Review: Rapture by Phillip W Simpson

 

Rapture

by Phillip W Simpson

Blurb: 

The Rapture has occurred, just as the Bible predicted. The faithful have risen up to Heaven. Those left behind are in a living hell.

Earth burns, hell-like in its oppressive heat. Every volcano in the world has erupted, and tsunamis and earthquakes continue to devastate the planet. Clouds continually rain ash onto the scorched landscape, sparking fires all around. Plants and animals are dying. Food is scarce. The night sky is devoid of stars, and the moon - when it can be seen - is the colour of blood.

The remnants of humanity fight for survival. Most have fled the cities and now hide in caves deep in the mountains. By night, demons stalk the Earth, capturing the remaining humans and killing them - if they're lucky. The less fortunate are converted to worship of the Devil, and ushered into endless hell.

Eighteen year old, Sam (short for Samael) was raised in the town of Jacob's Ladder, Utah. It is appropriately enough near to a place of natural scenic beauty called Devil's garden. He finds himself alone, unable to rise up with his family because he is half demon. His mother, a devout Christian, was seduced by Satan and conceived his child. She smuggled the boy to an old friend Hikari, a Japanese sword master and demon expert. Since then, Hikari and his daughter, Aimi, have been all the family Sam has known.

Now they're gone, and Sam must set out on the mission Hikari charged him with long ago: to help all the humans left behind. Armed only with his beloved Japanese swords and his wits, Sam wanders the post-apocalyptic world alone, separated forever from everyone he loves. Cursed by his demonic heritage, he must now embark on a quest that will take him across the US to the City of Angels.

There he will confront his destiny. There he must fight to save a friend ... and the souls of the living.

My Review:

I wasn't sure how I'd like this book. I go to church, understand my religions beliefs, question them daily (which I'm told by my pastor is a good thing), but normally I don't read anything Christian or religion based. The author, Phillip W. Simpson, asked for a Read 4 Review from the Goodreads group I am in, and since I already owned the book and had considered reading it numerous time prior, I thought this would be the perfect time to read it.

For those that don't know what Rapture is about, the Rapture is believed by many to be when those that believe in God will be taken from the earth to heaven, starting the second coming of the Lord. Those who do not believe will be left on earth to suffer through the seven years of Tribulation.

The story follows the life of a half-demon, Sam. The story itself goes back and forth in Sam's life, depending on what's happening at the time in the story. Raised by a believer, and a believer himself, he is left on earth during the Rapture due to his demon side. But he's known this for years and also knows that there is another reason for him being left behind. The antichrist is out there and needs to be dealt with. Through the story he finds acceptance he wouldn't have found prior to the Rapture but he also finds betrayal from those he thought he could depend on.

I enjoyed the scriptures before each chapter. It gave you an idea of what was to come and a little more insight of what was happening. They really pieced in quite well. Oh, and you may be thinking, religious story, blah, not for me, but it's not an in your face believe or else, this is a work of fiction, and should be taken completely as that. No bible thumping here. This is a story for those that have an interest in demons and self conflict. And the demons, there are an assortment of them. The Lemures, which seems to be your basic work horse of Satan, the author had them dead on. As I first started reading and they appeared, I had an idea of what they looked like and when the author described them it was almost exactly what I was imagining.

This story is full of action, self doubt, interaction, imagery, demonology, angelology, a touch of romance that fits perfectly, and is wrapped up in one very satisfying read. Rapture is the first book in the Rapture trilogy, with Tribulation being the next book than wrapping up in Apocalypse. You might be asking, why than only 4 stars? I felt there was too much put on the history of swords and that a betrayal can be realized by the reader long before it is acknowledged in the story and that Sam would have seen it coming to. Other than that, great story and I can't wait to read Tribulation and I recommend this book to everyone.

Author Bio:

I'm an author of mostly children's books - both fiction and non-fiction.

Currently, I am a full-time elementary (primary) school teacher, a full-time writer, a full-time husband and a full-time father. Before becoming a writer, I tried several other career options. I joined the army for a bit, gained a Masters in Archaeology, owned a comic shop, became obsessed with martial arts and oriental weapons and turned down a job at the British museum.

On a personal note, I'm married to Rose, we have a son (Jack) and two border terriers, Whiskey and Raffles. I love fishing, reading, football (soccer) and single malt Whiskeys.

VERY RECENT UPDATE FROM THE AUTHOR:

Going through a transition at present. I've asked for and got my rights back from my publisher and I've chosen not to continue my relationship with my agent. Whilst I go about the process of finding replacements, I've decided to go all Indie. Unfortunately, that means that the print versions of Rapture and Tribulation will not be available until I find a new publisher. However, in the meantime (and this is the good news), I've published both books on Smashwords for the bargain price of $2.99. All ebook formats available!

Click here to buy Rapture
Click here to buy Tribulation

And that means that the third and final book in the Rapture Trilogy, Apocalypse, won't be far away (it was due for release in December, 2013. Just got to do some minor edits so we're talking days if not weeks!