Debut Novel, Angelguard by Ian Acheson, with an author Q&A

Within a period of weeks, three horrific bomb blasts devastate areas of London, Los Angeles and Sydney. No explanation is offered, no victory claimed for these acts of terror. Yet behind the scenes a Machiavellian European businessman is planning to bring the G8 nations to their knees for his own larcenous purposes, aided by the dark forces to whom he has sold his soul. Jack Haines, an Australian academic, is grieving the loss of wife and children in the Sydney blast. Against his will he finds himself thrown into a war that transcends the physical world, a conflict in which angelic guards have a special mission for him. This is a gripping novel of the unseen forces that throng our world.

My review:
    Several years ago, I read a couple of books that did an awesome job of showing spiritual warfare between angels and evil. Those books were This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by a new author, Frank Peretti. In my opinion, those were his best books. I really enjoy that type of book, and have read some similar, so when I was offered this book to review by the author, I jumped at the chance.

   Angelguard is very reminiscent of Peretti's earlier books, but better. This book has a lot of angels, evil angels, and spiritual warfare, but it falls more into the suspense/intrigue genre' than other books of this type that I have read. There is a lot of action in this book, and a lot of characters to keep up with, but there is a handy guide in the front of the book detailing the main characters, where they are from - i.e. Australia, USA, etc - and a list of the main angels, good and bad, and who the good angels are guarding.

  This is Ian's first published novel, and it is one he should be proud of. The book has a terrific plot, complicated, yet easy to keep up with and understand. Then there are the characters: I liked the main Christian characters, some flawed and even doubting God due to tragedy in their lives, yet still serving Him....... and then there are the angels. The Bible doesn't describe angles in much detail, so we don't know much about them, but I like how Ian has described them in his book, and it is comforting to think that is very likely we are surrounded and guarded by beings such as these.

  This was one of those "read in one sitting books" I refer to occasionally. Once I started it, I could not put it down. It is a fast paced read, full of suspense, yet with a great message: God is always in control, and prayer does matter. Maybe the angels are moved more to action by our prayers. It sure can't hurt.

   Anyone who reads many of my reviews knows I am a stickler for language, and will always mention issues, no matter how much I like the book and author. This book had 2 instances of the "d-word" and a handful of the "n-word" (used for black people). I can understand why that one was used, but it still bothered me. Those two words aside, this was an awesome book and I look forward to reading more in this series. Ian is definitely an author to keep your eye on.

About the author

Ian’s debut　novel, Angelguard, is due out this month in the US and Canada, March in the UK and May in Australia. It’s been 10 years in the making and he’s very pleased it’s made the light of day.

Ian reads a lot, and a lot, and a lot more. He’s been telling and writing stories for most of his life since early childhood.

When Ian’s not writing he’s a professional strategy consultant having been in the Corporate world for the past 25 years. He brings some of this experience into his stories. He’s lived in Sydney, Australia, all of his life. Ian shares life with his wife, Fiona and they try to keep up with two almost-twenty something young men who give them much joy and you know what else if you’re a parent.

You can keep in touch with Ian at:


Website: http://ianacheson.com/

Twitter: @achesonian

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ianachesonauthor

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6483090.Ian_Acheson


Q&A with Ian

Your debut novel, Angelguard, comes out this month. Tell us a little about Angelguard.

Angelguard reveals the timeless supernatural war that continues unabated and it
’s intersection with our physical world. In bringing the warring angels and demons to the forefront of a rollicking tale that crosses the globe, I wanted to highlight the ferocity of this conflict. The physical story focuses on three survivors of separate acts of terrorism that occur within weeks of each other.

Why do you want to write Christian fiction?

It’s strange, Mark, it’s not a question I’ve thought much about. The simple answer is: I believe God has led me to it.

I started writing Angelguard over ten years ago and it was always going to be a Christian novel featuring angels and demons. The evolution of Angelguard parallels my return to walking with the Lord. This is perhaps best explained by reference to my “About Me” page on my website: http://ianacheson.com/about-me/

So what were some of your key influences in writing Angelguard?

All my life, I've loved stories of good and evil. I think we all do. Super heroes, to Tolkien, CS Lewis, Ted Dekker and on. Frank Peretti’s “Darkness” books had a big impact on me 20 or so years ago when they came out. Since I was a kid, I’d always visualized angels and demons in the common way I think most people do, that is, human-like with wings. Other than Lewis’ work , the “Darkness” novels were the first Christian novels I’d read that provided a visual picture of this spiritual battle.

What messages do you hope people will take away from Angelguard?

3 messages:

1. There is a spiritual battle going on around us. The Bible talks a lot about it but often we choose to give it lip service.
2. Prayer is powerful. Prayer moves heaven and if we don’t pray, things may not happen. I believe God wants to use us to help Him do His work. Prayer and obedience are keys to fulfilling our role.
3. Salvation is a great supernatural act we experience as humans. Often in Christian circles we emphasise healings, prophecies and such like which are all fantastic but sometimes forget that salvation is miraculous too.

Book trailer: