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Talon of God
The acclaimed actor makes his fiction debut with this enthralling urban fantasy in which a holy warrior must convince a doctor with no faith to help stop a powerful demon and his minions from succeeding in creating hell on earth—a thrilling adventure of science and faith, good and evil, damnation and salvation
Imagine that everyone you have ever known or loved was forced against their will into a state of demonic possession and spiritual slavery. Imagine an unholy cabal of the world’s richest and most powerful men directing this sinister plan in order to cement their unbridled control of the planet.
Imagine two heroes emerging from that darkness to do battle with the forces of evil.
Set in the mean streets of Chicago, Talon of God is the action-packed adventure centered around the Lauryn Jefferson, a beautiful young doctor who is dragged into a seemingly impossible battle against the invisible forces of Satan’s army and their human agents that are bent on enslaving humanity in a mission to establish the kingdom of hell on Earth.
But Lauryn is a skeptic, and it’s only as she sees a diabolical drug sweep her city and begins to train in the ways of a spirit warrior by the legendary man of God, Talon Hunter, that she discovers her true nature and inner strength. Facing dangerous trials and tests, it’s a true baptism by fire. And if they fail, millions could die. And rivers of blood would flow throughout the land.
Imagine such horror. Such pain. And imagine what it would take to fight against it. For only the strongest and most faithful will survive?
Get ready. Armageddon approaches quickly.
Imagine that everyone you have ever known or loved was forced against their will into a state of demonic possession and spiritual slavery. Imagine an unholy cabal of the world’s richest and most powerful men directing this sinister plan in order to cement their unbridled control of the planet.
Imagine two heroes emerging from that darkness to do battle with the forces of evil.
Set in the mean streets of Chicago, Talon of God is the action-packed adventure centered around the Lauryn Jefferson, a beautiful young doctor who is dragged into a seemingly impossible battle against the invisible forces of Satan’s army and their human agents that are bent on enslaving humanity in a mission to establish the kingdom of hell on Earth.
But Lauryn is a skeptic, and it’s only as she sees a diabolical drug sweep her city and begins to train in the ways of a spirit warrior by the legendary man of God, Talon Hunter, that she discovers her true nature and inner strength. Facing dangerous trials and tests, it’s a true baptism by fire. And if they fail, millions could die. And rivers of blood would flow throughout the land.
Imagine such horror. Such pain. And imagine what it would take to fight against it. For only the strongest and most faithful will survive?
Get ready. Armageddon approaches quickly.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2017
169 people are currently reading
1064 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
August 8, 2017
Exceeded My Expectations
Let me say first that this might have been the first piece of expicitly Christian fiction that I have ever voluntarily read cover to cover in my life. And now let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like other reviewers have mentioned, Talon of God is written in an explicitly cinematic manner. It's as though you could tell the authors were envisioning the movie as they were putting the story together.
Snipes and Norman are a very good team. For this to be their first novel, they certainly struck lightning. Those complaining about the dialogue must not have grown up in the church. If you have, everything in here sounds exactly like what you've grown used to hearing, which is part of why this book is just so comforting to read.
Whether you are strong in any faith or not, a Christian or not (and I'm not at all sure how I would define myself), what I can say is that this is an incredibly well-written story. Dr. Jefferson, the main character, evolves over the course of the book, as good protagonists are wont to do.
While messages of faith abound, the primary commitment here is towards advancing a narrative and telling a good story. And that is what the authors do well. The descriptions are exciting and the plot moves at a good speed. It's been a while since I was motivated to finish a book this quickly. I certainly hope this gets made into a movie.
Let me say first that this might have been the first piece of expicitly Christian fiction that I have ever voluntarily read cover to cover in my life. And now let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like other reviewers have mentioned, Talon of God is written in an explicitly cinematic manner. It's as though you could tell the authors were envisioning the movie as they were putting the story together.
Snipes and Norman are a very good team. For this to be their first novel, they certainly struck lightning. Those complaining about the dialogue must not have grown up in the church. If you have, everything in here sounds exactly like what you've grown used to hearing, which is part of why this book is just so comforting to read.
Whether you are strong in any faith or not, a Christian or not (and I'm not at all sure how I would define myself), what I can say is that this is an incredibly well-written story. Dr. Jefferson, the main character, evolves over the course of the book, as good protagonists are wont to do.
While messages of faith abound, the primary commitment here is towards advancing a narrative and telling a good story. And that is what the authors do well. The descriptions are exciting and the plot moves at a good speed. It's been a while since I was motivated to finish a book this quickly. I certainly hope this gets made into a movie.
September 29, 2017
When I had first heard that Wesley Snipes was writing a book, I was a bit skeptical at first, being that he is a great actor and now a book, but I knew that I was going to read the book no matter what. And my library came all the way through and I got both the book and the audio, read by Malik Yoba, and I couldn't put it down. Talon, a sword wielding scripture speaking man of God is "called" to the mean city streets of Chicago where a new drug is be pushed upon the "unwanted" individuals that walk the streets at night (meaning the homeless and drug users) and turning them into something unlike Dr. Lauryn Jeffersons has ever seen and with her help Talon goes on the attack. What I liked about this book, but I'm sure it's not what was originally a thought was to put Blade in book format, but honestly that's what I thought it was, just without the vamps and the one thing that I personally I didn't care for was the many, many, many bible references and quoting I just wasn't here for, I say again that is my personal opinion. Other than that it was fast paced I liked the dialogues I really enjoyed the action, and if he makes this into a series, I will continue to read it.
December 23, 2017
A friend gave me this is a gift. The plotting was unoriginal, the dialogue cheesy and poorly written, quite clunky in parts, and the characters cliched. Read like a 90s horror action film starring Wesley Snipes.
August 12, 2017
This was actual a very goodread.....It seems there might be another installment. I look forward!
September 10, 2017
Woah.. I was hooked from the beginning!!! This book far exceeded my expectations and lots of kudos to the actor/author Wesley Snipes! I thought he was an action movie star with muscles but he now I know he's got the real muscles in his head and spirit. This book was not all that religious to me but had real spiritual substances within the plot. Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. I could totally picture Wesley Snipes as the Talon character and this book being the prequel of the real battle between good and evil to follow in the next book (which I am already waiting for as soon as I finished this one!) once Talon trains Lauren who is chosen by God and given a golden sword to become a real kick-ass warrior. The portrayal of the scenes in this book are very cinematic for me to follow page-to-page and the pacing was very nice. I read this book in three days which was quite quick for me with my novel reading speed. So now I just can't wait until the movie version of this book to come out and until Talon Of God Book 2 to come out. If you want to read a novel that provokes many questions and thoughts and leave you some real spiritual substance under the modern setting with thrills, READ THIS BOOK!!! I highly recommend this book to you.
December 6, 2017
3.5 stars from me, but it's not really my usual genre, tbh. I read this because Wesley Snipes wrote it. At 70 pages I thought I was going to quit, but then I kept going but I kinda felt like it was too late. It didn't turn out too bad. It's a good book for those who like crime drama kinds of things. Especially if you like a bit of angel and demon presence mixed in.
July 23, 2017
I'm a huge fan of Wesley Snipes action movies, and that's what this book reminded me of more than anything else. It's a hearty urban fantasy thriller with an interesting premise that I really, really, wish had been explored more. Seriously, the premise is stellar! I just wish it hadn't been revealed to the story at the end. The book took a sharp religious turn that I wasn't expecting, and while I certainly appreciate the message, at times it became too preachy for me. That said, I liked most of the characters. Lauryn is complex and internally warring with herself, and Talon is a certifiable badass. I was kind of craving more action, but for the most part I enjoyed the chemistry between those two and would have loved to see more, in addition to extra world building. There were a lot of open plot threads, especially at the end, leading me to think there will be another book on the way. I'd like to hope so, since there is so much more I want to read and experience. So while this wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, I had a good time with it and if you like Wesley Snipes movies and don't mind a lot of talk about faith, TALON OF GOD is worth checking out!
September 20, 2017
I was pleasantly surprised by the fast pace of this book. It usually takes 4 or more chapters to get to the good stuff when I typically read books from this genre. I was barely 20 pages when the action started. I was immediately drawn to Lenny’s troubling backstory, Lauryn’s apathy for God, and Talon’s steadfastness. The religious aspect of this book did not bother me at all. While reading this incredible novel, I was always reminded of Gods Word, specifically 1 Cor 1:27. Being a Believer helped, because it made it easier to wrap my mind around spiritual things,supernatural occurrences, the presence of good and evil, and the consequences of sin.This novel made me pray more, read God’s Word more, and appreciate God’s omnipresence, omnipotence and His omniscience. I’ve already begun the casting for this movie in my mind. I honestly did not want this book to end. I want another 300 pages, and movie franchise with at least 2 sequels.
October 2, 2017
The book was interesting. However, if you don't like religion and fiction to intersect, this book may not be for you. The book was well written, though there were times I questioned the grammar and the timing of certain events. The plot read very much like the first Blade movie - "African American female doctor and the hero team up to save the world." As an avid reader, I found the book to be predictable, but still entertaining. The imagery and descriptive writing was on point. It played like a (Blade) movie in my head. I'd take a chance on reading the sequel, to see if it gets better.
August 5, 2017
I thought it was fast moving and it kept my interest.
I'm hoping there will be a book 2.
I'm hoping there will be a book 2.
August 21, 2017
I am not sure who really wrote this book, Wesley Snipes or his co-author, Ray Norman. There are many actors who can write, and again, others who cannot. The novel surprised me and I actually enjoyed it. With two authors, at least they seem to done it fine, with hardly any jarring from two different writers. The story flowed. The female lead character is complex and seems to been warring against her religious upbringing by her minister father, so much she went to medical school and became a doctor, one who works in the ER of a poor people hospital in Chicago. And yet, those teachings growing up must have gotten into her, for her to want to help patients who can't afford a doctor normally and work where she works. It seems that God has been watching her and she might be the true hero for this urban fantasy. Something I hope the authors keep in mind, as it is obvious to me that talon is to much like the Blade characters and some others Snipes has played in the past. But I'd like her to be the hero for the next book too--and hopefully her complexity will remain, though at the end she believes in God.
There were a couple of rushed places, and the demon that is obviously the villain isn't as dark as I think he could be, still this story kept me interested.
There were a couple of rushed places, and the demon that is obviously the villain isn't as dark as I think he could be, still this story kept me interested.
December 29, 2018
Dr. Lauryn Jefferson, mostly estranged daughter of a Chicago preacher, finds herself thrown into a holy war for the souls of the city. Talon, a soldier for The Lord, saves her one night from a patient who has been drugged with something far stronger and stranger than the doctor has ever seen. Faith in the unknown may be her only weapon.
September 19, 2017
So bad it's good!
If Dr Snipes has taught me one thing it is: "Always bet on black!"
If Dr Snipes has taught me one thing it is: "Always bet on black!"
November 19, 2024
My hats off to Wesley Snipes for writing this book! I actually liked the very much. It was fun and had some good action. A very adventurous story line and I could tell that this was going to be good early on. I did imagine Blade throughout this story though. All said this a good read.
May 27, 2021
One has a certain expectation when deciding to read a novel by Wesley Snipes, and it ain't great literature. But I have to say I wasn't expecting whatever the hell this is. This thing reads like a Frank Peretti novel except that there's the occasional "fuck" thrown in every once in a while. As someone who grew up reading Peretti novels and deeply regrets it, the curse words are wildly disconcerting, and, it must be said, delightful. The book is written well enough, and the characters are fine. The plot is.... well it's not very good. It's full of silly clichés and divine intervention. I was pretty done with it by the end. Reading this novel is like eating an entire two pound burrito: it's not exactly a pleasant experience, but it's not an unpleasant one either, and I can't say I wouldn't do it again if I had another one in front of me.
