Spirit of Independence

Keith Rommel

Average Rating 7/10 (1 Review)

Spirit of Independence

"…a must read… The cranial plot keeps you guessing and intrigued until the surprising ending you'd never expect…"
Gene William, www.Bookreview.ws

Travis Winter, the Spirit of Independence, was viciously murdered in World War II. Soon after his untimely death, he discovers he is a chosen celestial knight; a new breed of Angel destined to fight the age-old war between Heaven and Hell. Yet, confusion reigns for Travis when he is pulled into Hell and confronted by the Devil himself... a saddened creature who begs only to be heard.

Freed by a band of Angels sent to rescue him, Travis rejects the Devil's plea and begins a fifty-year-long odyssey to uncover the true reasons why Heaven and Hell war.

Now, in this, the present day, Travis comes to you, the reader, to share recent and extraordinary revelations that will no doubt change the way you view the Kingdom of Heaven and Hell. And what is revealed will change your own afterlife in ways you could never imagine…

Keith Rommel currently resides on Long Island. Working a full-time job, Keith writes, reads, and dabbles in web creativity in his spare time. He is an avid comic book collector, science fiction movie buff, and a New York Giants football fan.

Four books in the Spirit Chronicles are currently complete and three are awaiting forthcoming release.

Review by Nigel (010502) Rating (7/10)

Review by Nigel
Rating 7/10
This is an unusual book to say the least. The story is about the battle between good and evil. It opens with Travis Winters being shot and killed during World War 2 for no apparent reason. He soon finds there is life after death and spends 50 years learning the reasons for his demise. Travis has been chosen as The Spirit of Independence, to fight the Devil in the age-old war between heaven and hell. So ensues an intricate plot with twist and turns aplenty right up until the last chapter.

The story was good with the writing getting better as the story went on… I'm not sure if this was the order it was written in or if I got used to the style more but it was something I noticed.

A small point to note was an inconsistency I'm not sure was ever answered, which bugged me a bit. At one point Amanda, Travis's granddaughter, is attacked in a morgue. The story is told from both Travis's and the devil's point of view. In the devil's story Travis is the aggressor and he describes a violent attack on Amanda while Travis's story describes an attack by the devil. At the time I thought this may be a crafty plot twist …something to do with perception or deception of the eye. I waited right to the end for an explanation but none came (unless I missed it, which is very possible knowing me:).

The only other problem I had was the format, with the story being written in the first person from the viewpoint of several characters. I personally found the constant view change spoiling the flow a little, this being confirmed by the latter part of the book, which is just told from the Spirit's point of view and fair sizzles along. As I say, this is only a personal thing and others may not find it a problem.

All in all an interesting book from an author with a flare for surreal and devious storytelling. I look forward to the next book in the series… I would like to see how the endings revelations affect Travis and the spirit realm.
Nigel (1st May 2002)