“Then
the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and
there
were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our Lord and of
his
Christ, and
he
shall reign forever and ever.”
- Revelation
11:15-19
Mankind has an obsessive fascination
with prophecies, especially prophecies about the end of the world.
Sometimes I wonder, what fuels our morbid fascination with prophecies
about the end of the world?
Anyway, a lot of apocalyptic movies and
books are inspired by end of the world prophecies. The Sounding,
is author Carrie Salo's debut novel. It is partially historical fiction, but mainly a supernatural/religious
thriller about the end of the world.
The premise of the story is based on the book of Revelation
from the Bible. Unlike many apocalyptic novels I've read in the past,
The sounding is the most intriguing book in this genre. Today,
I will like to review this book and share some of my thoughts about
it.
Synopsis:
The book of Revelation
contains some truly terrifying images about the end of the world. It
also speaks of a final prophecy, where 7 angels await to sound the
trumpets at the God's appointed time, leading to the battle of
Armageddon, and ultimately God will dwell eternally with his people,
where he will create the new heaven and the new earth.
What will happen, if the last
trumpet is sounded too early?
In the 21th century, Father
Christ Mognahan belongs to a society known as Hetairia Melchizedek.
This is a secret society within the Catholic church that studies
Biblical omens. As a member of this society, Chris was drawn into an
investigation of a particularly gruesome murder; on a college campus,
a student was found murdered where his face was literally burnt off.
Chris' leader believed this murder signified a terrifying omen, where
the order of prophecies mentioned in the book of revelation, was
going to be disrupted. If so, humanity could be caught unprepared,
and doomed by an early Armageddon.
As Chris investigated this gruesome
murder case, he soon found himself fighting a battle of good versus
evil. Where a group of allies joined his course. Among them, the hope
lies with a young woman, whom they believe was sent by God Himself to
prevent the final trumpet to be sounded which would lead to an early
end of the earth.
What I think about this book:
At 470 pages, The Sounding is a
medium length novel, but I finished reading this book in 2 sittings
and I enjoyed this book immensely. I would describe this book, as The
Da VinCi Code meets The Exorcist, it
is an outrageously entertaining read. The Sounding is a
book that succeeded in many areas; from the story, the character, the
writings, to the well researched historical/theological elements that
were carefully weaved into the fibres of the story.
First of all, the author crafted this
story with masterful skills. It has many surprises hidden in several
chapters in this book. The subplots are intricately layered on top of
the main story. The ending of the story ties everything together to a
very satisfying conclusion. The story is also told at a really good
pace. It is fast, but not too fast so you can get to know the
characters, and savor the flavors of the world in this book. The
characterization is brilliant. The cast of characters in this book
are interesting and described vividly. The way they are portrayed
made them feel like real people. Their characters, personalities and
actions are believable and realistic. Each character has his/her own
strengths, weaknesses, and their own journey of personal development
as the story unfolds. If you read this book, you will care for these
characters, and that's always a sign of good storytelling and a good
book.
The author also did a great job at
world-building in this book. The story in The Sounding is quite epic,
and spread over several locations: America, the Vatican City (and
Necropolis), and Jerusalem. In this book, every locale is described
vividly with rich texts, bringing an atmospheric, haunting and immersive
reading experience. When I was reading the book, I felt like I was
there, seeing and feeling what the characters were experiencing in the story.
The story in The Sounding is also
supported by well researched Catholic/Jewish theology, and historical
facts. They are carefully laid into the story, bringing forth a sense
of realism. There are a lot of references to the Bible in this book,
but it does not feel preachy. Instead, Christianity was knitted carefully, and masterfully into the background of the story. It is refreshing to see a thriller
that portrays Christianity as the force of good, rather as a tool
to generate controversy to gain popularity. While some people might cast negative lights upon the idea of a supernatural thriller inspired by the Bible. However, in my opinion, I found this book explored the nature of faith, doubt,
and suffering, in very honest and powerful ways, and this book is not in conflict against the Christian religion.
P.S. A word of caution. Some parts of this book contains profane language, and some graphic scenes which may disturb sensitive readers.
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