Customer Reviews

Jerome and the Seraph

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Many people wonder what people will say about them at their funeral. Jerome, an ill fated young friar, gets the chance to find out; however for him, death is just the start of something larger. Following his move to the spiritual plane, Jerome is befriended by the ginger tom cat he was kind to in life. After the cat tells the young man that his true name is not Leo but Quant and animals all talk in that world, Quant shows him how to move between worlds. Jerome now has the opportunity to learn about the world presently inhabits as well as the material one. He sees he was not as essential as the imagined to the little abbey, and to learn that his brothers are more dimensional than he believed. No one is either as good or bad as he perceived in life, nor is his role at the abbey completely finished.

*** For making complex concepts comprehensible and entertaining to the average reader, this story is to be commended. The simplistic style could be read by a child, but it does not condescend to the audience. However, Christians who adhere to the reformed doctrines or fundamental Christianity will find the universalism advocated by the author to be a weak point in the inspirational aspect of the story. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

Wow, what a topic! In "Jerome and the Seraph," author Robina Williams assumes a heavy responsibility by exploring the unknown complexities of the afterlife and does so in an admirable fashion. The human mind, being what it is, has always yearned to know more about life after death and, even if Robina Williams' portrayal of it does not match your own concept, you will be plagued throughout the book by the interminable "what if" syndrome.

Brother Jerome, who lives in an English friary, slips on some frozen grass and dies when his head strikes the gravestone of Father Aloysius, who had only recently passed on himself. Imagine Jerome's surprise when he realizes he is dead and that it is nothing like he expected. The first person he sees is Father Aloysius, who apologizes profusely for Jerome's untimely death. Jerome's response is classic, "That's all right, Al. These things happen."

"Jerome and the Seraph" is a book that is different from any other I have read to this point. Those expecting a rollercoaster ride of exciting events and imminent danger will be disappointed, for that is not the heart of this book. It is not about action, but discovery and realization, as Brother Jerome is forced to put aside his preconceived ideas and begins to understand the afterlife for himself.

Even though "Jerome and the Seraph" was not exactly the kind of book I might choose to read on my own, Robina Williams managed to win me over in the end. A fine writer, she weaves the story with a deft hand. One thing I most admire about this book is the many, varied characters that inhabit its pages. To a person, they are fully dimensional and possess individual traits that bring them alive for the reader. I award this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Craig Hart - CraigHart.net

The concept of life after death has plagued the human mind since self-awareness dawned upon it. To exist here in our world, bathed in the complexities of life, to then fall into a black abyss is intolerable. Far better to go to a place where peace and beauty are the mainstays of existence.

Life can sometimes take unexpected turns and throw one into the realms of the psyche not known to exist. So it was with young Father Jerome. Taken from his fellow friars by a bizarre twist of fate.

Slipping on some iced grass, Jerome hit his head on a gravestone. The weird part of this was whom the gravestone belonged to. It was in memory of Father Aloysius, a long time member of the Friary.

He had just passed on and was fresh in his grave. Jerome was attending the burial when he slipped. Now he found himself interned in the same grave, which he felt was rather comical.

This one fatal slip now gave him an opening to understanding how life and death functioned. He found himself in strange place known as the afterworld. The first person he saw in his new home was Father Aloysius.

It seemed the old Friar was most upset that his burial was the cause of Jerome's early passing. Jerome did not place any blame on Aloysius for his death; it was just an unfortunate accident. What puzzled him was that he still felt alive and that Leo, the Friary cat, whom he knew was not dead, existed in the afterworld too.

Leo, whose real name was Quant, introduced Jerome to a new existence. It was one that both frustrated and frightened the young Friar. All that he knew of physics and the world of the living, he found now turned upon itself.

Quant showed him how to travel from the land of the dead to the land of the living. Jerome discovered the dead are not dead but lived on as functioning beings in the afterworld. As did the old gods of the classic period, whose function to provide an explanation of life was gone, replaced by a deeper meaning.

Jerome finally gets to master the problems of traveling between one world and the next. He agrees to go on a spy mission for Brother Bernard. The mission is not what one would call an overwhelming success but it does lead into an interesting finale to the book.

