Goetia (Hellgate London, Book 2)

List Price: $7.99 Discount Price: $4.06

Customer Reviews:

Simply fun to read [Posted on 2008-05-27]
I've read the previous book, Exodus, and this is just as fun and rollicking as that book. It's enjoyable, with enough story to get things moving. It's an enjoyable summer read.

Futuristic apocalyptic battle: good against evil, demons and humans  [Posted on 2008-06-10]
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 several notches as political alliances entangle characters, creating deeper and deeper levels of danger. The battles and the battle strategies intrigue while new twists in alliances create a breathtakingly eerie vision of a futuristic world teetering on destruction as demons and humans enter the ultimate fight between good and evil. GOETIA mixes unforgettable imagery of zombies, demons and Goetia itself with fast, riveting action. Mel Odom enriches this story with Biblical references, medieval history, H.P. Lovecraft and even a look into Aleister Crowley, a historical figure, famed (and infamous as well) for his studies of demonology. Mel Odom creates an awesome work of science fiction as he infuses futuristic with ancient and modern history in this classic archetypal battle of good versus evil, a battle that Mel Odom paints with his own unique insights and originality that both resonates and thrills. GOETIA will appeal to readers wanting a powerful imaginative kind of read that looks at things like honor and hope in the very worst of times. The ending will have readers chafing at the bit to read the third book!

Mindless entertainment -- serves its purpose well. [Posted on 2008-06-12]
I'll be succinct: it's a trilogy written based on a video game that hasn't been enormously succesful. That said, the books are actually better than the game. If you are into Science Fiction, this trilogy has some elements of that, but it's by no means even close to Hard SF. This is much more Fantasy than SF. Again, that said, these books are good. They are fairly quick reads. The strongest points are the characters and the action. Odom knows how to build a strong cast, including protaganist, anti-hero, and antagonist. If you like SF/Fantasy you'll like this. If you are partial to SF (and lean away from Fantasy) you won't like this as much.

Like the game: [Posted on 2008-06-17]
It's entertaining but there's not much depth.
This book was better than the first in that it made some significant advances in the story, and there were actually some exciting moments.

The story plods along aimlessly. I read it in short spurts until the end when things really picked up.

The writing is solid, but it just lacks flair. It's like reading a script.

I don't read many fantasy books, and I guess I expect too much from the genre. It just does not stimulate the mind or challenge you.

I noticed the 40k Horus Heresy books in the "people also bought" section. I read the first in that series and it was absolutely fantastic.
Try it out!

I will read the third book, but I wouldn't recommend this series unless you really love the game (I do).

Better then expected [Posted on 2008-08-10]
In general, I don't like books written on the base of a game (board or computer). They usually fall very short of the mark.
However in this case the opposite is true. While the computer game of the same name is forgettable the book set up an intriguing base - somewhat similar to the old TORG game.
Hellgate starts off with an "alien" invasion of London. The aliens are that only because they are not human. Instead of space the invasion comes from a different dimension, and the aliens are demons.
This certainly resembles the old TORG game.
The demons are not only killing off the human population, but they are demon-forming the city to their own tastes. This recalls the Gerrold Chthorr series (which seems to have stopped midway).
The Templar, Cabal and special forces - all fighting against the demons - are also fighting amongst themselves, adding to the confusion. I greatly prefer this much more realistic scenario then the usual ones where the Earth "pulls together" to fight the common menace. If history has anything to say it's that humanity will always find someway to fight itself.
All in all it provides for a very rich setting, and I wish Odom was not alone in adding colour and story lines. He does pretty well, and the story is worth a read for it's own sake, but it would have greatly benefitted from support by other writers and other styles.
Given that the computer game is not doing so well, one can only hope the Hellgate world would receive a boost either from a solid line of novels by various writers or by some Hollywood studio picking up the concept for a movie. Either would guarantee the continuation of a very good story base.

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