Apocalypse Cult

Gray Spear Society #1

by Alex Siegel

They are God's secret warriors, His henchmen, His assassins cloaked in shadows. When lives and souls are at risk, He sends the Gray Spear Society to save mankind. This time the enemy is the Church of One Soul, a cult that intends to kill thousands of unsuspecting tourists in Chicago. But this is merely the first step in plunging the world into a devastating war. The Society has only a few days to destroy their elusive foe, despite interference by overzealous federal agents. APOCALYPSE CULT is a contemporary thriller set in Chicago with a supernatural theme. It is the first book in the Gray Spear Society series. Please visit http://www.grayspearsociety.com/ for more information.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Ebooks, Fiction, Mystery

422 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2011

About the author

Alex Siegel has written four series, full of hellish scenarios and diabolical plot twists. His latest series is called Paranormal Enforcement Administration, and the first book is The Devil's Pets. Alex is a computer programmer by day and a passionate, even obsessive, writer by night. He lives in Chicago with his wife and triplet teenage boys.

Check out my website or my blog for the latest updates!

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's another case of "I wish we had a half star or 10 star system". I have to go 4 stars here as I like it more than a 3 rating might indicate. On the other hand there are 4 star books I like better. so...3.5 or maybe 7 of 10??? Still good and I'm making myself read a couple of other books I've been waiting to read before I get the next from Kindle/Amazon.

Okay, what do I like and what keeps me from going all the way to 5?

First it's brain candy and the writing style is far from complex. This of course is not a bad thing it's just something that gives the book a more simplistic feel. That I suppose is the only real reason I dropped the rating so...let me apologize for unconscious snootiness.

Enjoy.

Now what can I say? No spoilers here but let me cover a couple of points. There's a bit of minor coincidence here...or possibly... SOMETHING MORE. I happen to be reading 3 books that all have something in common. If you're a Christian and books that use Christian theology as part of the plot...sort of "creaming it" annoy you...then all 3 of these will annoy you. I just finished this and I'm reading Ground Zero (Repairman Jack) and The Fuller Memorandum.

This one is by far the most Christian friendly...and for that matter the most Jewish and even Islam friendly (I'm a Christian...an actual practicing one). The plot however does make some assumptions that will have you shaking your head if this kind of thing bothers you.

I shake my head but regard it as a story and move on.

The story involves an ex-cop (we've met scads of those if we've read many novels) who was framed and kicked off the force for uncovering dirt on the wrong superior. He's working as a (what else) barely surviving Private Eye, who stumbles into the wrong case. There he gets involved with a SECRET organization where he's faced with a version of, "if I tell you I have to kill you".

From there...we move forward. This group, The Gray Spear Society you see fights physical earthly , read bloody and violent, battles on "God's side". They fight the Things that attack God's plans from the Outside. Outside reality, outside the universe, etc.

The story is good, the characters are interesting if a little simple and I like them. As i said I like the book and intend to get the next. So I recommend it, enjoy.

What is it that flies in the face of Christianity? There is an assumption of "things" God didn't create. There's an assumption that God can be "embarrassed" at these things that are threatening His plan(s). In other words there's an assumption that God isn't God. So as I said, shake your head and move on or lay it aside. There is an assumption of One God and it is Christian friendly.

It'll be up to you. Doesn't bother me too much as I sort of just set the story aside. Up to each of us.

[Elizabeth Towns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t forget to tell you this: I received this book free in exchange for my honest review!

Now – My Review:

Apocalypse Now is a book about an army appointed by God to work behind the scenes on missions that have to be completed no matter the cost, even if it is their lives. They are willing to give up their lives for the sake of saving others, and they have special gifts to achieve these goals. Aaron Glade is, for lack of better terms, a fallen police officer and P.I.. He’s made mistakes in his life, and now he’s been recruited by the Gray Spear Society – God’s Soldier’s. He has no idea what he’s getting into, but he’s sure about to learn.

As we meet the other characters in the Gray Spear Society and Apocalypse Now, there is romance which is a little forced for this book, and maybe could have been saved for further into the series; action and adventure that will keep you reading; and lots of thrills on Glades first mission to destroy the Church of One Soul before it can do it’s detrimental work on earth.

