In the villages of 1843 Prussian-occupied Poland, where faith clashes with forbidden desires, Moses Karnowski-a charming Jewish peddler-embarks on a path of seduction & sin. When he impregnates young Catholic virgin Martha Nering, their illicit union births Valentine Karnowski, a child destined for a life of trials. But Moses's debauchery draws darker forces: possessed by demons, he spirals into violence, theft, & murder, terrorizing the area.
As Polish Catholicism collides with rigid Prussian law, Val's guardian angel Zuriel narrates this gripping tale of possession & redemption. Exorcism, satanic rituals, & a courtroom drama unfold amid historical upheaval, exploring themes of faith, class strife, & the eternal battle between good & evil. Will Moses escape hell, or will his sins doom him-& his son?
Book 1 of The Zuriel Disclosures Series blends historical accuracy with supernatural intrigue, delving into relations among Poles, Jews & Germans, demonic possession, & morality. Perfect for fans of dark historical fiction. Think: The Exorcist meets The Painted Bird.
Martha, an unwed mother in a deeply Catholic society, faces rejection from her abusive father & societal scorn. Moses, already a serial seducer with multiple illegitimate children scattered across villages, plies his womanizing ways, showing no remorse. As baby Val grows, Moses's life takes a sinister turn: drawn into a secret satanic coven, he offers himself to demons during a full-moon ritual in the forest.
Possessed by 12 demons led by Amartia, Moses descends into untamed hedonism. He commits sacrileges-desecrating churches & consecrated Hosts, & murdering coven rivals. Atypical phenomena terrorize the parish: vandalized graves, inexplicable accidents, & brutal killings. The coven gets Moses to kidnap his own son, Val, in a demonic frenzy.
Detective Theo Welsch investigates, uncovering clues pointing to Moses. Captured after a dramatic manhunt, he escapes jail in a superhuman rage, only to seek sanctuary at the rectory. Father Marion Ceynowa, renowned exorcist, performs exorcism over two grueling days, witnessing levitations, demonic voices, fires, snakes emerging from Moses's mouth, & blows by invisible forces.
Narrated by Val's guardian angel Zuriel, who knows the truth behind human events, this novel meticulously recreates 1843 rural life: peasant hardships, noble privilege, Jewish customs, Catholic devotions, & Prussian oppression. Detailed historical events, & authentic cultural practices immerse readers in a vanished world.
Ultimately tried & executed despite pleas of demonic influence-dismissed by Enlightenment-era Prussian court-Moses's fate raises profound questions about free will, sin, & redemption. Martha finds employment as a maid in a noble household, & raises Val amid lingering heartache.
The Possession of Moses Karnowski launches The Zuriel Disclosures Series, promising further revelations of Val's extraordinary life thru angelic eyes. A compelling fusion of historical fiction, horror, & spiritual drama that confronts the darkness within human souls while affirming faith's enduring triumph.
Gerald was born in 1937 in Chicago. As a child he was an avid reader of How to Draw books. One day at age 11 he wandered over to the Grown-up Books section of the public library and pulled down a picture-book of gothic cathedrals. He fell in love with their beauty. His mother used to give him the white paper in which the butcher had wrapped meat. Finding a large piece of plywood, he became "the only kid on his block" who used to sketch up gothic cathedral façades. He began studying Architecture in 1955 and worked his way thru college, earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois in 1966. He is proud to say that he never took a penny of student loans. He received an Illinois license in 1972. Sometime after that he began conducting genealogical research on his ancestors. He speaks Polish, German, and Spanish to some extent. He has a gift for language.
Gerald has undergone three intensifications of faith in his life: one at age fourteen, when, as a child prodigy he became the object of three years of abuse by his classmates. He endured and graduated. The second was at age twenty-two, when it appeared he was about to die. He told himself, "If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna go out in a blaze of glory", and joined volunteer groups that kept him active every night of the week. The third was in 1982, when a concurrence of events, including the loss of a job, left him "down and out", and God gave him a new image of Himself as a very loving Father.
After this last intensification in 1982 began to feel the call to do something more directly to promote Jesus' kingdom on earth. He began to explore religious life. It saddened him to see the majority of adult Catholics coasting thru life on a few simplistic ideas that they picked up in early life. In 1992 he sold a condo in Chicago and used the money from the sale for education. He entered Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio in September, 1992. Once there he responded to a call by Fr. Michael Scanlon TOR and entered Holy Apostles Seminary for older men in Cromwell, CT. in fall, 1993. He spent 3 1/2 months doing door-to-door evangelization in Ceres and Modesto, CA in summer, 1994 while on assignment at St. Jude's parish, Ceres. He concluded that religious life was not for him and returned to Franciscan U. and earned a Master of Arts degree in Theology and Christian Ministry in 1996.
Unable to find work with his degree, and running out of money, he found a job as an archit...
