I Am Eternal, Committed,and Revelation Cancelled by Athanasios
(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!)
Recently, I volunteered to review this trio of books on Goodreads because the basic premise of the first book intrigued me. I am Eternal is a short story that follows Simon Magus thru his daily routine at of all places, a video game company. For those of you not familiar with Simon Magus, he made his “first appearance” in Acts 8 when he tried to by his salvation from Peter, which led to a confrontation between the two. Part of the story tells Simon’s side of this confrontation, in the method of flashbacks, while the rest of the story is centered around him and one of his co-worker’s relationship as they begin to discuss intricacies of a new video game centered around a vampire hunter. And oh, yea, the reason why Simon has been around so long may have to do something with the fact that he himself is a vampire.
The story was a quick read, and left me wanting more about Magus, so I am hoping that we will see more of him in another story or even a full-fledged novel. The story is extremely well written, but the ending came out of nowhere. I was honestly expecting Magus to take his associate under his wing and trying to convert him or turn him instead of killing him. That was my only negative about the story, and as I said, I would definitely read more of the trials and trails of Magus, should the author decide to continue his story.
The second book, Revelation Cancelled, is actually teased in the short story I Am Eternal, as a book that Simon is reading, and it is the first of the “Predatory Ethics" series. It is the story of the growing up of the anti-Christ, and all the forces (Catholic church, Templars, Satanists) that want to control and use him when he comes of age.
When this book opened, it did not seem like it was the story of the anti-Christ: rather, it was the story of a man struggling with his calling. The way the story was setup was different, with it jumping around from place to place, and as the book progressed, from time to time. After the man accepted his calling, he took the anti-Christ under his wing and began teaching him, and the world continued on around them, with both of them “oblivious” to what was going on, but at the same time, the caregiver was prepared for anything, which does happen at the end.
The story was deeply detailed, and well-researched, with flashbacks to ancient times showing previous incarnations of the anti-Christ, all of which ended with his dying. It also introduced us to Simon Magus (yes, the same one from I Am Eternal), only much younger, and much hungrier for something to believe in. I was intrigued with the discussions between Magus and the Byzantine-time anti-Christ and their depth of understanding of what they were discussing.
The subplots concerning the Catholics, the Templars, and the Satanists all trying to locate the anti-Christ was intriguing, and kept me guessing as to whether or not I was going to turn the page and find one of them in the anti-Christ’s house, leading him away for their bidding.
The book was definitely a deep book and you can easily find yourself getting lost in it, but be warned that it is not for someone who is not grounded in their faith, as it could sway your beliefs. There are deep rituals described in the book, and a lot of swearing and violence, especially toward the end.
The third book, Committed, picks up the story of the anti-Christ some time after the end of Predatory Ethics, and brings you back into the anti-Christ’s life. He is now locked in an asylum, having been charged and convicted of killing and brutally dismembering the bodies and putting them into poses (which are described in detail). It also brings the churches and the Templars back in as they are trying to figure out how to get him out and make him return to what he was born to do.
The research that went into this book again was amazing, as the author describes some of the serial killers of the time and how they would have “presented” offerings to the anti-Christ as a way to gain favor with him. The funny part was that the people working at the asylum did not seem to understand what they were dealing with, and just think that the boy is another whack-job with delusions of grandeur.
This book was not as long as the first, and I quickly mowed thru it, but was happy to see that Simon Magus made another appearance, and I believe it was revealed (or maybe I just read it that way) that he was a vampire. His desire for one of the higher beings in the Satanist army was well written and will be interesting to see where it goes in future books, as this book again left the reader waiting for what was next.
Again, this is a deep book and deals with very mature subjects as well as multiple religions and their rituals, which are described in detail. There is swearing and violence in this book as in the first, but if you are strongly grounded in your faith, and want a story of “what-if” for the anti-Christ, then I heartily recommend both of these books for you to get. If blood, gore, swearing, and violence is not your cup of tea, then steer clear. You have been warned.
As always, if you like what I have to say, please leave me feedback below or send me an e-mail at childofking88@aol.com. If you don’t like what I have to say, please leave me feedback below or send me an e-mail at childofking88@aol.com.
As always, be kind, please rewind, and remember two wrongs may not make a right, but three rights always make a left.
