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Seraphim
Duncan McNeil is staring mistrustfully at a photograph of his daughter, Amy. She appears to be at or near her present age of ten, but the studio's dated stamp on the back indicates that the photo was taken nearly a year before her birth. More alarming, however, is the beautiful woman standing beside Amy, a woman with whom he had an affair in the periphery of his own new marriage, during the time Amy was conceived. And the fact that this photograph has been in his wife's possession for more than a decade is perhaps the most disturbing element of all.
Duncan's wife Rachel doesn't know about his affair with this woman, but he will soon tell her. And upon that revelation they will begin a journey that will take them clear across the continent, from California to Massachusetts, then ultimately in the boundless, uncharted territory of the human collective. There, a devil is waiting; the penultimate personification of evil. And he goes by the name of Mr. Gamble.
"Apocalyptic in the truest sense of the word, Jon Michael Kelley's Seraphim is a stunning thriller with the very fate of the world at stake. Beautifully written, with prose as lush as it is chilling, Kelley is part poet, part prophet, but a true master of fear, through and through. This is top notch stuff of highest caliber!"
-- Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance
"Seraphim is a beautifully wrought tale of angels and demons that starts out strong and just gets better and better. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Jon Michael Kelley proves to be a mature, intelligent new voice in horror right out of the gate."
-- Craig Saunders, author of The Love of the Dead and A Stranger's Grave
"Written with the finesse of a pro, Seraphim is one hell of a frightening horror novel. With bits of dark fantasy and humor mixed in, this one has it all! Hard to believe this is Jon Michael Kelley's first novel."
-- David Bernstein, author of Amongst the Dead and Tears of No Return
Duncan's wife Rachel doesn't know about his affair with this woman, but he will soon tell her. And upon that revelation they will begin a journey that will take them clear across the continent, from California to Massachusetts, then ultimately in the boundless, uncharted territory of the human collective. There, a devil is waiting; the penultimate personification of evil. And he goes by the name of Mr. Gamble.
"Apocalyptic in the truest sense of the word, Jon Michael Kelley's Seraphim is a stunning thriller with the very fate of the world at stake. Beautifully written, with prose as lush as it is chilling, Kelley is part poet, part prophet, but a true master of fear, through and through. This is top notch stuff of highest caliber!"
-- Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance
"Seraphim is a beautifully wrought tale of angels and demons that starts out strong and just gets better and better. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Jon Michael Kelley proves to be a mature, intelligent new voice in horror right out of the gate."
-- Craig Saunders, author of The Love of the Dead and A Stranger's Grave
"Written with the finesse of a pro, Seraphim is one hell of a frightening horror novel. With bits of dark fantasy and humor mixed in, this one has it all! Hard to believe this is Jon Michael Kelley's first novel."
-- David Bernstein, author of Amongst the Dead and Tears of No Return
334 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2012
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264 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 2, 2012
Today's Five STAR Jon Jonny M. Kelley Seraphim: I have been reviewing books for some time and every once in a while one stands out and grabs me by the throat; Dead in the Trunk by Craig Saunders was one, Shining in Crimson by Robert S. Wilson was another, Wishbone by Brooklyn Hudson, and now Seraphim will be on that list as well.
As a fist time novelist, Jon Michael Kelley knocked this one out of the park......all the way out. The characters are rich and full of detail, the story line is intelligent and original and the plot moves at a pace that you do not want to let go of once you are in the middle of it.
Chris is an amazing character, and on the dark side, so is Gamble. The editing on this is outstanding as well. Way to go Jon and Pete. This one rocks.
As a fist time novelist, Jon Michael Kelley knocked this one out of the park......all the way out. The characters are rich and full of detail, the story line is intelligent and original and the plot moves at a pace that you do not want to let go of once you are in the middle of it.
Chris is an amazing character, and on the dark side, so is Gamble. The editing on this is outstanding as well. Way to go Jon and Pete. This one rocks.
November 9, 2014
NO SPOILERS! I had no idea what to expect from first time novelist Jon M. Kelley, but after reading Seraphim (which I was privileged enough to have received an advanced copy of from the publisher) I was blown away. This book is written like a pro, as if Mr. Kelley has been producing novels for years. I'm not kidding! But first, let's start with the story. Can you say original?! With so many horror books out there, this one stands out on story alone. Seraphim shows us how vast Mr. Kelley's imagination is. You won't find a more original horror novel out there which blends the horrific with dark fantasy and humor. I found myself chuckling at times throughout the novel while sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next.
Loaded with angels, demons, creatures and a cast of people with varying abilities--very original abilities, this novel has it all and is done so flawlessly.
Seraphim is all about the characters, including the evils ones--which Mr. Kelley has done a great job with (oh how wicked is Mr. Gamble!). A group of unlikely people gathered together to stop the end of the world. This is one of those novels you can't put down until it's finished and if you have to stop at any time, you'll find yourself thinking about until you pick it up again. So don't expect to concentrate on anything else!
With this being his fist novel, I cannot wait to see what Mr. Kelley has in store for us next! Simply incredible!
Loaded with angels, demons, creatures and a cast of people with varying abilities--very original abilities, this novel has it all and is done so flawlessly.
Seraphim is all about the characters, including the evils ones--which Mr. Kelley has done a great job with (oh how wicked is Mr. Gamble!). A group of unlikely people gathered together to stop the end of the world. This is one of those novels you can't put down until it's finished and if you have to stop at any time, you'll find yourself thinking about until you pick it up again. So don't expect to concentrate on anything else!
With this being his fist novel, I cannot wait to see what Mr. Kelley has in store for us next! Simply incredible!
