Sojourning With Angels: The Rise of Zazriel

by R. Leo Olson

NOVEL - SPIRITUAL FANTASY: Religious history is filled with stories of angels, good and bad, interacting with us. My own sister claims one of these interactions during a car accident. Religious history, from ancient paganism, Egyptians, Vikings, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, to Christianity are also filled with stories, rituals, and visions of these same angels -good and bad- involved in the soul's journey from this life into the next. There seems to be an intermediary existence- they all have teachings about this: Excarnation (being eaten) by birds, purgatory and all kinds of fantistical processes. Eastern Orthodox Christianity's Aerial Toll Houses is by far the most interesting to me.

I had this idea of a Guardian Angel charged with caring for a not so saintly guy who dies. And there is phrase in the New Testament that states a husband can be sancitified (saved) by a god-fearing wife.

These two thoughts and years of blending religious research birthed this mystical love story.

I still find parts of human religious history and angels fascinating and unsettling. If we actually do Sojourn with Angels now and after this life then I hope it resembles something this. Plus, I still break down in tears during parts of this story and I wrote the damn thing.

By the way: Grand Rapids, Michigan is a real place but the characters, faith communities, and businesses in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to any real person, faith community, or business should be dismissed as coincidence due to the commonness of such things. - R. Leo Olson

Genres: Book Club

314 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2011

About the author

No one has time for redundancy:

http://www.RLeoOlson.com

amazon.com/author/rleoolson

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to give this book 4.5 stars - I REALLY enjoyed it! It was a really interesting story and although it is fiction it makes me think about my life and totally re-evaluate it. Who really knows what happens when we leave this earth??? I was born and raised baptist and went through RCIA as an adult when I married into a Catholic family. It has made me think about my Catholic faith more deeply. Since my mom has passed I have had a growing interest in the afterlife and angels - this was an incredible story - the ending made me sad - but I really enjoyed this book - I totally look forward to more from this author.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a very fast read to me once I got past the first 6 pages where the author was setting up the characters. I found myself reflecting on my own life and how I could be a better person. I also found this book had a component of many religions. The comparisons were very interesting. As a Catholic, I took the book to be a very fun book of fantasy in many ways. Overall, I felt the book was very inspirational and a good reminder that sin is very ugly! I can't wait for the next book in this series!

[Jim Vivanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

I could not put this book down , and even though this is the third time I have read this book, I love it as much as when I first read it. R.Leo Olson gives great descriptions of the angelic realm, from an Orthodox perspective. Read this book!

[Joshua Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first, looking forward to the second

Great book. Made me more appreciative of the work of my own guardian. Looking forward to a sequel. God bless.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the petitions in the Divine Liturgy says, "An angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord." The petition takes on new depth after reading Olson's first novel. The author does a marvelous job of suggesting how a guardian angel works while all the time respecting an individual's free will. This book pushes one's imagination in a heavenly direction to broaden and deepen that sense of the angelic life that surrounds the throne of God, all of creation, and each individual image-bearer. The book also helps one understand the communal nature of the Christian life, that even while each individual must face death in his or her own way, the bonds of love are able to surmount even death. I hope Olson continues writing, not just additional books that may be in this series, but novels that branch out to examine other aspects of the Christian life and struggle with the same care and sensitivity shown here.

[Beth Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has stayed with me months later. I think about guardian angels and what life will be like after this life........