This is not really a religious novel, although there are some aspects of religion revealed, and the cover is totally misleading. When I first saw the cover, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into! I’m so glad I pressed past that visual revelation. In some places the writing is a little choppy, but not enough to stop me from reading on to find out what the end would bring.

[Selinalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took a chance on this book and it paid off. It is a detective, supernatural and a touch religious type novel. I felt it had touches of Dan Brown in it, Religious mysteries and action.

Aaron,an ex-cop from Chicago tries to start over after losing it all. He jumps from job to job trying to pay the bills. His best job idea is a private eye. One of his first clients are a couple in search of their teenage daughter, Brittney. They are convinced she has been brainwashed and taken by The Church of One Soul.
But this cult has more enemies than just Aaron. It seems as though God Himself wants to rid the Earth of this scum too. God has employees who do the dirty work. they operate in secret and receive no medals of honor. Aaron has met them, and now has to decide will he just keep his mediocre private eye job that doesn't pay or will he fight a bigger fight.

There were some grammatical errors nothing that took away from the flow or distracted me. I liked the fast action pace. I will continue to read the rest of the series, I'm interested what new adventures await.

[Benjamin Spurlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating take on the Hunter archetype, and some interesting musings on the nature of God and violence. The action was well-written, and while the characters were a bit stock at times, the way that they interacted certainly made up for that. I also have to admit that Alex succeeded in his goal of increasing the tension as the story progressed. I'm a sucker for the heroes hitting their heads against the wall and having to come up with new avenues of approach, and Victor's arc conclusion in particular was very, very well handled.

I'm also a terrible fan of brute action, and this book certainly tickled that itch. Whether it's the dance of machetes, the poisoned fingernails, or the brute power of a grenade launcher or shotgun... the action sequences in this book were both visceral and very satisfying.

A bit of thriller, a bit of humor, a lot of action, and a dash of exploring far broader issues? In short, it's everything I'd want in a Hunter story, and I'm glad to have found it.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron Glade is a PI and looks into a cult to find the daughter of his clients, when he is spying on the camp he meets two other people clearly black op kind.
He agrees on working together with them, but when time is there they seem to have a own plan next to it and he ends up saving the guy. They get away but then it all begins.

The Cult Church of One Soul is not what it seems to be, they sell drugs to raise money and kill. Soon Aaron is asked into the secret group, "The grey spear" to get rid of the leader of the cult.

The book is fast pace and very well written, love the characters all of them. Loads of action and a little romance. the book might sound as a religion one but that is not the case, great book and can't wait to read the next in this series.

I received a copy of this book for a honest review

[Sharon Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced action/adventure with a major link to the paranormal. Quick, entertaining read but the character development was a bit superficial and I found it difficult to relate to the indiscriminate killing.

The justification that anyone who discovered the identities of the 'enforcers' had to be killed to protect their anonymity seemed insufficient to explain the killing of significant numbers of police officers, FBI, Coast Guard and other law enforcement personnel.

[Nicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I missed the point or hell maybe it WAS the point... Shortly after the sample I realized the characters were all psychopaths. I understand collateral damage & an eye for an eye but holy freaking cows for guardians of humanity/god's wonderful creation we sure are a little trigger, knife, grenade, axe happy.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, generously rounded up. Clumsy writing. Also oddly juvenile and repetitive. I don't need to be told on every page that someone is sexy or surprisingly quick for being old. Get over it already. Also on a possibly unrelated note, I no longer trust Amazon reviews. They seem... padded?

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ex-Chicago cop, Aaron Glade takes on the occasional PI job to help pay the bills. When he is approached by Frank and Caroline Waters about their missing fifteen-year-old daughter, Brittany, he goes to their house to learn more. According to them, she was under the influence of Simon and his cult the Church of One Soul. He agrees to find her and promises to bring her back to her parents.
Finding the compound of the Church of One Soul isn’t hard but gaining access is much more difficult as it was protected by armed guards. While staking out the place, he spies two figures slinking through the surrounding woods. Before he can corner them, he becomes their prey. They introduce themselves as Galina Vaganova and Joseph Biondo; she was the most beautiful woman Aaron has ever seen, Joseph was big, broad, and burly. They are both members of a secret agency, called the Gray Spear Society. This society is an agency more powerful than the FBI, CIA, and even Homeland Security; they are above any governmental agency in the world. The Gray Spear Society occasionally depends on divine intervention, but don’t hesitate to kill, if the need arises. The Church of One Soul makes their money by selling drugs and is equally unconcerned with collateral deaths and damages. This makes the war between good and evil a little more ambiguous but one must assume that it is a question of the lesser of two evils. I have a soft spot for strong women and an affinity for natural redheads. Galina (Marina) fulfills this admirably.

