Michael M. Hughes

3.5/5 stars

I thought this book was pretty good, especially for a debut novel. It was creepy for the most part, which I enjoyed. I liked Ray and Ellen, and William was adorably precocious. I thought the plot digressed a bit too much in the first half of the book but was definitely tightened up for the second half. I liked where it finally went, I just think it took too many side roads to get there. Overall, I ended up enjoying it enough to want to read the next book in the series.

3.5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Hydra, and Michael M. Hughes for the opportunity to read and review this book.… (mehr)

I was expecting more Lovecraftian vibes from the book, but I was wrong. It wasn't bad, just not special either.

It starts off very slowly, building the mythos as it goes along. However, the story never truly delves into the psychological side, but chooses to focus more on the narrator and his choice of women, which was a bit disappointing.

Also, the narrator does some truly strange stuff which doesn't really make sense once the book ends. For example, his friend frantically calls him over and then doesn't show up for what-seems-like-eternity. What's up with that? Why doesn't he find this odd?

Anyways, enough nitpicking. I especially liked the latter chapters that develop the alien (?) and the villains. The description of the monster was quite well done.

Having said that, I wouldn't pick this up if I was looking for something Lovecraftian. It's a decent horror novel on its own, just don't expect brilliance.… (mehr)

As the novel opens, the world is falling apart under war, terrorism, and assassinations. It’s all the work of the Black Brotherhood who has been suborning and corrupting the world’s governing elite through magic, blackmail, drugs, sex, and bribery. Under its leader, Lily, it’s looking to crack open the ancient black spheres found in different parts of the world and apocalyptically transform Earth.

Both sides are in contact with extraterrestrial forces – call them gods, space aliens, or beings from another plane.

Deceit and delusion are some of the main themes here, and that was an element I especially liked. The White Brotherhood that rescued series hero Ray, his wife Ellen, and stepson William from Lily’s clutches in the first novel, Blackwater Lights, is corrupted and almost destroyed in an attack on their hidden base at the beginning of this novel.

Ray has been training to develop his powers as a “traveler”, sort of an adept at astral projection and mentally contacting otherworldly entities. It’s the same talent that caused his uncle to turn him over to an MKULTRA mind control experiment when he was a teenager and why Lily wants him for the Black Brotherhood.

Ray and the survivors of the attack go on a mission to rescue Ellen and William who, at the end of Witch Lights, ended up as prisoners of the Black Brotherhood. They are being kept at an Arctic compound built around one of those black spheres. Also at the compound are several psychically talented children like William who are being molded and trained to serve Lily’s ends.

Much of the book is a chopper flight from somewhere in Latin America to Canada with refueling stops showing us how much America and the world has fallen apart. Then we get the final confrontation between Whites and Blacks.

Besides the many instances of duplicity and suspicion, I liked Hughes’ pacing. While I guessed some of his climax, the ending surprised me and was logical. Hughes does a nice job depicting the menace of some of those forces in other realms as well as what they can do to those who serve them. He also reminds us that human agendas are not necessarily alien agendas whether you’re Black or White.

How a covert training to develop young magicians would be run is well depicted and credible. We get several chapters with Ellen and William as viewpoint characters. Ellen gets a cellmate, and William gets a friend. The question is will Ellen and William be able to escape before Lily cracks open her cosmic egg of doom. And how far are they willing to be bribed and blackmailed into helping her?

There were a few problems. The details of one atrocity are rather improbable and too convenient for plot mechanics. Claire, one of the Adepts of the White Brotherhood is, as even Ray notes, a bit woo-wooey in her New Age talk about laying souls to rest and cosmic forces helping them to their destiny. Her sentiments, though, are certainly in keeping with the themes of the book and its plot.

A generally satisfying conclusion to a trilogy I enjoyed.… (mehr)

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

I thought this was a great book. I haven't read book one of the trilogy, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. I had no trouble following what was going on. I found the book to be fast paced, and very interesting.

The book follows Ellen, William and Ray as they try to escape from Lily and El Varon. The ancient deities in the book added a great dimension to the story. I always find it interesting to read about things like that. I liked that the book was set in Guatemala, the foreign setting really enhanced the otherworldly atmosphere.

I found the Brotherhood to be very interesting too. I love the idea of secret societies. I wish they had been featured more in this book. Maybe in book 3 we will learn more about them.

I didn't feel like this book was too scary, even though it is marketed as a horror novel. Maybe I just have a high tolerance for blood and gore in my reading. There are human sacrifices here, so if that bothers you then watch out.

I would recommend this book. I thought it was very entertaining and exciting.… (mehr)