The Sabrael Confession

by Stephen J Smith

Overview

Sent to Earth as part of a secret force to protect the newborn Christ, the angel Sabrael and six of his brothers soon discover the fallen are searching for a lost gateway that leads directly into Heaven. Knowing the damned intend to use it to bypass Heaven's fortified walls, the angels embark on a race to find and destroy the portal, leading them to a massive battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell for the throne of creation-and the fate of the souls of all mankind.

"An enthralling piece of fiction" (Cheryl E. Rodriguez, Readers' Favorite Reviews), The Sabrael Confession is the action-packed account of one angel's experiences in a war spanning millennia, using real historical detail to put the reader into the thick of ancient cities and civilizations, tracking Sabrael as he masquerades as a human from the dusty walkways of first-century Jerusalem through the forests of tribal Europe and Chichén Itzá to the streets of modern day. Featuring pulse-pounding battles and shedding light on details behind Biblical events from the perspective of a character who witnessed them firsthand, Sabrael's story "catapults you through time, leaving a lasting, reverential impression, to wonder what is battling just beyond our human realm" (Cheryl E. Rodriguez, Readers' Favorite Reviews).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781508974529
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	05/13/2015
Series:	The Heavenly War Chronicles , #1
Pages:	578
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.17(d)

About the Author

Stephen J. Smith is an award-winning screenwriter and author. Named on the 2016 Young & Hungry list, he has been recognized as one of the top 100 fresh voices in feature film screenwriting, with multiple original scripts currently in development with top production companies. His prose fiction has been lauded as dynamic and visual thanks in part to his background in drawing, painting and the cinematic arts. He's an avid lover of storytelling in all forms, especially genre fiction, comic books, and movies. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife and daughter.

Editorial Reviews

2017-01-18
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.

Kirkus Reviews