The Judas Line

by Mark Everett Stone

Jude Oliver hails from a long line of assassins. Tired of his family’s treachery and wanting more from life than power, he escapes with their secret weapon, the Silver—an ancient artifact so potent, so evil, that it could plunge mankind into a permanent state of ruin and despair. After fifteen years on the run, Jude receives a surprise visit from a cousin who planned to murder him to obtain the family treasure. So begins Jude’s desperate quest to find another artifact powerful enough to destroy the Silver. His traveling companion is an unlikely friend, Mike Engle—a Catholic priest who found his calling on the brutal sands of Iraq. In the course of their journey, the two men clash with evil in many forms. Mike learns the details of Jude’s incredible history and the family secret that reaches back 2,000 years. Before their final, earth-shattering battle, the duo will find surprising allies and the strength to carry on against seemingly insurmountable odds. Will the lessons Jude has learned about love, friendship and sacrifice be enough save him from his family and his destiny?


Starred Review: "This delightful Catholicism-infused quest fantasy stars a likable and original duo. Fr. Michael Engle, a pragmatic Catholic priest, and Jude, who has a considerably more uncertain relationship with God, are unlikely friends, but when a blood-covered Jude runs into Mike's church asking for help, Mike listens to him, believes him, and joins him on a quest to find the Holy Grail, which Jude hopes will help him destroy a legendary and dangerous family heirloom. Along the way they encounter Cain, the Norse gods (drinking and watching Bridge over the River Kwai), and a Valkyrie with the requisite 'chainmail-covered pillowy breasts.' When Mephistopheles shows up, Jude manages to label him an Arch-Fiend of Hell without irony and without irritating the reader. Stone's depiction of magic is realistic and intelligent and his treatment of Catholicism refreshingly informed and three-dimensional. Even the obligatory near-apocalyptic ending is coherent, surprising, and exciting."

--Publishers Weekly

Genres: Mystery

316 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2012

About the author

Born in Helsinki, Finland, Mark Everett Stone arrived in the U.S. at a young age and promptly dove into the world of the fantastic. Starting at age seven with the Iliad and the Odyssey, he went on to consume every scrap of Norse Mythology he could get his grubby little paws on. At age thirteen he graduated to Tolkien and Heinlein, building up a book collection that soon rivaled the local public library’s. In college Mark majored in Journalism and minored in English. Mark is feverishly working on his next book while his amazingly patient wife, Brandie, keeps him and their two sons, Aeden and Gabriel, in check.

Reviews

[C.p. Bialois · Rating 4 out of 5]

The constant in this author’s work is that his characters are funny, engaging, and likable even at the worst of times in the story. That gives them a comfortable familiarity to welcome the reader into their world.

The book follows a pair of individuals, Jude Olivier and Mike Engle, as they struggle to beat the forces of evil at their own game. As the book unfolds, Jude’s history is told in the form of a letter to his friend and Catholic priest Mike.

For years, Mike thought Jude was nothing more than a uninformed individual in the teachings of God. The day Jude handed him the letter, his world changed in an unexpected way. As a former soldier from the first Gulf War, Mike thought he saw everything. He was wrong. Suddenly thrust into a world full of demons, magic, and a historical bloodline connecting Jude to the greatest evil from the Bible, Mike relies on his sole weapon. Faith.

[Terry Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting take on God and Satan. Don't believe I've ever read one like it before. Have to say I really enjoyed it. The main characters Jude and Mike were perfect. Why they got along so well is still a mystery to me, but whatever it was, it worked. Loved the elemental parts of magic that was used. No hocus-pocus stuff in this book. A lot more serious than that. And there are lots of surprises along the way. I do recommend that you read it and not be on the fence about it.

[Jack Remick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Everett Stone has written a masterpiece. How did he do that? This novel is built on massive detail--historical,alchemical, fantastical. The Judas Line is a buddy novel, a road novel, a family novel (and you can't choose family so watch out). I won't reveal the story line, but to say that this is an Elemental novel with Satanic breath and the odor of a world you can't imagine.
The myth base is powerful, the rituals are detailed and magnificent, the metaphor is so well written that after a few pages you forget that this is a paranormal. As it should be with good writing, the language is exact, the cadences rise and fall, and again, the details,my goodness,the details.
Congratulations to Mark Everett Stone--he's written a thriller that is a masterful literary accomplishment. And congratulations to the publisher at Camel Press who sees the power of this writing and brings it to us--full bore.

[Champ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the premise interesting: a rogue member of an ancient family of magical assassins steals "The Silver", the source of the family's magical power and seeks to destroy it. I don't want to give anything away, but it's an ancient family, the source of its power is The Silver, and the book is called "The Judas Line"...As I say, the premise is interesting, but the dialogue is stilted and strange -- no one talks like these people -- and the climax devolves into one action movie cliche after another. Plus, it's the worst copy-edited book I've ever read. You could add several chapters with the words that were just left out of the text.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

***semi-mini spoiler*** So loved the mix of theology & fantasy. Lots of action & humor, enjoyed the double POV.***warning though for those like me who enjoy their fluffy bunnies & lollipops*** I cried at the end. Yes, I'm such a baby but damn it! It was sad. Not hip on self sacrifice blah blah blah* Having said that it's still one of the best books i've read in a while!

[Amy Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

This definitely was a great read, filled with action and adventure. The writer was able to balance both the line between light and dark, adding humor to a story that was filled with intensity and evil. This is the first work that I've read from this author, and I will definitely read more. I know there are more to the story of Jude and his expertise in the art of killing. The story has different levels and each one is remarkable. I look forward to the next in the series, and then the one after that.

[Karen Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not normally fond of 1st person narration because I find it often not done well. Mark Stone knows how to do 1st person, and I enjoyed the quirk that he used 1st person for 2 different points of view in this book. It was appropriate because both characters are important to the story and they have very different worldviews. The style of narration is (and I use Mark's words to me) "1st person smartass."

Stone understands plot. This story gets quickly into conflict and the pace steadily builds, with setbacks and surprises along the way. The book has the feel of a James Bond movie, with violence mixed with wry wit. This might bother some: there is lots of violence, and it is often graphic. I did not find the violence gratuitous though. Considering the adversaries, the amounts and kinds of violence seemed apt.

Magic is used in the story, and I liked Stone's magical theory. He makes use of botanical magic (potions and balms), Elemental magic, and magical Words of power. In his model, the vocabulary of magic Words are distorted fragments of the original divine words of creation.

If you like action, wry wit, mythology, theology, and aren't put off by copious violence, you may very well enjoy this tale. I did. I downrated it to only 4 stars because I found a good number of tiny editing errors that should have been found when proofing, and there were enough of them to be bothersome.

[Lighthearted · Rating 2 out of 5]

What would happen if the antichrist really didn’t want to be the antichrist? Was if he was best friends with a priest? What if he started hanging out with Cain – who feels really bad about killing Abel and lying about it?

Reminiscent of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, The Judas Line has its moments but it’s a bit heavy on the testosterone for me – there’s a lot of fighting and gore in graphic detail. I like the basic premise but I have to admit, I was disappointed by Jude Oliver’s lack of creativity in determining false identities for himself – exactly how did he manage to stay under the radar as long as he did? I also wasn’t really thrilled with Stone’s treatment of Cain – the speech patterns were annoying rather than quirky – plus I was annoyed by Stone’s interpretation of what angered God the most – the murder or the lie. Yes, I know I’m being a little silly given that the whole book is an irreverent take on Christian belief but it annoyed me. Rounding out my list of annoyances was Stone’s treatment of the Norse Gods – Stone made them fallen angels which could have been cool but turned out to be lame. In fairness to Stone, though, I believe he intended to portray the Norse Gods/fallen angels as losers.

[Doreen Dalesandro]

Kindle freebie, 3/1/13