Book Review: The Sounding by Carrie Salo

“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 21^th 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.

 

When I finished reading this book, I was thoroughly impressed. This is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. The Sounding is a captivating book, it has a good mixture of horror, action and romance. I look forward to reading more books by Carrie Salo, I hope she will keep on writing books.  

P.S. A word of caution. Some parts of this book contains profane language, and some graphic scenes which may disturb sensitive readers.