Sage Alexander and the Hall of Nightmares

Steve Copling

Brown Books Publishing Group Hardcover $18.99 (416pp) 978-1-61254-942-2

The adventure is a compelling one, and Sage’s journey, personal in saving his father and noble in saving the world, is worth rooting for.

Sage Alexander and the Hall of Nightmares is an intricate, adventurous novel of a boy’s journey to save his father and defeat the Seven Princes of Hell.

Sage’s constant companion, an angel named Leah, has been growing more insistent that he begin his training to defeat the evils in the world. Sage resists, as the last time he spoke to Leah, it ended with him in therapy for an imaginary friend he wouldn’t let go of. But now that Sage’s father is acting strangely and growing into something unrecognizable to Sage, he knows he has to act quickly. His training has been stalled long enough that he has fallen behind, but he is the chosen one and his friends are certain that with help, he will grow powerful again.

The world building in Sage Alexander is excellent; backstory is heavily explored and the world that Sage is discovering is complex in a fascinating way. It is not all magic on Earth; there is an alternate place that people with powers, like Sage, can enter, an interesting addition to Sage’s journey.

Sage’s world and experiences are founded in Christianity. The Seven Princes in the story represent the seven deadly sins from Christian teachings. Sage attends church and keeps its values in mind. When sparring with his cousin, he does not gloat, but remains humble and reminds his brother to do the same when he wins.

Most of the facts of the story are carried out through dialogue, which at times can seem overwhelming. A lot is to be learned at once and most of it is told by Sage’s inner monologue rather than revealed in storytelling.

The adventure is a compelling one, and Sage’s journey, personal in saving his father and noble in saving the world, is worth rooting for.