Review of Killing Abel
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- Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
Review of Killing Abel
[Following is a volunteer review of "Killing Abel" by Michael Tieman.]
Killing Abel is an imaginative tale based on the saga of the birth of mankind and his relationship with God. It is an attempt by the author, Michael Tieman, to possibly fill in the gaps regarding the events that took place during man's early days on earth. It starts off from the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and moves down to the time of the flood. The author's inspiration to write the book probably stemmed from the fact that so little information was provided regarding this period of man's existence, leaving a lot of gaps that could be filled in with our imaginations. It should be noted that the book is not meant to be theology but can be regarded as a fictional account of the events that took place from the time of Adam to Noah based on the little information provided in the Bible.
The author depicts God as a father, which is not always an easy role to play, as many mortal fathers would readily admit. Being a good father is the most important, most difficult, and without exception, the most consequential obligation a man has. As we see in the book, the path of fatherhood is a very difficult one and is often wrought with a lot of misunderstandings and conflict as can be seen amongst various generations of characters in the book. These misconceptions about fathers by children, which began since the beginning of man's existence, doesn't seem to have worn out over the years and is still very prominent now, as it was then. However, understanding begins to set in as children eventually grow up to become parents and find themselves in the same shoe.
I found the attempt of the author to bring down these old-time stories to a more relatable and universal theme, very commendable. Themes such as love, family, choice, pride, guilt, sacrifice, judgement, rebellion, fear, mercy, fatherhood and humility were very well inculcated into the plot thereby making it easy to relate with the characters. The ability of the author to display the characters as real humans with various personalities who can experience a wide range of emotions just like we do today helped me relate better to the story.
I, however, did not appreciate how the author seemed to suggest that God lacked finite knowledge, and hence occasionally had to gain wisdom through man’s activities over time: for example, “God had learned from Lamech (a grandson of Cain) and others that steel was the foundation of liberty and carbon was the foundation of steel….” My stand is that He created all the elements on the Earth’s crust and hence, knows their capabilities quite well. Also, Tieman seemed to have twisted a lot of facts regarding the original story and added a lot of details that could mislead readers who are not conversant with the original story, such as Lucifer's role in the garden and the events surrounding his fall as well as in the assumption that tree of knowledge is actually a fig tree. Misinformations such as these very much saturate the book and can be misleading for an uninformed reader. As I stated earlier, readers should bear in mind that while the book is based on the events recorded in the Bible, a lot of details are fictional and shouldn't be used for any theological reference.
In conclusion, I rate the book 3 out of 4 for the message it seeks to pass across as well as for proper editing and presentation. I recommend it to parents, especially fathers, as they struggle to express their love for their children due to various factors mentioned in the book. I also recommend it to lovers of fictional accounts of historical events and just about anyone looking for a good read.
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Killing Abel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Killing Abel is an imaginative tale based on the saga of the birth of mankind and his relationship with God. It is an attempt by the author, Michael Tieman, to possibly fill in the gaps regarding the events that took place during man's early days on earth. It starts off from the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and moves down to the time of the flood. The author's inspiration to write the book probably stemmed from the fact that so little information was provided regarding this period of man's existence, leaving a lot of gaps that could be filled in with our imaginations. It should be noted that the book is not meant to be theology but can be regarded as a fictional account of the events that took place from the time of Adam to Noah based on the little information provided in the Bible.
The author depicts God as a father, which is not always an easy role to play, as many mortal fathers would readily admit. Being a good father is the most important, most difficult, and without exception, the most consequential obligation a man has. As we see in the book, the path of fatherhood is a very difficult one and is often wrought with a lot of misunderstandings and conflict as can be seen amongst various generations of characters in the book. These misconceptions about fathers by children, which began since the beginning of man's existence, doesn't seem to have worn out over the years and is still very prominent now, as it was then. However, understanding begins to set in as children eventually grow up to become parents and find themselves in the same shoe.
I found the attempt of the author to bring down these old-time stories to a more relatable and universal theme, very commendable. Themes such as love, family, choice, pride, guilt, sacrifice, judgement, rebellion, fear, mercy, fatherhood and humility were very well inculcated into the plot thereby making it easy to relate with the characters. The ability of the author to display the characters as real humans with various personalities who can experience a wide range of emotions just like we do today helped me relate better to the story.
I, however, did not appreciate how the author seemed to suggest that God lacked finite knowledge, and hence occasionally had to gain wisdom through man’s activities over time: for example, “God had learned from Lamech (a grandson of Cain) and others that steel was the foundation of liberty and carbon was the foundation of steel….” My stand is that He created all the elements on the Earth’s crust and hence, knows their capabilities quite well. Also, Tieman seemed to have twisted a lot of facts regarding the original story and added a lot of details that could mislead readers who are not conversant with the original story, such as Lucifer's role in the garden and the events surrounding his fall as well as in the assumption that tree of knowledge is actually a fig tree. Misinformations such as these very much saturate the book and can be misleading for an uninformed reader. As I stated earlier, readers should bear in mind that while the book is based on the events recorded in the Bible, a lot of details are fictional and shouldn't be used for any theological reference.
In conclusion, I rate the book 3 out of 4 for the message it seeks to pass across as well as for proper editing and presentation. I recommend it to parents, especially fathers, as they struggle to express their love for their children due to various factors mentioned in the book. I also recommend it to lovers of fictional accounts of historical events and just about anyone looking for a good read.
******
Killing Abel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
