New Review of THE SILENT STEPS OF GRACE

Here’s a review of THE SILENT STEPS OF GRACE  by Michael Philip Mann, a wonderful and talented writer, editor and critic. Thank you Michael.

At one point in The Silent Steps of Grace, the narrator tells us that “. . . Grace could be hard and merciless. She requires you to travel down a long dark tunnel before she allows you to emerge into the light.” In his first novel, author Alan Mesher has crafted an intricate spiritual adventure through which readers may experience the many shades and textures of darkness of this world. The atrocities of war. The bitter poison of betrayal. The loneliness of exile. And yet, through it all, Grace’s presence glimmers steadfast at the end of the tunnel, relentlessly guiding the reader to emerge into the light.

The Silent Steps of Grace is the story of Tenzin, a tibetan monk, a true spiritual warrior who is willing to walk through the darkness as often as it rises to strike him down. More important, he is a man who is willing to devote his life to teaching others how to find the strength and wisdom to take those sometimes subtle, often elegant, always silent steps of grace. As Tenzin tells his friend, “No one is coming to save us. Not in Tibet. Not in America or anywhere else. We must save ourselves.”

I recommend that you read The Silent Steps of Grace. Savor it. The subtle layers and echoing themes of Mesher’s writing will open your heart and make it stronger. It will show you that there is always a way to find the light, even when you are navigating the deepest darkness.

I think of Tenzin often. His story stays with me as if he is an old friend I have neglected to contact for a while. I wonder what he’s up to, and I look forward to hearing about his latest adventures when I see him again. Thank goodness this is the first volume of a trilogy. I will be happy to hear from my old friend and to discover where his next adventures take us.

At one of many profound moments in this story, Tenzin says, “A moment of beauty requires no apology.” And so it is with The Silent Steps of Grace. A moment of beauty. You will not be disappointed.