Timeless Conflict

by Ute Perkins

Some 5,000 years ago an ancient race of immortal beings brought humanity into existence by pulling them from their grass huts and caves and into a modernistic society along the Nile river valleys. For centuries, mankind flourished under the tutelage of these immortals until a group of men became conscious of the power their living gods possessed and plotted to eliminate them... the group, the Masons, nearly succeeded. Since the decimation of his people Warren Alexander has roamed throughout the world feeding on humans in order to conceal his true identity. As one of the few survivors of their ancient immortal race he now walks undetected amongst the humans while he hunts the members of the group of men that killed his family and virtually eliminated his people. When Warren meets the step-daughter of a direct descendant and participating member of these Masons he draws the girl close, in an effort to reach her step-father and access to the Mason organization. Not expecting to, Warren begins to fall in love with the girl as they race to avoid the FBI and the secret Masonic guard that has been trained to capture and eliminate the immortal threat. Now, Warren must not only fight to save his own life, but the life of the girl he has grown to love.

Genres: Urban Fantasy

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

I grew up in a small southern Nevada town on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Just after graduation from high school I served in the U.S. Army for 5 years during which I participated in Operation Desert Storm. Upon completion of my military obligation, I earned my bachelors degree from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tn. Later, after a move to south central Pennsylvania, I completed my MBA from Eastern University in Harrisburg, Pa. I have traveled a great deal for my job and enjoy traveling and spending time with my wife and family.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was quite an intense book with an interesting take on the werewolf legend. The author is currently writing a sequel and I can't wait to know the rest of the story.

[Volpot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[Phillip Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the storyline.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I think the book is a good read. The story was fresh (to me), it was nicely detailed, and at parts nothing could keep me from reading. The parts I didn't care so much for were the beginning, the short leap to love, and the lack of background in certain areas. I think this book could have been an excellent read if some things were tweaked just a smidgeon. Let me pick apart my issues and explain them.

First, I would like to say that the synopsis for this book does not in any way do it justice (go peek at Goodreads if you want a better one.). I was given the synopsis by the author and I wasn't completely sold on the book, so I stalked it out a little and found a more intriguing version (yes, I was shameless and read some reviews too). It paid off to do a little more legwork though. :D

Secondly, I have to comment on the beginning of the book. I'm not sure if it was the squinting I had to do on my eReader because the font was so small, or if it was just that the beginning seemed to just draaaaaaaggggggg on. I picked up the book, read a few pages, and set it down. I wouldn't come back to it for a couple of days and then I would rinse and repeat the same cycle. It was a slower pace than I like, but it was great at baiting you with gore right off the jump. I think setting the tone for Marcus and Travis(the FBI agents) is what did me in. Maybe if we would have seen Warren first and experienced his snippet of the story and THEN were introduced to the gore and the FBI, I wouldn't have been so hard on it. I knew right away though, that as soon as Warren came into the picture, that he was the culprit. I would have liked the chance to 'love' him before I knew he was a harbinger of mutilation though. lol

Thirdly, I think the love in the book was rather superficial. Almost like we were being forced to believe that there was real love between the main characters but it never really got to that point for me. I believed there was true loyalty and an amazing amount of sacrifice between them but true love just wasn't there. =/ At one point in the book, there was a scene that made me think our heroine was a reincarnation or maybe a link to someone significant in his past but Ute never elaborated on it and it was kind of forgotten. Had he added to that and I had been right, then maybe the love connection would have been authentic for me (at least from Warrens end). Maybe I just expect a lot out of 'love' in books. Aside from my questioning of the authenticity though, the love was good. ♥


I think that is all for my real complaints. The rest of the book was just amazing. Ute brought Egyptian Mythology to the forefront when werewolves and vampires seem to reign supreme, and he made it a current and exotic contender. It wasn't stuffy and boring and if I had been a tactics/action/suspense nut this would have been 5 stars all the way. I've heard Ute compared to James Patterson, Dean Coontz, and Stephen King and I have to say that I agree. He is very comparable to all three and he is great at putting you in the middle of all the action. lol Edge of my seat and all that. :P

I was really hard on the book while I was reading it because I wanted more background, less skipping around, and a better sense of love, but as soon as things started to fall into place and you knew it was about to get ugly is when I started to really respect it. Ute is incredibly knowledgeable and has a way of making you feel intellectually inferior. >.< haha That in and of itself is worth my respect! I really did love the book and I hope someone turns it into a movie. The last half of the book could be a movie by itself and I would pay $8.00 to see just that. ♥

I am in the midst of reading Timeless Conflict: The Amons which is the second installment in the series and I am excited to see where it takes me this time.

[Nickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few weeks ago, author Ute Perkins asked if I'd read and review his book, 'Timeless Conflict'. The preview on Amazon sucked me in, plus it featured a twist on Egyptian mythology (that's a check, check-ity check in my book. I love Egyptian mythology).

******

Warren blends seamlessly into the background of college, always at the periphery picking his next target. He's an immortal of the Anubis tribe (basically a werewolf), and requires regular feeding to keep his human form... feeding on his fellow college students...

When stalking out his latest victims, Warren meets Rachel, a relative of the Masons who destroyed Warren's tribe. At first, Warren tries to get close to Rachel to find a way to destroy her family, but he finds himself slowly falling for her.

The Masons have detected some unusual deaths in the area, and suspect that Warren might be an immortal. Warren must fight for his freedom, and finds himself caught between protecting Rachel or avenging the death of his tribe.
******

What I liked about this book:
Did I mention the Egyptian mythology? I did? Well, I'll mention it again because I love it. There's so many books out there spinning Greek/Roman mythology that it's refreshing to see a peek into a different culture. I really liked the idea that the Anubis tribe would be like werewolves,

When I read the book, I kept thinking about how to describe it to someone else, and what I finally settled on was 'Tom Clancy meets Twilight'. It sounds bizarre, like chocolate cake with potato chips, but the salty/sweet combo works. Perkins' novel takes some ideas from Twilight (immortal, dangerous love interest who really likes the way the female protag smells) and pushes the idea in a different direction. Since Warren does not share the Cullen's compunction with eating people, he leaves a trail of dead bodies, which catches the attention of both the FBI and the Masons. The more romantic scenes of Warren falling for Rachel are intercut with the FBI investigating the chewed up remains of Warren's victims. There's definitely a Tom Clancy/military thriller vibe through the second half of the story, with plenty of action and suspense.

Without spoiling the book, I'll just add that I loved the ending.

What I didn't like about the book:
A lot of Warren's backstory (being an immortal, being part of the Anubis tribe, the war between the immortals and the Masons) was dumped in the middle of the story. Spreading the explanation out, through flashbacks, etc, might have helped.

The pacing was a bit uneven. The beginning of the book is a little slow, and the first half focuses more closely on the growing relationship between Warren and Rachel. The second half is a complete roller-coaster ride, never slowing down for a minute.

I was shocked by the fact that Rachel seemed to be okay with (or maybe oblivious to?) Warren eating people. Now, I know a lot of girls like bad boys, but cannibalism is usually off the table. Rachel doesn't bring up the issue with Warren, and he never defends his actions. It seemed like an issue that should have come up in their relationship.

Finally, I really couldn't get inside the head of Rachel's step-dad, Nathan, or her mother, Sarah. Nathan makes some decisions that affect his family (sorry for the vagueness -- I'm trying to stay spoiler free, here!), but doesn't seem to care about the consequences. Likewise, Sarah makes a split-second decision with enormous consequences toward the end of the book, and doesn't ever seem to regret her choice. I was unclear why those two characters were married in the first place, and why they acted the way they did.

Final verdict:
If you like military thrillers and Egyptian mythology, and can take a little romance, check this one out. It might be too heavy on the thriller/suspense side for fans of paranormal romance.

[She-Wolf Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

TIMELESS CONFLICT is an interesting blend of a Dan Brown-conspiracy like storyline with a heavy dose of the supernatural. Though I liked the originality of the shapeshifter race based on Egyptian mythology, there were elements of the book that kept me from connecting with the characters and the story in general.


The book’s strongest point really lies in its creepiness. I appreciate a paranormal story that’s not afraid to embrace the sheer evil or violence of its creatures. In TIMELESS CONFLICT, we’re introduced to a shapeshifter, based on the Anubis god of Egyptian mythology, who eats people. Loved that idea. Now, this same creature is also the lead romantic interest of a human character. I appreciated the inherent conflict of someone who eats people being in love with a human. I think with vampires you can sexy up the violence but creating a supernatural being who gorges on humans…well, it’s hard to make that sexy. The writer has to work even harder to “humanize” him in the eyes of the readers and it makes for a difficult to redeem main character.


While I appreciate the boldness of this choice, the rest of the book’s elements didn’t work for me. The main conflict centers around a race of shapeshifters who have spent centuries being hunted by the Masons. A young college student, Rachel, gets caught in the crossfire and her world is turned upside down as her relationship with Warren, a member of the Anubis clan, comes under the scrutiny of the Masons. These two must stay on the run in order to stay alive. By far the biggest problem for me was the instalove between Warren and Rachel. He ate (yes, ate) an acquaintance of hers and she saw him do it. But Rachel is a forgiving soul and is able to look past this and see the vulnerable person inside Warren. Yes, he has a tragic past; yes, he is full of understandable anger towards humans; yes, at one point, he saves her life. But he ate her friend. I can't see how you look past that and then, several days later, proclaim your love for that very person, someone you barely know. I couldn’t suspend that disbelief. In fact, had that conflict been strung out over the course of the story, this push and pull of feelings for Warren, their relationship would have been far more interesting.


There were also some stylistic issues that bogged down the storyline. There’s a large cast of characters with constantly shifting POVs. These could often shift from paragraph to paragraph which could be confusing. This was particularly true for the first couple of chapters but I eventually got the hang of it. There was also quite a bit of detail in the first half of the book that slowed down what could have been an effective fast pace – for example, there was a lot of brand name details that didn’t add to painting a larger picture of the characters and there's one scene in particular, several pages detailing Rachel leaving the hospital, that just wasn’t necessary. Editing some of that out would have sped up the pacing of the book quite nicely.


TIMELESS CONFLICT has some strong ideas and an interesting shapeshifter mythology. However, overall, I couldn't connect with the story enough to give it a high recommendation.

This review was provided courtesy of She-Wolf Reads.

[Krystal Milton · Rating 5 out of 5]

see review post on www.krystalmilton.weebly.com
Timeless Conflict

By Ute Perkins

Rating ***** (5 stars)


Review:

Timeless conflict is by far one of my favorite reads to date. While I am not going to gush about how perfect the book was, it did have some faults; however the story line, plot, characters, and conflicts were some of the works best qualities. I would definitely be the first patron should this book catch a movie deal.

First let’s go into the style of writing. Ute Perkins in my opinion is a cross between Stephen King, James Patterson and Dean Koontz which are all very dynamic suspense thriller type authors. From the opening in chapter one a reader will find themselves hooked. I was so caught up within the pages of this novel that I found myself unable to put it down. I mean I literally walked around my house chasing after kids, cleaning this and that one handed, with my eyes glued to my Nook. It was horrible! I even tripped twice, truth I swear! Absolute truth!

I pride myself in giving very honest reviews and insights into the books I review, and let me tell you, I love James Patterson, I can’t read Stephen kings novels at night and I absolutely love Dean Koontz. They are by far the best in their genre and Ute Perkins I think should be added to that list.

Detectives Marcus Reading and Travis Russell put me in the mind of two brothers working together on a gigantic puzzle all the while being distracted with their conflicting personalities. These characters are not one dimensional; Ute did a fantastic job giving every victim, every scene, and every surface inside the book infinite details that feeds the imagination. I had no trouble enveloping myself within the story line, identifying with each unique character and seeing the scenes within my minds eye as if I was really there smelling the fresh scent of blood or watching Marcus become annoyed with Travis as they picked each others brains while attending to their crime scenes.

If you haven’t read this book, surely I say please do. Ute Perkins is a very well written author who has yet to see his due. Very well done Ute, and I thank you very enthusiastically for such a great read. You have a new fan in me.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting take on the mythology of shapeshifters and vampires. While the beginning of the book moves a little slowly, once things started happening, they REALLY started happening.

Now, honestly, Warren's penchant for eating his victims is a little gross. That Rachel is able to get past that, and past the fact that he'd been planning to do the same to her, says a lot. Part of it, I think, is learning the history of his people and what was done to them. It helped her see him and his feeding in a different light.

I really liked the overall world and I liked how different the mythology was from other books I've read. As I said, however, the book takes a while to get up to speed. It wasn't until about the halfway point that I was sucked in and needed to know how things were going to play out. And the ending? While I understand what Warren's thinking, it made me make my stern frowny face. Book 2 had best give some resolution toward that or I'll be a sad girl.

A slow start but a strong ending with plenty of blood and betrayal to go around. Danger, bloodshed, a little eating of the dead... fun stuff.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine gave this book to me and I was pleasantly surprised. The author does have a talent for moving the story along. It was hard to close the book since he did such a good job at creating mini-cliff-hanger situations along the way. This is fiction which presupposes you are willing to suspend your disbelief in mystical creatures (think twilight, american werewolf, etc.) Perkins creates a complicated main character who is really an antihero, an untypical antagonist who gets things done his way. This challenges the reader and makes the story more interesting. Perkin's strengths are his imagination and ability to tell a great story. I recommend this book for fans of twilight and thrillers in general.

[Roni Harley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although some common editorial mistakes arise, and some scenes beg for a bit more detail, this book was overall not bad. Think of the action and mystery/conspiracy in the popular movie "The Da Vinci Code", mashed up with the romance and character development in the "Twilight Saga".
Definitely not bad for a new author!

Family friendliness score: 2 out of 5
Although I am very impressed with the lack of expletives and erotica, this book is certainly not for the whole family. I would suggest that parents beware, and wait until your teens are grown before handing them a copy of this one. My reasons: high levels of violence, strong passion scenes, and of course the occasional eating of corpses!

Overall, a job well done, Mr. Perkins!

(Reviewed by Roni at www.rosebuz.com)

[WiLoveBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

New and interesting twist on the old vampire/werewolf myths and Masons. Lots of action and plenty of plot twists to keep you turning pages. The book actually starts out with an FBI investigation into mysterious deaths and alternates with Warren as we try to figure him out. I really liked this book, but I am a bit squeamish when it comes to people being eaten. There is nothing graphic, though. There is a love story as well, but it is more thriller than romance. I will be reading the sequel soon, but I'll probably be left wanting more, as it is a trilogy. Can't wait!

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this novel. If you liked Twilight you will like this one too. Way to go Ute!

[Sherry Gammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great job!

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]