Come Armageddon

Tathea #2

by Anne Perry

Five hundred years have passed since the events that drove Tathea, the Empress of Shinabar, into exile in the Lost Lands. There she found not only the oblivion she sought, but a chronicle of mystical teachings in a magical Book. She also found her destiny - to spread the teachings in the Book throughout the world, so that humanity would be prepared for the battle against evil the Book foretold. Gifted with the immortality necessary to the task, Tathea has spent centuries dreading that time.
Now it is drawing near. Tathea waits and watches for the Warriors who are to lead the forces of the Light - and for the return of her lost love, who promised to stand beside her during the final confrontation with the Great Enemy. But all of the Warriors do not appear, and her beloved does not arrive. And Tathea is left to stand alone against the Darkness, with the fate of all the world at stake.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, Religion

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Anne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life after serving five years in prison for murder (in New Zealand). A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.

Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".

Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.

Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories

Reviews

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a quick read. There is a lot of symbolism in this book. Wonderful and inspiring. Follows scripture.

[Suzanne Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thick but worth it. Very great imagination about hell and the devil and his servants.... and the greatness of good versus over evil.

[Renny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a closely written intense book with a lot of symbolism and solidly reflects some of the work the author has done to develop the theological ground of her beliefs. It is an interesting story and well put together.

[Kari · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Megan]

DNS 7/15/2021

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to give this book four stars because I gave Tathea four stars, and the two are closely bound together. Come Armageddon is a darker work than Tathea, as one would expect -- from the title if for no other reason. There's a brooding sense of impending doom that lies over much of the book. I suppose that's as it should be. The war for the Earth will not be pretty. Perry's descriptions of those "perilous times" illustrate just how easy it is for each of us to read the same set of scriptures and envision Armageddon taking place in vastly different ways. One very positive note I want to make is how much I enjoyed Perry's geographic descriptions of the lands Tathea and the others traversed. Frequently, I could almost breathe in the scent of autumn heather in the Scottish Highlands, and when the birds sang, I knew the names of their songs. Can you tell I love Scotland?

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes there is a book that is just not your flavor, you know? Like you are a vanilla fiend and someone tosses you some, to them, delicious pineapple pickle icecream. Try as you may, you can't get it down.

That's how I felt about this book. I did try to read it, and I did read it (though I started skimming half way through) but I kept thinking "omigod, how on earth could Perry have written something so bad?"

And it's not the religious theme; I grew up pondering the Bible, I should have related to the heroine's Book and the End of Times and Being Faithful, and God is Love. Really, I should have.

But I found it all wearisome when it wasn't preachy. Thousands slaughtered, and, oh well, on to the next stage. Yeah, it did remind me of some of my least favorite sections of the Old Testament, but..more badly written.

*sigh*

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bought this on Amazon because it was a cheap add-on and looked like something I would enjoy (I'm a sucker for epic, fantastical, good v. evil stories). I never read Tathea, so I felt a bit at a disadvantage at the beginning, but once I met the core folks, it was fine. It was perfectly interesting as a story, but the theology behind it was very flawed and ended up in a works-based salvation. As such, I would not recommend giving this to someone who doesn't already have a clear conception of exactly what they believe. There is also very grotesque imagery, which was thought provoking.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I loved this book, I was actually disappointed that it skipped through some of the plotlines. When I heard Anne Perry talk about this many years ago, she was planning Tathea's story orginally as a trilogy. However, publishing realities forced her to condense the last two books into one, and Come, Armageddon suffers as a result. That doesn't mean it isn't worth reading! It is a brilliant book of good vs. evil and written by a master of characterization and adventurous plots.

[Kevin Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like some editor cut a book or so right after the prologue. But I understand that's about what happened. This book is confusing and slow at the beginning, and then settles into the style of _Tathea_. As a novel, it is substantially less compelling than _Tathea_. But it is full of good theology, well written. Hence the 4 stars.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

good follow-up to the first book tathea. if you like philosophy of god/devil, good vs evil this is a pretty easy read which is based on the those themes. can drag a bit, and her prose style is somewhat over simplified but nice theological fiction.

[Kimberly Van De Graaff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as Tathea, but still a good read, if you can follow....

[Jeryl Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating imagery, suspenseful plot, masterful writing, inspired Socratic dialogue between Man of Holiness and Asmodeus.

[Elizabeth Scheller Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the book would never end! Well, I was warned.

[Judy]

Tathea left me hanging so I had to finish it.