THE VOICE is an interesting thriiler that provides both inspiration and suspense. There is just plain too much action at the start; so much so that for the first 40 pages or so the reader has a hard time understanding what is going on. (This lack of comprehension mirrors that of the hero so maybe that was an intentional device by the author ??) The reader and protagonist are confused about what is going on.

However, once the story line evens out it is a fascinating read.
The basic premise is that God's voice has been captured with modern technology and has a benefit that brings the potential for huge economic benefit to the possessor (perhaps not surprising considering whose voice it is). Dark industrial political and religious powers strive for control of this power.

Yes you have to suspend a lot of disbelief and the concept runs the danger sort of reducing God to a distant magicial genie like entity . . . and you'd likely be better off spiritually reading the Epistles to Ephesians and Colossians I'm sure . . but for entertainment value its a good buy.

This is one great "Mission Impossible" story. It's full of suspense, bad guys doing what it takes to get their hands on the secret weapon, bombs exploding and lots of gun fire. Charles Madison, X-FBI agent is one lean mean fighting machine. He's just like the energizer bunny - takes a licken and keeps ticken! When Jazmin runs to her uncle Charlie for help, all heck breaks lose. Her parents have been captured by the enemy because they want the technology her parents have developed. Jazmin explained the top secret research her parents have been working on that could change the world, and how we hear and see God.

Charlie is a little overwhelmed as Jazmin explains all this scientific stuff (he wasn't the only one). Later on, a priest attempts to explain the project again (hooray). He says that the whole world can be reduced to patterns and mathematical formulas - including "the voice", which would be the greatest mathematical formula ever discovered!

Why could such a discovery be a threat? Why would everyone want the "voiceprint" of God? According to Gen. 1:4 "God said, let there be light," and there was light. He spoke it into existence. In John 1:1 it says "In the beginning was the Word ("spoken" word) , the Word was with God, and the Word was God". It also says in the bible that the "rocks will cry out His glory if we don't praise Him". I always thought this was a figure of speech - not something that could actually happen, or something that I could hear for myself. Whoever owned this technology (according to Jazmin and the Priest) would be able use God's power. In this story they have discovered power in the vibration of rocks - they wanted to use it for good - others wanted to use it to destroy their enemies.

The premise of this book is based on technology that has captured the mathematical formula from rocks and is able to translate it into the "Voice" of God; that created the heavens and the earth by a spoken word. Powerful stuff! I was going along with this theory up until the rocks cried out messages - they translated and understood. I have loved Bill Myers and the books he's written over the years, (Agent Dingledorf for kids, his teen series he wrote about spiritual warfare, the Wager and Eli! ) Each of these books have their own unique style, message, and emotional thrill ride. I expected nothing less from this book! The author is a man that writes about things that often time push the envelope of "normal".

So, I dug deeper into this "Voice" scenario on the internet. Could this really happen? That is when I discovered the most surprising things being researched and acted on right now. For example, science says "Motion equals vibration, vibration equals sound". The bible said in the beginning...the word was God (word - vibration equals "voiceprint" of God).

"The law of vibration is the basis of manifestation. Everything is in a constant state of vibration and motion". There really are people studying vibrations from rocks (much like the technology we use to detect earthquakes) and have come up with patterns (not kidding - check it out!). You can buy equipment to decipher these vibrations to get patterns. They are close to finding out the actual message the rocks are putting out from the activity detected. If we could hear the rocks cry out, what would they say? Would they verify biblical events? Interesting to think about.

Bill Myers is an author on the cutting edge in many of his books, and this one is no exception. After I understood that the technology in this book is real and people are really researching "vibrations, etc", the book came together for me and it will you too. Be prepared to have your socks knocked off by the message and possibilities found in this story. You will view life very differently after reading this very exciting book.

For years, Bill Myers has given us thought-provoking thrillers that blend biblical ideas with fast-paced action. From "Blood of Heaven" and "Threshold," to his "Forbidden Doors" YA series, to "Eli," he has entertained us with consistent and strong storytelling skill. I'll admit, though, that I fell off the Myers bandwagon a few books back. Was it the marketing? The ideas behind the stories themselves? After hearing great feedback on "The Voice," I had to check this one out for myself.

"The Voice" is vintage Myers. He takes a cool concept (the idea that someone has figured out a Program by which to "capture" the universe-defining Voice of God) and throws in a few desperate criminals and unlikely heroes. Soon, the deaf daughter of the Program's designers is on the run with her ex-Special Forces uncle, and they alone have the opportunity to thwart multiple nations who want the Voice for their own various purposes. Some see the Voice as a potential weapon. Some want to hide the truths it unveils. And so on.

This sounds fun and over-the-top...and it is. It also sounds like a great chance to explore spiritual ideas about God's existence and His creative power...and it is that, as well. Myers has a way of breaking complicated ideas down into manageable bites. Because of this, perhaps, I felt like I was reading a YA novel at times, a book geared for an audience looking for a car chase every fifty pages (which you will find here) or a fist-fight every other fifty (also to be found). While these provide cheap thrills, that's all they are. I was much more interested in the details of Mt. Sinai, of the Rome connection, and of the Mossad's angle from a theological viewpoint.

