Front Street Reviews says, "It is literature used at its finest-to create ideas, discussions and a search for the truth."
Waking Gods
Brian L. Doe and Philip Harris
Reviewed by Barb Radmore
Writing reviews is never complicated. You hear about the book, agree to review it, read it and then write your opinion. Easy as making apple pie in Maine in the fall. At least it usually seems to be like that. But sometimes a book crosses all the easy lines, makes a reviewer stop and truly look at all the art of literature, in all its glory. Waking Gods has been one of those books for me. (See- I hate when reviewers use first person in their reviews and now this review has me doing it!) I can not comfortably put this book in a genre category. Is it a thriller? Yes. Sci fi? No, not really. (Yeah- I know the authors think so!) An introduction to comparative religious speculation? Speculative Fiction? (Anyone know what this newly minted category really is?) Supernatural thriller? (Yea, it does have cool werewolf type creatures.) It even has romance. But with this new novel there are no easy answers, no cozy slot in which it can be inserted. It is a book that transcends categories, a book that makes the reader really think about what they are reading, question commonly held beliefs and understandings. It is literature used at its finest- to create ideas, discussions and a search for truth. It is also a lot of fun to read.
So my solution to this mult-ilayered book is two reviews- read one or both, just read the book!
Review for the Thriller:
Waking God has is the debut novel of two talented new authors, Philip Harris and Brian L. Doe. It is a plot driven story that draws the reader into an ever expanding web of intrigue and action. The pace of the story alternates between suspense building while the authors provide the background information needed, to full out, ripping adventure.
The action begins with the kidnapping of a new born baby from her hospital bed. Two opposing forces arrive simultaneously to steal the infant from her mother's arms but the battle is won by a pair of wolves. Her parents are killed and Baby Mara disappears into the night. Mara then begins a life that seems to alternate in parentage and places, unaware of the role she plays in the structure of the world's future. Andrew is a young professor of Theology and Comparative Religion. He is plagued by vivid dreams, flashes of images, sessions of automatic writing and feelings of unknown knowledge. He has strong opinions and ideas on the evolution of the God concept and the role of organized religion. They are not common ideas but he is sure of his questions. He ends his teaching semester by presenting the idea of "precipitating events", that all happenings and ideas are the result of a build up of pressure that is only released through a "precipitating event" to release the pressure. This concept rings very true when the Pope is assassinated and the world plunges into chaos. It is at this point that Andrew's life changes for ever.
Andrew is flown to Rome to meet a stranger who calls himself Mantrella. He is the leader of one of the groups that kidnapped Mara many years before to protect her from his nemesis, Michael. As Andrew sees Mara herself he realizes she is the one he has seen in his dreams, a woman he saw years before at a seance. But before he can straighten out why she is so important to him she is again kidnapped, this time by Michael. When Andrew is abducted also, he fears for both her and his own life. The culminating battle could destroy the world forever.
The characters of both Andrew and Mara draw the sympathy of the reader while opening up many possible possibilities. This is the first book in a planned trilogy. It leaves the reader anxiously awaiting the future.
Review for the Philosophical Study:
Philip Harris and Brian L. Doe are the authors of the debut novel Waking God. It is an introduction into a new philosophy disguised as a work of fiction. A fascinating journey through the world of religious theory, it is a work that will bring questions to believers and non believers alike. Doe and Harris have offered an alternative view of 'God', of the foundatoins of all organized religions and the evolution of the world itself. In a work of breath taking depth and scope they have proposed an alternative theory that binds brilliantly with the current events of our world. It destroys the allegiances of man to churches that promise safety in return for blind obedience. It offers a world where man must accept his own personal actions and the choices he makes.
The story begins with the kidnapping of a new born baby from her hospital bed. Two opposing forces arrive simultaneously to steal the infant from her mother's arms but the battle is won by a pair of wolves. Baby Mara disappears into the night, her parents dead. Mara then begins a life that seems to alternate in parentage and places, unaware of the role she plays in the structure of the world's future. Andrew is a young professor of Theology and Comparative Religion. He has strong opinions and ideas on the evolution of the God concept and the role of organized religion. They are not common ideas but he is sure of his questions. He ends his teaching semester by presenting the idea of "precipitating events", that all happenings and ideas are the result of a build up of pressure that is only released through a "precipitating event" to release the pressure. This concept rings very true when the Pope is assassinated and the world plunges into chaos. It is at this point that Andrew's life changes for ever.
Andrew is flown to Rome to meet a stranger who calls himself Mantrella. He is the leader of one of the groups that kidnapped Mara many years before to protect her from his nemesis, the archangel Michael. Mantrella is also the one known to the world as Satan or Lucifer. His information as to the actual story of Adam and Eve leads Andrew to the spiritual answers he had been seeking. As the story explodes with the battle of the angels, it is not good vs evil, angel vs devil but a war that could destroy the world forever.
This book delves into the realms of religion. mysticism, mythology and magik. It unfolds layer after layer to expose the inner locking patterns of development and changes in man's quest for understanding. It is a cornucopia of information and speculation on items as varied as Tarot cards, Masons and crop circles. The authors' gift is to open the minds and curiosity of their reader. It is impossible to read this book without one hand on Google to search for more details on the multitude of information the authors' share. Whether you agree with the philosophy introduced or not, it creates the questions that mankind must face to find spiritual acceptance and growth.
Share
Save