It gives the reader a look at the inner turmoil one of the story's main antagonists, Father Fidelis. A man seen as an autocrat with a grudge against anything that brings pleasure. Yet the tough outer shell hides a quivering fragility of doubt and weakness. It is a part of Fidelis that Jerome was never aware of when part of the real world.

Robina Williams has raised the mystique of fantasy to a new level. She has created a world that uplifts the reader to understand with clarity, the questions many of us ask about what happens when we leave this world. Her crafting of the plot and the creation of the characters is brilliant. I really enjoyed reading the book and feel more knowledgeable about myself because of it.

If you are looking for a book that entertains, provokes deep thinking and gives a sense of satisfaction, then look no further. Jerome and the Seraph is indeed a truly wonderful book.

I loved this book for most of its length. A little bit quirky, with its mix of monks, alternative theology of the afterlife, and quantum physics. Greatly enjoyed Jerome's journey. Until... it suddenly ended, no warning, no wrap-up. Huge disappointment, considering the other books in the series don't appear to be sequels. I'd suggest the author seriously consider adding a chapter or two.

This book was a fun, easy read, with moments that made me laugh.

The writing is very accessible, not a high reading level, but I still enjoyed it, as an adult.

The characters were fine, though not hugely developed. Sometimes I forgot who was who. The cat was cute.

The plot was all right, but anticlimactic. The author seems not to have followed the standard Aristotlean dramatic structure and the end felt a little flat to me, but obviously, there are sequels and maybe this book isn't supposed to be the END end.

The author's descriptive passages I think were the strongest point. Most of the time, I got a nice image of the locales.

As for the quantum physics stuff, I thought it fairly simple and not a stretch for my brain.

As for the religious stuff--yes, the story takes place among a bunch of friars, so it's Christian and there's lots of talk of "my Lord" and crucifixes and heaven (little mention of hell). But, the author stretches that into a sort of universalism, as mentioned by another reviewer, and includes a broader view and other aspects of spirituality. So, this story is not for the close-minded. It's a fine story for agnostics or people who can read a nice story without frothing at the mouth and feeling attacked.

So overall, a nice easy story, if a little bland. There was potential for adding tension and pushing farther with the physics stuff, spiritual stuff, and the plot line in general, but the author seems to have shied away from that, and if she had gone there, there would be people really making a fuss about the religious stuff, so maybe it's just as well, but I don't think I'll read the sequels.

Robina Williams has created a delightful beginning in these two initial entries to the Quantum Cat series. They are written as Christian fantasy but will be welcomed by any fantasy lovers. The stars of this show are Jerome, a friar who died unexpectedly when he slipped and hit his head on a gravestone and Leo/Quantum, the friary cat who is also the tour guide for the other sides/times.
The books are written with a humorous touch while also addressing art, Christianity, mythology and questions of time everlasting. The word delightful, truly meaning full of delight, is the best word to describe these works of . Deep subjects addressed with a light touch.
It will be interesting to see where the future of this series takes Jerome, Quant and the readers.

Jerome and the Seraph

This is the first book written in the series. Brother Jerome is recently deceased and trying to figure out what is next. He finds that he is helped by Leo, the cat he had befriended at his home, the friary. Quantum, nicknamed Quant, is the true name of the feline who is to help Jerome traverse the boundaries of time and space to be able to check on his friends at the friary. He is not as adept at crossing through so he often needs Quant's help while stuck in trees or newel posts, trapped in dimensions he never knew existed. He hovers anxiously while his friends at the friary deal with their own issues. The Guardian Fidelis has tried to put his womanizing past behind him. But just as he feels he has succeeded a woman from the past moves back with a surprise that upsets his view of his future. The Brothers must try to figure out what is up with Fidelis while also dealing with their glimpses of Jerome, the Brother they distinctly remember burying.

At a rural friary in Britain, Brother Jerome slips and cracks his head open on the gravestone of Brother Aloysius. Jerome is killed instantly. When he wakes up, he is not in Heaven, but alone in a gray, featureless sort of place. The first person he meets is Brother Aloysius, who apologizes for the circumstances of Jerome's death. Jerome eventually meets up with all the dead Brothers of the friary. The "leader" or "guide" of the group is Leo, an orange tabby cat who wandered into the friary one day and made himself at home. In the other world, Leo is named Quant, short for Quantum, and can talk. Jerome realizes that Leo/Quant is not your average cat, if he can move between dimensions with no trouble at all.

Meantime, back at the friary, Brother Fidelis, the "boss" of the friary, has been spending a lot of time with a middle age woman new to the parish. When men become friars later in life, some are good at keeping their religious vows while others are not so good at it. By this time, Jerome has made a few visits back to the friary. He makes contact with one of the living friars, and is asked if he could possibly find himself inside the woman's cottage while Fidelis is there; just for a peek, of course. He does, and finds a totally innocent scene of two people at lunch. Whether or not Jerome can be seen by the living friars on his walks around the friary seems to depend on the cat, Leo/Quant. A lot of things seem to depend on that dimension-hopping cat.

This is a very "quiet" novel (set at a friary, there will not be much in the way of action). It has little bits of weirdness here and there that will keep the reader interested. This belongs in that large gray area of Pretty Good or Worth Reading.

Reviewed by Sherryl King-Wilds for fantasynovelreview.com

Young Brother Jerome (Jerry) is dead. Ironically, he has cracked his skull on a gravestone, but his problems have not ended there. Jerry's afterlife leaves him bored, growing restless; it's just not what he thought it would be. That's where Quant the friary cat comes in. Quant's no ordinary cat, though. He's not really dead, not really alive but the mischievous seraph in between. With a little help--and teasing--from Quant, Jerry starts getting the hang of being dead.

It seems bumbling Jerry keeps getting stuck in inanimate objects--haunted portrait, anyone?--on his way from the spirit world to the life dimension: Quant to the rescue! On top of that, Jerry keeps getting caught in molecular currents and popping up in the damnedest places and scaring the hell out of his live brethren in the most comical ways.

Quant helps Jerry in more ways than getting him out of jams; he also leads Jerry to some startling revelations about the afterlife. But it is with little help from Quant that Jerry aids his live brethren in unraveling the possible affair causing the guardian's (Father Fidelis') present grumpiness. Is Father Fidelis remaining faithful to his vows?

I found the life of the dead to be as interesting as the life of the living in this book. The friars--living and dead--were personified with charismatic flare, each adorable, each lovable, and each adding his own special brand of aplomb to the story. Although repetitive in spots, Jerome and the Seraph regaled me with laughter and often left me giddy, for Robina Williams writes with a wit that I must classify as absolutely wicked in the face of benevolent beings and the good will of the friary she has created.

Slipping on the icy ground of the cemetery, Brother Jerome smacks his head against the gravestone of Father Aloysius. His peers gave him a nice funeral but ironically buried him at the site in which he died.

When he first died, he briefly meets Aloysius who apologizes to Jerry, but that seem like a lifetime ago as Jerome finds the afterworld is void of anyone even angels except for Leo the friary cat, who is alive and well back in his former residence. Jerome is confused as there are no cherubs or angels with harps. Leo explains to Jerome that his real name is Quantum, but he can call him Quant and that it is easy to cross between the land of the living and the dead, which is why he resides here and at the friary. Simply Jerome must modify his belief system so that he can see and soon other spirits and doors to dimensions will be there. Of course coordinates are critical or else one can become the star of a painting or a branch of a tree.

JEROME AND THE SERAPH is a simple entertaining book that ironically connects complex topics (the afterlife, mythology, and quantum physics) into a wonderful fantasy that hooks readers from the moment Al and Jerry exchange a few words. The tale never lets go until Brother Jerome completes his journeys though Quant steals the show. Fans who appreciate an amusing with serious undertone adventure tale will appreciate Jerome Through the Looking Glass guided by Quant the Cheshire cat.

Harriet Klausner

While it took a few pages to get into the story, by mid book I couldn't wait to see how it would end. The book contains spiritual mysteries (who is Quantum Cat, and what lurks deep in the forest?) and a more down to earth mystery (who is the woman in the cottage?). I was disappointed by the ending. It was very abrupt and lacked the depth of the storyline in total.