Title: Rekindle Me
Author: Muhammad Ishaq
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 1984532278
Pages: 274
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Religion
Reviewed by: Arthur Thare

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It’s rare that a fantasy story has deep religious undertones, but this book has a strong message of faith while managing to stay in the realm of science fiction. Though the message in this story is much less subtle, I couldn’t help but think of The Chronicles of Narnia and how Lewis was able to offer a message of Christian belief through a fictional story. Religion takes a front seat in this book, there is much more to this book than just faith.

Rekindle Me is set in the near future where things seem to be the same, yet slightly different from today’s normalcies. Technology and artificial intelligence have taken over a large portion of our daily lives, and humans have all but exhausted the Earth’s natural resources. They have already begun to colonize other planets, people try one last ditch effort to unearth more fossil fuels, but their efforts yield undesirable results. It is up to a small group of people to use both science and faith to save the planet they all love.

Author Muhammad Ishaq uses a unique approach to tell the story by breaking it into the views of three separate narrators; each with unique perspectives on the impending fate of the earth. Though it can feel a bit choppy and forced at times, each character in the book experiences an immense amount of growth both personally and within their faith. All of this growth comes to a head when the fate of the world is on the line. Will faith, science, or a mixture of both be the answer to a deadly problem? Ishaq does a wonderful job telling a humanistic story which is rooted in fantasy but not so far fetched that you wouldn’t believe it could never happen. There is a fantastic dialogue that will force you to think and maybe even question some of your ideas on life and faith. There are some profound questions in this book, some of which are answered and others which force you to find your own answers. One thing Ishaq never does is force his beliefs on you; rather he gently guides you toward your own conclusions through the conversations of the characters.

The strong ideas of faith in this book are non-denominational, so they do not promote or denounce any single religion. Instead, Ishaq focuses on a higher power filled with love and compassion for the creatures it created.

Overall this is a great book for religious believers and agnostics alike. Even if the religious message is not to your liking, there is still a strong science fiction/fantasy story being told within these pages. I would recommend Rekindle Me as a quick read that will make you think about God, science, and the future of humanity – especially if we continue toward a future like the one in this book.