FAITH NEWS SERVICE – From its first page, Under the Sun is a riveting coming-of-age tale of discovery, of independence, of letting go, and of finding God. A 2018 Nautilus Silver award winner, the book is the first of a trilogy by author S. Westley King.
When high school senior Redemption Gray challenges his perpetually positive English teacher’s assertion that happiness could be found in anything (except maybe under a rock in Montana), he never expected the adventure that would come.
Without forethought, Redemption suddenly finds himself on an epic 1,500-mile road trip to the Crazy Mountains in Montana. As he drives, he finds himself losing his ties to the distractions of everyday life—school worries, relationships, social media—and experiencing an unsettling draw to the internal—silence, solitude, peace, and the value of deliberate thought. Along the way, he discovers great and wonderful things about himself and the world around him until, ultimately, he finds that happiness is found in surrender to the God he wasn’t even sure he believed in anymore.
When asked where he got the idea for this project, King said, “The character and first line were with me for more than a decade before I set out to write the book. I’ve always had a love of literary fiction and classical literature that reaches deep into the human experience, but I’ve noticed a lack of such works in the mainstream Christian market. Ultimately, though, of all the excellent and influential books I was required to read in both high school and university, Under the Sun is the book I really needed to read as a young man in search for deeper meaning and religious relevance in the world.”
While Redemption makes it to Montana and finds his happiness under that rock, his journey home is just as epic and life changing. Look for the rest of Redemption’s adventures in books two and three—Nothing Knew and Chasing the Wind—coming soon from Redemption Press.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Westley King holds degrees in English and history from Texas Christian University and an MA in Bible studies and ministry from Lubbock Christian University. He is a pastor in Cisco, Texas, but when he isn’t preaching, he’s drawing shots at the family coffee shop with his wife, Kasity, and children, Ilya and Nehemiah.
For review copies and media interviews, contact: s.westley.king@gmail.com
