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Omniverse: Book I of the Omniverse Chronicles
What if you were haunted by strange and terrible dreams in the night? But what if they were not dreams, but preludes of the truth? What if you met the woman of your dreams in a nightmare? What if you learned that you were doomed to a terrible destiny, and that there was nothing that you could do to escape it? This is the fate that befalls Jack Thornton, a former Marine lieutenant who served with the famed "Walking Dead" in Vietnam and who is now a lawyer in San Francisco. His quiet, ordered life begins to unravel, however, when his nightmares begin to shape his waking hours. The grim images that haunt Jack's sleep are not of Vietnam, but of things and beings not of this earth. Foremost among them is an adversary older than time and evil beyond imagining: the Yarvaak Golu, The-God-Who-Waits. Jack comes to realize that he is something far more than human. He is a Hero, an undying servant of the Absolute, doomed to an endless cycle of violent death and rebirth. Jack Thornton finally accepts not only what he is, but that his very soul and our world are in more than merely mortal danger. Jack's journey of discovery leads him down a dangerous and uncharted path to a deadly meeting with his eternal enemy, Heinrich Kuhl; who, like Jack, is also more than merely human. Kuhl is a Servant of Death: a willing pawn of far greater and vastly more malevolent entities than himself. But Jack Thornton will find friends as well as enemies. He will meet the hauntingly beautiful Aiyanna, whom he encounters in a terrifying dream; and Brighid, the fiery red-haired goddess who loved him in a far-off time and place where he bore a storied name. He will also meet Sean Plunkett, once a feared IRA gunman and soldier of fortune, and now his guide on the Way of the Hero. This then, is the beginning of Jack Thornton's tale, the first book of The Omniverse Chronicles.
456 pages, Paperback
First published December 14, 2013
109 people want to read
About the author
Liam Parker
1 book1 followerLiam Parker has been a busboy, a bank messenger, a bartender, an editor, a history teacher, a trial lawyer, and a United States Marine. A lifelong martial artist, he holds the rank of 4th Degree Black Belt in Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he is currently at work on the sequel to Omniverse.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 19, 2014
WOW! This is the first chunk in a major tale! For the synopsis you get the gist of the story. Jack is a former Marine from Vietnam that has sort of gotten used to everyday life of being a lawyer when he is bombarded by strange dreams of a being with purple eyes not form this world. He finds solace and answers in an Irish Bar, Tir na n-Og, where he learns that he is a Hero awakened to defeat an evil not of this world that is on its way. With the help of a Countess, a Professor, an old Irish Soldier and more he will learn his destiny and what it means to be a Hero.
Omniverse is one fantastical tale of Good VS Evil or should I way Servants of Life VS Servants of Death. Liam Parker emulates Stephen King in a way where he goes in to immense character detail and gets you so connected that you are turning page after page as fast as you can to see the outcome. The beginning is slow going, we get a lot of Jacks day to day life and no real answers till we are deep in the book, but stick it out because once you get the answers you want to know what Jack and the others are going to do with them! I really enjoyed the little tragic love story between Jack and Brighid and how they are destined to meet again and again through out centuries but are doomed from the start of every encounter.
This book has everything from SciFi aspects of Where/Whens to religious nods to a higher power. The ending leaves you satisfied but curious … I am defiantly HOOKED in the story and want to know what becomes of the people that have bound together to help Jack and keep the evil at bay.
Omniverse is one fantastical tale of Good VS Evil or should I way Servants of Life VS Servants of Death. Liam Parker emulates Stephen King in a way where he goes in to immense character detail and gets you so connected that you are turning page after page as fast as you can to see the outcome. The beginning is slow going, we get a lot of Jacks day to day life and no real answers till we are deep in the book, but stick it out because once you get the answers you want to know what Jack and the others are going to do with them! I really enjoyed the little tragic love story between Jack and Brighid and how they are destined to meet again and again through out centuries but are doomed from the start of every encounter.
This book has everything from SciFi aspects of Where/Whens to religious nods to a higher power. The ending leaves you satisfied but curious … I am defiantly HOOKED in the story and want to know what becomes of the people that have bound together to help Jack and keep the evil at bay.
June 29, 2023
I received a free copy from Outskirts Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was enticed by the description of Omniverse: Book I of the Omniverse Chronicles, but I found the end result to be very different. Normally I would write a quick spoiler free synopsis of the book, but there's nothing that I can write that isn't contained in the blurb about the book.
In terms of what I enjoyed, there were some plot points that I found very interesting. The mythology spanned multiple religions and mythologies, which I appreciated. I did enjoy the concept of the Big Bang creating multiple universes that run parallel to our own and don't always contain "good" entities, leading to a war between good and evil that takes place on Earth. This was an incredible idea that the author could have done a great deal with.
Delving into this book, I started realizing that there were some points that weren't working for me. First, though I enjoyed the mythology that spanned multiple beliefs, the rules were often unclear on how these interacted and what each of them was aimed to do. This decision also impacted some of the supporting characters who were tied to these mythologies and often made them fall a bit flat.
Several plot points fell flat. This included the nosey upstairs neighbor plot that didn't really seem to make sense to me. Others that weren't explained included the identity of The Watcher and why there was a need for Jack to go on so many dates within the book. At times, I felt the scenes in Jack's apartment, work, and personal life were an attempt to show how normal he was before his life changed. However, this caused these parts of the book to be very slow and tedious. The novel also seemed to want to span many genres, which I have seen pulled off successfully, but didn't really add up here. At times, it felt like it wanted to be a mystery-thriller rather than a military-sci-fi novel, offering a disorganized feel to the overall work.
Liam Parker is clearly very learned. He writes in multiple languages (French, German, Russian, Latin, and a few others I'm sure I missed); however, many of the instances where these languages are used are not translated, which sometimes led to frustration because I felt I was missing key details. Having read the likes of Gloria Anzaldua, I will say that not everything needs to be translated for full comprehension, but having multiple paragraphs over several pages can make for a difficult reading experience, especially when so many languages are involved. This also ties into the phonetically spelled accents, which were tough to grapple with. Roughly there were seven individuals who were written in this manner.
As for the slow burn, it was over halfway through the novel before the reader finally received a bit of the backstory and explanation. It was more than three-quarters of the way through before the protagonist learned his role in the story. I love science fiction and I can appreciate a slow burn, but this seemed a bit long for key details to be revealed.
Overall, I will say that I may not be the key audience for this book, and while the overall concept was interesting, I will be skipping the next installment.
I was enticed by the description of Omniverse: Book I of the Omniverse Chronicles, but I found the end result to be very different. Normally I would write a quick spoiler free synopsis of the book, but there's nothing that I can write that isn't contained in the blurb about the book.
In terms of what I enjoyed, there were some plot points that I found very interesting. The mythology spanned multiple religions and mythologies, which I appreciated. I did enjoy the concept of the Big Bang creating multiple universes that run parallel to our own and don't always contain "good" entities, leading to a war between good and evil that takes place on Earth. This was an incredible idea that the author could have done a great deal with.
Delving into this book, I started realizing that there were some points that weren't working for me. First, though I enjoyed the mythology that spanned multiple beliefs, the rules were often unclear on how these interacted and what each of them was aimed to do. This decision also impacted some of the supporting characters who were tied to these mythologies and often made them fall a bit flat.
Several plot points fell flat. This included the nosey upstairs neighbor plot that didn't really seem to make sense to me. Others that weren't explained included the identity of The Watcher and why there was a need for Jack to go on so many dates within the book. At times, I felt the scenes in Jack's apartment, work, and personal life were an attempt to show how normal he was before his life changed. However, this caused these parts of the book to be very slow and tedious. The novel also seemed to want to span many genres, which I have seen pulled off successfully, but didn't really add up here. At times, it felt like it wanted to be a mystery-thriller rather than a military-sci-fi novel, offering a disorganized feel to the overall work.
Liam Parker is clearly very learned. He writes in multiple languages (French, German, Russian, Latin, and a few others I'm sure I missed); however, many of the instances where these languages are used are not translated, which sometimes led to frustration because I felt I was missing key details. Having read the likes of Gloria Anzaldua, I will say that not everything needs to be translated for full comprehension, but having multiple paragraphs over several pages can make for a difficult reading experience, especially when so many languages are involved. This also ties into the phonetically spelled accents, which were tough to grapple with. Roughly there were seven individuals who were written in this manner.
As for the slow burn, it was over halfway through the novel before the reader finally received a bit of the backstory and explanation. It was more than three-quarters of the way through before the protagonist learned his role in the story. I love science fiction and I can appreciate a slow burn, but this seemed a bit long for key details to be revealed.
Overall, I will say that I may not be the key audience for this book, and while the overall concept was interesting, I will be skipping the next installment.
January 24, 2015
First of all I have to say that after three failed attemps of reading this book, I made one of my goals for 2015 to finish this book. This last time after reading the first chapter I couldn't put the book down. I don't know what went wrong the other times but I'm so glad I read this book.
Now... the review.
Jack Thornton has been having strange dreams, nightmares that leave him with a feeling of unease. When he starts to look answers he discovers that the threat is real but not from this world.
A really complex character, Jack is a strong and powerful man. He is an ex Marine and now works as a lawyer. Having fought in Vietnam he is haunted by the past and sometimes daily life seems a burden.
Once the bad guys make an apparition, things go out of control. There is a lot of action, bullets, blood and danger. Despite having more than 400 pages the book moves quite fast.
I really liked that the book was set in 1973, the scars of the war are still fresh. The protagonists are still alive (or at least those who survived). They have to live with the horrors repeating in their minds. It creates an interesting scenario for the story.
I feel like the explanation of the bigger picture, the whole Omniverse concept and all takes a long to take place. Let me be clear the plot is solid and it's well built. However, Jack takes too long to discover all even his true identity.
The book has a lot of secondary characters. They are a group of people from all over the world, which is totally smart given that there are bigger forces that move the strings of the universe. My favorite was the Irish guy, he is a real kick-ass.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The cover is really beautiful (the main reason why I picked up the book).
*** I received a complimentary copy in exchange of an honest review. ***
Now... the review.
Jack Thornton has been having strange dreams, nightmares that leave him with a feeling of unease. When he starts to look answers he discovers that the threat is real but not from this world.
A really complex character, Jack is a strong and powerful man. He is an ex Marine and now works as a lawyer. Having fought in Vietnam he is haunted by the past and sometimes daily life seems a burden.
Once the bad guys make an apparition, things go out of control. There is a lot of action, bullets, blood and danger. Despite having more than 400 pages the book moves quite fast.
I really liked that the book was set in 1973, the scars of the war are still fresh. The protagonists are still alive (or at least those who survived). They have to live with the horrors repeating in their minds. It creates an interesting scenario for the story.
I feel like the explanation of the bigger picture, the whole Omniverse concept and all takes a long to take place. Let me be clear the plot is solid and it's well built. However, Jack takes too long to discover all even his true identity.
The book has a lot of secondary characters. They are a group of people from all over the world, which is totally smart given that there are bigger forces that move the strings of the universe. My favorite was the Irish guy, he is a real kick-ass.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The cover is really beautiful (the main reason why I picked up the book).
*** I received a complimentary copy in exchange of an honest review. ***
March 6, 2014
Omniverse: book 1 of the omniverse chronicles by Liam Parker is a fantasy that follows Vietnam veteran turned lawyer Jack Thornton as his life is turned upside down when he is pulled into a cosmic battle of good and evil. Right from the beginning you will find yourself hooked by the surreal dreams and eerie visions of purple eyes that haunt Mr. Thornton's nights. The story takes you deeper as your interest is peeked by events that give you a sense that you are entering into a supernatural realm. As you read on you will find yourself find that, along with Jack, you are being recruited into the eternal war that reach across the when/where.
Much the same as Steven King, Ilona Andrews and other writers of fantasy, Mr. Parker brings together magic, spiritualism, myth and everyday reality to create a world that readers can lose themselves in for hours at a time. It is a world filled with well developed characters like Sean Plunkett, the former IRA (Irish Republican Army), Brighid Cassidy, Brigadier Ian Masterman, Heinrich Kuhl and others that make Mr. Parker's world come to life.
If there is one drawback to the book it is that Mr. Parker can get a little too caught up in detail but not enough that it takes away from the beauty of the story. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good fantasy that can capture the imagination.
Much the same as Steven King, Ilona Andrews and other writers of fantasy, Mr. Parker brings together magic, spiritualism, myth and everyday reality to create a world that readers can lose themselves in for hours at a time. It is a world filled with well developed characters like Sean Plunkett, the former IRA (Irish Republican Army), Brighid Cassidy, Brigadier Ian Masterman, Heinrich Kuhl and others that make Mr. Parker's world come to life.
If there is one drawback to the book it is that Mr. Parker can get a little too caught up in detail but not enough that it takes away from the beauty of the story. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good fantasy that can capture the imagination.
February 23, 2016
I will say that the story started off great. It kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next! But as the story went on and details grew, I found myself skipping paragraphs or sentences either because it didn't makes sense or it was just boggled down with details. I did, however, also find a few grammar, spelling, and format issues, but it wasn't enough to take away from the story.
You can see my full review at http://edgeofinsane.blogspot.com/2014....
You can see my full review at http://edgeofinsane.blogspot.com/2014....
February 9, 2015
“Omniverse” is a story that starts in LA in the ‘70s and so much more as the epic, supernatural setting of the prologue enters more and more. The Chronicles encompass aspects of different mythologies, religions, magic and more. The setting for this epic tale of Good vs Evil is grandly set here in book one.
My copy came through Goodreads First Reads.
My copy came through Goodreads First Reads.
April 19, 2015
I won a copy of Omniverse from Goodreads. Book 1 contains a lot of information and background. A little too much in my opinion. I struggled through part of the book. However, Jack Thornton's journey kept me interested and wanting to know what was going on. Most people wonder if their dreams have meaning. This book brings to light how one man's dreams can change everything.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews