drifting to Brady. While taking my girls to buy their school supplies yesterday, I recognized Brady in the cashier at Target. . . . I see him in my stepbrother. . . . I see him in our youth group at church. . . . I remember my first boyfriend in HS, and saw Brady-like tendencies. Through the book, I recognized how difficult it is to live beyond the message being engrained in your upbringing . . . how much energy/intentionality it takes to really want more for yourself than others want around you. While I knew you would eventually connect Brady and Thomas together, I wasn’t sure how you would get there. That is what kept me engaged. I never expected Petey to die in the tornado. I never expected Brady to kill Katie. I never expected him to want to die by crucifixion. I never expected the prisoners to embrace Christ while listening to Brady recite day after day the words of his Savior. I loved the incorporation of hymns, even though I must admit I didn’t know them all. It brought such purity to the story. Incidentally, one of my favorite parts of the story was the character of Frank ‘Yanno’ LeRoy. I couldn’t get over the humor with that. Made me smile every time. You must have had someone in your life that had the habit of responding with ‘Yeah, no.’ I just loved that!!! Thank you, Jerry!!!! I can't imagine how wonderful this was for you in finally putting this to print, after having it in your head so long. I am grateful to God for putting it there.” Amy
