Publishers Weekly
05/08/2017
In this theological urban fantasy, a young ER physician in Chicago must add faith to reason to prevent all hell from breaking loose. Lauryn Jefferson, daughter of a Baptist minister, chooses to practice medicine rather than preach. When a new drug laced with sulfur turns her patients into demonic monsters, her savior is Talon, a sword-wielding soldier of God astride a motorcycle. As her ex, a Chicago cop, battles the cartel responsible for the demon drug, Lauryn has to redeem first her younger brother and then the rest of Chicago from their personal devils. Debut novelists Snipes (star of the Blade vampire hunter film trilogy) and Norman bring a cinematic flair to the proceedings (including a “giant flying hell fortress”). The overall tone of the book is fundamentalist, but the authors broaden their audience by discreetly avoiding both explicit violence and thorny cultural issues; they do explicitly disparage the subjugation of women as being based on a misinterpretation of the Bible, but no one remarks on African-American Lauryn’s relationship with a white police officer. The dialogue turns a bit Sunday school (“Fear is the devil’s rope, and he will tie you down if you let him”), but the embrace of mercy and forgiveness towards one’s enemies is a welcome act of faith in what otherwise could have been Blade with a Bible. (July)
From the Publisher
An exciting, fast-paced, religious thriller that will draw in even the most cynical reader with its mash-up of science and faith. Fans of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden and Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim will enjoy.” — Library Journal (starred review — Debut of the Month)
“[An] entertaining supernatural adventure about the war between angels and demons — literal and metaphorical — on the streets of Chicago...Snipes has just as much punch with a keyboard as with his fists, and the realm of urban fantasy has an impressive new disciple.” — USA Today
“The action in this urban fantasy novel is as cinematic as one would expect from movie star Snipes and co-author Norman...an entertaining thriller with enough swordplay, religious prophecy, and demonic threats to entertain readers across lots of different genres.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Snipes’ first foray into fiction is a grand-scale showdown with the fate of Heaven and Earth hanging in the balance. Snipes and Norman make a solid writing team, bringing their own talents to produce a tale ... packed with high-stakes action.” — RT Book Reviews
“An action-packed tale… it is impossible to not imagine Snipes playing Talon in a movie adaptation.” — Booklist
“Snipes’s action-filled debut with ...[Ray] Norman is sure to be as hot as the summer sun.” — Library Journal
Booklist
An action-packed tale… it is impossible to not imagine Snipes playing Talon in a movie adaptation.
RT Book Reviews
Snipes’ first foray into fiction is a grand-scale showdown with the fate of Heaven and Earth hanging in the balance. Snipes and Norman make a solid writing team, bringing their own talents to produce a tale ... packed with high-stakes action.
USA Today
[An] entertaining supernatural adventure about the war between angels and demons — literal and metaphorical — on the streets of Chicago...Snipes has just as much punch with a keyboard as with his fists, and the realm of urban fantasy has an impressive new disciple.
USA Today
[An] entertaining supernatural adventure about the war between angels and demons — literal and metaphorical — on the streets of Chicago...Snipes has just as much punch with a keyboard as with his fists, and the realm of urban fantasy has an impressive new disciple.
Booklist
An action-packed tale… it is impossible to not imagine Snipes playing Talon in a movie adaptation.
Library Journal
★ 06/15/2017
Dr. Lauryn Jefferson is a skeptic, believing only in science, until a former patient becomes demonically possessed. Then she meets Talon Hunter, a man of God, who aims to train her as a spiritual warrior despite her doubts. A new drug available on the streets is turning its users into slaves for Satan's army. After discovering a sinister plot, supported by the world's most powerful men, to establish a kingdom of Hell on Earth, Lauryn has no choice but to find her faith. VERDICT This urban fantasy debut by actor Snipes (Blade; Passenger 57) and coauthor Normans (WorldVision International) is an exciting, fast-paced, religious thriller that will draw in even the most cynical reader with its mash-up of science and faith. Fans of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden and Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim will enjoy. [See Prepub Alert, 2/6/17.]—KC
Kirkus Reviews
2017-05-02
A young doctor in Chicago is drawn into a war between heaven and hell, and her destiny lies in the balance.The action in this urban fantasy novel is as cinematic as one would expect from movie star Snipes and co-author Norman. Our heroine is Lauryn Jefferson, the daughter of local minister Maxwell Jefferson and now a dedicated young doctor at Chicago's Mercy Hospital, where one night she's attacked by a troubled veteran who's clearly at the mercy of a supernatural being. Lauryn is saved by the enigmatic Talon Hunter, a Bible-quoting, sword-wielding warrior straight from the pages of a fantasy novel. Also floating around is Will Tannenbaum, a surly vice cop and Lauryn's ex-boyfriend. Will works for a corrupt police chief, Victor Korigan, who is himself the lackey of a shadowy billionaire, Christopher St. Luke. St. Luke's evil scheme is to use a powerful new drug additive, E3X, to prepare the city's addicts for demonic possession and finally to doom the city. Eventually, Talon reveals that he's a member of an ancient sect, the Soldiers of El Elyon, chosen by God to do his will on Earth. It's real fire-and-brimstone stuff, complete with angels and demons, but the authors keep the action lively, and Lauryn makes for a likable, believable hero even in the wake of all the occult conspiracy stuff. A subplot involving Lauryn's rapper brother, Robbie, injects some of the bravado Snipes showed in New Jack City. Readers who dig this sort of thing will appreciate its natural segue into a sequel likely to find Lauryn working as Talon's protégé. Cue the training montage. An entertaining thriller with enough swordplay, religious prophecy, and demonic threats to entertain readers across lots of different genres.
