Review: Classic tale of good vs evil
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 21, 2013
A man on foot who's being chased by soldiers on horseback must get to his daughter and give her the "crucifix from around his neck." His flight is tortuous...and futile.Thus the narrative begins in this fast-moving story.Lana Bradstream's novel, "Ethereal Influence: The Inquisition," can be summed up by stating it is a classic tale of good against evil - literally. The story is based on Christian doctrine and conforms to the dogma of that theology.We are introduced to a young girl, Ayla, who becomes indoctrinated into the evil side of the battle by a fallen angel, Jakob; evil incarnate. On the other side is Nikolaus, one of the Inquisitors, who is having second thoughts and doubts in his faith. Desperate to bring him back to God is Lorenz, an angel from God.It is a chronicle about the quest for souls, with Nikolaus' being the main prize.The writer is an excellent story teller and brings a number of surprises and unexpected results to bear in creating this engaging novel. While the prose is not as eloquent as some of the leading authors of the genre, it works well for the young adult audience. It is both entertaining and informative. This book should cause those who read it to want to research The Inquisition further.Bradstream's description of the brutality of the time is graphic without becoming obscene. One can feel the horror. The portrayal of a scene late in the book was written well enough for me to have a difficult time reading it...squirming through the entire sequence.The Kindle version I read had some formatting issues and the manuscript would benefit from a solid copy editing and proofreading, but all in all I quite enjoyed reading this book.I commend Ms. Bradstream on writing this. For the price, one cannot go wrong in purchasing and reading this novel. Recommended.Norm HamiltonDisclosure of Material Connection: I received a digital copy of this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."