Shawn Smucker offers a fantastic sequel to “The Day the Angels Fell” with his latest novel, “The Edge of Over There,” a continuation of the story of Abra and Samuel and the mission to destroy the Trees of Life growing on Earth.
Told from the perspective of an elderly Samuel, the book actually spans eight years with the prologue beginning immediately after the first book ended, when Samuel and Abra defeated the dark angel and beast, killing the Tree of Life that grew near their home.
Next we travel four years in the past to the story of Leo, whose young sister Ruby is deathly ill. When a mysterious doctor offers his father Amos a way to save Ruby, by taking her through the New Orleans grave of Marie Laveau, a portal to the Edge of Over There, Amos quickly takes her up on the offer. The only catch? He must also carry and plant a small tree over there — a tree whose leaves will heal Ruby.
Eight years later (four years after Samuel and Abra’s conquest), Abra is sent on a solo mission to travel to the Edge of Over There and destroy the Tree of Life that is now growing there.
What follows is a supernatural tale of light and darkness, and good versus evil, with evil beings and the evidence of their influence upon people. It is also a bit of a dystopian novel as society in the city that has developed in the Edge is about to undergo a war.
Smucker also offers a different and unique perspective of what happens to us when we die, what would happen if we had eternal life before death occurs, and what heaven and hell would be like.
The book also delves into themes like dealing with the seen versus the unseen; we are all here “for just such a time,” sometimes needing to be the one to step and fight the battle; there is grace in everything, even in the most negative of situations; and we all have the power of choice (as helper Mr. Henry tells Abra: “The small choices we make today and the next day and the next day, combined all together in a long, crooked path, can lead us here, or they can lead us there, and the difference between here and there can be a great distance after so many choices. But most choices seem small at the time. Inconsequential.”)
Common imagery that appears again and again throughout “The Edge of Over There” includes light and darkness, and doors, locks and keys.
Smucker, besides crafting an amazing story, writes in a deliciously descriptive manner, like describing the fields as “the cut cornstalks stand in their dry rows like beard stubble on a very old, very kind face.”
This is an incredible sequel to “The Day the Angels Fell.” I would highly recommend not treating this as a standalone. And based on how this book ends, I’m guessing there could be another coming. I certainly hope so!
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.