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Demons are in the game, demons don't exactly lose at the end of the books. But that one is particular is also why I am so excited to keep reading. The good guys try to fight and hold them back while trying to come up with a way to retake the city. The story is pretty good, if your familar with the game at all you know what it is.
Damn.this book was intense, I played the game quite abit and I have to admit i was quite skeptical about a book. Great read, fast paced and well done. Only thing I don't like is that they take place 14 years before the game.you kinda know how it ends. I didn't really see it carrying over to well, but by going back and doing more of a origins and original story angle it actually is starting off very good.
Gates open up around london and demons pour out of them and take the city. Very good book, amazing video game book. Its a minor complaint but the book pissed me off quite a few times, one of the twists in particular caught me off gaurd and just kinda angers me. Lets just say Warren and leave it there.
Cool concept, apocalyptic war humans vs demons. Suprisingly good seeing as how the game is based on a video game.
Eventually though, as the book gets its clip, both sides become equally exciting to read about, and you find yourself drawn in.But of course, as I said in the beginning, this book is far better written than the second in terms of writing errors. Not only does he give both of them their own fair share of screen time, but he chooses exactly the right moment to shift from the hero to the antihero, and vice versa.I must admit that originally, this was actually a complaint of mine, because to me, at least, the antihero (Warren Schimmer) is quite a bit more interesting to read about than the hero (Simon Cross). So I'd be reading along and finish a chapter centered on Warren only to be jarred back to the much more--at the time--mundane Simon chapters. .Than the second. Whereas the second book was plagued with issues--primarily grammatical--this book is all but free of any major problems whatsoever.That said, the series is, without a doubt, one of the better book series I've read, and worth checking out. I won't bore you or spoil the story in any way by going in depth with the book, but I'll say this much: Mr. Yeah, I read the books in reverse order, because the second book was available locally, and the first was not. Odom does an excellent job swinging between the two primary characters in the book.
The word "lie" appears instead of "he" more often than I bear to count, "oven" instead of "over" - just two examples of many transcription-type errors. I have just purchased this and finding it a rather gripping read. I am looking forward to the next in the "trilogy" but I am also hoping that the frequency of spelling errors (if this can be correctly used to describe the usage of correctly spelled but incorrect words) that disrupts the flow of reading the first book in series, does not exist in the second. did the author use a handwriting scanning and conversion software package instead of of a human proofreader. Sadly the proof reading was appalling. Nothing story quality-wise but terrible word replacements in the most distracting moments, repeatedly and predictably so.
Mel Odom displays a sweeping and thorough command of history and literature as well as more modern pop culture, making the world of HELLGATE LONDON a riveting read that gives more and more delight with each new finely embedded precise detail. The powerful portrait of father and son relationships complements the fast-paced action, adding depth and personal stakes into the approaching apocalypse. His son Simon trained as a Templar but rejected his legendary heritage in the disbelief of the reality of demons while also wanting to make his own way in the world. Now Simon conducts safaris in the wild lands of South Africa with Saundra McIntyre, sometimes encountering poachers in dangerous though less mythical fights than those of Templar legends.
The outcome promises not to be simple when one member makes a Faustian bargain that might endanger the entire human world.EXODUS is a magnificent opening to a trilogy, setting up powerful characters, legends and personal histories as a background. The first novel in the HELLGATE LONDON, Mel Odom's EXODUS provides readers and game players with a prelude set eighteen years before the role playing interactive computer game. Mel Odom captures the magic and lure of ancient history, merging elemental forces with physical science and modern technology in a trilogy that will appeal to action lovers, computer gamers, Medievalists and Moderns, and just about anyone who loves a great science fiction or dark fantasy read. While others tell of aliens arriving, Simon now knows the truth behind his childhood Templar training --- somehow demons have been unleashed and all the tales he heard were not fairy tales or the delusions of his elders.The general populace faces unfathomable devastation beyond the worst natural disasters. An attempt at escape or even emergence to look for basic necessities risks encounters with demons.Set against the battle with the demons, two ancient organizations face the demons and each other in a subplot to the main battle between humans and demons. The Cabalists, fed on the works of Aleister Crowley and H.P.
When others are risking everything to get out of the apocalyptic mayhem that has laid waste to London, Simon risks his life to return. Mel Odom's book will appeal not only to game lovers but also to a more general action fiction readership who crave legendary history, technology and intriguing characters.On All Hallow's Eve 2020 Thomas Cross, a Templar sworn to protect London to his death, enters the battle for which he has dedicated his entire life. In the battle against the demons' onslaught, Mel Odom pits organization against organization and man against man as internal politics and personal jealousies arise. A Cabalist invites Warren Schimmer to their enclave after recognizing his potential during one demon encounter. Lovecraft, seek to study demons rather than to do battle against them. The Templars, driven underground in 1307 by Philip the Fair, now reside in secret chambers underneath London behind the subway system, teaching their heirs the stories of King Arthur and the responsibilities of knighthood. Fierce loyalties and resentments undergird dynamic adrenaline-high action. EXODUS, Book One of HELLGATE, LONDON is a brilliant tale from a master storyteller.
Prepared for death, survival signifies failure in a battle against demons that have arrived through a portal and now threaten devastation beyond anything the world has never known. Power outages render people and technology helpless. The reader is drawn into the characters of both Simon and Warren as their personal histories make them multi-dimensional and indeed mythical. Armed with Nanodyne armor and arcane knowledge unavailable to the masses, Thomas enters battle, indeed his destiny. As Warren's powers grow, so do the risks --- risks with possible consequences both personal and widespread. All normal services, substructures and civilization are no more. Returning to Cape Town after a particularly perilous action-packed encounter, Simon realizes he must return home to London in search of his father. Food and water become scarce while smoke darkens the sky.
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