The Gift

The Chronicles of Malachai #1

by Daniel L. Sweetnam

In the spiritual war raging all around humanity, with angels on one side and demons on the other, most people are not even aware of the battle's they are really fighting. But what happens to those who can see the war raging and understand how these spirits influence humanity itself, whose side do they choose? God's way, the demons way or perhaps pretend the war doesn't even exist. "The Chronicles of Malachai" is a five-part series sharing the story of an ordinary man named Malachai, who was given an extraordinary ability by God to see and interact with the spiritual world that co-exists alongside our own. However, Malachai's ability to see the spiritual realm quickly places him in the center of a spiritual war he doesn't really understand. The angels want to help him; the demons will try to control or destroy him; but trusting in God's purpose for needing him within this war will be Malachai's greatest battle of all. The story begins with the first book in the series called, "The Gift," and introduces a young Malachai, who desperately tries to understand who and what these spiritual beings he sees really are. He quickly discovers not all these beings should be trusted and even those who appear to be his friends may have a darker intent behind their friendship. Some of these spirits try to encourage Malachai to use his gift to help those around him. Others try to teach him how much power this gift can truly give him if used to it's full potential, while covertly using Malachai's abilities to aid their own demonic agenda. For Malachai, choosing the side that could teach him the truth about what he saw and experienced would prove to be the toughest challenge of all and will ultimately change the course of the war itself.

172 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2012

About the author

As a youth worker, speaker, business owner, church leader and father, Daniel has spent much of his life speaking before others and writing various stories, sermons, bible-studies, skits and plays. Through sharing his faith in God and the miracles he has experienced, Daniel's passion is to inspire others to discover their own God given gift's and to follow their dreams.

While living in the beautiful small town of Barriere, B.C., Daniel has fulfilled one of his own dreams by writing "The Gift", a book about the spiritual war raging around us all. After receiving such a strong positive response from those who read "The Gift", Daniel has continued writing "The Chronicles of Malachai Series" with the second book "The Purpose", soon to be released.

With the support of his family, Daniel plans to write future series including one for children based on the stories he used to tell his own sons and their friends when they were young.

"All we are and all our plans rest safely within God's hands. If we trust Him with our hopes and dreams, our lives will speak amazing things." Daniel L. Sweetnam

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the war between good and evil that goes on constantly around us, often unnoticed. It was a riveting, well-written story, and was definitely a page turner for me. I enjoyed the main character, Malachai, and the gift he was given by God, and I wanted to find out how he would decide to use it. He had so much pressure on him; would he make the right choice? However, I was somehow left with the feeling I would have liked to know him even better. So much of the story was about his interaction with the spiritual world, which was interesting, but I personally would have liked to know a little bit more about how he interacted with peers and was accepted at school, what his home life was like, etc. Some of this is present when he is older and attends Youth camp, and perhaps the author's intent was to focus on his spiritual life so that that aspect of the story didn't get overlooked. This reader simply liked Malachai and wanted to know more about other aspects of his life. I definitely want to read this author's future books, and recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about the spiritual realm, and you certainly don't have to agree with everything in the book to enjoy reading it.

[Josiah Sweetnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written, and does a great job in exploring and helping people relate to the spiritual realm of angels and demons. It was very captivating, and even sent shivers down my spine. I look forward to reading more about Malachai's adventures as he continues to grow in his faith.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gift was well written and an easy read. The book does a great job dealing with the spiritual realm of angels and demons. When the time comes it explores how difficult it can be to know and choose what side to be on.