12 Suspenseful Reads With Religious Themes

Exciting Books With Religious Elements: Our 12 Picks

	Title	Author
1.	The Unsaintly	Lisa Vasquez
2.	The Knowledge of Good & Evil	Glenn Kleier
3.	Death's Good Intentions	Kyle Warner
4.	Ama	Daniel MacKillican
5.	The Age of Apollyon	Mark Carver
6.	Highborn	Yvonne Navarro
7.	Children of a Broken Sky	Adam J. Nicolai
8.	Death of the Body	Rick Chiantaretto
9.	Miserere	Teresa Frohock
10.	The Electric Church	Jeff Somers
11.	Spiritus Mundi	Robert Sheppard
12.	Abaddon's Eve	Rachel Starr Thomson

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If you're a fan of fiction that has elements of Christianity, it might be interesting to study the source material more closely. Luckily, there are versions of the Bible that cater to all kinds of readers. Here are a few:

Religion's Role in Society

In Depth

There are few richer sources for the imagination than the fertile ground of religion. The fear of an impending apocalypse or characters taken over by demonic forces can make the heart race and open up terrifying and exciting possibilities. In no particular order, here are 12 thrilling reads for those who want to explore the darker side of spirituality.

At #1 is "The Unsaintly" by Lisa Vasquez. Isabel, the daughter of Louis VII, has given her life to the service of God. Her proudest achievement is the opening of her own convent. Isabel's life changes forever when she is struck down by one of the worst cases of stigmata in history, receiving the five wounds inflicted upon Christ on the cross. This is merely the beginning of her struggles, as she discovers that her convent, and her soul, are at the center of a titanic struggle between God and Satan.

At #2 is Glenn Kleier's "The Knowledge of Good and Evil." Psychologist Angela Weber is determined to heal her fiance Ian's traumatic wounds from an accident which took both his parents. Together, they track down the journal of a priest who entered a cave in Ceylon in 1948 and encountered a spiritual truth so profound that it could unify humanity, or destroy it forever. Through the journal, Angela and Ian are pulled into a conspiracy of global proportions, and an adventure which threatens both their lives and their immortal souls.

Through the journal, Angela and Ian are pulled into a conspiracy of global proportions, and an adventure which threatens both their lives and their immortal souls.

At the #3 position is Kyle Warner's "Death's Good Intentions," the first entry in his "The End of the World and Some Other Things" series. Trey Decarr has been selected as the Horseman of Death for the upcoming apocalypse, but decides to rebel instead. He sets off to find the other Horsemen in the hopes of postponing the destruction. Simultaneously, a young woman named April Frausini is tasked by the church with killing Trey before he can fulfill his part in Armageddon, and must decide whether to obey orders or trust her instincts, which tell her he may be able to help humanity.

Taking the #4 spot is Daniel MacKillican's "Ama." After Jason Drake's wife kills their daughter, he kills her in return, damning his soul to hell as a murderer. At the moment of his demise, he's visited by Lilith, seemingly all-powerful queen of the demons, who offers him the chance to bring his daughter back if he plays a game with her. Jason agrees, not knowing that Lilith's game will take him into the darkest recesses of the afterlife.

At #5 is Mark Carver's "The Age of Apollyon," the first book in the trilogy of the same name. Satan has manifested himself to the world, but God is nowhere to be found. In the ensuing destruction, millions die, and society falls apart. Patric Bourdon is a member of the Church of Satan out of self-interest, until his half-brother begins a campaign of vigilante violence against the Church. Patric is given the job of finding and stopping his brother. If he fails, the Church will kill his wife and unborn child.

Patric is given the job of finding and stopping his brother.

Coming in at #6 is Yvonne Navarro's "Highborn." Brynna Malak is an angel who has fallen from heaven and escaped from hell, and is now evading Satan's hunters in Chicago. She encounters Detective Eran Redmond, who recruits her to track down a serial killer who may be more demonic than human. Now Brynna must help hunt a monstrous murderer, evade Lucifer's agents, and somehow find her way back to heaven.

At #7 is "Children of a Broken Sky" by Adam J. Nicolai, the first book in the "Redemption Chronicle" series. Seven years ago, the world was changed by the arrival of a vast magical storm. Now everything is different: crops grow and die in the space of a day, and the sun rises in the south. A church comprised of miracle-workers warns that the end of the world is nigh. In a small town, a group of childhood friends escapes a charge of heresy and embarks on a journey across an unforgiving Earth in this sprawling Young Adult fantasy.

Coming in at #8 is Rick Chiantaretto's "Death of the Body." Edmund is a ten-year-old gifted with the ability to speak to nature who lives in a magical village called Orenda. When his people are betrayed by one of their own, Edmund is killed, and wakes up two years older in a mysterious new land called Los Angeles. Pursued by demons, with nothing left of Orenda but a ring and his powers, Edmund must try to survive long enough to find his way back home.

Pursued by demons, with nothing left of Orenda but a ring and his powers, Edmund must try to survive long enough to find his way back home.

In the #9 slot is "Miserere: An Autumn Tale" by Teresa Frohock. When exorcist Lucian Negru was forced to choose between saving his sister's soul and his lover's, he chose his sister. It may have been the wrong choice, as she is now intent on opening the gates of hell. When Lucian refuses to help her, she deals him a disabling injury and imprisons him. After he discovers that his lover Rachael is still alive, but slowly dying from possession by a demon, he embarks on a dangerous quest to save her and stop his sister from bringing about the end of days.

At #10 is "The Electric Church" by Jeff Somers. Avery Cates is a hitman, living in a futuristic world riddled with crime. For many, the only hope seems to be a new cult called the Electric Church, which advocates immortality through implanting human brains into robotic bodies. When Cates is hired to kill Dennis Squalor, the founder of the Church, he inadvertently ends up accepting what may be the most dangerous and complex assignment of his life.

In the #11 spot is Robert Sheppard's "Spiritus Mundi." This sprawling romantic epic spans worlds both real and fictional, ranging from Beijing to a black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The story begins with activists attempting to start a musical fundraiser to create a global parliament, but quickly grows much greater in scope, as the characters are pulled into a cosmic "crystal bead game" for the future of the planet.

This sprawling romantic epic spans worlds both real and fictional, ranging from Beijing to a black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

At #12 is "Abaddon's Eve" by Rachel Starr Thomson, the first book in her "Prophet" trilogy of young adult biblical fantasy novels. Alack is a shepherd who is in love with Rechab, the daughter of a trader. When he begins to see visions, he leaves his home to travel into the wilderness and train as a prophet. Rechab herself is forced to flee when she is claimed by a pagan god. As Alack wanders the world in search of revelation, Rechab is taken in by a merchant woman with a questionable past. Hanging over them both are the apocalyptic visions of the prophet Kol Abaddon, called the Voice of Destruction.