Friday, January 25, 2013

Rapture by Phillip W. simpson


Rapture(Rapture Trilogy#1)  by Phillip W. Simpson

Book Name: Rapture(Rapture Trilogy #1)

Author Name: Phillip W. Simpson

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Dystopia, paranormal,      Angels&Demons, Adventure, action

Publisher: Pear Jam Books

My Rating: 5 stars

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 color 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 have to say when I was recommended this book by a friend  I wasn’t really keen about reading it. I am not really into dystopian fiction and this is my first one. What really sold me for this one is its cover. What a gorgeous cover!

Like I said, this is my first dystopian read and it was amazing. I think after reading this one I’m going to try reading more dystopian books.  The subject matter was fantastic. This story is set in the post-apocalyptic period. The Rapture had occurred as predicted in The Bible and all the most devote worshippers of Jesus have been taken up to the Heaven while the nonbelievers and the damned have been left on earth that has been ravaged by hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

This book basically revolves around Sam, a half demon who had been in the care of a priest Hikari and raised along with his daughter Aimi. He is trained by his sensei in the art of sword fighting from an early age. It has been told earlier in the story that Sam is the chosen one to fight the Antichrist. What I really liked about Sam was his ability to resist temptation. Being a half demon, he is constantly subjected to temptation and give into his true nature. But no, Sam is determined to let his human goodness prevail and sets out to help the innocents left behind from the clutches of the demons that plague the Earth at night.

I loved the writing style of the author. It has been written in the alternating history/current day format. The story jumps back and forth to events that happened before the Rapture, focusing on Sam's life and his training for his mission, and back to the present, where he is in the middle of slaying demons and fighting for the good of humankind. The moments it would jump back to his past were a little heartbreaking to read because you can see how much Sam loved his Sensei and especially how much he loved Aimi, and the thought of them being taken up to Heaven when the Rapture occurred was devastating to read. 

The author definitely has a knack for writing action sequences descriptively. The fighting scenes were lively that gave an impression of been happening right there in front of you. Anyone and everyone who likes action in their books are going to enjoy it.

I think Phillip Simpson has written a very interesting and engaging story. All the Biblical references that were made gave credibility to the story. Overall, good job!

Buying links for this book
Smashwords.com

Also see my review of Tribulation, book#2 in the Rapture Trilogy


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