The further adventure of Lucas

The Cities of Fortune Paul H. Boge. Castle Quay Books, 2006.

The Cities of Fortune continues where Winnipeg writer Paul Boge’s first novel, The Chicago Healer, left off, but the story also stands well on its own. Main character Lucas, who has the gift of healing, attempts to shut down a pharmaceutical company called Empirico, owned by Caesar Alexander. Lucas escapes numerous dangers in this adventure, which takes him through London to Nairobi and back to America.

As he races to confront Caesar at the Garden of Eden – Caesar’s newly built casino in Las Vegas – Lucas loses the power to heal but receives another power that could shut down Caesar and his empire for good.

The mirrors that the devil casts defeat Lucas and his team at times, and the inner struggle of faith resonates in every character, no matter where they are on their spiritual journey. At one point, a man sick with cancer challenges Lucas: “What does it mean to follow Jesus?”

While I found myself wishing the writing style were edgier, perhaps pushing the line in popular Christian writing, I was given the opportunity in this novel to see the importance of letting go the desire to serve to the best of my ability and allowing God to work through me. Allowing God total control is the struggle every character in this novel faces. It’s a struggle I have too. The fortune lies in finding the answer to it.

Jason Topnik attends Crossroads Church, Winnipeg.