Terminus

by Joshua Graham

HOW FAR MUST AN ANGEL FALL TO FIND HIS DESTINY?

Having witnessed one too many senseless deaths, Nikolai, a disillusioned Reaper 3rd Class, resigns his commission with the Angel Forces after a tedious century of gathering souls.

Immediately, another division recruits him with the promise of a more rewarding career, and issues his initial assignments: To bring down a few very dangerous threats to the human race. In the process, Nikolai falls in love with one of his targets Hope Matheson, a woman who will lead thousands astray.

Caught between conflicting agendas, Nikolai chooses to fall from his celestial state and become mortal in order to circumvent angel law and be with her. But for angels and humans alike, things are not always as they appear. Still a target, the threat against Hope s life intensifies.

Now, in order to save her, Nikolai must rally the last remnants of his failing supernatural abilities to prevent her assassination, as well as the destruction of an entire city by a nuclear terrorist strike.

But his time and power are running out...

Terminus is a perspective-altering saga that delves into ageless themes of redemption, destiny, and the eternal power of love.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Ebooks, Paranormal, Fantasy

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2013

About the author

JOSHUA GRAHAM is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Beyond Justice, Terminus, and Darkroom, the winner of the International Book Award, Forward National Literature Award, USA Book News Best Books Award, and host of Thriller Radio. His award-winning novel DARKROOM hit 3 bestseller lists on Amazon the night of its release.

CBS NEWS described DARKROOM as a book with "action, political intrigue and well-rounded characters...a novel that thriller fans will devour."

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY described BEYOND JUSTICE as: "A riveting legal thriller...breaking new ground with a vengeance...demonically entertaining and surprisingly inspiring."

Suspense Magazine listed BEYOND JUSTICE in its BEST OF 2010, alongside titles by Scott Turrow, Ted Dekker, Steven James and Brad Thor.

Many of Graham's readers blame him for sleepless nights, arriving to work late, neglected dishes and family members, and not allowing them to put the book down.

Josh grew up in Brooklyn, NY where he lived for the better part of 30 years. He holds a Bachelor and Master's Degree and went on to earn his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. During his time in Maryland, he taught as a professor at Shepherd College (WV), Western Maryland College, and Columbia Union College (MD).

Today he lives with his beautiful wife and children in Southern California.

For Film Rights Josh is represented by UNITED TALENT AGENCY. Please use the CONTACT button on his website www.joshua-graham.com/contact for all inquiries.

Connect with Josh on:

Facebook: http://joshua-graham.com/fb
Twitter: @J0shuaGraham
www.joshua-graham.com

Sign up for exclusive updates, interviews, and to be entered for giveaways by subscribing to Josh's newsletter: www.joshua-graham.com/GIA

Reviews

[Landon Parham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call this book suspense, sci-fi, a thriller, fantasy...or maybe, just maybe, real-life.

The greatest thing about Terminus is the potential that it could be real. I not only found myself attached to the characters in the story, but also found myself wondering: What if? There is genuine emotion in the pages, and a plot that takes you many millennia back in time. All the way back to the first struggle between the faithful and the fallen.

I will definitely buy more from Joshua Graham. Great perspective. Great food-for-thought. Great storytelling. This one goes on my recommended list---without question! There's heart in his words.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terminus is another "can't put down" book by Joshua Graham. It is the story of the divine meeting humanity, pain, love , forgiveness and sacrifice.

Nikolai, or Nick, is an Angel that is a multi-layered character. His history of being an Angel hasn't been stellar and his current job is basically that of a "grim reaper". His job is to collect the souls of the newly departed. He finds it boring and lackluster. We see a change in Nick when he has to collect the soul of a very young girl. It isn't "fair".

The pain and suffering that the mother, Hope, is experiencing touches Nick to the depth of his being. he is so moved by Hope that he begins to fall in love with her... a total violation of angel rules.

Joshua does a wonderful job of presenting the Angels exhibiting human characters. Nick is not only facing the challenge of his love for Hope but also the odd behavior of his co-worker and boss. Who said that some angels couldn't be a little demonic?

Nick is willing to sacrifice all for the love of Hope.

While Terminus is about Angels and humans, it is not preachy. The characters are believable - struggles, good vs. evil, guilt, loss, love and forgiveness. I am hopeful that there will be a sequel to Terminus by this gifted author, Joshua Graham.

[Thelma E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blessed homecoming

Could be non-fiction or fiction. We will not know which it is till we get there. Even though I am 72 years young and look forward to meeting our Lord Yeshua and the Arch Angels. I also was and still am a warrior fighting just causes. This book was inspirational.

[Nora Kremer Kremer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me some time to get into this book. Once I read a book, I try to read other books from the same author to see if it is just the book or the author. I am hoping for a better read in some of his other books.

[brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A construct of glorious proportions

A story of time and eternity. A story of love and mercy, kindness and destiny. A story of hope and eternal glory. A story you won't want to miss.

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I may make one statement about Christian fiction, it is simply this, it's fiction. It's taking a general idea about something the Bible clearly defines and writing a story around that idea. Sometimes when I read reviews about Christian Fiction from other reviewers, the first thing they do is pick the book apart about how untrue the book is relating to certain aspects of what the Bible teaches. Yet what they fail too often to understand is that it's a fictional story not a non fiction. With that being said I have to say Terminus by author Joshua Graham is everything a Christian Fictional book should be. I can sum it up simply by saying City of Angels with dark suspense thriller twist.

The Bible speaks briefly of the Nephilium, a child created by fallen angels and humans that lived in the Old Testament times. Joshua uses just this analogy to create some of his characters in Terminus. Nikolai is an angel who has made some mistakes in choosing to fall in love with a human in the late 1900s' against the laws of Angels forbidding such an interaction. Now serving time for his disobedience to God shuttling souls of those that he believes shouldn't have to die, he grows weary of being a Reaper 3rd Class. When he gets an opportunity to transport souls that should have to die, he feels a sense of justification for this job.

Assigned to his new boss, Lena gives Nicolai details of his tasks. To make sure the three humans follow through on the paths they have chosen, each will have a hand at misguiding many thousands of people and in the process altering the future in disastrous ways. He needs to hasten them to self-destructive ends they have chosen before they can cause incalculable harm. The first is a well known and publicized evangelist, Jonathan Hartwell, the second is Hope Matheson, a suicidal homeless woman, and the third, Lito Guzman, a notorious drug lord. Unsure just what the connection between them is, Nicolai soon learns that not everything is as it appears and begins to question his latest assignment.

I received Terminus by Joshua Graham compliments of Redhaven Books and Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review and received no compensation for a favorable one. I love books on spiritual warfare and I think Joshua Graham did an incredible job at taking us into the heart of Nicolai. To see how they can interact with humans and the powers that some of them are able to possess. You have to read this with an open mind because there are those occasions where we may in fact find ourselves in the company of angels or being influenced by demons. One thing is clear in reading this novel is that forgiveness can be found in the most dire of circumstances and any life can be turned around if we are willing to seek God. The best part I really enjoyed was the constructs, something angels can create at will. To find out more, you'll have to read this one. I loved this twist on a spiritual warfare novel and can't wait to add Joshua Graham to my watch list. Terminus has found a forever home in my personal library and rates a 5 out of 5 stars.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a follower of my reviews (and I thank you if so) you know that I am a huge fan of Joshua Graham's and have been since his first book, Beyond Justice. I know from the moment I pick up a new Graham book that I will like it - - the only question is how much.

Terminus, like Darkroom before it, is different from the author's previous book. Is it suspense? Mystery? Sci-fi? Fantasy? Yes, yes, yes and yes. And it's written and executed extremely well.

Let's start with the characters first. Nick, our fallen angel, is a hero extraordinaire. I quickly became attached to him - - his pain, his desires, his humanity and his spirituality. I was fascinated with our introduction to him, in which he collects the souls of the newly departed. It was an incredibly original concept, as well as Nick's struggle with his place in the (other)world.

This struggle leads us to Hope, a young mother dealing with the worst kind of pain and who presents Nick with the type of dilemma he had never before faced as an angel. Violation of the angel rules leads this particular angel to fall and the effect is a ripple throughout humanity, culminating in an assassination and terrorist threat.

Terminus speaks of spiritual warfare in a non-preachy way and I was entranced by the angels versus demons battle occurring, all while normal everyday life was occurring for the humans.

The underlying theme of Terminus is hope. Hope that good things await all of us, hope that there are angels on our side and hope that good will always overrule evil. It's surely no coincidence that Mr. Graham chose to name his heroine Hope.

Mr. Graham's writing, as always, is top notch. He's plotted Terminus to be a fast paced, highly charged and emotional experience. This isn't the type of book that you will put down and pick back up at leisure because you will be far too invested in Nick and Hope's conjoined paths. The author isn't merely a technically accurate writer, he's also an incredible storyteller and his voice translates wonderfully well to the written word.

Terminus is a delicious blend of thriller, mystery, suspense, paranormal, romance, fantasy and sci-fi and it's meant to be savored as well as educating. What did I take away from this work? Besides angels could very well be walking among us (and how I love and support that idea!) and that sacrifice and redemption go hand in hand, it's that love is the ultimate purpose of our human lives. Not just romantic love but also love between a parent and child, love between friends and love between people in general. Terminus left me with a wonderful feeling, an enriched heart, and a whole lot of hope.

I highly recommend Terminus. Go. Go right now and get yourself a copy. It's superb writing and you won't regret it.


@Psychotic State Book Reviews, 2014

[Thomas Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terminus
Joshua Graham

I received Terminus by Joshua Graham as part of a bundle of ebooks, so I wasn't specifically looking for this title. However, I was hunting for a recreational read on my Kindle the other day, and this looked promising. It turned out to be excellent. It's an interesting story set in the supernatural world of angels and demons, and it twists around a number of times that kept me reading to see would happen next.

The main character is Nikolai, an angel assigned the lowly task of reaper. He escorts people to Terminus, where they take their final trip to the afterlife. He's pretty much bored of the job after a number of centuries, and he decides to leave the job for something, actually *anything*, different. He's approached by another being who has had her eye on Nikolai, and she tags him for a special assignment. He has to prevent (as in kill) three people from taking part in a revival meeting that's due to happen in two weeks. That's a little out of his normal skill set, but it's better than being a reaper. But for whatever reason, he can't bring himself to carry out their deaths. In fact, he actually falls in love with one of the targets... so much so that he's willing to "fall" in order to become fully human and live out a life with her. That doesn't set well with his new boss, and she's got her own motivations to make him follow through on his job, and to possibly make sure he never has a chance to fail again.

The story has a strong good vs. evil, angel vs. demon theme running throughout, but it's not preachy or soapbox-y in the way it plays out. All the supernatural beings have very human-like attitudes mixed with special powers (as you would expect). I like how Graham sets the scenes and plays with their abilities to go between natural and supernatural states of existence. It makes for some great plot twists as the story plays out, and I became quite attached to a number of the characters. They have real emotions and conflicts, and Graham doesn't let any of them off easy.

Based on how much I enjoyed Terminus, I'm going to check out the rest of his works. If they're anything like this one, they'll be great.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: StoryBundle
Payment: Purchased

[Mike Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who'd have thought that angels could be more fun than vampires, but in this intriguing novel that's the case. The author sets the hook in right away, as a man and a child are gunned down in the street. Cleaning up this mess, or at least transporting the spirits of the departed is the job of angel Nick (odd name for an angel, more often associated with Satan). Nick is an angel stuck in a dead-end job. His only task is transporting sprits to a location called Terminus, where they are processed for eternity. Nick longs for something more. He thinks of himself as just a "cosmic chauffeur."
Things weren't always so mundane for Nick. He has a sterling resume, a millenium or so before he was a warrior, an angel on the way up. But then he became involved with a human, something strictly forbidden in the angel code. The union of an angel and a human can produce a Nephilim, a being that has super powers equal to or greater than your regular angel, and can use them for good or evil. A Nephilim gone bad is something you never want to meet in a dark alley.
Nick gets a second chance. His new supervisor, Lena, assigns him three tasks, deaths in which he must intervene, not to save them, mind you, but to make sure they die. Nick messes up again. Not only does he rescue those who are to die, he falls in love with one of them. He should have known better.
Nick's new job involves a number of subplots and new characters. There are also a number of POV shifts early on that I found a bit confusing. These subplots are all interconnected, and somehow the author manages to tie together a number of different story lines.
What Nick doesn't know is that his assigned tasks are part of a Nephilim plot to establish a new world order, triggered by a nuclear explosion in a crowded stadium. But Nick, when he finds out, is a weakened angel, because of his attachment to the human female, Hope.
The denouement is complex and full of surprises, an epic battle between angels and demons. It evolves by a deus ex machina sequence in which deus is really deus, that is to say, God.
Nick, because of his compassion for humans, is reinstated with even greater superpowers, and rides off with the archangel Michael to fight evil.
There were a bit too many story lines for me to stay on top of, but that's probably due to my short attention span. This is a highly imaginative and entertaining book.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terminus by Joshua Graham

I wish I could remember why I chose to want to read a book in a genre I normally walk away from. I could then say whether or not Terminus fulfilled my expectation. I remember only asking for it on my Christmas list. Maybe it was simply a challenged given me to read outside my norms. But, if I had held on to those vanished expectations, I dare to say Graham fulfilled them.

Graham does an excellent job of describing what he imagines takes place on another plane surrounding us—the spiritual plane—and those times when both worlds intersect. Because none of us walk in both worlds, who can say he is wrong? In the few instances where his imagination crossed my interpretation line, I told myself that this is fiction, not intended for doctrine and moved on. With that I gave Graham permission to take me wherever he needed to with his characters and their destinies. A very enjoyable trip.

Terminus follows the career of one angel Nikolai who struggles with a weakness which continues to trip him up in his duties. Yielding to his weakness results in breaking the angel laws, changing the course of the future, and getting him demoted, or worse. Here was my first doctrinal pothole. Fallen angels for me are things of the past. Their number is complete. But, I wanted to see where Graham was going with this. We get to ride with him on his assignments. Knowing how fruitless it is, we still utter in our minds as we read, “Don’t go there.” He does. The outcome is as bad as we imagined, or worse. Then the day comes when Nikolai decides to embrace his weakness to pursue the only path that makes sense to him.

That’s not were we are left with Nikolai, but I don’t want to reveal too much. Let me just say Terminus is a well-written, engaging story to remind us all that our weaknesses can actually be our greatest strengths if used for the right purposes.

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 4 out of 5]

TERMINUS by Joshua Graham is an interesting Paranormal Suspense. What a fast paced,action packed thrill ride. Filled with supernatural elements,angels,the Reaper, redemption,destiny,death,conflict,a terrorist attack,and love. Follow Hope Matheson,a target for assassination, and Nikolai,a third class Reaper, on a journey of hope,despair,healing,sacrifice and the power of love. A unique look into the paranormal genre,which is filled with suspense. If you enjoy thrilling suspense,paranormal,romance,a bit of justice you will enjoy "Terminus". What a thrill ride from beginning to end. Things are not always what they appear. Mr. Graham is a wonderful storyteller,his characters are engaging and very compelling and his plot was interesting and intriguing. There are many parables and analogies in this story with the human suffering,sacrifice,and the greater truth of ourselves. Be prepared for a powerful and uplifting story of the meaning of redemption,sacrifice,and the power of love. For we are all loved. A spiritual epic to be sure! A wonderful read! Received for an honest review from the publicist and/or author.

RATING: 4.5

HEAT RATING: SWEET

REVIEWED BY: AprilR,Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

[Jane Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Terminus by Joshua Graham as part of the Deadly Dozen: 12 Mysteries/Thrillers set.

The story starts as Nikola—Nick—a reaper of the third legion, helps Cloe, a young girl killed in a police shooting, transition from death to the beyond by taking her to the Terminus. Nick creates the construct of a train terminal to help Cloe understand that she is on a journey. Before departing, Nick tries to comfort Cloe’s mother. In the process of doing this, the grieving woman gets a glimpse of him, but dismisses it as part of her deep sadness.

Nick is no longer happy to be a reaper. He fells burned out, and does not want to do this job any longer. He goes to A.R (Angel Resources) where Harold offers him a lateral move. Instead of reaping innocent souls like Cloe’s Nick would harvesting the souls of the scum of the earth.

Nick becomes involved with the humans and falls in love. Since angels are forbidden this type of interaction with humans, he starts to lose his angelic powers, just when he needs them most to save his love from drug lords, terrorism, murder. How will Nick protect his love?

There are lots of twist. The story is light, well written, and a good read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Jason Stadtlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Joshua Graham book, but not my last. The book really blew me away. I have never read from a modern author such spectacular narrative and descriptions of worlds and concepts that are either unknown or don't exist. I honestly did not read the summary of the book as I wanted to be surprised...and surprised I was. It takes you into a realm of mystery, intrigue and possibility with what could exist beyond our near-sighted perceptions.

My own concept of an angel has always been this ethereal presence or even something as odd as the characters played by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in the movie Dogma. Terminus takes you into the mind of an angel fighting his own internal battles and perceptions; Nikolai (the angel) takes you on an adventure as he attempts to save Hope and himself, ultimately giving up something that we humans cannot comprehend—his supernatural abilities.

I highly recommend this book to everyone!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, this was a good book. Nick is a really likable character, and the main story line is pretty sound and fast paced. I was never bored or wanting a chapter to be over.

The book has some religious aspects to it (it is about an angel, after all) but I didn't feel that it was overly Christian or preachy in any way.

The main reason for the three stars as opposed to four is that I didn't buy the connection between Hope and Nick. Yes, he sees something in her that makes him feel for her, but there wasn't enough storyline to support them being in love with each other to the point of him wanting to become human for her.

[Norma Budden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this story and took it for what it was, a fictional story, primarily based upon angels and their interactions with humans.

I loved Nick's character and definitely embraced the character of Hope. I pulled for both of them to overcome the various odds stacked against them and was rewarded in the end.

If you don't like reading stories about supernatural beings, don't even bother adding this one to your list because you would be setting yourself up for disappointment. However, if you've been curious about angels and would like to read a fictional story involving them, you just may enjoy this story as much as I did.

[Jay S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to finish this one; I really did. I waded through 54 chapters before realizing:
1. I did care about the main character
2. I thought his "assigned cases" were not worth considering. After all, who cares about the life of a drug dealer (more or less). And a woman who tries to commit suicide, repeatedly. Obviously she will eventually get it right. And a televangelist who "strayed"? (I think that is the norm.)

I know I come across as uncaring - but nothing in this book makes me care about any of the characters. So I just quit reading.

Not my cup of tea.

[Ashley Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of stories about angels. This one threw me for a loop because of the wonderful twist! It was a tale I connected with. The characters were believable as was the situation - which kept me on the edge of my seat. I finished the book in 2 days - it would have been one but I have children.... Just an engaging and enjoyable read - I'd like to find more stories like this for the summer! - Ashley Knight, author of The FINS Trilogy

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. Found myself rooting for angels and loved Nicolai' s rebellious streak. This is a book that may open the eyes of the reticent believer. The characters were well developed and I loved how all the various sub plots came together at the end.

An interesting concept for a book! This was not a book I would typically read, but given Joshua Graham' s story-telling abilities and my enjoyment of his previous books, I had to try this one out!

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonable story but questionable premise. I like fantasy, but this stretched my real belief system with its premise. Also ridiculously weak era search done on weapons, including misspelling a major firearms manufacturers name, plus other things. Poor job by the editors on missing this too. While this will not bother most people and probably go unnoticed it detracted from the story for me. Good quick read and enjoyable. The moral or lesson of the book is solid and I would recommend reading it.

[Adelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! Like the other reviewer, I couldn't put it down. I recommend it highly. (I only give 5 stars to classics or contemporary literary works, so this is a "Loved That Book" review! Buy it! You won't regret it.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book. An enjoyable book to read. Gives you a different perspective on life. Something to get you thinking of 'why' did that have to happen or 'why' didn't that happen.

[Juli Monroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

While not a bad book, it wasn't really a good book either. Some of the writing was weak. Characters were two dimensional, and the plotting was uneven. I did finish it, though. Probably really a 2.5 rating.

[Karen Faith Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terminus review

This novel clearly has an "out of this world" experience for the reader. I love the ending! I would definitely read more of this author's books. We need more happy endings in the world we live in!

[Maryanne Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book you can't put down. An intense perspective of the spiritual world and how we as humans are so unaware

Great book. A perspective of the unknown world that exists among us. Glad to gain a fictional view of God

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome read by Joshua Graham!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about an angel and the rules he is suppose to abide by. He get's a little too close to human emotions so is demoted (who knew!) It is a very good read and the ending does not disappoint.

[Sonja · Rating 1 out of 5]

No offense to others, but I am not into Christian fiction. I didn't know till I got several chapters in that the book had a religious bent to it.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy books by Christian authors when they don't get too "preachy" and if one of the main protagonist is a nephilim, well, that's just an extra bonus.
A great read!

[Sondra · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. Very different from the usual Christian fiction novels I've read. I would definitely recommend this to my friends

[pcb · Rating 1 out of 5]

A