This is a techno-thriller that is sure to grab and hold your undivided attention, from the first page to the last. In this time, when archenemies are no longer at a premium, this story goes outside of the box and serves up a smorgasbord to feast on. Here you will find that the author has composed a symphony of blood and guts, where the reader is introduced to the calculus of war. Romance, intimacy, and copulation are suggested rather than demonstrated. I really didn’t know what to expect when I started this book but it soon grew on me. I think this story will appeal to a vast g audience.

[Erik Sapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has very little depth. It is full of run-and-gun, with a romance thrown in. The characters have almost no development. So why did I rate this book so high? Because it is fun. This is not a book for someone who wants a thought-provoking experience. This is not the kind of book that you think about when you aren't reading. It is the kind of book you read when you want something mindless. If a book is well-enough written, there is nothing wrong with mindless fluff.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely disappointed in this book. Very generic writing. Not impressed at all. 😔

[R. James · Rating 3 out of 5]

People call me a 'tough reviewer' because I point out structural issues that might not have been apparent to the regular reader. I'm an author, and it's hard for me to not see them, so it's impossible for me to not have my ratings reflect such.

That being said, Apocalypse Cult is an interesting read, if nothing else. The plot is a nice mixture of thriller and mystery combined with a bit of detective novel, and it is currently topical - even if a bit simplistic in its reasoning.

The story of Aaron Glade seems to mimic that of Will Smith's character in 'Men in Black': a cop that leaves his regular life behind to join of a secretive group (Gray Spear Society) and told that he "will never be famous, and a select few will even know you exist, but the work...is extremely important." Sound familiar? No slam there, just pointing it out. That's probably okay to do for short stories or fan-fic, but for a novel I would steer away from using other's ideas as your main plot point.

The characters were a bit one-dimensional, and basically fit one of two molds: the psychopaths that do their work in "God's name" and the people in the regular world that have no idea of their intentions (and are justified expendable by the GSS because their work needs to be done). There were some errors in creation of the characters that made them rather unbelievable - primarily how the author shows them at times lamenting what they must do, but then do it anyway and act later as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

On that subject, the ease at which Aaron falls into becoming a heartless killing machine seemed inorganic to me. I'm still torn as to whether the author did that intentionally to show the influence of his loneliness and infatuation with Marina, or whether he just didn't commit to the character's initial objections to how the GSS goes about their daily business.

This book could use the heavy hand of a good editor, as I found a few errors - but more importantly, it is told in a passive 'tell' format.

I liked the story for the most part, but the editing and lack of character depth sunk this rating. 3 stars for this one.

[Stacey Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say that I didn’t think I would like this book when I saw the cover. But I started to hear some very positive comments from other reviewers, so my curiosity got the better of me and I started to read it. And I was hooked from the start. The premise is really interesting, a secret group of warriors who work for God. The author really draws you in with his well-developed characters and fast-paced plot. I found myself reading it every night.
As I read this, I could visualize it as a movie. The author provides such vivid descriptions of both of settings and the characters. And the characters in this are unforgettable. I cannot even tell you which one was my favorite, they were all so engaging.
I was also happy to discover that this is a series. I really want to read more stories with these characters and see what others are in those. From the author, he indicated that the others have really interesting “gifts” and he even uses his fans as inspiration for them.
If you are an action fan, this is certainly a book you will enjoy. They move from one dangerous scene to the next. The characters intelligently figure out how to get through them by the skin of their teeth. I was on the edge of my seat seeing how they would survive yet another predicament.
There is even a little romance…not too much but it sets up a very good scenario for the future installments. I love the fact that the main character’s romantic interest is such a strong and flawed character. She is both scary and vulnerable.
If I “had” to pick a favorite character, I would pick Ethel. She is the boss of this little group and she is awesomely frightening. I think there is more to her story and hoping to learn more about her. I liked her because she was smart, brave, and seriously could fight. And I thought it was great that even though she was the boss, she listened to her group and even used their ideas, a mark of a good leader.
I recommend this book and have suggested it to friends. If you like action and books that make you think, go get it!

[Kathryn Svendsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apocalypse Cult is a book for adult audiences due to the language and violence. Aaron Glade becomes a part of the Gray Spear Society, a secret society created in Roman times to help God keep control over the world in this first book of the series they are fighting the Church of One Soul who follow Simon who in turn is led by an angel called Sroash. Simon plans to unite the world and become the world leader by causing a world war. It's up to the Gray Spear Society to stop him without anyone knowing.

If you enjoy pulp fiction with a ton of action and a touch of the paranormal, then Apocalypse Cult might just be the book you are looking for. There was definitely a lot of action. Most of it involved bloodshed by gunfire or blades of some sort. The story was simply laid out and easy to follow.

There were lots of twists and turns in the plot and the pacing of the story was quite fast. This was not a story that made you think much however, it was more about the action.

The love interest was not really love in my opinion, but rather lust, as it was based solely on his attraction to her body and the reason for Aaron joining the Gray Spear Society in the first place. The characters tended to be somewhat flat and they didn't even show much emotion when one of their own died.

Apocalypse Cult had a moderate amount of profanity, not quite enough to make me put it down though. (I don't swear but given the situations they were in, if I were in the same place I might be tempted to let a few bad words slip too.)

Those who enjoy a fast-paced read lots of action with a simple plot line and don't mind bloodshed and profanity may enjoy this book. I gave it 2 stars out of 5. I thought it was okay, though I likely won’t read any of the other books in the series.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

[Rae Ryans · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
Apocalypse Cult is a dark and unusual twist on secret society based in the modern world. While it's not quite horror, it's not quite not horror. I'd call it a blend, and this is where Dark Fantasy emerges. This serves as a major introduction to not only the world Alex Siegel builds, but the series Gray Spear Society.

Aaron is but one of the characters, but he has the loudest voice of them all. He's an ex-cop who lost his job after he blew the whistle on his superiors. He's not perfect, in fact he's far from it. To make ends meet, Aaron become a private investigator. He's hired to find a missing girl whose parent's believe ran away to join a cult. It's during this investigation that he's introduced to God's warriors, the Gray Spear Society.

He's tossed into the organization quickly, with the option of join us or die. From here the team progresses in investigating the Church of One Soul. They've got something planned, something major, but only the Society has what it takes to bring the demonic run cult to its knees.


But there's much more to this story, more than words from me could explain. It's an experience, a mystery to unravel a page at a time. However, it's dark. Members are granted gifts from God, but they come with a price. The Society might be as unruly and chaotic as those they face, their members have dark secrets, foul tempers, and struggle with their own survival.

All in all it was a captivating read of mystery, fantasy, and the imperfection of dark fantasy that I enjoy. The boundaries these characters cross and the problems they face are as inhuman as they become. I look forward to reading more.

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Aaron Glade was hired by Mr. and Mrs. Waters to kidnap their daughter Brittany from a cult called The Church of One Soul. Although he feels it’s an impossible task, he takes the job because it’s the first exciting job he’s had since he left the police force. Unbeknownst to him, it’s the beginning of a life changing encounter with the Gray Spear Society. There he meets, three of the most deadly people he has ever seen; the drop dead gorgeous Marina, the huge hulking Victor, and the very agile fighting Ethel. These three, along with computer geek Edward, and of course Aaron, become a force to be reckoned with.

This was a fascinating book. I was quite surprised when I realized that it wasn’t a dystopian novel, even the cover looks it. But you understand why as you get into the novel. This was quite a fast-paced, page turning thriller, filled with action, adventure, and romance. This is an amazing good versus evil novel, if you like x-men or characters with supernatural powers, you’ll LOVE this book as much I did!

[Debra Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron Glade is a disgraced cop who is working as a PI to make ends meet when he is recruited by a secret group known as the Gray Spear Society. What Aaron doesn't know is that they are God's warriors whose mission is to destroy God's enemies at all costs. His first mission is to eradicate The Church of One Soul before it wreaks havoc on Earth.

This book grabs you from the opening pages and is non-stop action. The author does a great job of fleshing out the characters and especially Aaron. He's a flawed man, has made mistakes in the past and will do so again while he tries to understand what he's gotten himself into by joining this group. The secondary characters are just as interesting and I was intrigued to learn their stories as well. This was a fast read and definitely piqued my interest to find out what other adventures the author has in store for the Gray Spear Society. Readers of thrillers and action adventure will thoroughly enjoy this book. Recommended.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time (within this genre, of course). This story is different. Even though there is a supernatural flavor the God figure is hardly benevolent. It does not STOP with the action but it is not filler, there is a reason for every event. The author created visually stunning characters who are well rounded and interesting. The world building is awesome...I keep hoping that Aaron will run into Dresden...Too much to hope for? A short story is called for! For some reason I keep thinking of John Rain and Day by Day even thought here are no zombies or international operatives besides the CIA. If you love Angel and Louis in Connolly's world or Buffy or Sam and Dean in Supernatural then you'll fall in love with Marina and Aaron. This is a book with an angry God, crazy assassins and thought provoking situations. In this series God is an interesting character and while the other characters in the book are driven to "please" him they do it in exceedingly fun ways.

[Lisa Markson · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS:

I received a copy if the book in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.  Looking at the cover I didn't know what to expect.  I thought it was going to be a dystopian type book.   Boy was I wrong.  I loved the way the author developed each of the characters giving a three dimensional aspect to them.  The storyline flowed seamless in my opinion.   The story didn't lack for any action it was packed full.  There were surprises loaded around every corner.  Definitely one book that is hard to put down from page one to the very end. I look forward to reading more in this series and highly recommend this for a very interesting read.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Siegel pens "Apocalypse Cult" in a believable plot filled with action, suspense and enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. His characters were believable, realistic and in depth which made it a very interesting and captivating read. I was pleasantly surprised that the book was nothing like I thought it would be....filled with religion, but more on the lines of a supernatural mystery with just a touch of religion. I was totally taken with this book and highly recommend it to all mystery, suspense and supernatural fans.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.

[Gin Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY ENJOYABLE!

After reading a different series by this author I wanted more so I Hagan this one. Again, the author impresses! The beginning of a series and yet a very satisfying stand alone book. I love this author! The characters quickly become old friends you care about and there's just a dollop of romance to make all the thrills just a bit easier on us because this was a thriller. The action is practically non stop but so is the story. Not once did I get bored from too much action or too much of anything. I'm so excited to get book 2x. And yes, I most definitely recommend you get this book. It will take you away better than Calvin ever thought if doing.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for a fair and honest review.

This book is one of those books you lose yourself in and makes you think.
Maybe there is more out there in the world than we know. In this book you are transformed into the unknown. Things are not always as they appear.

This is an action packed story from page 1. I was constantly wondering what will happen next, how will what is going on currently be solved.

The story starts out with Aaron being hired as a PI. The job ends up to be more than he bargained for.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really didn't have a lot of depth to it. The action scenes never really felt dangerous, the plot itself, while a good idea, felt very dry, to the characters that were really pretty shallow, this was a bit of a struggle to read through. It seems almost like the author spent too much time telling us what each character looked like (in incredibly tedious depth), and then had no steam left to actually give those characters personalities beyond pyshcopathic. An overuse of done-to-death cliches didn't help matters either.

[Sooziemac McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just started it...it starts out kickass! Got to admit ....excellent action packed book!!!! How did Yvonne fit "several deserts" on a single buffet though? Come on people!!!!! Dessert is with two "S"'s!!!!!! That's third grade spelling!
This entire series is FREE!!!! ( on kindle ) It's much better than many books I've paid for. DEFINATELY worth a read.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It's a real page turner. There's plenty of action and dead bodies in this good vs. evil story. I read this book in one day. Many people find the love interest in the book to be a distraction, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[Michelle LaClair-Ziembo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knights Templar meets men in black

I loved the fast paced story line and the unique Grey Spear Society. How original! Aaron was written a bit too teenage boyish to me for a grown man with an exciting former police career and ex wife. But I couldn't stop reading to find out what gift he would receive!

[Renz]

this book was okay... at times seemed like religious propoganda! seemed a bit zealous! I mean at one point u had to ask myself if I was being recruited due to the overwhelmingly strong religious overtones. the book did veer into the bizarre at times

[Elizabeth Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun summer read filled with action, romance, guns and knives. The good guys work for God ridding the world of threats to His creation.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out well but despite some good action scenes, I just couldn't like a single one of the characters. Definitely will not be reading the rest of the series even if it is free.

[Rmarcassoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining.