Book review: The Seraph Seal

So, I have to admit that I am still slightly perplexed that I chose this book to read and review. Usually I like to read either historical or modern day fiction. I have never once in my entire life ever read any apocalyptic literature, nor have I ever had any interest in doing so. Yet, for reasons practically unbeknownst to me, I chose this book. Needless to say, it has sat on my shelf for many, many months- until a few days ago when all of a sudden I randomly decided I wanted to read it. Well, all I can say is that it hooked me right from the start and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Seraph Seal, written by Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner, begins in the year 2012 where an ancient prophecy begins to unfold. Fast forward to the year 2048. The world is fast accelerating into massive chaos. New discoveries are constantly being made in different scientific fields, and those in power are fighting to rise to the top. Add to that rising political tensions throughout the nations, mass pandemics, and escalating natural disasters, and the question arises- how much longer can the earth survive at this rate of speed? Amidst the turmoil arises a key player: Paul Binder, a historian at the University of Virginia, who one day receives a strange and cryptic message. From there he is led down a path that leads him to London. Once there he meets manuscript specialist Angela Krall, whom he teams with to decipher an ancient Syrian manuscript. Together they begin to slowly unravel clues that lead them down a mysterious path, and along the way they begin to discover that perhaps there is more to life than that which they can see and understand.

I read a review on this book recently where it was said that this book is not for the faint of heart, and I have to say that I agree. As I said, I really enjoyed this book and I found it very fascinating. However, you can in no way breeze through this book, for it is rather heavy, physically and mentally. The book itself is over 500 pages, which I believe in itself could scare some people off. Then there is the actual written text itself. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, as well as events. Everything is subtly woven together, and you really need to pay very close attention so that you do not miss a single miniscule detail. There is also a lot of what I am going to call “smart speak” in this book- meaning that things are not explained simply. Rather, it is written in very intellectual terms that I think could very easily confuse people. I know there were a few parts that I had to read over to fully grasp certain concepts.

Putting all of that aside though, I think this book was put together very well. The story was engaging, and I felt that there were a lot of events of the future that were very plausible, and could very well happen. So, if you are of stout heart and would like a very intelligent apocalyptic read, then this book is for you. I know that I will definitely be revisiting this book later on.

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.