Novel Review: The Oubliette by B. James Wilson

The Oubliette

"The Oubliette" is a darkly, compelling tale of the unseen forces that have, from the beginning, doggedly shaped our world by their influence on the minds of men. It is the powerful tale of a NYC fireman's confrontation with an imprisoned angel, one too powerful for death, but too wicked to be free, whose rebellion has been especially offensive to God.

Beneath the mythical desert of Duadel there exists a place of lonely darkness, a place that has been "forgotten" for many centuries by the world of light above. In that place, on the morning of September eleventh, two thousand and one, amidst darkness, chaos, and the rush of time, Mike Brennan will be forced to decide what he will sacrifice in order to save the life of a young boy and, indeed, to save his own life, for, in the depths of that dungeon lies an ancient evil, a solitary prisoner of conscience who, in isolation, awaits judgement.

"The Oubliette," is an account of the continuing battle for the minds of men, and for planet Earth. It is a story of Powers, Principalities, and Dominions, of the spread of evil and wickedness among human-kind, and of God's plan to overcome. The epic battle between darkness and light impacts the lives of all people, as illustrated in the life of a single fireman and a small boy, on an infamous day of conflict.

Perspective by Peter:

I bought this novel in 2018. I have wanted to read it ever since but life and the commitment to reviewing novels at author's request had taken precedence.

I knew this would be a great story and Wilson has not disappointed. It is a story within a story. It is this that rivets you to keep reading. You want to find out if Michael survives being trapped and crushed in the collapsed building and you are cheering him on through the narrative of his firefighter colleagues as they fight all odds to save him physically all the while the events of 911 and the Twin Towers of 2001 happen around them.

That is the first story. The second story is what Michael experiences on the spiritual level while unconscious and trapped in this collapsed building. He is transported to an oubliette where an imprisoned fallen angel, Azazel, is in held in chains. It is here that Michael learns about who this fallen angel is and why he is imprisoned. And it is this that further rivets you to keep reading. I became engrossed in both these story arcs. I became impatient during the hours of daily living wanting to return to this story to see what happens next but also to learn more about the tale that Azazel was telling Michael for the reasons of his imprisonment.

This all goes back to the beginning of Creation, the rebellion of satan and his fellow angels, their banishment to Earth, the Watchers and what led to the Nephilim, leading up to Nimrod and the Tower of Babel and God's judgement on all of them. Wilson has obviously done his research from biblical and extrabiblical texts and has used clever poetic licence to join the dots speculatively between these resources to create a great tale that is not only entertaining but adds plausibility and credibility. It is one of the best accounts I have read.

This novel would be a great introduction into the topic of fallen angels, the Watchers, the Nephilim and the antediluvian age for any reader who has an inquiring mind about this from a Biblical worldview. It contains a few elements that I had not considered from my reading of non-fiction and fiction on these topics.  Wilson has treated these topics respectively and has not deviated from what the biblical and extrabiblical texts state. His use of poetic licence only enhances both of these without lessening them or dishonouring them. I commend him for this. God is not dishonoured or reduced to a lesser god in Wilson's treatment of these topics.

If you were to join all the accounts of both stories together, they would make two great novellas. Wilson has interspersed both to not only give the reader an update on both story arcs but to add tension and suspense to the narrative. This is so successful that it lead to my aforementioned impatience to leave my daily activities of daily living and return. Then when you have, you are so engrossed that you are unaware of where you are and what time of the day it is. Consequently, I extended my lunch break on a few days due to this. This novel is not just about those topics mentioned. It is about faith, who we will side with when faced with evil and deception of the truth of who God is, His plan of salvation and redemption and for that matter is there any of the same for the fallen angels? Just as Wilson stated in the description of this novel,

"The Oubliette," is an account of the continuing battle for the minds of men, and for planet Earth. It is a story of Powers, Principalities, and Dominions, of the spread of evil and wickedness among human-kind, and of God's plan to overcome. The epic battle between darkness and light impacts the lives of all people, as illustrated in the life of a single fireman and a small boy, on an infamous day of conflict.

Through Michael, we see him facing doubt and having to discern truth from lies as he listens to the claims of Azazel concerning why God made the angels lower than man, why humanity is able to procreate and the angels not, even justifying that Azazel's involvement as not as evil or deceptive as Samyaza's and Satan's. This was such a challenge to Michael, and he had to provide a defence to his faith (apologetics) and not cave in to the lies and deception of Azazel.  This is a biblical tenet as outlined in 1 Peter 3:15,

but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

This is just one of the spiritual themes that run through this novel. There are many others. This is what I like about Christian fiction that it encourages your walk with God, uplifts you spirituality, educates you on biblical issues and Christian living, how to deal with the supernatural and the demonic and many more, albeit to the extent of what specific topic the novel is based on.

Wilson has created a novel that does all that here. It also shows that he is using this fiction platform to show who God is, His sovereignty, His plan of salvation and redemption, and the deception of the satan and his fallen angels. It provides a way of escape and protection; through prayer, living out the Bible and having a defence for our faith. I found this novel very God-honouring.

This is one complex novel on many levels but is not complicated because of this and also due to the way Wilson has constructed it. It would definitely make a great movie as long as it adhered closely to the novel, the Biblical aspects of it without compromising the message it contains.

There is more I could write about this novel, but time prevents me at the moment.

I look forward to more of what Wilson has to offer. I understand this novel is book 1 in the Bible Book Club series. I am hoping that the next novel is not on hold due to only having a few reviews from the sites I have sourced. This author has a talent and a passion for God's message of redemption and salvation and all of the lessons the Bible contains on many levels. If God has given this author the ability to write well, tell an entertaining story that would inspire, encourage, and educate or instruct of the fall of man and the spiritual warfare we are in whether we like it or not, he needs to take up this mantle and allow God to guide his thoughts, talent and pen (keyboard!) to get His message out there via the fiction platform.

Highly recommended. 

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Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

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