H. David Blalock

If you’ve been following the Angelkiller Triad, Doom Angel is a must-read. If you’ve not, there’s probably enough backstory in Doom Angel, and enough in the prologue, to bring you up to date. But why miss out on some seriously strange and dark fighting. That prologue’s bound to intrigue, setting a stage where “in the ancient war between the Angels of Light and Darkness, the Dark won.”

Jonah Mason is an Angelkiller, and his battle to unseat an evil Minion of the Enemy has brought three Knights to his side. War rages in real and virtual-reality worlds, through cool backstories of history, wrecking and rebuilding lives. As disaster approaches, each character’s different view on the conflict is explored, with well-wrought past intentions lending credence to the power in a name.

“When a people are stripped of their belief in something greater than themselves, they lose the ability to resist those who promise them fulfillment of the vacuum left behind,” Mason muses. But will his team survive the vacuum's their fighting might create? Will he?

The end of the tale, and the triad, is powerfully satisfying, leaving the reader to sigh with contended belief. It’s an intriguing and pleasing conclusion to a powerful series, highly recommended.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy during the author’s recent blog tour.… (mehr)

4.75 stars truly

"Nature is, after all, a series of cycles: seasons without end, life and death and life again"- location 55

A primary example of the beautifully written prose you will find within the pages constructed throughout this engaging read. AngelKiller` maybe 200 pages long, but this is no Sunday Shorts read. The book is thick, full of a wonderfully wrought world that is feasible to the mind's eye as a definitive reality very near in our future. The reality of the world we live in today, each time the news is turned on or newspaper read, a war being fought in the name of religion. Be it the wars across the oceans that take our soldiers away from us, to the religious and moralistic wars being waged against the LGBT community, we are embroiled in this gigantic cluster F* that has stretched into every orifice of every community since humankind first raised a fist against something that threatened the nature of his existence, not life but beliefs, ideals and darkness.

H. David Blalock presents us with the age-old conflict of Good versus Evil. Though he does not directly name any god, be it Christian or otherwise this is a similar struggle as the one between Satan and God. Yes he does borrow from Christian Mythos for familiarity sake, however any monotheistic subscriber will easily recognize a generalized structure and hierarchy from their own mythos. The names of those involved and their nature including some conventions directly relating to the Christian sect makes it a more comfortable fit for Western Cultural beliefs. However with the inclusion of a sprinkle of epicness I dare add, AngelKiller calls to question, "Is Good really winning?", in its presentation of events within the first of this series. Blalock stacks them in such a manner I was torn from my cradle of warmth and the blinders of my happy life ripped away from my face.

"The question "why do bad things happen to good people?" that plagued philosophers and clerics had a very simple answer. In the Great War between Good and Evil, Evil had come out the victor. The Truth about this was hidden from most of humanity because the victors wrote the history. In the minds of men, evil became the good and vice versa. There were, however, a few who knew the Truth, and that few, calling themselves The Army, waged a continuing war against The Enemy" - (location 327)

We are not winning, he is right. We struggle each day with the expanse of technology, each day riding the wave of temptation and someone else's Machiavellian machinations attempting to construct the outcome through greed, information and exposure. How could a millinial war of Angel and Demons compete?

It has been shown in many different dreamers works the representatives and agents of Evil usually are more with the times and willing to embrace each new temptation within the gluttonous actions and hedonistic-like sensation junky lifestyle humankind live today. or attempt too. I will not to restrict this to Western culture, even in third world countries people strive to own a piece of the future. From childhood we learn it is always a bit easier being bad than being good. Though the end result may not be as fun or rewarding.

Time and time again in all types of consumable media the personification of Good is in the form of a conservative traditionalist therefore needing to force themselves into embracing the emerging technology. Keeping up with the horned and pitchfork wielding Jones' from over on Brimstone Lane if you will. This would obviously be a challenge. The question here is how do you develop and present a believable character that fits this role. One that will still be a traditionalist but yet able to have his actions label him as AngelKiller. I guess you will need to pick the book up and find out , to give you more would spoil the experience. Plus by the end the book it a question still being explored.

"The idea of spiritual warfare had been relegated to the stigma of anti-intellectualism, of the non-scientific. With the rise of the new religion called Science, the supernatural forces that drove the subliminal psyche of humankind paradoxically became even more powerful." - (location 439)

In AngelKiller, The Army's answer to the emerging 'Religion of Science" is recruiting human representatives. Gifting them with longevity, as is the case with Mason. The Enemies hierarchy from the top to the bottom with its egomaniacal and egotistical minions, coerce through promises and trades, as it has always done; "I will give you [insert trade'] though not clear on what the positive aspect of this transaction is, the end result is The Enemy has a skin, a human body to "wear" where the actual essence, or soul of said human is no longer aware until The Enemy moves on or is forced to move on. The war still has two armies but with the complexities of modern society being played by the ancient rules of Good vs. Evil it also adds a different sub-set of rules. Only time and the promise of a series will truly explain just what is going on for these characters, especially our protagonist.

Our main character, Jonah Mason is introduced in the first two chapters with a glimpse at the beginning (or the end of his natural life if you truly want to argue semantics) and a taste of his current life. It opens with him sitting in a glider rocker on a porch, about to face the modern representatives of Evil smoking a Montecristo cigar at the end of a driveway. I can almost feel the chill in the air and the energy as I recall the passage, from both the breeze I can picture coming down the lane and the malevolence that Blalock clearly hints at with the black sedan approaching.

At first the prologue or flashback to a life before he accepted the role as a living Representative of The Master (let's call him who he is, God) turned me off. I have to be of the right frame of mind to read books based in the era of Rome, after all I am a medievalist! I balked at reading anymore. But it was a short read and I was trusting my dear friend when she said I would indeed love it. The next chapter did it! I know that when I am holding my breath or clinching my jaw to the point of needing to shake it off, my soul has been lost to the world within the pages of a book.

"He had seen men perform great feats of courage and cowardice. He had even once seen an authentic Cherub, a sight both inspiring and terrifying. He had never seen a Minion in its true form. Until now." - location 2183

A strong and solid example of this new branding and genre of speculative fiction, AngelKiller also sprinkled with alliteration and depth, driving the story forward rarely seen in today's literature. Giving "what- ifs" without actually asking or answering the question. Set in the near future, Blalock engages the use of technology in such a way we accept it as truth of a possible future. The technology is presented and constructed as such to the logical growth from the virtual world we live in today.

"It was inevitable that the interactive capabilities intrinsic in the internet should generate this kind of substructure."- (location 464) "It was the ultimate sterile, passionless outlet for man's basest instinct: destruction." - (location 491)

Being able to plug into a world as so many of us do now, Blalock has the cell The Army's human representatives able to maintain anonymity to the point the cell structure of Mason's particular group is compromised. Not completly but partially because of this handicap. Most of the cell have never met in person, could tell you where they lived or anything other than was discussed in a virtually constructed cyber-world. This speaks loudly to todays emergence of a new techno-culture that many authors bring up to where humankind is headed. Perhaps a subtle hint that occasionally we need to unplug or some ancient army may just unplug for us.

This is the first installment of what is promising to be more than "just" an engaging read. Perhaps not on the level or same arena of Ishmael (though at least sitting in the lobby of that reading room), it is closer to having nuances of fabulistic lessons and ethical questioning we as society need to have spoon fed to us. All gathered together in a nice consumable one-handed wrap! Do not shove morals and ethics down my throat people, give me something like this to read, ponder and allowing me go "hmmm". Write to me and cause me to gather at coffee shops and book clubs with a tattered paperback clutched in my hand discussing why Mason is called AngelKiller and is he part of the army of Good or does he just think he is?

