Epic Fantasy Review: Faith of the Forsaken by Jonathan-David Jackson

Faith of the Forsaken
by Jonathan-David Jackson

Description:
Angels and demons walk among us. Nathan Miller, an assistant pastor in a quiet town, doesn’t believe in them. His life is thrown into chaos when terrorism strikes his town and a reactionary religious militia rises against it, and a surprise encounter with a demon-possessed young woman forces him to face the truth.

The archangel Uriel knows Nathan is heir to supernatural powers and could be the key to victory. While he guards Nathan he must also protect humanity from a terrible secret that could destroy them all. In this blood-soaked epic they are about to learn that evil cannot be bargained with, but is it too late to stop the Apocalypse?

My Review:
I found Faith of the Forsaken intriguing on many levels. The angels and demons roaming around, influencing humans, and battling each other. The humans dealing with their daily lives, finding themselves acting out of character, thinking the terrible things they’re doing were their own idea.

The story was deeper than I’d expected based on having read the other books by this author, whose works tend towards the absurd, but always seem to wrangle up a point and always amuse me in some way or the other.

In Faith of the Forsaken, faith itself is a central theme. Those who have it are bound by it, rely on it, and in the case of the demons, are restrained by it. Those who’ve lost it are devastated, having to find their own reasons to be and do, and sometimes failing to find those reasons.

Despite the heavy nature of some of the things going on, there was still enough of the ironic and the absurd to result in a few chuckles. The demon romance, the slow loris (google it), and the ultimate being reminding folks just why he’s ultimate in quite an ultimate way are just a few.

The characters and the plot are well developed and interesting on both sides of good and evil. The story progresses in a believable way within the confines of the Christian faith assuming one had a window into the unseen. The arguments, the predictions, and the biblical references come across as believable as well. The story doesn’t take itself too seriously, but there’s an attention to detail that I think folks will appreciate.

Overall, I loved this book. Fans of angels and demons, fantasy, and battles between good and evil will very likely enjoy this story. It’s deep and light at the same time. Plenty of action, battles, and build up, as well.

I received the review copy of this book from the author.


About the Author:

Jonathan-David Jackson was born in Gastonia, North Carolina, at 3 in the morning on May 14, 1987. At first, he could not walk, talk, or indeed use the toilet. After a year of intensive training in NC, he moved his family to Kingsport, Tennessee, where he finally overcame those early disabilities. Soon, he was walking and talking as good as anyone, and perhaps better. Walking and talking wasn't good enough, though, so he also learned to write.

He wrote and wrote, and with gentle encouragement from his wife, he finally wrote a book. Then he wrote this biography. Then he wrote other books. Perhaps he'll do more things; that would certainly be exciting.

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