Hauck’s (The Searchers) thought-provoking Christian fantasy, the first in his Chronicles of the Watchers series, follows immortal watcher Elijah, who has lived among humans since The First Age, as he continually tries to stop them from choosing “destruction over creation, death over life, evil over good.” When Elijah’s fellow watcher, Lu, becomes power hungry, he starts turning humans against each other, orchestrating catastrophes like the plague and World War I, and forces Elijah to battle for the human race. But Elijah’s greatest challenge comes when he falls in love with a human and is given the extraordinary choice to become mortal—a choice that foreshadows grim consequences for humankind.

Elijah, whose deep regard for mortals is viewed as a weakness by the other watchers, is a convincing character with relatable emotions, despite his otherworldly position. When he’s gravely injured from a WWI German shell blast, he wakes up with amnesia, and an immediate connection to his nurse, Michelle, who witnesses his miraculous recovery. The innocence of their love is refreshing, as Elijah initially doesn’t remember his immortal status, but as his memory slowly returns, he’s forced to choose between his love for Michelle and his duty to safeguard humans. Hauck manages to make Elijah’s indecision believable, and his feelings for Michelle are just as forceful as his commitment to humankind—particularly when he realizes becoming fully mortal could cause thousands more to die in the war.

What makes this novel stand out is Hauck’s choice to place his characters into actual historical events, generating realism alongside the fantasy. While Lu engineers destruction, Elijah tries to turn the tide through his own small changes—like convincing Theodore Roosevelt to push America to join the war, or saving Churchill’s life when he contemplates suicide in 1916. The result is a riveting consideration of how much one person will sacrifice to protect others.

Takeaway: An immortal must choose between his true love or saving humankind in this promising series start.

Great for fans of: Jill Williamson’s By Darkness Hid, Serena Chase’s Eyes of E’veria series.

Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A