Book Review: WHEN THE HEAVENS FALL, by Marc Turner

Marc Turner
WHEN THE HEAVENS FALL
Tor Books, 2015
541 pages
Dark Fantasy

As much as I love reading giant fantasy novels, writing reviews on them is never simple. How do you summarize a tome into a few paragraphs? Below is my best attempt at conveying the pure enjoyment I received from reading WHEN THE HEAVENS FALL.

See if you can stay with me on this, I am going to recap in what I call "a nutshell." Basically there is this Book of Lost Souls. It is filled with power, and magic. Locked power. Locked magic. The one who possess the book, must also know how to unlock the secrets if the power and magic is to be wielded, and wielded correctly.

The existence of such a book poses a threat to the rest of the world for far too many obvious reasons. And so the quest for four separate groups begins. Their race for the book is not unobserved. The one with the book knows the opposition is en route, and will stop at nothing to stop them!

Mayot Mencada is a mage. He has the Book. And with it he unlocked a secret. He found a way to call the souls of the dead back through Shroud's gate. He, in all of his limited wisdom, has recruited an army of undead to protect his person . . . while he works at unlocking more of the book's potential and increasing his power!

Luker, a former Guardian agrees to lead a team. He somewhat strong armed into the mission. The fact his former master, Kanon, disappeared prior to Luker's enlistment is about the only reason he truly agrees. He doesn't care about the book. He wants only to rescue his old friend. Teamed with assassin, Jenna, and some others from the Emperor's personally hand-picked team, they set out to find (Konan) the book!

Luker and Jenna are by far my favorite two characters. They have history together. And although we get snippets into what that history was, snippets mind you, there is clearly another book in their older adventures that I am certain Turner will not leave unturned (unwritten).

Ebon, the Prince of Galitia, has also amassed a small team to join him on the trek across the lands with the intention of recovering the book first! His kingdom is under attack. Raised dead pound at the city walls, and threaten to destroy his realm. Unstoppable, there is little chance of defeating an army that is not alive. Time is of the essence. He needs the book so he can put a stop to the siege!

Romany Elivar is the high priestess to the goddess, Spider. The two are sneaky and conniving. Too late to snatch the book up for themselves, they are left with feeding the book's owner bits and pieces of information on how to handle the magic found inside the pages.

Shroud is the Lord of the Dead. He wants the book as well. It may be the only talisman in existence that can rival his power, his strength his magic -- despite his being a god! Unfortunately, with so many facets in play, snatching the book from Mayot is not as easy as one might hope!

There are so many components, and angels, so many variables, and plots . . . WHEN THE HEAVENS FALL is non-stop. I feel the urgency after turning every page, after reading every paragraph. The characters  are superbly crafted. Turner makes you care about each of them: the heroes, the heroines, the nasty, the dark, and the deranged!

I have the second book in the Chronicles of Exile ready to go! I cannot wait to get started!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: THE GATES OF HELL - Michael Livingston

Michael Livingston
THE GATES OF HELL
TOR / A Tom Doherty Associates Book
Historical Fiction / Fantasy

After reading the first book in this new series, THE SHARDS OF HEAVEN, I couldn't wait for more. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait. And with relish, dug right in!

The dust jacket says: Alexandria has fallen, and with it the great kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra is dead. Her children are paraded through the streets in chains wrought of their mother's golden treasures, and within a year all but one of them will be dead. Only her young daughter, Cleopatra Selene, survives to continue her quest for vengeance against Rome and its emperor, Augustus Caesar.

To show his strength, Augustus Caesar will go to war against the Cantabrians in northern Spain, and it isn't long before he calls on Juba of Numidia, his adopted half-brother and the man whom Selene has been made to marry -- but whom she has grown to love. The young couple journey to the Cantabrian frontier, where they learn that Caesar wants Juba so he can use the Trident of Poseidon to destroy his enemies. Perfidy and treachery abound. Juba's love of Selene will cost him dearly in the epic fight, and the choices made may change the very fabric of the known world.

THE GATES OF HELL takes place two and a half years after THE SHARDS OF HEAVEN. Characters are reintroduced nicely. Juba --Octavian's step brother, who was once meant to rule Numidia before Rome seized it, is married to the young Cleopatra Selene. With Cleopatra and Antony dead, Selene was destined to rule as queen of Egypt, but again, Rome interfered with her fate, as well.

There are at least four collected Shards. Pieces of Heaven that splintered when God died. Each holds its own mystical power. Only the select few can even touch, much less, wield the power contained in the black crystals. Juba and Selene are headstrong about seeking revenge against Octavian (who know calls himself Augustus). They are intent on destroying Rome. And with the Shards, they know they have the power to accomplish anything.

The Ark of the Covenant is safe (for the time being). Caesarion (son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra) and his wife Hannah have the Biblical relic hidden. Vorenus and Pullo know that the Ark needs to be moved to a better location. Transporting the powerful ark will not be simple, if anything doing so could prove very dangerous.

Augustus wants to move against the Cantabrian, to bring even more to Rome! The barbarians have more than arrows and steal on their side. They too possess one of the Shards. The battle, with Juba at the frontline, is nothing shy of destructive.

Tiberius, the stepson of Augustus, knows that Selene stole from Rome. He is determined to figure out what she took. He will stop at nothing until he has all he wants. And what he wants is to rule in Augustus' place!

Can one man bring peace to the world What if that one man is wanted dead by so many because of his aspirations? Or will the revelation of an evil truth ignite a new war where wielding the Shards brings death, destruction, and literally opens the gates of hell? THE GATES OF HELL was impossible to put down. Livingston uses a host of complex characters, each some kind of bizarre mix on family trees, and somehow manages to make the reading simple, and concise. The tale his told at a heart-pounding pace. The action is constant, and the suspense always building. Always. I love the characters, and the dialogue, both informative, and witty! Folks, do yourself a favor. Add Michael Livingston to your to-be-read list of authors. He's going to be around for a while. Jump on his bandwagon now, ahead of the game!

Phillip Tomasso

Author of the Severed Empire Series, and

The Vaccination Trilogy