"I intend to kill him if necessary." Jaelon's expression went grim and the other Knights crossed their arms and scowled. "So, they call you Angelkiller for a reason," Malthusan said - (location 1968)

I know many are perhaps wondering where is the review? I promise it was my intent to do so, and I do plan on giving ga nice two dimensional short and sweet one with a side of Angel food Cake this week, but for now my advice (and if you have gotten this far) go and buy the book, grab a notebook (or your stylus if you have a touch reader), write questions, notate & memorable quotes and moments, then ponder and think. I certainly did. I finished this book over a week ago... for the second time. The complexity of the message embedded in this beautifully wrought literary work and within stroke Mr. Blalock's `voice'. Take a chance to go `hmmm' along with everyone else that has read it. Or, if you like, go get this book, sit down and read it with a good cup of tea or a double shot of whiskey and be prepared to be thrilled and chilled, left wanting for more. By the end you will be cursing with fist in the air because the next one is not due out for three long months!*. Till then enjoy the question, is the Army of Light always good? Does evil have a place? What happens if we keep these rose-colored glasses on...… (mehr)

I was very intrigued by the idea behind Angelkiller when it was sent to me for review. There were two reasons for why I was so interested. In the world that Blalock created the war between Light and Dark ended with the Dark winning. I found this to be an interesting way to start the book because it meant the the world was living in a darker set of circumstances and it made the Light side basically a bunch of rebels. The second reason I was interested was because The Army (the rebels in this book fighting against the Dark) has taken this fight into a virtual reality type setting. This was interesting to me because I have seen a lot of books recently incorporating this into their plots. Cyberspace is a world where there are almost no limits, so I thought this was an interesting way to incorporate the fight into a new and fresh realm.

Jonah Mason, the main character is the Angelkiller, where the main title comes from. Everything is kind of opposite in this book, you would think an Angelkiller would be a bad guy killing the good, but it's opposite. The Enemy is made up of Angels and they are on the dark side not the light. Jonah has been in around for a very long time, centuries, and as a fighter it shows his ability to adapt to the situations at hand. I was curious to see how virtual reality was going to play a role within this book, and as it turned out it came in the form of online gaming.

I have a very small experience with gaming online (my husband is really the expert), so I have to admit there were times when I did have to ask my husband to clarify something for me. But even without a complete working knowledge of the technical speak I was still able to understand how the plot was moving alone as well as the benefits to conducting their work through this format, anonymity helps protect you.

I did have a couple things I had problems with in the book though. The book did jump around, which is fine with me, except I did find myself being confused sometimes. Although normally a quick re-read of the past page or so helped to clarify that my confusion. And my other issue was my connection with the characters. I am a reader who likes to really identify with the characters in a story, to really feel their emotions and pull for them. I found myself throughout this book still pulling for the main character but wishing I had a stronger connection to him. But both of these things are minor issues.

Overall I have to say the writing is good. The concept is fresh, creative, and well executed. I could easily see this book working for a lot of different readers, in fact I could see my husband reading this book and enjoying it, and he is one picky reader! People who have a background in computers or gaming might enjoy this book more than someone without that background, but I could see either enjoying it. This is a solid book, and I truly appreciate the freshness of the idea behind it.… (mehr)

Andalarn Thran, head of House Thran, is attempting to reestablish his family on the island of Adylonis. The House was exiled to the mainland several hundred years previously when it took sides against another human House who had attacked a race of dwarves called the Telmet. Andalarn is not the hero type, being a merchant with five children. With help from an elven healer named Baliak, he appeals to the Telmet for help in restoring House Thran to its former position.

Standing in Thran’s way is House Suum, a military House that makes no secret of its desire to wipe out House Thran, once and for all. Also in the way is the priestly caste called the Tialsar who play the Houses off against each other for their own advantage. The referee between the Houses is the Council of Mages in the city of Moorkai, the actual seat of power on Adylonis.

No House has the power to become Ascendant on its own, so the choice of the Council will have plenty of authority on the island. Underlying all of this are rumors and uneasiness about a legendary being called the Great Diur, whose return would mean the end of everything on the island. Many believe that anything, even death, is better than the Great Diur’s return.

Fans of Robert E. Howard will love this book, for his influence is all over it. Otherwise, it’s a really good dark fantasy story (the first of a series). It has good characters, elves and dwarves, a bit of blood, ancient forces best left alone; in short, it’s got everything a reader needs. Keep an eye on this series; it’s really worth reading.… (mehr)