Monday, July 4, 2011

The Seraph Seal by Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner


If you're looking for a summer read that will keep you guessing, read The Seraph Seal by Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner. It is a fascinating work of apocalyptic fiction. Using intriguing symbolism and based on the four horseman of the apocalypse, this is a unique read.

The year is 2048, his name is Paul Binder, he is a historian, and he lives in Virginia. He has lived a normal life. Then he receives a mysterious note beckoning him to London to examine a newly discovered ancient manuscript. When the manuscript is found to contain a prophecy which mentions Paul by name and calls him to take up the work that he is meant to do, his world suddenly feels like it is spinning out of control. As he and manuscript specialist Angela begin following mysterious clues, Paul finds out that his life has far more significance than he ever thought possible.

At the same time, catastrophic events begin occurring all over the earth. Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis. Parts of the world are disappearing or being reshaped. It soon becomes evident that Earth is nearing its end. The sun slowly is growing hotter, getting larger, and becoming unstable.

In a race against time, Paul must find and bring together four people in order to bring into being the good new heavens and new earth. The problem: to each good person there is an evil counterpart. And if the evil come together first, then all is lost.

As Paul and Angela work to complete their strange quest, they find a few things along the way: faith and love.

I would like to remind you all that this is a work of fiction and not to be taken as prophetic truth. Even Christ does not know the day or the hour that the end of the world will come, so how could human beings know?

I also want to mention that several things about this book really disappointed me. What I am about to tell you may be spoilers, but I think you need to know it before you pick up this book. First, I did not like the idea that God had left it up to man to determine by the coming together of the four good or the four evil persons whether the new heavens and the new earth would be good or evil. I find that completely un-Biblical. And second, in the book, when the world ends, Christ does not return, nor is anyone judged. What happens to the bad people, I don't know. But the good  simply move on into a renewed world. But it is not the new earth described in the Bible. The first thing one of the characters does when she reaches the new earth is cry tears of sorrow. Isn't this supposed to be a world without sin? If so, how can there be sadness? As I said, that spoils part of the ending. But I believe that everyone deserves fair warning.

If you are interested in this book, visit the product page here: The Seraph Seal Product Page

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a mix of The Da Vinci Code and the Left Behind books. With Doppelgangers thrown in!

    Isn't there some verse about God "wiping away tears" in the new Jerusalem? I know there's no pain and such, but is it a snap-of-the-fingers thing upon Death or the continued work of God. Will there be one final healing in heaven? Rats. I forget the verse now.

    Haha. Anyway. I think these authors that write about the apocalypse start out thinking "Cool! What a crazy subject! Lots of drama!" and then get nervous when they realize their readers already know that victory is inevitable. So they have to start inventing ridiculous loop holes and plot twists, theologically justified or not, just to give their readers the sense that ... well, maybe things WON'T turn out alright for our dear protagonists. And sometimes they just pull out all the stops and bring in the Doppelgangers.

    I'm looking back at your old posts and you should keep your reviews coming! And post some of those short stories!

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