Jerome and the Seraph (Paperback)

by Robina Williams (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Jerome and the Seraph is a delight to read! I was drawn into the story immediately." -- Dallas Franklin, author of "Dare to be Published."

"Jerome and the Seraph is a delight to read! I was drawn into the story immediately." --Dallas Franklin, author of "Dare to be Published."

"Paintings, classical mythology and architecture all play bit parts, but the cat is the star of the show." -- Annette Gisby, author of "Writing the Dream."

"Paintings, classical mythology and architecture all play bit parts, but the cat is the star of the show." --Annette Gisby, author of "Writing the Dream."

"a simple entertaining book that ironically connects complex topics (the afterlife, mythology, and quantum physics) into a wonderful fantasy..." -- Harriet Klausner for MBR Bookwarch.

"a simple entertaining book that ironically connects complex topics (the afterlife, mythology, and quantum physics) into a wonderful fantasy..." --Harriet Klausner for MBR Bookwarch.

...a delight to read! I was drawn into the story immediately and couldn't put it away... -- Dallas Hodder Franklin, publisher of Sell Writing Online.

...charming and deceptively simple story, filled with delightful puns and serenely sly humor. It is a book to cherish. -- Pat H. Fredeman, author of

Paintings, classical mythology and architecture all play bit parts, but the cat is the star of the show. -- Annette Gisby, author of

Product Description
Brother Jerome's death came as a surprise to him. So did the afterworld. There were no cherubs, no harps, no fluffy white clouds. Jerome had pictured the afterworld as a traditional sort of place. Leo, Jerome's pet cat from the friary, turns up to say hello -- literally. Jerome is shocked, for he hadn't known that the cat could talk. Nor had he known the cat's real name was Quantuum -- "You can call me Quant," the cat says to Jerome. Is Quant dead or alive? Jerome doesn't know, for Quant still lives in the friary, yet he pops along, as if through an interdimensional catflap, to see his friend in the afterworld. What is Quant? Jerome hasn't a clue. And what is this strange world he's now in? Is it a new world or an old world? The Hound of Heaven is here, the Christian friars are here, but so are the centaurs and the Greek gods. And everyone seems to get along together just fine.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Twilight Times Books (December 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931201544
• ISBN-13: 978-1931201544
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,079,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow, what a topic!, May 19, 2005

By	Craig A. Hart (Grand Rapids, Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jerome and the Seraph, July 5, 2005

By	Amanda Killgore (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Novel, March 12, 2005

By	W. A. Thurston "Author" (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.