18 June 2011

The Seraph Seal By Leonard Sweet, Lori Wagner

An epic tale of good and evil based on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse found in Revelation.
Using the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to symbolize the four Gospels, four transcendentals, and four forces of the universe (air, water, earth, and fire), Sweet and Wagner weave a fast-paced, end-times tale of good vs. evil and the promise of a new dawn for humanity.
Set in 2048, when planet Earth is suffering from the damaging effects of years of misuse and abuse, cultural history professor Paul Binder receives a mysterious letter that leads him to examine a lost 2nd-century Diatessaron manuscript. Ancient prophecies, cryptic letters, and strange events set him on a course to uncover the missing clues that could lead humanity into a new age. Layered with forgotten symbolism from the ancient, Jewish, and Christian traditions, the novel is a type of engaged fiction in which the main character's lost journal serves as a guide to the reader in interpreting clues and understanding the novel's conclusion.
 I love end-times fiction and this new novel is a good read.  There is a lot of author commentary that really should be read so the reader has a firm grasp on the two authors viewpoints and thesis...I admit to mostly skipping the forwards in books but this time I'm glad I didn't.  There is a rather lengthy "dictionary" of terms in the back of the book that aids the reader in understanding the terms used in the book and a fictional journal of the main character-Paul Binder.  This book proved to be a nice long read for me, a book-trait that I personally adore.  The longer the book the happier I am.  Unless, of course, it's dead boring.  The Seraph Seal is not boring, however it is not a seat of your pants ride either.  It's mostly thought provoking.  A bit slow, perhaps, and I did get a bit confused as there are quite a few players involved.  Though I suppose the onset of beautiful weather played a significant role in allowing myself to be distracted while I read under sunny skies with soft breezes rustling the leaves and such.  Any how, I received the Seraph Seal as a digital download from Booksneeze's Blogger program and the digital copy is flawless on my kindle...fully formatted and speech to text enabled for those days when you'd prefer the Kindle turn those pesky pages for you;) 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

2 comments:

Belgie said...

The Seraph Seal is a book that I got to review for free through Booksneeze, and I thought I would enjoy it because I had previously watched Left Behind and other apocalyptic movies. However, this book did not fully live up to my expectations. While I did like reading about Paul and Angela, two of the main characters that are studying the Diatessaron and working to unlock its secrets, I thought that the story would have been better as a movie instead of a book.

MLH said...

I agree...I read the entire Left Behind series and can not imagine that the movie did the series any justice;) I have to admit to having a penchant for end time stories.

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