December 26, 2013
Prophetic and poetic prose meets one heck of a horror story! Seraphim is darkly frightening fantasy with enough dry-wit and humor to keep you from being too chilled to the bone to turn the page. At times I wonder if this is sheer genius... or sheer madness! Even at the most complex and fantastical, this book kept my attention. At times, it did feel a bit "over my head" but I remained lost in the story and the world Kelley creates. Definitely a writer I'll remember and a story that will stick with me. It is reminiscent of early Koontz, with moments that reveal a truly disturbing nature to the story and some of the main players. Just enough reality helps set up a world you are familiar with, before the secrets revealed thrust you into an extremely unfamiliar realm. I found the realistically flawed characters helped to keep me grounded even in the most bizarre circumstances. Seraphim-- sleep with the lights on scary. Profound, timely, and complex.
October 26, 2012
Jon Michael Kelley's writing, for the most part, is inspired and poetic. That aspect made the book a 4-star read for me. Where it fell short was in the slightly disjointed evolution of the plot and what I considered a weak ending. It was as if there were two authors - or perhaps two states of consciousness - one in which Kelley's vivid and sometimes psychedelic telling of a scene would collide violently with the mundane, plodding and confused setting of the next. It is a book that I feel should have had another year of editing and thought, which would have left it properly profound, rather than reminiscent of Frank Peretti-meets-Clive Barker. All in all, it should be read purely for the way this writer uses the language, which is superb.
September 1, 2012
The author did an outstanding job with character development, particularly with Duncan, and this book contained some of the sharpest and most natural dialog I've read in a while. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was the ending. Like a last-minute gift, it was wrapped up neatly but not elegantly.
January 4, 2014
Jon Michael Kelley has created a complex and twisting labyrinth of darkness. Part horror story, part meditation on the nature of evil, this book will appeal to horror fans who enjoy an intellectual challenge.
August 29, 2012
A good book, some very interesting ideas.
December 6, 2012
Slightly mind-bending, definitively complex yet very well thought-out. A must read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking for more works by Mr. Kelley.
March 26, 2013
Well now I understand why the reviews for this book said things like, "brilliant" the author's writing style is poetic, "masterful", "genius" - the book otherwise is difficult to explain - this story is more like an experience opposed to a plot.
In a nutshell, it is basically that dreams, thoughts, desires of man have created evil and now evil is re-creating themselves. The leader of the pack is Mr. Gamble. He was created from man who then re-created himself into pure evil. He is madness personified, the clone devil. His helper, assistant is a priest, Eli and his whacked out mother, Josephine. Eli wants eternal life and he wants to create himself as an angel, the only way he can do that is to obtain 7 stained glass windows which depict different scenes, the only way he can get those is by creating angels. He needs 7 little 10 year old girls - he sends out the "couriers" to seek them out (they are specific girls and it takes him over a decade to find - he then turns them into angels by sewing hand crafted angel wings onto their backs, then pushes them off a cliff so they can "fly" - it all sounds really tragic but there is a purpose to everything. One of the girls comes back to save the world from an eminent apocalypse - by harpies!! It is myth, legend, religion, reincarnation, and imagination very well crafted into a very good story. It was quite the ride.
In a nutshell, it is basically that dreams, thoughts, desires of man have created evil and now evil is re-creating themselves. The leader of the pack is Mr. Gamble. He was created from man who then re-created himself into pure evil. He is madness personified, the clone devil. His helper, assistant is a priest, Eli and his whacked out mother, Josephine. Eli wants eternal life and he wants to create himself as an angel, the only way he can do that is to obtain 7 stained glass windows which depict different scenes, the only way he can get those is by creating angels. He needs 7 little 10 year old girls - he sends out the "couriers" to seek them out (they are specific girls and it takes him over a decade to find - he then turns them into angels by sewing hand crafted angel wings onto their backs, then pushes them off a cliff so they can "fly" - it all sounds really tragic but there is a purpose to everything. One of the girls comes back to save the world from an eminent apocalypse - by harpies!! It is myth, legend, religion, reincarnation, and imagination very well crafted into a very good story. It was quite the ride.
February 21, 2013
Weird, dark, twisted. Some parts of this book were a little too over-the-top sick and twisted for me (the "eight weeks" scene, for example). Violent. Macabre. Confusing.
However, the writing style should be commended - self published, first novel - but very few typos and wonderfully evocative language. Love the lyrical writing style.
Characters did not seem to behave in convincing manners, plot was OTT and complicated, making a very convuluted sense - although the addition of a epilogue to explain possible plot holes is an interesting idea.
An intriguing book, but a little too S&T for me.
However, the writing style should be commended - self published, first novel - but very few typos and wonderfully evocative language. Love the lyrical writing style.
Characters did not seem to behave in convincing manners, plot was OTT and complicated, making a very convuluted sense - although the addition of a epilogue to explain possible plot holes is an interesting idea.
An intriguing book, but a little too S&T for me.
March 8, 2013
Debut novel, self published! I liked the blurb and even though I had many more famous, popular books to choose from, this one stood out as "next"
Very twisted, dark, gory, bizarre. I was compelled to finish because I wanted to know WTF was going on?
I did a bit of skimming 3/4 way through to get to the end quicker - hence my 4 stars.
Overall I'm glad I read it and glad I took a chance on a freebie with (so far) only a few ratings
Very twisted, dark, gory, bizarre. I was compelled to finish because I wanted to know WTF was going on?
I did a bit of skimming 3/4 way through to get to the end quicker - hence my 4 stars.
Overall I'm glad I read it and glad I took a chance on a freebie with (so far) only a few ratings
February 12, 2013
The battle between good and evil
April 4, 2013
Refreshing view of how heaven and hell were created and the constant battles between good and evil.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews