A vast, Conan-style saga with an inspiring protagonist who battles demons.
In this religious fantasy debut, an angel chronicles his adventures in heaven and on Earth.
Before the creation of the universe, Earth, and humanity, Sabrael is an angel in heaven. His task for the Almighty is to decorate the seven halls with “all manner of flora.” A quiet being, Sabrael is surprised when fellow angel Lucifer becomes friendly. He charms Sabrael into his confidence, and the shy angel’s stature grows in association with Lucifer, who is the closest among the host to the Almighty. Eventually, Lucifer comes to believe that life shouldn't be directed by, and full of praise to, Him. The resulting exile of Lucifer and his fallen host decimates heaven. To keep the fallen from preying on the recently created humans, God sends seven angels—including Michael, Raphael, Sabrael, and Barachiel—to Earth. There, they will protect God’s son, Jesus, through childhood and adolescence so that he might “cleanse mankind...and live perfectly in accordance with the Father’s law.” While on Earth, they each possess superpowers, such as enhanced speed, strength, and the ability to manipulate appearances. But they are trapped there—and can have no further communication with the Almighty until Jesus is summoned back to heaven. By turns emotionally rousing and graphically violent, Smith’s novel opens the Heavenly War Chronicles. The narrative initially feels like a straightforward adventure about Lucifer's jealousy and banishment from heaven. However, war between the two winged camps merely sets the stage for even grittier battles on Earth. While disguised as a human, Sabrael can heal wounds instantaneously and use divine weaponry. Only the removal of his heart can immobilize him or any of the fallen; in one vicious scene, Sabrael reaches into the chest of the demon Caim, who “clamped a hand on my forearm and dug his nails in, bit my hand, begged me to stop.” More surprising still is that the book becomes increasingly episodic, and the mission to protect Jesus is subsumed by the chaos of the wider world. Sabrael’s addiction to humanity and the further lives he leads are riveting to behold.
A vast, Conan-style saga with an inspiring protagonist who battles demons.Pub Date: May 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5089-7452-9
Page Count: 578
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.
This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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