What does it take to transform a sickly head-in-the-clouds youth into a legendary hero? Find out as you follow the turbulent life of Abramm Kalladorne in his search for truth and self. His journey through a misty and mystical world of glittering palaces and shining swords illustrates how God can mold his children through suffering. A must-read for Tolkien fans!

Other Finalists for Allegorical Novel 2004:

• CRYING FOR A VISION by Walter Wangarin Jr. {Paraclete Press}
• DARK HORSE by John Fischer {Baker Revell}

Abandoned when she was 11, gospel singer Charmaine Hopewell has finally found her mother---and a secret that could destroy her husband's popular ministry! Televangelist Harlan Hopewell scorns psychology, so Charmaine conceals her own depression---but an institutionalized parent proves harder to hide. Will Harlan support his wife at the expense of his reputation?

Other Finalists for Contemporary Novel 2004:

• FINDING ALICE by Melody Carlson {WaterBrook}
• THE LIVING END by Lisa Samson {WaterBrook}

Mark always wondered what life was like in a one-blink town . . . and in 1968 he finds out. When his family moves from urban Ohio to tiny Fred, Texas, the precocious 12-year-old preacher's kid must discover himself---and his faith---in a place with two city-limit signs and little in between.

Other Finalists for First Novel 2004:

• FLABBERGASTED by Ray Blackston {Baker Revell}
• THE YADA PRAYER GROUP by Neta Jackson {Integrity}

Paul Stepola, an agent working for the National Peacekeeping Organization (NPO), has been assigned to enforce compliance with the world government's prohibition on religion. Paul relishes his job and is good at it. He is determined to expose underground religion--flush it out, expose it, and kill it. Until his life is turned upside down and he is forced to look at life in a different way. As Paul begins to unravel the truth about what he has found, events taking place around the world are starting to make sense. Something big is coming--something that can't be stopped. And it is coming SOON.

Other Finalists for Futuristic Novel 2004:

• APOCALYPSE DAWN by Mel Odom {Tyndale}
• ARMAGEDDON by Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins {Tyndale}

The drama of the Civil War unfolds through the eyes of two very different Northern girls. Lovely Julia Hoffman has always enjoyed the carefree life of her well-to-do family, but when she fails to attract the attention of Rev. Nathaniel Greene, a fierce abolitionist, she determines to bring meaning to her empty and shallow existence. When she becomes a Union nurse, her eyes are opened to the realities of war and suffering. She also meets Phoebe, who has entered the army under false pretenses--and whose journey to understanding herself, as well as the tumultuous world about her, is revealed with sensitivity and drama.

Other Finalists for Historical Novel 2004:

• BEYOND THE SACRED PAGE by Jack Cavanaugh {Zondervan}
• FIRST LIGHT by Bodie & Brock Thoene {Tyndale}

As an ER doctor, Cheyenne Allison can handle any crisis---until her own sister codes on the trauma table. Devastated, she retreats to an isolated farm in Hideaway, Missouri---but instead of peace and solitude, Cheyenne finds a community in chaos, terrorized by a dangerous vandal. Will she be the next victim?

Other Finalists for Romance Novel 2004:

• HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Susan May Warren {Tyndale}
• PLAYING BY HEART by Deborah Raney {Barbour}

Imagine answering your cell phone to hear a stranger's voice issuing a chilling threat: You have three minutes to confess your sin, or he'll blow your car to smithereens. You pull over and flee just in time---but the threats keep coming. What "sin" is he talking about? How will you escape? An unputdownable thriller!

Other Finalists for Suspense Novel 2004:

• INTO THE NEVERNIGHT by Anne de Graaf {Tyndale}
• THE LIES OF SAINTS by Sigmund Brouwer {Tyndale}
• STEAL AWAY by Linda Hall {Multnomah}