Exodus (Hellgate, London, Book 1)

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When forces collide (and collide and collide)! [Posted on 2008-02-17]
Setting: Earth, in the year 2038. A rift in reality has opened in the skies over London, England, and in comes a horde of horrifying creatures, who methodically and rapidly devastate the city of London, kill off anyone they catch, and begin transforming areas of London into a nightmarish swamp of bubbling acid pools. They seem unstoppable, especially as no one was prepared for anything like this.

Story: But, is it true that no was prepared? It turns out that at least two groups were indeed prepared. During the time of the Crusades, there were stories of demons appearing and joining the battle between the Christians and the Moslems, capitalizing on the existing mayhem and killing participants on both sides. In response, the Knights Templar, entrusted with finding and guarding the Holy Grail, also began preparing for a possible return of these demons. Even though the Templar were officially disbanded, centuries ago, they did not just cease to exist. Instead, the Templar went Underground, continued to train in battle skills, studied what little was known of the demons, and worked on enhancing their skills and their weapons with religiously-based magic.

The Knights Templar were not alone, though, in their interest in the demons. Another group, nicknamed the Cabalists, were fascinated with the demons. They did not view the demons as necessarily evil opponents of humanity, but saw them as powerful beings from another realm, that were indeed highly dangerous, but could also be the sources of powerful information, that could elevate humanity to a new stage of development. The Cabalists thus studied the demons, practiced the dark magic associated with the demons, and awaited their coming.

When the demons began pouring through the rift, nicknamed the "Hellgate", the Knights Templar emerged from hiding and tried to defeat the demons, even as did the conventional military forces. Neither was successful, but neither was eliminated. The Cabalists also stepped out of the shadows, to some extent, and began avidly studying the demons, as much as they could without getting mangled, dismembered, and eaten.

Thus, we are left with the following parties in play:

Knights Templar
Cabalists
Demons
Conventional government forces
Ordinary populace (of those not yet eaten)

"Hellgate: London (Exodus)" is the first book in a trilogy, telling us the tale of the arrival of the demons, and humanity's varying responses to their presence. The story focuses mainly on two main characters: Simon, a young Templar Knight who had forsaken his vows and his training, but returns when the arrival of the demons proves that his years of training were really not pointless, as he had thought; and Warren, a basically good young man, with a troubled past and significant "emotional baggage", who initially spends time with the Cabalists, but is eventually wooed by a powerful demon, who wants to use Warren, but will give the man tremendous power and status in return.

The Templar do not trust the Cabalists, as they see them as being too sympathetic toward the demons, and as naively over-confident about the idea of trying to learn from the demons, and maybe even control the demons. The Cabalists distrust the Templar, whom they see as too willing to throw away a potential boon to Mankind, in the opportunity to learn from the demons. The Templar do not fully trust Simon, as he once turned away from them, and Simon sees the Templar hierarchy as too rigid and not focused enough on saving the innocents. Warren initially sides with the Cabalists, and does not want to be totally seduced by the evil of the demon that seeks to use him, but can he ignore what the demon can give in return?

Even amongst the demons, there is not a uniform force. There are hints of internal power-plays, sectarian conflicts, and the underlying questions of where they are from and whether they came, or were sent here, and why.

I have read several of Mel Odom's books, including The Quest for the Trilogy: A Rover Novel of Three Adventures (The Rover) and several "Rogue Angel" books (written under the name Alex Archer), and all of them feature interesting, non-standard characters, who have definite quirks to them. All of the books also feature complex plots involving different factions that are not clearly good or evil. Hellgate: London (Exodus) fits these descriptions well, but with no feel of being formulaic or worked from a template.

Mel Odom provides a complicated plot, rich with detail and populated by three-dimensional characters, yet the pace remains quite fast, with no slow spots. Some of the action scenes are breath-taking and almost overwhelming, especially near the end of the book. Another aspect that I like is that the characters have moments of reflection, during which they work to reconcile what they are doing with what they believe.

While there is no overt sexuality, the level of gore, carnage, mayhem, and violence argues for this book being aimed at adult readers.

