Age of Voodoo

Pantheon #5

by James Lovegrove

Lex Dove thought he was done with the killing game. A retired British wetwork specialist, he’s living the quiet life in the Caribbean, minding his own business.

Then a call comes. One last mission: to lead an American black ops team into a disused Cold War bunker on a remote island. The money’s good, which means the risks are high.

How high, Dove doesn’t discover until he and his team are a hundred feet below ground, facing the fruits of an experiment in science and voodoo witchcraft gone wrong. As if barely human monsters weren’t bad enough, a clock is ticking. Deep in the bowels of the earth, a god is waiting. And his anger, if roused, will be fearsome indeed.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mythology, Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Alternate History

438 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

James Lovegrove is the author of several acclaimed novels and books for children.

James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.

Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.

James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.

Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.

Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.

Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.

He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.

Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.

Reviews

[Ranting Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

Age of Voodoo is the fifth book in the Pantheon series by James Lovegrove. While remaining true to the overarching themes of the burgeoning Godpunk genre, it also marks a bit of a departure from the usual style we've come to see from these immersive worldbuilding action novels.

Scaling back the scope
The hallmark of the Pantheon series thus far has been the element of overarching difference in the world of each book from ours. In each one, the featured religion is present in every aspect of life in the world. Each religion is the dominant religion of the planet, under the heel of very real, very present deity-like figures. It is the struggle against the oppression of these religions that provided the main plot points of the books.

In Age of Voodoo, our protagonist, former British assassin Lex Dove, doesn't even believe in Voodoo. The scope of its practice seems to be pretty much exactly as it is in our modern world: limited to various parts of Central America and the Caribbean. While its efficacy, like the spiritual powers possessed by the antagonists in the other books of this series, is undeniable, the presence and power of Voodoo in this book is absolutely downplayed compared to that in Age of Ra or Age of Aztec.

The name is Dove, Lex Dove
This scaling back of the religiosity compared to earlier books in the series isn't necessarily a bad thing. Among other things, it allows us to concentrate more on the characters than the setting, and the character of Lex is pretty awesome. There's just something about the retired former special-ops agent that always makes for such a compelling character. I think a lot of it has to do with the struggle to put aside the old instincts that never quite go away in the name of trying to have a "normal" life that it seems is never actually possible. Being put in a position to reveal to their new friends just what they are capable of creates a lot of excellent dramatic tension, and Lovegrove takes full advantage.

I don't know why everybody in the history of media has given in to the lure of "one last job" but it's a trope to the point of having its own entry on TVTropes.org. I can only assume it comes down to simply missing the thrill, the rush that their previous life (criminal, cop, detective, assassin, whatever) held for them that no amount of distraction in their retirement can possibly cope with. The fact that their "one last mission" inevitably ends up being the most dangerous and threatening one they've ever faced is something you'd think would make the rounds among those circles, but we the readers are glad it hasn't.

You do the Voodoo that you do
I feel it is important to at least touch on the magical elements of novels like this, and the way they are handled and portrayed. Voodoo is one of those systems of belief that is presented by its practitioners as a very subtle and unassuming art. This is one of the things that makes it difficult to disprove, if such is your aim. When you put a curse on somebody, you can simply be non-specific and take credit for the next really bad thing that happens to them, and it's pretty much unfalsifiable by definition.

In Age of Voodoo however, we see a much more distinct and clear portrayal of Voodoo working exactly as advertised. Voodoo dolls, hexes, Husband spirits, the whole shebang, complete with the Light and Dark sides of the magic being practiced. Voodoo has always fascinated me more than any other kind of spiritual belief that includes the practice of magic. There's just something so primal and basic about it that lends it an air of reality that other forms of magic or paranormal abilities lack. I definitely looked forward to this book more than the others in the series.

Why should you read this book?
Lovegrove has really settled into his groove with this series. He has a working formula, and he's executing on it every time with a great deal of success. Anybody who has read one of the previous books in the Pantheon series will continue to enjoy it with Age of Voodoo. If you've yet to read one of these works, I strongly advise you to start with the one whose theme you have the most knowledge about and interest in. It will give you the best ability to gauge what you think about his style and portrayal of these religions. And if you aren't as big a fan of the actual style of storytelling, it will give you a sense of whether the religious elements bring enough to the story to counteract any dissatisfaction with the style.

As much as these books have made me personally think about a lot of things, with regards to religion and its place in society, you don't need to read them at that level to derive enjoyment. These are some great action-oriented, tense, well-paced adventure stories even without any of those thematic elements. Engaging characters, great and swift worldbuilding, and excellent action and battle scenes make any of these books an excellent choice for fans of the genre. And the particular theme of Voodoo in Age of Voodoo only added to my appreciation of the style.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a different book than the others in the series. There was no worldbuilding like in previous books, it was our world, just an urban fantasy version with a hidden underworld that has vampires, trolls, demons and every other kind of scary threatening kind of supernatural creature. It was also different from the other novels in the series because it allowed multiple religions in the world, it wasn't a world dominated by one Pantheon of gods. It had to because voodoo, hoodoo and Vodou are syncretic religions, so talking about the religions that were combined to form them or that influenced them necessitated a much more diverse world than the previous books which were based on one Pantheon. It's also quite different because it's based on a living religion, not a dead one, it's vital in a whole different way than the other books have been. (I kept wondering who he checked his facts with and whether certain ideas would be cool or offensive to different people and how he tested them.) It was quite different than his other books about Greek or Aztec gods, etc, not just because it was set in basically our world, it was just a current and active religion, it gave it a different feeling. I assume the last book, Age of Shiva, will be similarly...alive. No pun intended for the zombie theme.

It would have been nice if more loa had been represented though. It felt like he spent so much time lecturing on the religion and explaining it that he didn't have much time to actually use cool stuff about it in the book. The things he did use were only very well known and obvious things like Papa Legba, Baron Samedi and a voodoo doll/wanga fetish. With the other pantheons the author assumed people would be able to recognize the gods or would look them up. He could have done more of that with this one and it would have been more interesting. I was very disappointed that only two of the loa appeared, I've read other book that featured more and didn't lecture nearly as much, he did't have to assume that his readers were so uneducated. I appreciate very much that he was trying very hard to represent the religion properly, I think he did have a responsibility to do that. It could have been more fun at the same time though. But the explanations were all very interesting and very well done, I do think he represented the religion very well, both through Albertine's and Papa Couleuvre's perspectives. Even though Couleuvre went nuts, he still explained a lot of what he did for his people on Haiti very movingly (if a bit of a lecture was hidden in there as well).

Team Thirteen was a fun, the rough group of men and a woman who travel all over the world to tackle the worst of the worst "grey ops," the paranormal scary stuff that no one else can handle. There could easily be a fun series about them, and Lovegrove did hint that we might hear more about them in the future. But it really pisses me off that the one woman in the group got killed off, it's so typical of books and movies to do that. She sprains an ankle, she gets killed, whatever it is that makes her look weaker than the men. In this one she got killed heroically, but she's still gone and won't be in the follow-up story if there is one, a great character that we just won't see more of, won't know her back-story. There were only two women in the book, we barely got to see this one and now she's dead. Typical.

The real weakness in the book was the main plot. I liked Lex, the retired British government assassin who was dragged into doing just one more job. But boy was it a predictable story. The combination of the totally typical thriller type story/very weak James Bond/Mission Impossible/every other special agent story, combined with the totally typical urban fantasy zombie story, created a really predictable book, not at all up to the standard of this series. I liked that he was trying to write a story with a living religion, but he didn't end up writing anything original about it. Team Thirteen was fun, the story was mostly entertaining in a quick read kind of way (it went very fast), but it wasn't something that I'm going to think about for a long time or that had any impact on me. It was just a typical urban fantasy book in the end, not much different than dozens of others I've read. It was action packed and interesting, a good, quick read, just not up to the standard of the series.

[Scott Meister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the other books in this series, it is a stand alone story and world. For this story it's Jason Borne meets Neil Gaiman. I'm not up on my knowledge of voodoo and it's practices but Lovegrove weaves a wonderful tale.

[Nandagopal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tried-and-tested James Lovegrove formula for a wholly entertaining godpunk SF novel.

1. A protagonist with military background (preferably male, but gender is no bar) with varying levels of post traumatic stress which will play a key element in the story
2. A secondary character (ranging from estranged brother to teammate to best friend) and a member of the opposite sex that acts as a physical-at-first-but-turns-romantic interest
3. A mythology revolving around a singular troublemaking deity that guides/becomes the primary antagonist
4. The research on the mythology is inversely proportional to the level of popularity associated with it
5. Lots of action supported with the same level of dei ex machina to ensure the story goes forward
6. Breakneck pacing in the last 20 percent of the story
7. A killer climax that ties the book together and makes you want to delve into the next instalment

3.5 out of 5 stars!

[Jack Stubblefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Lovegrove has a whole series, "The Age of . . . " I was afraid that I would need to have read all the others to understand Age of Voodoo. Nope, and happily so. Definitely recommend this book if you like Jeremy Robinson's Chess series, Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger Series. IMHO, much like the MCU movies, what you have here is the fantastic mixed with reality(ish). If you like that, then this book is for you. I only hope Team Thirteen returns . . .

[Zozo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was unlike the others in the series.
The author explained everything, I mean really everything like he was talking to children.
It was so annoying.
The characters were flat and stereotypical.
The evil, the reasons, the diabolical plan were silly.

[Luke Ostrem · Rating 3 out of 5]

while certainly an interesting premise, the passive protagonist and anti-climatic conflict left me asking why.

[Gevera Piedmont · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want more Seal Team 13!

[RA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda okay, a little predictable, but interesting

[Zack Cattaneo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age of Voodoo was the story about an ex British secret service agent named Lex Dove who was known to be one of the best. When a disaster happens on an island south of Jamaica, he is called out of retirement to help lead a team of Navy Seals on a mission. Hesitant at first, Lex reluctantly agrees when the safety of his friends is called into question. When he finally lands on the island, Lex and the team get more than they bargain for when they soon realize that the enemy they are fighting don’t seem to be human. What soon ensues is a race to stop a delusional man from unleashing an army of monsters that seem to be half voodoo and half mad science. With the clock counting down, Lex begins to run out of options.

As I read the story, I was given the impression that the author was trying to entertain the reader with a suspenseful story of determination. Showing in descriptive detail that Lex was “a man of determination and resolve” (Lovegrove 145). Details that helped set the scene for later in the book as well as help with understanding his backstory. As well as being suspenseful, the book did an ok job in inspiring me and leaving me with the urge to something heroic as if trying to mimic they books’ characters. With that being said, I don’t see the book leaving a lasting impression on me. Many of the heroic situations were not overly original, and seemed to be generic in more than one sense.

As a whole, I did not find the book very captivating, some scenarios in the book did interest me for a short period of time but after hearing them being mentioned over and over, it began to cross the border from interesting to tedious. Another reason I feel that I was not strongly captivated was because I could not relate to the characters due to similar qualities being few, if any at all. Not only was it hard to relate to, but I also felt only few aspects of the story was well written. Of the few was the character development of Lex’s best friend Wilberforce. He was described as charming, kind, and has been described as “the type of guy you wouldn’t mind your daughter bringing home” (Lovegrove 67). So beside some of the minor characters, I felt the writing could have had a little improvement.

The book overall had more going against it than it had going for it. Its greatest strength was the fact that it was able to take the few original aspects and be very descriptive with them making you use all of your senses to picture you were actually there, standing with them in a room that “ reeked of day old flesh” (Lovegrove 300). But the major weakness being the lack of originality and the repeat of commonly used scenarios was what kept it from being an even greater book. Its lacking of originality is what made me decide to not want to recommend it to a friend. It could be so predictable at times; I felt it was not worth the time spent reading it when you could easily predicted what would happen next. My friends would most likely have a better time finding a different book to read.

The book, I feel was mediocre at best and no one would be missing out if they decided to skip over it. It could be unoriginal, drawn out, and even dull at some points. Though it does deserve credit for the fact that there were a few instances were they did a decent job of describing what was going on. But the bad far outweighed the good and would not be worth the time needed to read the 387 book in its entirety. If anyone thought about reading it, I would have no problem telling them to find a different and more interesting book to read. So that they do not waste a lot of their time like I did.

[Sam Ang · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adapted review. The full version can be read in my blog:
http://bookunderthesun.blogspot.sg/20...
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<

Being in love with Lovegrove’s novel, especially his Pantheon series, could be addictive. Even so, I was rather surprised to find that this latest story following the same pattern to be so disappointing. Although his style of military action never cease to run out of steam throughout the course of the novel, the novelty behind the idea seemed to have dwindled, leaving behind just a husk of a story which tried to continue the legacy of a bestselling series.

Lovegrove, in his journey of crafting the Pantheon series, is commendable in bringing us this relatively misunderstood religion into his folds and crafted a story with Voodoo as his basis. This shows that he is serious with his series, researching into this myth and religion and sharing it with the reader by weaving a tale. Within the timespan of flipping through half the book, I had already became enlightened in the Voodoo religion more than I did before I opened the book.

However unlike the other myths, he showed relatively little godly actions within this book.

Lovegrove could have done better by putting more grandiose involving more gods and showing how they impacted the modern world just as he did in the other novels of the same series. Albertine is the voodoo priestess in the story, providing explanations as well as voodoo magical support to the team. It would be expected that she make some great show of force, maybe a good voodoo priestess vs mad bokor in a showdown. At the very least she should be calling in the gods for their participation, providing us a front seat in a titanic battle.

The grandiose of the previous titles was lost in this novel, dampening my expectation. That, coupled with the very limited show of gods from the myth, as well as their lack of impact on the story, would have made me loath the Pantheon series if this was my first book. Fortunately for Lovegrove, I have known his work through lots of his other novels, and so I would still vouch for him as my favorite author, albeit this not being my favorite novel.

[Nick Sweet · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Age of Voodoo, the fifth book in the Pantheon series by British author James Lovegrove, proves that not every book in a series can be a hit. Up till now, James Lovegrove has featured the figures of various mythologies featured prominently in his stories, creating fantastic alternate versions of Earth. This one, however, falls short. And its disappointing, especially a book with its roots in the tradition of Voodoo, a mystical movement with roots in African tribal lore. It is sad to say that little or no divinity plays a role in this book, and the characters are hard to like or warm up to. The ending as well left me wanting for more. I would encourage fans of the Pantheon series to skip this book and to look at the others. They are much better, fully fleshed out, and a better ride than Age of Voodoo could ever be.

[Zachary Wagoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book in the Pantheon series. This one is contending with Age of Zeus as my favorite, and I would have to give the edge to this one. Such a page turner, with good characters and detailed descriptions throughout. Some times even a little too descriptive, where my stomach would start to turn at the carnage being wrought. But, what book with zombies can lack carnage? Only the bad ones and this is not one of them. And the best thing about this book, is it's not all about the zombies. We also see the introduction of Team Thirteen, which might make more appearances in Mr. Lovegrove's books. I would certainly like to see Team Thirteen back in the game, kicking monster butt! Great read for anyone who is a fan of the Pantheon series/Mr. Lovegrove.

[Randy Mccallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I get sucked into a book series and can't escape it because no matter how repetitive they are I want to get to the end. Kevin J Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns had that effect on me. It was the same story going back and forth between worlds and cultures. The Pantheon series by James Lovegrove is completely different and has been very enjoyable. Each book is more of a stand alone series and not a sequel to the other books but it is really cool to see the author's writing style develop book by book. The last full length book of the series was very well written and a quick read as well as being informative about the Vodoun 'religion'. It also introduces Team Thirteen which I am hoping develops into another series. Wonderful book and great character development.

[Jane Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read one other Lovegrove that was Redlaw and enjoyed it immensely as I did this one.
(I know it's one of a series but from a look at the plot of the others it works as a stand alone too)
A retired governmental hitman is pulled into one last job along with a friend and the friends cousin. Introduced into the melange is team Thirteen and zuvumbies voodoo zombies that obey their creator and american scientist trying to create a super soldier and you get a thrilling story.
I liked the voodoo 101 and the intervention/interference of the voodoo loa I would love to se the adventures of team 13

[Gavin Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly written, very original take on the sort of subjects that have been taken on before, there is a back history to this series (which I have sadly only read one other of) but in truth none of it seems necessary to know. Very entertaining, at points amusing and with excellently played out action, characterisation and interesting spins on mythology and culture all the way through. Sort of a bond meets horror with a perfect result. Like sci fi, fantasy, horror, action or just an all round good read? Can't go wrong here.

[Udi Moshe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from one of today's best authors. Lovegroves' ability to fuse alternative history with fantasy and a touch of sci-fi makes him one if the most interesting authors in recent years. As with the whole Age of ... series, this book contains a captivating plot with convincing and well built characters that will keep you enthralled all the way to the end. This entire series is highly recommended and enjoyment is guaranteed.

[John Shaw]

Lovegrove has created an entire
genre unto himself
With his Pantheon series
Lovegrove has brought the ancient Gods
into the modern world
A retired British Secret Agent
Dove tried to live the quiet life in the
Caribbean Islands
until he is drawn into a deadly
plot
Caught between a secret weapons lab
and The Loa
Dove has to fight his way free
from the horror movie his life has become

[Elijah Mohsin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word for this book, in my opinion, is crazy. As an avid fan of the Pantheon series, this book was an odd one for me, if only because it felt different than the rest. Voodoo? Interesting premise, certainly. Much of the book had a wild sense to it, completely unpredictable story-wise. Still a fantastic book to read, all things considered.

[Christoph Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Lovegrove is back and again has man fighting against the Gods. This time it's Lex Dove against voodoo gods and their all-too-human henchmen.

The Pantheon series has been a little slower already, but not this time: Lovegrove gets into a groove and makes us yearn for more.

http://www.weberseite.at/buecher/age-...

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 5 in the "Age of ..." series is a little bit different to the others. This book comes across as more of a standard military thriller with the good guys going up against a zealous religious nutcase than the usual battle of the gods that I experienced in earlier stories. It is still an enjoyable read just not quite what I was expecting

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit different take than the others in the series. In the others, the pantheon involved is ruling the world. In this one, it just works and is real (as is lots of other supernatural stuff, like vampires and werewolves.) Still a fun read.

[Jay Palat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set closer to our world it doesn't have quite the same world building as the other books. That said, a good action novel that keeps the pace well. A nice introduction to Thirteen. Look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

[Daiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a combination of action, violence, and suspense, all in one package. James Lovegrove's newest book once again includes a new underdog military protagonist, who is at first naive and obnoxious about Gods roaming the earth, but later on finds out that they do exist.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of petered out towards the end, marred a really interesting plot. More interested in getting to the island than what happens when they do get there. The voodoo was far more interesting leading up to the island.

[J.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, pure action, blood, guys, the whole nine yards. It's a book that if you need a quick break in the middle of a long series to help get through, this your answer!

[Jedi Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the original pantheon series he's done, but still a fun read. 2-stars since it didn't seem as well crafted. Also, a good quick when sick in bed...

[Matt]

A fun, quick read. Easily predictable, but also pays good homage to voodoo and its realistic aspects. Not a lot of that booga booga zombie stuff.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit different than the other ones, but still enjoyable enough.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, fast-paced action adventure. Normally I don't care for zombies, but Haitian zombies make a refreshing change. I'll definitely be looking out for more in the series.