Saturday 25 January 2014

A Tear In The Sky

I have an addiction. All my friends and family know about it and have commented on it. I'm not going to deny it or pretend it's anything other than what it is. I'm addicted to reading.

Had you going there for a bit, did I?

Reading is the ultimate escape. You're taken to another world and witness to fantastic adventures. You learn new things. You go on an emotional roller coaster and freak out when there's a cliffhanger. You open your imagination and will never see the same thing as anyone else. It's an experience unlike any other, and I can't imagine not doing it.


I'm currently reading the third book of The Templar Chronicles Boxed Set by Joseph Nassise, "A Tear In The Sky." The series centers around a modernized version of the Knights Templar, warrior priests who fight demons and monsters as a tactical unit. The main character is Knight Commander Cade Williams, leader of the elite Echo Team. Cade is more than just a badass soldier, however. He's a man seeking revenge for the entity known as the Adversary, who murdered his wife and left Cade psychically scarred while gifting him supernatural powers.


Is this book up my alley? Absolutely. Is it good? Yeah. Am I going to continue the series? Well...

Nassise obviously knows what he's talking about when it comes to military tactics, and I really enjoy how the Templar system is arranged. I like the action scenes and the mythology just fine. But when you're dealing with the supernatural, it's a good idea to focus on that. There have been countless times where the characters will be describing a monster or demon they faced in the past, something that sounds really intense, but it's brushed off like it was no big deal. Maybe I'm biased because I like my monster brawls detailed so I understand the stakes when I read the next book.

Another thing that bugged me– the dangerous monsters haven't seemed that dangerous. Spoiler alert, about midway through the first book there's a twenty foot demon that shows up and is pretty well indestructible. Then it's summoned back to Hell and never heard from again. Uh... What?? No offense, but a twenty food demon is a twenty foot demon. Kinda want see how the heck you would beat something like that.

I guess I shouldn't comment too much on Nassise's work and writing style. He's a published author who's written over twenty international bestsellers and has been nominated for both the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award. He obviously knows what he's doing. But color me a little disappointed. I'm going to keep reading the books and have about 20 more chapters to go, but I'll only by the fourth book, "Infernal Games," if it ends in a way that I can't resist. I'm not too attached to the characters. They seem a little one note to me.

But these are just my opinions. If you like military thrillers with a touch of the supernatural, these are the books for you. I encourage everyone to read something they haven't tried before, or just to read in general. There's no such thing as too much reading.

Side note: this will become a regular post. Every weekend I'll put up a quick review of the book I'm reading at the moment. I currently have 31 books that need to be read, and should be starting the newest one soon. So if you'll excuse me...



Amy

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