It is the book that grabs you by your collar, sits you in the chair forcefully, and takes you on a white-knuckled ride from one close call to another. Suspense builds up, loops around, and delivers you to a breathless ending that leaves you wanting…nay-begging for more.
Or something like that.
Robin Parrish, master of Infuze, returns to his Dominion Trilogy with the sequel to Relentless. In the first book we meet the Loci, a group of Ringwearers who are Shifted into new bodies with amazing mental powers. They are supposedly the subjects of a prophecy guarded by the Secretum until the proper time, when The Bringer would come and usher in a new age.
Fearless continues this tale with the world in chaos. Strange natural disasters are occurring around the world, and fear grips the populace. In Los Angeles, the public has a mysterious benefactor with phenomenal powers they dub the Guardian. It is Grant Burrows, who leads a group of Loci to use their powers for good.
When an unusual event leads Grant and his friends to London, he is confronted with his destiny. Will he bring about what was spoken of long ago, or would he find the power within to be Fearless?
I read the first book in the trilogy last fall. I enjoyed it a lot, finding it to be an engaging read with a lot of excitement. Fearless increases this exponentially. Robin has really found a unique voice that keeps you glued to the page and your mind engaged. He has a habit of taking you to the edge of the precipice, only to move to another chapter (and often a different character and setting, keeping you hanging). If you like suspense, then this book will provide enough to satisfy for quite a while.
The characters are varied and have unique personalities that draw you in. A plot-driven book can take you along without letting you invest in the people of the story. The author keeps the action cooking all along while bringing us into their lives, fears, and dreams. Just don’t get too attached, as he pulls no punches as the book hurtles toward the ending.
The book has many strong points, but no work is perfect. Some of the description comes across slightly awkward, but this may well be a matter of taste. Very minor complaint, as it is first and foremost a bold, thrilling story. This is a sweeping tale of the end of the world (perhaps?), and thus has some significant action. At times it gets a little bloody, so the squeamish may get a little uncomfortable. He has set in motion an elaborate mythology. There is not any overt Christianity for those who are concerned with that, but I believe that the payoff lies ahead in the final book.
(This is no criticism, just a little game I amuse myself with. I have a habit of noting the preferred descriptors, metaphors, or distinctives that authors like to use. I can’t help it. In Relentless Robin favored the coppery or metallic taste of blood. This continues to a degree in Fearless, but he moves on to the imagery of blood splattered on another person’s cheek. Play the game – see if you can find any others 😀 )
One more item – Fearless should be pretty easily understood by someone who hasn’t read Relentless. Still, the whole story and mythology is lacking a little if you haven’t read the first book, so just be sure to buy them both and enjoy the ride. I highly enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that I have to wait until next summer for the final installment. Boy, Robin Parrish can be merciless…
This review today is sponsored by the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. Fearless will be featured in the Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy blog tour in about 10 days as well. I will have a special essay prepared, and hopefully another treat for those looking for more on Robin and his books.
A good book should keep you wanting coming back for more. Each chapter keeps you hanging, every time you have to put it down you look forward to the time you can return to the excitement. This can be via explosions and action, or emotional tension and consequence – the point is to keep the reader hooked.
All well and good. Except now I want to clobber a certain author.
I just finished a book for an upcoming blog tour. I read the prior one last year sometime, and enjoyed it. The sequel takes the prior story and ratchets up the tension exponentially. I enjoyed the first book. I devoured the second one.
The only problem…do you know how you’re getting close to the end of the novel, and you look at the pages remaining and wonder, “How is the author going to tie this up?” I started pondering the same thing. (Noted later there were a few blank pages at the end…why do they DO that?)
And then the rug was pulled out from under me. The author had two major events happen on the last page. He totally left us hanging. (Literally) And the third book is not due until next summer.
Arrrrrgh!
It’s okay. I’ll forgive him and gobble up the book next year. Point to the author. That’s his goal, and hopefully I can learn from that. But one whole year??? NOT FAIR…
A good book should keep you wanting coming back for more. Each chapter keeps you hanging, every time you have to put it down you look forward to the time you can return to the excitement. This can be via explosions and action, or emotional tension and consequence – the point is to keep the reader hooked.
All well and good. Except now I want to clobber a certain author.
I just finished a book for an upcoming blog tour. I read the prior one last year sometime, and enjoyed it. The sequel takes the prior story and ratchets up the tension exponentially. I enjoyed the first book. I devoured the second one.
The only problem…do you know how you’re getting close to the end of the novel, and you look at the pages remaining and wonder, “How is the author going to tie this up?” I started pondering the same thing. (Noted later there were a few blank pages at the end…why do they DO that?)
And then the rug was pulled out from under me. The author had two major events happen on the last page. He totally left us hanging. (Literally) And the third book is not due until next summer.
Arrrrrgh!
It’s okay. I’ll forgive him and gobble up the book next year. Point to the author. That’s his goal, and hopefully I can learn from that. But one whole year??? NOT FAIR…
Due to vacation I’m a little behind on this special feature of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. There is a cool event that is happening (on the East Coast only, all us Westerners miss out on all the fun stuff, except fires) from July 9-19.
There are four Christian fantasy authors getting together for a special promotional tour of book stores to highlight their own books, and the genre of speculative fiction as well. You can find full details of it at their website: Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour.
I have only read Sharon Hinck’s fantasy novel, so I can’t vouch for the other authors, but it sounds like a cool opportunity to meet some authors and get books signed (as hopefully you are compelled to pick up 3-4 copies of each book).
Due to vacation I’m a little behind on this special feature of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. There is a cool event that is happening (on the East Coast only, all us Westerners miss out on all the fun stuff, except fires) from July 9-19.
There are four Christian fantasy authors getting together for a special promotional tour of book stores to highlight their own books, and the genre of speculative fiction as well. You can find full details of it at their website: Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour.
I have only read Sharon Hinck’s fantasy novel, so I can’t vouch for the other authors, but it sounds like a cool opportunity to meet some authors and get books signed (as hopefully you are compelled to pick up 3-4 copies of each book).
I find I don’t have time to read all the books that the CFBA has to offer, so I often just support the tour by posting the pre-fabricated post. Later this summer I’m really socked in with reading commitments. However, after reading this blurb I’m thinking that Island Inferno could be a pretty good testosterone fest for those so inclined. Christian men have testosterone too! I say we let Chuck do his take on a prairie romance…
Chuck served four years in the Elite 75th Ranger Regiment–the same unit profiled in the movie “Black Hawk Down.” Chuck saw combat in Panama in 1989. After leaving active duty, Chuck flew helicopters in the Wisconsin National Guard while attending the University of Wisconsin.
In 2004, after ten years as a stockbroker, Chuck left that profession to pursue full-time writing. At the same time, he began working as the “Adventure Correspondent” for CBN.
He is the author of five books, including A More Elite Soldier, Bulletproof, and Allah’s Fire, the first of three books in the Task Force Valor series.
Today, Chuck, Connie, and their five children live on a farm in Appalachia, where Chuck now pursues his varied interests of farming, writing, adventure travel and public speaking, among other things.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
TASK FORCE VALOR
EXPLOSIVE ORDINANCE DISPOSAL–THE BOMB SQUAD
As the global war on terror heats up, the U.S. deploys a team of highly trained special operators overseas to locate and neutralize threats, bringing EOD expertise to dangerous missions that have no room for error.
A DEADLY EXPLOSION A new specialty explosive is on the black market: ITEB looks like water, but when it’s exposed to air, the effects are lethal! The United States government is frantic to keep it from our shores. Staff Sergeant Euripides “Rip” Rubio knows how destructive ITEB can be. He has already risked his life to thwart a horrific terrorist plot involving the chemical. Now Task Force Valor heads to Panama, on the trail of an arms dealer who plans to use ITEB to make a killing…literally.
AN ADVENTURE ABROAD Fernanda Lerida is a University of Florida grad student who jumps at the chance to join a biological expedition to a mysterious former prison island. But the snakes, bugs, and crocodiles are soon the least of her worries as the group stumbles upon something they were not meant to see. To Make matters worse, Fernanda soon finds herself alone and being pursued by an unseen foe.
A RISKY RESCUE When Rip’s path collides with Fernanda’s, they find themselves caught in the midst of a brutal turf war. Can they use the chaos to their advantage, or will one false step set the entire island ablaze?
“Island Inferno is a boy-meets-girl story. But in Chuck Holton’s world, boy meets girl in the middle of a jungle at 25mph. hanging under a parachute with an assault rifle strapped across his chest. You’d better plan on reading this in one sitting. And once you’re done, you’d better give yourself time for your pulse to calm down.” —-TOM MORRISEY, Author of Deep Blue, and Dark Fathom
