Relentless

Dominion Trilogy #1

by Robin Parrish

In the space of a breath, what he thought was his life…shattered. Grant Borrows has been Shifted- in the silence between heartbeats, his whole life fundamentally altered. There's another man in the world wearing his face and living his life. What's more, the man staring back from his mirror is a stranger. But the changes don't stop at skin-level. Inexplicably, he's able to affect objects around him by simply thinking about them. And as he soon learns, he's become the central figure in a vast web of intrigue that stretches from an underground global conspiracy to a prophecy dating back over seven thousand years. Enemies and allies find him at every turn, but one thing they learn all too soon is that you don't want to push Grant Borrows too far... Can destiny be undone? The players are ready. The game is in motion. And the pace Relentless. (The Dominion Trilogy Book 1)

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Science Fiction, Christian, Mystery

Hardcover

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Infusions of Faith, a colorful, artful collection of Robin Parrish's finest nonfiction work, is available NOW exclusively at Barnes & Noble.

Robin Parrish is the author of more than a dozen novels across multiple genres, including Nightmare, Offworld, Vigilante, Corridor, the Dominion Trilogy, and his exciting new series The Riftwalkers. He lives in High Point, North Carolina with his wife and two teenagers.

Reviews

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robin Parrish has been compared to Ted Dekker, and I can see the similarities. They both know how to create vivid and imaginative plots. Both can hook readers on page one and never release them until the last paragraph. But frankly, I enjoyed Parrish's writing style even better than Dekker. Where Dekker often seems to thrive on shock value and how far he can push the envelope of violence, Parrish shows a little more restraint, which I appreciated. There's just enough backstory woven in that we understand and care for the characters, but not so much that it bogs anything down. Grant Borrows is the type of guy you want to root for, and his villains you want to hate. But then again, looks can be deceiving as to who's a villain after all...

Bending genres, Relentless' speculative, almost sci-fi plotline is reminiscent of any Marvel movie, but it could also be classified a thriller. The story upon which this book is based originally appeared as a serialized novel called Prodigy. The finished product does sometimes have a serialized feel as practically every other chapter ends with a twist, which makes for fun reading indeed. And although it might seem slightly muddy in the middle when Grant tries to grasp the reality of what's happening to him, perhaps this was an intentional way to mirror Grant's uncertainty.

There's a reason why this novel is titled Relentless. With each page I found myself sucked deeper into the vortex of Relentless' F5 tornada pace, never knowing for sure what was around the bend. This is blockbuster movie material, folks. And lucky for us it's also Book I of a trilogy. Laden with adventure and intrigue, you're sure to be begging Robin Parrish for the second installment.

[Beth Orr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, there seems to be no middle ground regarding this book from the reviews I've read. Either people love it or they hate it. I thought it was a very interesting concept, and found it kept me reading--I finished it in two days. I totally don't understand why it was marked as a christian book, I didn't find anything in the story to suggest that. Mislabeled, perhaps? As to the complaints about it feeling like an X-Men movie, I don't really get why that makes people so angry. Any time you're dealing with supernatural powers you're going to overlap on territory that's been explored before. The difference is that in this book, the people who undergo the "Shift" are just common, ordinary people who are usually so freaked out by it that they seek refuge among others of their kind because that's the only thing that keeps them sane. I find that perfectly understandable and believeable. It started out feeling more like a mystery but ended up being part of a complex prophecy thousands of years in the making. If the author's intent was to offer the first book for free in hopes of enticing readers into buying the other two books, I think he has succeeded. I know I want to find out what can possibly happen next.

[Karol · Rating 2 out of 5]

My biggest reading pet peeve: a cliff hanger ending followed by swift encouragement to get the next book in the series. If I go to the time and effort of buying or borrowing a book, give me a satisfying ending even if not all the loose ends are tied up. Don't try to sell me the next one in such an obvious way. Make me want it because the book in my hands is so good!

So - that is why my rating is a 2 instead of a 3.

The book had a remarkable premise and its beginning quickly sucked me in. After a while, I felt as if I were watching an Avengers movie, with almost every main character having some kind of super power. If you want reality, or deep character development this book is not for you.

On the other hand, if you like intrigue, danger, action and unpredictability this is probably a good fit.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this book deals with the supernatural, I do expect a little bit more grounding in reality from the books that I read. Okay, so our hero, Grant, basically kidnaps someone,demolishes a detective's house and causes a building housing a technology corporation to explode and only has to wear a hood and sunglasses to remain incognito from the authorities...post 9/11...I don't think so. The author does generate some plot interest and I'm aware that this is the first in a book trilogy but I'm a reader who needs some of my questions nicely and neatly tied up in book one before moving on to books two and three. I think I'm going to stop at one with this series.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bourne Identity meets Essential Captain America, Vol. 1 meets The DaVinci Code meets … no, that would be telling.

A delightful mashup of modern thriller genres to produce a fun, fast read. The reader is sucked along with the bewildered, tired, often hurting protagonist into a world of apocalyptic threat set in modern (well, 2006) Los Angeles. Apocalypse

Most geographic and cultural references are close enough, though I’ve yet to see a Corvette convertible with a back seat and trunk, not to mention one in which “scooting over” from the passenger’s seat to the driver’s is expedient. Oh, and several characters jump from vehicles going 60 mph or faster without apparent injury. Don’t try this at home.

Logical and satisfying conclusion to first of a three story series

But, hey, it’s not that kind of story. Tighten your seat belt and enjoy the ride.

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comic-book like Christian Science Fiction, but maybe a bit too breathless for its own good.

Collin Boyd one day looks up and sees himself walking away. He looks back down and sees he is in the body of a complete stranger. In his confusion, he runs into a barefoot girl who tells him to flee the city. He doesn't, and he is soon battling assassins. From there it's a rollercoaster of a ride, centered around both his identity change and the ring he now wears.

I have to say I enjoyed reading this book a lot, despite a lot of flaws. It feels like an episode of heroes or a graphic novel, with all its problems. Very fast paced action, unique situations, a ton of twists and turns, and decent characters. The mystery isn't bad, and this isn't a book you are likely to predict the end of. It works pretty well if you view it as kind of a Christian X-men comic, while understanding the flaws that the X-men have.

Because this book does has some flaws. The big reveal of what was behind the shift was well done, but behind the rings? Without spoilers, I just have to say it really doesn't make sense. It gave me a thrill of discovery because it was so out there, but yeah, it doesn't make sense. People seem to recover from injuries way too easily, like Grant. He gets shot multiple times, stabbed, abused, etc and shrugs it off. Lots of near death from other people as well, and combined with the fast pacing I can see people rolling their eyes a bit. I'm also not sure how people will take the advancing plot. Without spoilers, the body switch is a very minor part of the entire mystery, and if you were expecting the book to be about that you'd be disappointed.

So consider it a guilty pleasure. If you ever wondered what a Christian Heroes might feel like, this is your book and you'll like it a lot. If you are looking for more traditional sci-fi you might dislike the book quite a bit. I enjoyed it, though I have reservations about the sequels.

[Bülent Ö. · Rating 2 out of 5]

3/10

Berbat bir Robin Parrish romanı. Yazarın ilk kitabı olmasından mıdır yoksa serinin (Dominion Trilogy / Hakimiyet Üçlemesi) ilk romanı olmasından mıdır bilemiyorum, çok kötü.

Kitabın başında sizi hayrete düşüren olaya (bir adam bir gün yolda yürürken kaldırımın karşısında kendisine tıpatıp benzeyen birisini görür, sonra kendisine bakar ve kendisinin de yüzünün ve giysilerinin değişmiş olduğunu farkeder) kitabın sonuna doğru getirilen açıklama çok mantıksız.

"Her şey nereye bağlanacak bakalım" diye beklerken ve ağzınıza biraz bilimsel bal çalınırken bir de bakıyorsunuz ki fasfantastik olayların içindesiniz. Hayır, fantastiğe karşı değilim, doğaüstü olayların geçtiği romanları pek severim ama kurguyu tutturamayıp gerisini ne idi belirsiz gerçeküstü olaylara bağlarsa yazar, bu onun üstün hayal gücünden değil beceriksizliğindendir.

Şu mantıkla roman mı yazılır:

- Abi bi' roman yazdım süper!
- Nası abi?
- Abi bi adam var uçuyor bir de alev püskürtüyor...
- Nası yapıyor abi bunu?
- İşte. Öyleymiş. Babası da öyleymiş.
- Nası abi, mantıklı bi açıklaması olması lazım bunun?
- Abi işte yerçekimi yokmuş, bi de.. Bir de... Bi de... Hah adam acıyı fazla kaçırmış ehe.
- Oldu mu bu şimdi?
- Olmadı mı?
- Olmadı.

Velhasılı dostlar. Bu roman da olmamış. Hadi merak ettiniz okudunuz diyelim, zaten gerisini okuyamayacaksınız, çünkü üçlemenin diğer kitapları henüz dilimize çevrilmedi. Sadece “Relentless” var elimizde “Amansız” adıyla.

[Rachel Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded this book for free for my Sony e-reader.

This book got off to a great start. One day Collin is on his way to work -- everything seems completely normal until he sees someone who looks exactly like him across the street. Not only does this guy look like his twin, but Collin soon realizes this guy is actually him, and somehow he's been dumped into someone else's body. I really liked this premise, but about a fourth of the way into it, the book really loses steam. The entire middle of the book just dragged on and on as Collin, now known as Grant, pieces together his new identity. Somehow this "Shift" as they call it, has also awakened superhuman powers, which was cool. But I didn't understand his relationship with his sister -- they seemed way too friendly at times -- plus there was a romance mixed into the book that was written very poorly.

Around the time I started to lose interest was about the time I noticed the writing suffering as well. The beginning started off beautifully with a real mystery unfolding. But then the writing turned into a bit of a mess -- it was amateurish with lots of repeated words, misused dialog tags, and typos/editing mistakes that were hard to ignore. I felt the same way about the story. Amateurish at best. I will not be looking for more from this author.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kindle freebie. It drives me nuts when a bunch of characters know something - more detail, the larger picture, the history of something, whatever - and refuse to share it with the protagonist for no good reason. And it's not self-preservation or that they have some alternative purpose, it's that they've decided the protagonist just isn't "ready". I wouldn't purchase the follow ups to this book, but if they're Kindle freebies, I might download them.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not ok. Posing as a "Christian" book this author encourages blood pacts (cutting wrists and sharing blood in a pact) and New Age and
eastern occult techniques as ways to reach enlightenment. What a crock! Seriously offended by this authors feigning Christianity and then promoting all things anti-christ. Steer clear! This is bad news!!!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up enjoying this book more than I thought I would, mainly because it turned out to be a more complex plot than I expected. The storyline was quite original, although it seemed like there were several similarities to the X-Men comics in some ways.

The story follows Grant Borrows, a man who suddenly finds himself in another man's body out of nowhere and discovers that he has a new set of abilities to accompany his new body. He spends the whole book trying to figure out what has happened, how and why it happened, and who made it happen. There are several interesting sub-plots that surround him and his friends as well. I found that refreshing and fairly rare with this kind of story.

The couple of dings that I would give this book would be several instances where things just didn't make logical sense to me and the fact that it merely ended and didn't really conclude. There was certainly a level of conclusion, but not enough in my opinion. It almost felt to me like the conclusion was an afterthought that was hurriedly put together and didn't quite fit with the complexity and detail of the rest of the story.

I did like the book a lot, and will definitely not turn away an opportunity to finish the series.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relentless by Robin Parrish had me in it's grip from the beginning. I gave it 4 stars.

Summary: Grant Borrows' life has just taken a drastic left turn. There's another man in the world wearing his face and living his life. What's more, the man he sees in the mirror is a stranger.P
Somehow, he's been Shifted -- his whole life fundamentally altered, in the space of a single breath. But the changes don't stop at skin-level. Inexplicably, he's able to affect objects around him by simply thinking about them. And as he soon learns, he's become the central figure in a vast web of intrigue that stretches from an underground global conspiracy to a prophecy dating back over seven thousand years, that tells of his coming. Enemies and allies find him at every turn, but one thing they all learn very quickly is that you don't want to push Grant Borrows too far...

Can destiny be undone?

The players are ready. The game is in motion. And the pace is Relentless.

In the allegorical tradition of Tolkien and Lewis comes a powerful new myth for a new generation

[Julia Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating -- 2.5

I wanted to love this book because I loved the premise -- waking up one day to find yourself in someone else's body and with some crazy cool new mental powers. Discovering you are part of a huge conspiracy. It was so intriguing and the actual story itself did keep me hooked until the end. However, the book completely fell apart in the execution. There were huge gaping plot holes you could have driven a semi through. (Like the police are searching everywhere for the main character but can't seem to find him at the scene of a huge fire when he's right there helping them carry out bodies or when he's "hide-out" is a high-rise apartment registered in his name that every other character in the book can find with a simple Google search????) The 400-plus page novel was not completely fleshed out. The characters felt two-dimensional and the writing could have used some more editing. It read like a first draft of a great novel-in-the-making instead of the final draft of that novel.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded the eBook because Amazon was offering it free and the description appealed to me. Relentless is book one of a trilogy, and no, books two and three are not free. In all honestly, I will most likely end up getting them at some point because I enjoyed Relentless a lot.

The story open with a man realizing that his reflection is not his own, nor is his voice, body, or skills. What’s more, he’s spotted his “old self” across the street. This amazing beginning develops into an intricate story of good vs. evil (though who is who can be hard to say) super-hero-like powers and just a smattering of romance as a little bit of seasoning (very little.)

Even given the fact that the story is complex and there are many characters, the author has done a good job of producing a “page-turner”, though, with a Kindle, that is a metaphor now.

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Relentless" was a thrilling page-turner for me from beginning to end. It was one of the few books I've read that I could not put down...the author creates a thirst for his readers and does not disappoint. If I were to compare it to a movie, (since I'm not a writer...I tend to resort to the use of analogies like food and movies - lol), both The Bourne Identity and X-Men come to mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's fast-paced writing style, multiple story-lines woven throughout, and the fantastic character development. This is Parrish's first novel....and if he continues with his sense of balancing human frailty and strength in each of his charismatic characters, I am all to eager to devour the sequels: "Fearless" and "Merciless."

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded Relentless by Robin Parrish for free on my Kindle in early March. It is the first book in The Dominion Trilogy, and is listed by Amazon in two separate categories: Mystery and Religious Fiction.

I picked up the book because I like to read Mysteries. Unfortunately there was little mystery to be had...It took me a month to actually finish reading it.

The plot was very slow and cumbersome, and I didn't particularly like the main character. The momentum didn't pick up until I had read roughly 85% of the book. (And believe me it was a chore just getting that far.) The few real action scenes that were in the book were decently done and well paced, but that was the only thing I actually enjoyed reading.


Needless to say, I won't be picking up the other books in the series.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to start? Not sure about the whole basic plot and whether the characters could or would act in the way portrayed. Credibility appears to have been sacrificed on the altar of pace. Trite phrases and predictable outcomes and again - the danger to the protagonists kith and kin - supposedly motivating the various actions taken. Grr - a pet hate. Disjointed, in that the chapters end with a supposed cliff hanger. Contrived ending - ooh - I forgot to mention the prophecy(!)! why does there always have to be a prophecy??? " Why bother questioning fate? Yet in the dark of the night it had come to him. How pointless it all seems, this endless stupid pattern, winding around him tighter and tighter."

[Evangheline Farcas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relentless gripped me from the very first page and chapter. It begins with Collin Boyd who sees himself and quickly realizes that he has been shifted into the body of a man named Grant Borrows. A ring that cannot be removed is on his fingers and very soon he finds that he can do things that humans shouldn't be able to do. There is a prophecy about "the Bringer" and Grant finds out that he is the bringer, there are twists and turns that I would not have expected. I loved every word and every minute of reading this book and I can't wait to read the next book!

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had read Parrish's novel Offworld and really enjoyed it. Relentless, however, fell flat. The characters were not well developed at all, and while the plot opened with lots of questions to be answered, I didn't really CARE what the answers would end up being. After a couple of nights of trying to get through this very slow and hollow story, I gave up. I definitely will not be reading the additional books in this particular series.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collin Boyd is walking to work one day when he looks up to see…himself walking to work. Thus begins a wild and crazy fantasy adventure that involves assassins and secret conspiracies. Yes, a decided break from my normal mysteries, but the fast paced story kept me turning pages. Can't wait for the next two.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Steena Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something has to be said for a book that kept me reading despite the pitfalls. I'm surprised at the formatting - although that holds no basis for my review - I'm just shocked that a publishing house would put out a book without looking at the formatting first.

The idea of the story is good. Fast paced. Lots of action. Great foundation. Holes that I'm sure will be fixed in the next books.

[J.C. Hart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't actually finish this novel. It was alright, but it just seemed to go on and on. The plot and structure were pretty basic, the dialogue not that flash. I might finish it at a later date just to see what happens, but there are other books more interesting to me at the moment.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Christian "sci-fi" novel that was "relentlessly" mind-numbing. This book was billed as a fast-paced thriller but the characters were flat and two-dimensional and the story had no resolution. Relentless lacks any spiritual depth. Skip this one!

[Grace Bridges · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for effort and a wonderful idea. But the injuries, man! All of the main characters get maimed several times over, with all the gory descriptions. Sorry - too much for me!

[Doreen Dalesandro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read Kindle edition. Think there are a few screw-ups.

The book was just OK. Won't be reading the others in the trilogy.

[Jeremiah Hoppman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good science fiction, if you read all three in this trilogy. I found myself enjoying this book.

[Joni Battin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

The first sentence of the first chapter had me hooked. The whole book was a thrill ride filled with unexpected twists and turns that left me wondering what was going on and what could possibly happen next! The cast of characters were exceptional and engaging. Some of the writing was a little problematic for me but the storyline more than made up for it. Can't wait to read the next one!

[Vicky Olatunji · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book last year. I immediately recommended it to another sister of mine who equally loves to read. I speak for us both when I say that we were wowed by this book. Robin outdid himself on this one. The plot had me at the first paragraph.

Beautiful book. I loved reading it. I was truly sad after I finished the first instalment.

The second instalment left me heartbroken.

The third was quite redemptive.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had some good moments but overall I wasn't a big fan of the writing style. I felt like the author tried to do way too much and make the stakes way too high. I felt like the tie in to Scripture at the end was much too vague and confusing to be any benefit spiritually. I felt like none of the characters were really developed well at all. Definitely not going to be reading the other books in the series.

[Brittany Brungardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty slow reading for the most part. Wasn’t a fan of how the dialogue was written, because you couldn’t see much of the characters’ thoughts or the drama behind it, and then all of a sudden apparently they would burst out in anger or frustration or whatever it was, but you didn’t understand why it would escalate to that. I had read this in high school or college and thought I had liked it back then so I wanted to reread it and continue in the series, but now not so much.