The marriage of history, religion and mythology in Gears of Uriel is, simply put, outstanding. If you enjoy reading about Greek and Roman times, then this will certainly grab your attention. If you like to delve into the errors inherent in religion and how they potentially came about, then this is a must read. And, if you enjoy tales of angels and gods and goddesses, then look no further.
I sound a bit like a sales person, but the truth is that Gears of Uriel is a multi-layered story and will therefore appeal to a varied readership. If, however, you enjoy ALL these layers, I cannot recommend it more!
A man is given a task to create a gadget – gears – and then asked to guard it, to pass it along in his family through time, so that the future will know the ancient world was very aware that our planet revolved around the sun, and wasn’t in fact the centre as scholars and theologians would have everyone believe then. This secret is a burden of truth and the guardians often find themselves in desperate situations.
Mr Blackmer delivers a wonderful narrative, both clever and imaginative. This is well-researched and also filled with emotion – as a reader, I identified with every guardian of these gears! More than all of the above, though, is the thread of light and love weaved into the whole. Whether or not you believe the story, the inspiration light and love brings to the fore is worth every word read.
This is the first book in the Luminous Bridges series and it truly is excellent. The second – Tyrian – is as brilliant. If you haven’t yet read Mr Blackmer’s work, I suggest you do. His work is both thought-provoking and epic in scope.
Highly recommended. Gears of Uriel deserves 5 stars indeed.
Elaina Davidson
This is an excellent story
woven with thought-provoking theological commentary throughout. After reading
another of this author’s books, Draegnstoen, I knew I would not be
disappointed. This is a very different genre from the other book, but also
looks to come from a very personal journey described by the author’s note at
the end of the book. To me, this gives the story even more depth and impact.
Looking forward to future works from Jeffrey Blackmer.
Gigs 5 Stars
Very interesting and
compelling story. What was most interesting, however, were the author’s
insights regarding the origins of Christianity and organized religion. The
first book I’ve finished in a while!
Jen Walker 5 Stars
The Gears of Uriel boosts the reader back into the way ancient past, introducing us to Theodorus and his family. The beginning quickly illustrates how complicated multi-deity worship was in ancient Greece, and from there the novel takes you through this man’s descendants, each having the responsibility of keeping Uriel’s Gears safe.
At first it feels disjointed and random, a bit like doing a tarot card reading, each chapter is a card having an entirely unique story and character, only near the last third of the novel do all of these pieces come together to create a whole picture. I’ve read other novels by this author and this is the first he’s used this style in, which at first is disconcerting.
The novel covers the age old struggle between dark and light, good and evil. What is your right could be someone else’s wrong, and it’s in this grey area that our greatest conflicts develop. Gears of Uriel reads very much like a Christian influenced novel, and if you’re not into that it can feel uncomfortable, but the reason for this becomes apparent further along. Once the characters cross the line between ancient pagan worship and modern Christianity, the author uses certain Christian ritual and wording to make a valiant point about how deceptive Christianity is. He quotes names I know from my own bible, but he doesn’t ever expose why the name is significant. Here I think knowledge of the bible reference is an advantage to the reader. Overall it’s a great fantasy historical novel which helps recovering Catholics and Christians to get away from the fear and worry that they’ve somehow damned themselves by walking away from an organisation calling itself holy. Only at the end when you read the author’s note do you realise this was his agenda, it was his spiritual journey out the shackles and bondage of a fear based religion, but it still seems to embrace the prophet of their tomes. So be warned up front this novel definitely has some of that religious flavour going on in it, but it’s used effectively to illustrate his point, the point of the novel showing the irony of heresy. Again heresy is purely in the eyes of the beholder, your right and my right could be worlds apart.
Reading this I felt like I was walking through the ancient world, the characters were fascinating and the ancient beliefs and rituals even more so. The cover calls it a metaphysical historical novel, and it is very much that. There is no one character to bond to, instead we readers are like archeologists tracing the voyage of one device through centuries, reading about the flaws of this chosen family, and ultimately there is a stand off between angels and devils.
The author’s journey is well depicted in this tale, from a state of compliance and mute confusion to discovering spirituality cannot be boxed in and labelled, it is unique for each of us. We’re not supposed to have the same journey, none of us are, we’re individual and so each of us if we understood true love would embrace these differences instead of scorn them. And that’s why the design of this novel, chapter by separate chapter makes perfect sense. Even the layout and style shows you how unique and different we are, each of his characters having a completely different approach to the previous one, to their spirituality, to their journey, and to their life.
This is not a dramatic read, it has a gentle lull, like lying on a hammock just dipping into a calm ocean, neither hot nor cold, neither bland nor melodramatic, perfect for relaxed reading. I think the message was clear, the approach was good, and the characters and world this is set in is spellbinding and vivid. This feels like it could have happened, it feels like this could have been a true history, and it’s that conviction which you’re left with that makes you happy you read it. It feels like you’ve learned a secret, and there is something irresistible about secrets.
Amazon Customer 5 stars
This is a story that spans several generations, starting with Theodoros who was approached by an angel with a request for him to build the Gears of Uriel. A device that holds a truth many in power do not want known. Wow!!! This book is amazing, It’s not just a simple story to read while having a few free hours.It is a tale that you clear time for and settle in for the long haul. Jeffrey Blackmer managed to do what I absolutely love and that is to weave a wonderful tale while threading important information through out. I was swept away on a cloud of knowledge while reading this book and when it was finished I came away with a feeling of pure satisfaction. Thank you Mr. Blackmer, I applaud your brilliance.
Monique Lomino 5 stars
Reading The Gears of Uriel by Jeffrey Blackmer, is a little like going on a spiritual journey. We follow the unravelling of organised religion throughout history and are faced with what really matters – spirituality and the eternal strength of the human soul.
This book is exceedingly well-researched, but without bogging the reader down with tiring information. It’s all woven into the body of the story and it works well, is written in a relaxed manner, and is not forced upon the reader. That, I find, is a difficult balance to maintain but is carried off well.
The descriptions of nature are wonderful and vivid – the author has a real knack for them.
Following the story throughout the ages, I became attached to some of the guardians more than others – such as Eudokia and Pascal, whose pain I really felt! – yet, all of the guardians are distinct colourful characters and have a very precise role to play. The angels, too, are very different one from the other, but they always express their wisdom and compassion openly.
The messages in this novel are profound and ignite a spark of curiosity to learn more in the reader. It is a bold and challenging novel, and one that requires soul searching to understand what the real truth is. I’m sure there will be some who will not agree with what the author is writing, but I think it is definitely worth reading and I would certainly recommend it. Its fantastical elements are counterbalanced well with the small details which ground this book in an interesting blend of spiritual realism, history and fantasy, as well as the metaphysical. A very interesting read!
AnLe 5 Stars
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