This is a page-turner, no doubt about it. I was wowed once again by Myers' ideas and translation of those to the page, but I was hoping for a little more depth, along the lines of his "The Face of God." Still, for summer entertainment with a spiritual punch, Myers continues to deliver.

Sometimes meaning gets lost in action, and sometimes drama convolutes the message; but this is not so in Bill Myer's THE VOICE.

The voice is a fun read, action-filled and fast-paced; somewhere on the level with Indiana Jones' "Raiders of the Lost Ark." As the story evolved, I got to meet and to know the characters: Charlie, the Special Forces vet with emotional and familial baggage; Jazmine, his deaf niece who becomes his greatest asset; and Omar, who struggles against cultural and moral milieus to find Truth for himself. The characters are stories in and of themselves, lives that complement the ever-thickening plot of The Voice, lives that challenged me to reassess why I believe what I believe.

At its end, The Voice left me with a newfound appreciation for the reality--the sheer awesomeness--of the supernatural. After the chases, the shootouts, the plane-trips, the implosions, and the potentials for the destruction of the earth...and not to mention after the message itself, I was left breathless. And fulfilled. THE VOICE is worth my time and yours.

I have enjoyed several of Bill Myers' books -- including Eli, The Wager, and others -- and have just finished a quick read of one of his latest (out in April 2008), The Voice.

Imagine if the very voice of God could be extracted from artifacts from Biblical times -- from rocks gathered where God is said to have spoken to Moses, or the river where Jesus was baptized by John -- and those words were made audible again through modern computer technology. What could we prove (or disprove) by recording the very Voice of God? What power might we find in the Voice of the Creator? By harnessing the Voice that spoke all things into being, might we also be able to harness the very power to create? Even to destroy? And what if that Voice -- that power -- fell into the wrong hands?

Myers explores many of these ideas in The Voice, as Muslims, Jews, and Christians all pursue the power to harness the Voice of God -- the very power of God -- each for their own selfish reasons. Would the Voice of God prove that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but also God in the flesh? Would it prove that God did indeed speak to Moses? Or just the opposite? How would this affect three religions who worship the same God but have very different opinions of His Son?

The Voice started and ended as a very compelling read -- I read it cover to cover in my free time over just four days -- but there were times in the middle of the book when I felt that the story was on a fast train to nowhere. Though I enjoyed the book quite a bit, I had much higher expectations from the author of Eli and The Wager.

The Voice is not on par with those other two inspired and inspiring works, but that's like saying that a successful Space Shuttle launch isn't on par with landing on the moon. Though one is a significantly greater achievement, both are still remarkable in their own right.

This Christian science fiction is not written for the squeamish; rather, it's for those who love action-packed novels that read like action-packed movies. There are plenty of shots fired, explosions, people tortured, fist fights, and car chases. In fact, it begins at such an eye-blinking speed that this reader had a tough time hanging on.

Imagine God's voice print captured in molten rocks. What do the various religions and world powers do to possess the mathematical formula/technological program that will release it from those rocks? Talk about a weapon of mass destruction! Whatever you believe or don't believe, this premise will get you thinking.

Characters are believable from the eye-rolling Jazmin and her Uncle Charlie, a former Special Operations agent to Lisa, a FBI agent who refuses to go along with the flow. The author personifies Charlie's pent-up anger quite well. The setting moves from California to Switzerland to Egypt.

If you appreciate a fast-paced thriller, this one's for you.

In all my years of reading, The Voice is my first Bill Myers book but I can assure you it won't be my last.

Bill Myers has created an intriguing and energetic story full of characters to engage with and enjoy. Charlie's austere demeanour hides a broken spirit which is slowly brought back to life by his precocious and entertaining niece, Jasmine, the beautiful and friendly Lisa who is hiding more than her skill with a Glock, and a mission that could change the foundations of the world - literally! If that isn't enough, this is a book that is sure to get you thinking on matters of God and His supernatural power.

Fast paced and edgy with unique characters and a doozy of a storyline, The Voice is a cracking good read for men and women.

The Voice, Bill Myers' latest fiction for grown ups, again thrills with fast-paced action, intrigues with creative new concepts playing out in "what if" mode via the plot, and fulfills and inspires with solid basis in the bible.

Myers collected works, including Eli, Blood of Heaven, and more, entertain, inspire and inform.

These books, including the Voice, are a wonderful thrill-read for believers, and a wonderful introduction to the concepts of faith for a non-believer.

Bill Myers is a fantastic writer, the equal of my other favorite authors: Dean Koontz, Stuart Woods, Balducci, Ted Dekker and James Patterson. I joyfully read their works while filling in the time anxiously awaiting the next Bill Myers novel.

Anyone who loves adventure fiction will love Myers works, regardless of their faith or lack thereof.

Tom Dulaney

"The Voice" by Bill Myers has a quick starting storyline that will keep you hooked all the way to the end. The story was about capturing the voice of God with technology and proves the power of God's voice.