A New Eden

by Quent Cordair

Journalist Paige Keller, while recovering at a remote resort from an overseas assignment, is drawn into a community dominated by a fundamentalist church, a family of real estate developers, and a group of environmentalists, all in conflict over control of the valley’s future. She goes undercover to discover what lies beneath the church’s rituals and sacred ceremonies, but the more she learns, the deeper the valley's mysteries and seductions become.

A NEW EDEN is the second part of the acclaimed IDOLATRY saga, the story of a wealthy young heir and a devout Christian girl who find themselves at the heart of an age-old struggle for the soul of Western Civilization.

412 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 24, 2016

About the author

Quent Cordair was born in 1964 in southern Illinois. Raised in an insular fundamentalist religion, the local library became a treasured gateway to the outside world. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he taught himself how to paint and soon began taking portrait commissions to support his writing. His first short story, “A Prelude to Pleasure,” was published by The Atlantean Press Review in 1991. In 1996, Quent Cordair Fine Art opened in Burlingame, California. Now located in Jackson, Wyoming, the gallery represents the work of thirty Romantic Realist painters and sculptors. The author’s acclaimed novels, short stories, poetry, and screenplays are drawn from a lifetime of experience and interest in adventure, romance, history, philosophy, and art. Quent lives and works in Jackson with his wife, Linda, who manages the gallery when the couple aren’t hiking or fishing with their labradoodle, Sophie, or traveling to dote on their granddaughters, Ella, Everly, Emerson, and Harlow.

Reviews

[Dwayne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Cordair has written a story of intertwining lives; of heroes; of spiritual souls, some of whom are in torment. The reader experiences the passion of The Passion, the passion of the artist, and the passion of love's desires. It's a wonderful second step from Book 1.

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was offered this book in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I loved it. But, I want more! The characters are beautifully deep, in shades of both light and dark. The setting is painted with an honesty that draws the reader in and makes them feel like they're there in Aurum Valley. The philosophy is woven expertly and is a refreshing change. Of course, it isn't all hearts and flowers. Parts of it made me angry for the characters I was beginning to view as acquaintances - especially Skye who Mr. Cordair has written such that I crave to protect her from what I know must be coming. I came to look on Paige and Eileen as friends, and I want to see them both thrive. But I won't get to yet. This is only part 2. Part 3 isn't out at the time I'm writing this review, and it's killing me a little to know I'll have to wait to catch back up with these people and this world.

[Kyle Halmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Setting the Stage

Where Idolatry Book 1 can be read as a self contained work, A New Eden (Book 2) is inescapably setting the stage for what promises to be a story of scale and scope with many varied characters, all well realized, and threads connecting them that show calculated thought. The themes of philosophy run deep through its pages, yet they are always made through the fiber of the story and not through simple definition. Idolatry promises to be a breath of fresh air from current fiction, hailing back to greats like Rand and Dostoevsky.

Book 3 promises to be worth the wait.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not as impressed with this one, actually. I felt that the first book told a more interesting story, even in its simplicity, and wove a richer tapestry.

What was jarring about this one as well was the sudden change of time and place, even after the previous book had a nasty bit of cliffhanger to it! Really frustrating and disappointing, and the two stories don't seem to connect in any way, which is even more frustrating.

Also, I don't tend to enjoy stories depicting highly religious people as nutbag zealots or creeps, and this has way too much of that. Not a fan.

Sorry, this might be to some people's taste, but it left an unpleasant flavor in this reader's mouth.

[Pavel Urubčík · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the first Idolatry book which was serious of short captivating stories, this book was without culminating story with lengthy passages of world of the church.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Try NOT to start reading it on a work night...

I’ve been a fan of Quent Cordair’s writing for some time now. With this book, he started releasing it one a chapter at a time, and I quickly realized I had just better wait until it was done. I knew I would get sucked in, finish a chapter, and then sit there on my hind legs like a begging puppy longing for more. I prefer to get into Quent’s stories without having to stop.

Quent clearly pulls from his upbringing in this story. He knows his Scripture and how it can be used by power hungry and unscrupulous people to gain control over others. I cringed as I heard characters using the good words to an evil end. It felt familiar yet sickening at the same time. As in other stories, Quent masterfully targets and yanks on multiple, typically conflicting, emotions at the same moment.

The pacing was interesting to say the least, and I’m not sure how to describe it without spoilers. But if you are at all like me, you may find yourself coming to a point where it starts to feel predictable, because yeah you know how it can go …yeah, they’re marching …yeah, they’re entitled …then BAM, something happens that makes you go, YES! That’ll show them! …Then Evil adapts, and you are trapped…reading through the night (a work night, dad gummit) to finish the ride.

But isn’t that what a good book is supposed to do?

[jodi watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Left me anxious for the next book, so many unanswered questions about each and every character. There are a few sections of the book that I felt contained too much description, too much detail - especially the word-for-word church sermons....seemed like page filler. The author does a fantastic job of teasing the reader with just enough information about the characters it keeps one reading in the hopes to get an answer. While book 1 and 2 may seem completely unrelated, the reader is aware in the back of their mind that there is a connection - one will need to exercise patience in finding it. The book series is slated as a 5 part series, with this being only book 2 -- I hope books 3,4,5 aren't stretched out to a point where I don't recall books 1 and 2...I am looking forward to finishing this series as it becomes available...

[Jeffrey Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is both a standalone and part of a larger whole. The novel is a multi-generational saga, and novel and larger whole dramatize a multi-century and -millennium civilizational conflict with characters that are nonetheless recognizable as contemporary figures. One of them is an update of Victor Hugo's Gavroche for the twenty-first century.
You should read it.