The environment of South Mississippi is almost unbearable in the summer. It is in this hellish habitat that ordinary working men and women try to survive the total collapse of the United States Government. With no grocery stores and no service stations, the citizens are forced to make difficult choices. These choices blur the line between right and wrong. Sal Batree was once a hideout for Newt Knight and his renegade Civil War soldiers. These men attempted to secede the county from the Confederacy and form the Free State of Jones. This book chronicles modern day renegades who retreat into this historic swamp. Their efforts to escape the turmoil caused by a desperate populace results in a unique form of government. The civilization which emerges from the calamity has eerie similarities to the governmental system described in the book of Revelation. The distress incurred by people living with the Mark of the Beast will doubtless leave Christians with a more fervid hope for the rapture of the saints.
Sal Batree is a book that captures the genuine culture of rural life in the Deep South. For those that believe the United States Government is teetering on the edge of an economic collapse, this book offers some startline possibilities.
By the 3rd chapter I couldn't lay it down... excellent book! It made me want to run out and stock my pantry.
Judy UptonA little history and soul-searching... what would I do if faced with this book's dilemma? A great read!
T.G. Jerry Myrick, Owner Baptist Bible Book Store
The Mark! is J.R. Gavin's second novel and is a sequel to Sal Batree. The entire story takes place in the time frame of the Tribulation as described in the Book of Revelation. The story is crafted around scripture. Those that study prophecy will be pleasantly surprised at the effort J. R. went to for inclusion of major events. Those unfamiliar with prophecy will be surprised at the horror predicted to torture the human race during this time. No one can see clearly into the future, but the events depicted in The Mark! leave the reader with a heightened curiosity about those horrible seven years. J. R. includes the 144 thousand missionaries that spread the Kingdom Gospel, the two Witnesses that God sent for forty-two months, the drying up of the Euphrates and many other catastrophes penned by John the Revelator. Follow the lives of two survivalists from Mississippi that rue the day they took the Mark of the Beast. Look into the mind of the Anti-Christ and the Beast. See the restored Temple worship and the desecration that takes place on the Temple Mount. Readers who start this imaginary journey will find it difficult to pull off the road and rest. Though the book is fiction its credibility is uncanny. The content will prompt many to study their bibles for confirmation and encourage them to avoid being trapped in The Great Tribulation.
About the Author
J. R. Gavin was born in 1948 in Laurel, Mississippi to a working class family. He received his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1970. Gavin has lived in Mississippi, Alabama, Ohio, Texas and Saudi Arabia, where he worked for thirty years as a software engineer. In 1990, while self employed; he constructed a poultry farm on his 82 acre farm near Soso, Mississippi. He raised chickens for ten years and then sold the farm to his son. After his stint in the chicken business, J.R. retired. Presently he helps his wife in her upholstery shop when he is not spending time gardening or writing. His greatest source of pride is his family of four children, three step children, and nineteen grandkids. All of them - even the in-laws - affectionately refer to him as "Popah." In 2001, J.R. moved to a 125 acre plot of land near his chicken farm in Soso, Mississippi. Most of this land is wooded and on it resides the historic Civil War landmark called Sal Batree. He weaved a story around that landmark, utilizing his experience with hurricane Katrina and his love of the Scriptures. J.R. is an avid student of scripture and loves to immerse his readers in scenarios that make them read their bible. The result was the dynamic and gut wrenching novel - Sal Batree.
Contact: jrgavin@yahoo.com
