Futuristic apocalyptic battle: good against evil, demons and humans

Goetia, the second book in Mel Odom's Hellgate London trilogy is a prelude media tie-in to the Hellgate London online role playing game. Having developed the two major characters in the first book, Exodus, Mel Odom takes the reader into the intricacies of the characters, the history, and the world as it has been transformed since the entry of the demons through the Hellgate portal.

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 preserve 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 all 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 and science fiction lovers 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!