Book two in the Phoenix Chronicles
I have been waiting for this book with baited breath, (luckily for me I only read the first one a month ago, so didn’t have to wait too long) and I am very glad to say it didn’t disappoint me!
The series hooked me by the fact that it has for the basis of its mytholgoy one of the ’missing books’ from the bible, the Book of Enoch. Working as I do in a bookshop with a large Christian/religious section and having a sister who has a theology degree, it peaked my interest.
The series is almost a biblical end of times book with a twist, its got vampires, shifters and demons as well as angels, seers and witches. There are many books out there that focus on the Book of Revelations and its end times prophecies but this one takes its prophecies from Enoch a set of texts, along with others, that were excluded from the books that we now call the bible in about 364 A.D. by the council of Laodicea (don’t quote me I’m no expert).
I love the way Ms Handeland has used this text to create her story, and the story is very good one to boot! Lizzie Phoenix used to be a cop but her psychic abilities cost her the life of her partner, so now shes a bartender. Only shes just found out shes all that’s stopping doomsday, well that and her ex/not ex lover Jimmy, his ex lover Summer and her new lover Sawyer and a few other people we meet along the way, including the dead spirit of her foster mother Ruthie.
I have to admit I was a little worried that this was going to be an Anita Blake nightmare, but it is far from it, in fact in my opinion if Ms Hamilton had handled the sex situation in a similar manner as Ms Handeland, I would still be reading her books.
I loved this book, I have the bleary eyes from staying up till 4am to finish it to prove it! The world building is great, and although its based on a religious text, it in no way preaches, they aren’t fighting good and evil but light and dark. The characters are very believable and I really engaged with them, I felt for them, rooted for them and wanted to slap them up the side of the head when they needed it. In other worlds I was able to connect to them and submerge myself in their world, something that for me is important when reading and something that I am sure is not always easy to do as a writer.
I will now just have to sit back and wait for the next book to come out, but in the mean time I will finish reading the Book of Enoch that my sister kindly bought me to shut me up!
Tazallie
- Any Given Doomsday
- Doomsday Can Wait
- Apocolypse happens (November 2009)
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