Post-script: I do not know if you caught the connection, and it took me a while, but the character Simon is a member of the Templars, and the name of the old but popular and long-running television series, "The Saint" was Simon Templar. Oh, both that series, and this book, took place in England. While all this could be an unintended coincidence, I am guessing that it was a mix of inside-joke humor, and an homage to what was a very good series.

Strengths: Interesting characters and plot, tons of action

Weaknesses: Not for the squeamish! The word "arcane" is over-used, when synonyms could be mixed in.

This supernatural action-thriller-fantasy novel has religious overtones. For this type of book, they do not get any better.

Excellently written, action-packed [Posted on 2008-02-29]
The Knights Templar are usually linked with the enigmatic Freemasons, but in "Hellgate: London: Exodus," their purpose is clear: to save the citizens of London from demons leaking from the gates of Hell ('Hellgates', if you need more clarification).

You know, everyday stuff.

Author Mel Odom knows how to write a good book. And he more than proves it with Exodus, the first of three in the "Hellgate: London" series, following former Knight Thomas Cross through his struggles with accepting himself and his fate...or completely changing fate altogether.

Meanwhile, Londoner Warren Schimmer deals with the battles of living with roommates that despise him and surviving an attack from one of the Hellgates' demons.

As I said, everyday stuff.

Odom expertly intertwines Cross's and Schimmer's stories very gradually, creating an action-packed tale of good versus evil, or more simply, the changing of powers. As Thomas makes his way from his escape of South Africa to London to search for his father, or what remains of him, Warren staves off death and watches his body slowly transform into a tool for the demons.

The inclusion of characters like Leah Creasey, who holds more secrets than she's willing to tell, and Schimmer's roommate Kelli, whom he is almost unconsciously mind-controlling, helps expand a somewhat restricted storyline and add elements of impending disaster to the most heart-pounding situations. And trust me - there are a lot of 'em.

Now, if I could just find out where to get one of those Knights' cool armour suits....

- T.C. Robson

Cutting edge science and legend merge in an apocalyptic battle against demons [Posted on 2008-03-23]
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'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. 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. Armed with Nanodyne armor and arcane knowledge unavailable to the masses, Thomas enters battle, indeed his destiny. 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. Returning to Cape Town after a particularly perilous action-packed encounter, Simon realizes he must return home to London in search of his father. When others are risking everything to get out of the apocalyptic mayhem that has laid waste to London, Simon risks his life to return. 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. Power outages render people and technology helpless. Food and water become scarce while smoke darkens the sky. All normal services, substructures and civilization are no more. 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 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. The Cabalists, fed on the works of Aleister Crowley and H.P. Lovecraft, seek to study demons rather than to do battle against them. A Cabalist invites Warren Schimmer to their enclave after recognizing his potential during one demon encounter. As Warren's powers grow, so do the risks --- risks with possible consequences both personal and widespread. In the battle against the demons' onslaught, Mel Odom pits organization against organization and man against man as internal politics and personal jealousies arise. 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 reader is drawn into the characters of both Simon and Warren as their personal histories make them multi-dimensional and indeed mythical. The powerful portrait of father and son relationships complements the fast-paced action, adding depth and personal stakes into the approaching apocalypse. Fierce loyalties and resentments undergird dynamic adrenaline-high action. 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. 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. EXODUS, Book One of HELLGATE, LONDON is a brilliant tale from a master storyteller.

Not a review just a quality assurance comment [Posted on 2008-04-07]
I have just purchased this and finding it a rather gripping read. Sadly the proof reading was appalling. Nothing story quality-wise but terrible word replacements in the most distracting moments, repeatedly and predictably so. 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 ... did the author use a handwriting scanning and conversion software package instead of of a human proofreader ?

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.

A Much Smoother Read... [Posted on 2008-05-03]
...Than the second. Yeah, I read the books in reverse order, because the second book was available locally, and the first was not. 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. Odom does an excellent job swinging between the two primary characters in the book. 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. 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. 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.

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