Review of Killing Abel

[Flora Posh]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Killing Abel" by Michael Tieman.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Adam and Eve had already made a costly mistake. Unfortunately, no change would happen, and they had to pay for their sins. They had eaten the fruit they were expressly forbidden from eating because Lucifer had deceived them. To punish them, God banished them from the beautiful garden of Eden. They no longer had his presence to shield them from life's cold, hard claws. They could not afford to wallow in their shame. God commanded them to populate the earth, and that was what they would do. If they could have looked into the future, they would have seen that Cain, one of their sons, would be the first murderer. If they could look further, they would see that their mistake in the garden would be the reason why wicked men would fill the earth. If they could look into the future, they would never have eaten that fruit, no matter what the devil promised them. They had done the deed. Now, they must live with their shame and its consequences. Will they find redemption one day? Will man find redemption one day?

Killing Abel is the story of Adam and Eve's growth from naive, naked beings to wise adults. It shows their quest for redemption and their attempt to create order on earth. It also highlights the significant consequence of Cain's murder, as told in the book of Genesis. This story caught my attention because I always wondered what the mark God placed on Cain as punishment meant in reality. Michael Tieman did his best to explain the situation.

To say that Killing Abel opened my eyes and enlightened me is an understatement. I liked many things about Killing Abel. Before I get into that, I would like to mention what I liked the least about it. I always wondered how the earth was filled up with humans when the Bible says everyone came out of the loins of Adam and Eve. I had my suspicions but did not want to believe them flimsily. Killing Abel confirmed my suspicion of incest, and I was utterly disgusted. I do not blame Michael Tieman for writing that because that was the most logical conclusion if you go by the Bible's claims. That, however, did not reduce my level of disgust. On the other hand, Michael Tieman made things worse by describing how grown-up women looked at their crawling brothers and saw their husbands in them. They fantasized about committing the unthinkable, and that irritated me. It was logical, but it sickened me.

Now, about what I liked the most. I loved Michael Tieman's attention to the story's progression the most. He explained everything that needed an explanation, from the relationship between the people to their convictions. These explanations made the book voluminous, but I did not care.

Killing Abel is a masterpiece. I cannot lie about that. I may have found the incestuous fantasies and relationships disturbing, but I do not blame the author for that addition. I may have done the same because it seems like the most logical explanation for the earth's population (going by the book on which it is based). There were about seven errors in the entire book, so it was professionally edited. Considering these things, it is logical that I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. The way I felt about that part I dislike is purely subjective, so I do not think I should subtract stars because of that.

Although Killing Abel is based on a Bible story, non-Christians can read and enjoy it. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants a good story about the struggles of a family and the consequences of wrongdoing. I also recommend it to historians. Although this book is a work of fiction, it can help them reach certain conclusions as far as the history of humankind is concerned.

******
Killing Abel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords