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Ivan Tarkovsky was one of the Soviet Union’s finest soldiers in World War II. A warrior feared by the Nazis and his own men, he was set loose upon the battlefields of Europe with the sole purpose of putting Hitler’s decapitated head on a pike. However, upon reaching Berlin, he led his men into an ambush. Tarkovsky was the only survivor.
Taken hostage by the Nazis, Tarkovsky was hauled into Hitler’s bunker and told a most unbelievable fantasy: Hitler was gathering the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Tarkovsky was believed to be the Pale Rider himself.
They told him he was a man of great purpose, a man with a destiny. He told them he didn’t want a destiny and had to cut their throats to stop their jabbering. . . He did not escape Berlin alive.
Tarkovsky fell to the deepest pits of Hell where the Devil labeled him a traitor. For decades, Tarkovsky was tortured and twisted until he became a self-made demon, one filled with regret over the misuse of his time on earth.
Now Tarkovsky has learned that the modern Death, an American named Trey Decarr, is repeating similar mistakes. Tarkovsky decides it is time to leave the comforts of Hell, take hold of Decarr’s soul, and set him on the proper path. . .
BLOOD CHILD is a prequel to DEATH'S GOOD INTENTIONS. Despite taking place first chronologically, it is likely to be more enjoyed if read after Death's Good Intentions.
Taken hostage by the Nazis, Tarkovsky was hauled into Hitler’s bunker and told a most unbelievable fantasy: Hitler was gathering the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Tarkovsky was believed to be the Pale Rider himself.
They told him he was a man of great purpose, a man with a destiny. He told them he didn’t want a destiny and had to cut their throats to stop their jabbering. . . He did not escape Berlin alive.
Tarkovsky fell to the deepest pits of Hell where the Devil labeled him a traitor. For decades, Tarkovsky was tortured and twisted until he became a self-made demon, one filled with regret over the misuse of his time on earth.
Now Tarkovsky has learned that the modern Death, an American named Trey Decarr, is repeating similar mistakes. Tarkovsky decides it is time to leave the comforts of Hell, take hold of Decarr’s soul, and set him on the proper path. . .
BLOOD CHILD is a prequel to DEATH'S GOOD INTENTIONS. Despite taking place first chronologically, it is likely to be more enjoyed if read after Death's Good Intentions.
- GenresParanormalHorrorDemons
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 26, 2014
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 11, 2014
First of all, this review was delayed because of deadlines, so apologies for that Mr Warner. Blood Child is another chapter in The End of the World and Some Other Things series, my second excursion into this universe after The Man with the Devils Tongue. The first excursion was refreshingly original. The characters were awesome, the plot unique and the story itself grand in scope. Blood Child is another chapter in the grand scheme of things, one that builds to Death's Good Intentions. Once again, it was a lot of fun.
Ivan Tarkovsky is tasked with bringing Hitler down, by any means necessary. On his arrival in Berlin, his men are slaughtered in an ambush, and he is the lone survivor. On discovering that Hitler is planning on uniting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Tarkovsky is suspected of being the Pale Rider. Disbelieving this and being murdered, he undergoes a decade of torture in Hell, and becomes a demon. That's when he finds the modern version of Death - on Earth - making the same mistakes he did. Tarkovsky then leaves Hell to set Death on the correct path...
So far, so fantastic. The plot is sprawling and lavish, twisting history like it were seaweed. It's a phenomenal story, one that takes in a lot of characters and settings. The Four Horsemen premise is well done, the scenes with Hitler are brief, but amusing, and modern Death is one of the better characters in the universe. What it lacks is detail. Sure, there is enough of it, but at times, some of the characters feel like talking heads. Some are used as exposition and in doing so, it feels a little rushed. This is a minor gripe though, in an overall solid outing. The chemistry between the characters is sparkling as always - Warner has a knack for this - and it really does set the scene for the next episode, which, after this and Devils Tongue, I can't wait to read.
4 stars. Apart from the minor gripe, this is another exciting story in the series. Warner definitely has a way with his characters, providing laughs at unusual moments, and serous scenes of brutality when required. To pull off a book involving Hitler without any major blow back is an achievement in itself. However, this is fantasy, and Warner delivers that in spades. Imaginative, unique and darkly humorous, I can't wait for the characters to meet up in Death's Intentions. Great read!
Ivan Tarkovsky is tasked with bringing Hitler down, by any means necessary. On his arrival in Berlin, his men are slaughtered in an ambush, and he is the lone survivor. On discovering that Hitler is planning on uniting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Tarkovsky is suspected of being the Pale Rider. Disbelieving this and being murdered, he undergoes a decade of torture in Hell, and becomes a demon. That's when he finds the modern version of Death - on Earth - making the same mistakes he did. Tarkovsky then leaves Hell to set Death on the correct path...
So far, so fantastic. The plot is sprawling and lavish, twisting history like it were seaweed. It's a phenomenal story, one that takes in a lot of characters and settings. The Four Horsemen premise is well done, the scenes with Hitler are brief, but amusing, and modern Death is one of the better characters in the universe. What it lacks is detail. Sure, there is enough of it, but at times, some of the characters feel like talking heads. Some are used as exposition and in doing so, it feels a little rushed. This is a minor gripe though, in an overall solid outing. The chemistry between the characters is sparkling as always - Warner has a knack for this - and it really does set the scene for the next episode, which, after this and Devils Tongue, I can't wait to read.
4 stars. Apart from the minor gripe, this is another exciting story in the series. Warner definitely has a way with his characters, providing laughs at unusual moments, and serous scenes of brutality when required. To pull off a book involving Hitler without any major blow back is an achievement in itself. However, this is fantasy, and Warner delivers that in spades. Imaginative, unique and darkly humorous, I can't wait for the characters to meet up in Death's Intentions. Great read!
September 13, 2014
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
-
While I wouldn't call the premise of this story/series wildly imaginative, it was unique. I mean, with heaven's decree and hell's investment in the apocalypse, the only thing standing in its way was no other than Death of the Four Horsemen. This book introduced the readers to two Deaths. And somehow, I found the modern rendition painfully… lacking. With War and Conquest hidden away, the book was focused on the showdown between Famine (Schrader) and Death (Decarr).
Compared to what the Conquest (Speckmann) of the past had nearly accomplished as a villain in the last Death (Tarkovsky's) time, the present Famine was hilariously incompetent. It's not a fair comparison. The two Deaths lived in wholly different times, under completely different circumstances, facing enemies on incomparably different levels. But after the explosive start from Tarkovsky's timeline, the momentum doesn't carry over well to Decarr's time.
Tarkovsky, after years of torture in hell, at the hands of Satan no less, returned to the living armed with the conviction that his only chance at redemption was to convince Decarr to accept his responsibilities as Death. Tarkovsky, with his ability to hijack Decarr's body was willing to do whatever it took to drive home the point that Decarr didn't have a choice in the matter. Decarr, for what he was worth, was equally willing to do whatever it took to stop Tarkovsky from getting his way. And keep Fay (his girlfriend) safe in the process. While going through his internal battle (which I felt needed more presence), he was forced to face down Schrader.
I have to say though, as much as I liked the idea, I found most of this book to be underwhelming. That's not to say the writing wasn't good or the story wasn't gripping. It's just that some things worked better for me than others. The dream sequences especially were pure brilliance and I wished Tarkovsky did that more instead of taking over Decarr forcefully.
My main issue with the story was that it read too much like a prequel. The book felt too much like an introduction to the general characters, ideas, factions, and the setting and nothing was really properly explored or fleshed out. For what it's worth, I really don't think reading this story in chronological order was one of my better ideas. I'd recommend starting with the main story and read the prequels for what they are: backstories.
And for those interested, here's my review of the next (chronological) book, The Man with the Devil's Tongue .
-
While I wouldn't call the premise of this story/series wildly imaginative, it was unique. I mean, with heaven's decree and hell's investment in the apocalypse, the only thing standing in its way was no other than Death of the Four Horsemen. This book introduced the readers to two Deaths. And somehow, I found the modern rendition painfully… lacking. With War and Conquest hidden away, the book was focused on the showdown between Famine (Schrader) and Death (Decarr).
Compared to what the Conquest (Speckmann) of the past had nearly accomplished as a villain in the last Death (Tarkovsky's) time, the present Famine was hilariously incompetent. It's not a fair comparison. The two Deaths lived in wholly different times, under completely different circumstances, facing enemies on incomparably different levels. But after the explosive start from Tarkovsky's timeline, the momentum doesn't carry over well to Decarr's time.
Tarkovsky, after years of torture in hell, at the hands of Satan no less, returned to the living armed with the conviction that his only chance at redemption was to convince Decarr to accept his responsibilities as Death. Tarkovsky, with his ability to hijack Decarr's body was willing to do whatever it took to drive home the point that Decarr didn't have a choice in the matter. Decarr, for what he was worth, was equally willing to do whatever it took to stop Tarkovsky from getting his way. And keep Fay (his girlfriend) safe in the process. While going through his internal battle (which I felt needed more presence), he was forced to face down Schrader.
I have to say though, as much as I liked the idea, I found most of this book to be underwhelming. That's not to say the writing wasn't good or the story wasn't gripping. It's just that some things worked better for me than others. The dream sequences especially were pure brilliance and I wished Tarkovsky did that more instead of taking over Decarr forcefully.
My main issue with the story was that it read too much like a prequel. The book felt too much like an introduction to the general characters, ideas, factions, and the setting and nothing was really properly explored or fleshed out. For what it's worth, I really don't think reading this story in chronological order was one of my better ideas. I'd recommend starting with the main story and read the prequels for what they are: backstories.
And for those interested, here's my review of the next (chronological) book, The Man with the Devil's Tongue .
October 3, 2014
I received this book in exchange for an honest review..
I did in fact follow the authors suggestion and read Blood Child after reading Death's Good Intentions, very glad I did as this book read more like a back story with the characters and settings not as detailed, but having read them in this order made it easier because I was familiar with the world created by Mr Warner.
Tarkousky spending many years in hell suffering horrible torture at the hands of the devil. Tarkousky returns to earth his mission to convince the new Pale Rider to except his responsibilities as Death. With the ability to take over Decarr's body Trakousky tries to assert his control, that being said Decarr does not willingly give up his body tries his best to stop Tarkousky from succeeding in getting his way while trying to protect his girl friend Fay..
No spoilers will leave the reader to enjoy Mr Warners unique world.
I would suggest that the reader reads them in the order the author suggested to me.
The Man with the Devils Tongue...
Deaths Good Intentions...
Blood Child...
I did in fact follow the authors suggestion and read Blood Child after reading Death's Good Intentions, very glad I did as this book read more like a back story with the characters and settings not as detailed, but having read them in this order made it easier because I was familiar with the world created by Mr Warner.
Tarkousky spending many years in hell suffering horrible torture at the hands of the devil. Tarkousky returns to earth his mission to convince the new Pale Rider to except his responsibilities as Death. With the ability to take over Decarr's body Trakousky tries to assert his control, that being said Decarr does not willingly give up his body tries his best to stop Tarkousky from succeeding in getting his way while trying to protect his girl friend Fay..
No spoilers will leave the reader to enjoy Mr Warners unique world.
I would suggest that the reader reads them in the order the author suggested to me.
The Man with the Devils Tongue...
Deaths Good Intentions...
Blood Child...
July 8, 2015
That was a great trilogy! It's funny how I found myself rooting for Death and the people who helped him. The author did a fine job of making me care about the characters and immersing me into the story. I would read for hours at a time and always before bedtime. I can tell you that had more than a couple wild dreams around this book and most especially, Trey Decarr.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews