Hellgate: London: Goetia

Four years ago, demons en masse entered London through a Hellgate portal. Set in 2024, this second book in the trilogy opens 4 years after the cataclysmic event of the first book, 4 years after a battle in which the Templars sacrificed themselves in a battle to thwart or at least delay the demons. In GOETIA, Simon Cross, a rogue Templar, is put to the test while Warren Schimmer, bound by a demon, tries to survive. Having once dismissed the Templars' story of demons, Simon now takes up the spirit of his late father's mission even as other surviving Templars and the Cabalists attempt to thwart him at every turn. Templars want to destroy the demons whereas the Cabalists want to study demons and harness their power. Warren's relationship with the demon Merihim becomes more complex as he tries to disentangle himself from the Faustian bargain that bound him to the demon in mind and body. Will his new ally be able to break Warren free from his bondage and to what end? As the battle enters into the fourth year, greed and other much more nefarious objectives permeate previously natural political alliances and rivalries. As Simon and Warren fight to preserve themselves, the once clear but now less tangible line between friend and foe might endanger not only them but any hope for a human inhabited world. Can Simon, a man of honor fighting for good, save the world and humanity? Will Warren free himself of the demon's hold? Can anyone survive the opening of another portal, Goetia? GOETIA is a book that will appeal to both players and non role playing book-lovers alike. Mel Odom paints an awesome picture of a landscape that changes as the demons transform it in a Burn. In futuristic London, now inhabited by demons, the worst case disaster scenario plays out. Basic survival needs disappear. Power no longer preserves what very little food remained. Community resources and support no longer exist. The last remnant of people in London, now scavengers, turn against one another in a struggle for daily survival when the mere need for sustenance exposes a person to the horrible death, by human or demon. The death count is unmeasurable. Set against this backdrop, ancient organizations battle for supremacy against each other and the demons. In the second book, Mel Odom takes the characters so finely developed in the first book and allows the reader an even richer insight into their motivations and conflicts. Armed with cutting edge technology and ancient arcane wisdom, Simon Cross must look within himself like never before. In a doomed world, the choices he makes reveal a sense of honor and integrity that goes far beyond the call of duty in this fight of ultimate good and evil. Warren also looks more deeply into himself to harness the strength needed to break free. His growing powers within and an unusual guide in his personal battle create depth and suspense right up until the final earth-shattering revelation! In GOETIA, Mel Odom increases the level of intrigue

Demons surging out of the London Hellgate have been joined by more demons in more cities across the world, the military has been virtually destroyed, and humans scratch out miserable existances, always hunted by demons. Simon Cross, a former Templar, broke with that organization when they refused to help civilians, huddling beneath London in their underground fortresses. Gradually he's built a Templar splinter group--a group that doesn't mind taking the fight to the demons, no matter how helpless that battle may seem. Now, though, he learns that an ancient book, Goetia, may hold the secret to controlling the demons. Goetia, a work created by King Solomon himself just might be the weapon humans need to survive. Although the military has been destroyed, the British government hasn't given up the battle. One problem, though, is that they don't know whether they can trust the Templars. Agent Leah Creasey believes that Cross just might have the ability to lead the battle against the demons, but her organization doesn't trust anyone. Still, only by working together can they have any chance to find the secrets of Goetia. Warren Schimmer didn't have much of a life before Hellgate. Now, though, things are much worse. A rogue demon has enlisted Warren, given him a demon arm to focus his magical power, and now uses him to do dirty work, or work that he can't do himself without violating demonic code. Unfortunately for Warren, the demon's next commands are to attack and destroy some of the most powerful demons in London. Unfortunately for the demon, Warren already has access to a mysterious book that seems willing to give him incredible powers--at a cost that Warren can't begin to understand. In the second book in the HELLGATE: LONDON series, author Mel Odom delivers a fast-paced thriller. Odom wisely balances the story between super-powered Simon Cross, whose weakness is betrayal, intelligent Leah, and sneaky Warren. Warren is far from friendly with Simon and Leah--Simon cost him the arm his demon replaced, but the three find themselves working at convergent purposes as Warren attempts to stay alive and deliver his master's bidding while Simon and Leah search for the lost book of Goetia. Because Warren is so damaged, so filled with shades of gray, he actually comes across as a far more fascinating and sympathetic character than do the others. Odom provides plenty of action, mixing technology and magic in intriguing ways. Fortunately, each action sequencefurthers the story in addition to letting us see our characters work out their own distinctive ways to deal with the superhuman strength of the demons. Fortunately, the demons' intelligence isn't on a match with their power.

The struggle to rid London - and the world - of the demons released from the Hellgate continues in this second novel, in which ex-Templar Simon Cross continues with the struggle of finding citizens lost in the remains of London and growing an army of fighters to battle the Darkness. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Cabalist Warren Schimmer has become the underling of the powerful demon Merihim, who wishes to take his place in the higher demon hierarchy. To do this, Warren must, with direction from the demon and a "bound" voice, knock their opposition from their thrones so his master can rise in the ranks. But a new weapon to battle the demons has been discovered - the Lesser Key of Solomon, or 'Goetia', a book containing the true names - a tool controlling the demons' vulnerability - of the higher demons stalking the streets of the city. Will Simon and his rogue group of warriors be able to find Goetia and save the world from the demons oozing from the Hellgate? Odom has a great way to packing this good-versus-evil plot with enough suspense and mystery to allow it to stand out among similar stories. His clever wording throws powerful punches into tame situations and helps to clarify the happenings of a high-energy situation. This series, ending with the late August release of Covenant, is one not to miss. - T.C. Robson

After reading the first Hellgate: London book and being pleasantly surprised, I continued on with this one, and believe me, it does not disappoint. The writing style is there, the characters are believable, real, authentic, and you can understand them - even the antagonists. The "grit" in the novel and the fact that none of the characters are superhuman, and that they can, in fact, fail, provides an excellent backdrop to the Hellgate: London universe.

I have read both the Hellgate: London Exodus and this book and am amazed at this series. It is refreshingly new with many surprises and opens up a whole new concept in this genre. I am not sure if this dark fantasy, sci-fi or what but this is far better than anything that many a significant author has produced in the last 5 years. It has all the things we really want in Sci-fi, mayhem, an actual plot and some actually intelligent conservation with out to much tedium. I would rank this series up there easily with the Warlord of Barsoom series or to if there is anything slightly similiar I guess the Trollslayer series for an enjoyable book to read. I really suggest this book for all.