August 11, 2017
I enjoyed reading this book and it did keep my interest. I was intrigued after seeing Wesley Snipes on TV promoting this book. In the beginning I was caught in a "Blade the movie" time warp, but then it took off on its own legs. There is a lot of religious and spiritual dialogue which I did not mind. It spoke to my beliefs of good versus evil. It was thought-provoking. I can see how some readers might want more action and less talk, but I think that would play better in a movie. It was exciting and fast-moving reading and I could visualize the characters, events and scenery right up to the near end. The ending was over too quickly for me and I felt a bit let down, although I would definitely read the next one because it looks like it's not over. Well done!
August 21, 2017
I picked up Talon of God because I liked how Wesley Snipes sounded on The 1A with Joshua Johnson on NPR. I liked his voice and how respectful Snipes is towards the Christian faith. I'm also curious about how a person conducts spiritual warfare. I found that I could trust this book not to show evil in a gratuitous manner. I could read it before sleep without nightmares. Yet Snipes and Norman depict both goodness and evil realistically. The book is deeply Christian and pacifist. It was refreshing to see how Lauryn Jefferson used Psalm 23 to battle the demons and to see how she struggled with coming to faith. This is a fast read that makes you think. I am looking forward to the movie and the sequel.
August 9, 2017
I partially expected this book to be terrible because of its celebrity origins but I was pleasantly surprised. I first heard about this book on CBC (where I honestly get most of my book recommendations) where Wesley Snipes was being interviewed. Talon of God is set up in a way that I predict a series to follow, which I am crossing my fingers for! I do think the book could have another title because the book is centered around Lauryn significantly more than Talon himself. This book is classic good versus evil, heaven versus hell told in a new way. I loved this book from start to end.
August 18, 2017
The book was well written. The characters were developed very nicely. This is one of those books where I cheered for the main characters to overcome their obstacles. Robbie's character was not such a jerk that I was actually glad he was not killed by Lincoln Black in the upstairs area of the warehouse. Looks like there will be a sequel. I looked for to the next chapter in Dr. Lauryn Jefferson's life.
August 13, 2017
Talon of God surprised me. By no means is this Christian fiction, it's definitely secular. But the Christian themes as handled respectfully and are done in a way that doesn't come across as corny. As a Christian, I thought this book was really good.
November 19, 2017
This is a mixture of Christian fiction and horror and I loved it!! The characters were well developed and I could picture each one!! Wesley Snipes did an amazing job with his first book. Can’t wait for the next one!!
June 20, 2018
Action packed
My favorite 'surprising celebrity author' books are first, Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, followed by A Shore Thing by Snooki.
This one is great as well, props to Wesley Snipes and his co-author Ray Norman.
My favorite 'surprising celebrity author' books are first, Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, followed by A Shore Thing by Snooki.
This one is great as well, props to Wesley Snipes and his co-author Ray Norman.
Want to read
February 4, 2017Blade/Simon Phoenix wrote a book? Well hell yeah, I want to read!
May 30, 2017
Great story. I am a little confused about the urban fantasy label when it could almost be put in Christian fiction. Would love to ask the authors about that.
September 4, 2017
Surprisingly, this is a great book. The age old battle between good and evil. It seems to set up for a second book, and I hope they do; I'd read book two in a heartbeat when/if it comes out.
May 6, 2018
It's just Blade but Christian.
So it's awesome but it's also just really really terrible.
So it's awesome but it's also just really really terrible.
August 16, 2019
I thought the book was well written. Wesley Snipes did a great job for his first novel. I am hoping for a part 2.
Read
May 12, 2018This book was Weird. I pulled it off a list of sf books published last year by poc + like I guess it is all those things, but I was expecting... fantasy or sci-fi?? I guess?? + instead it was a sort of Steven King style thriller w some magical elements but they're all Super religious. + when I say religious I mean American Protestant Christian. The tldr for the premise is basically "zombies but caused by a drug which pulls out your Sin."
I'm going to start with what I liked abt the book, which was a decent amount! The reason I didn't put it down once I realized that it wasn't really what I generally read was that it is set in Chicago in the present day; much of it takes place in Englewood even! I love that! I'm super easy to please! I just like to have in my head a map of the places where things are happening + even better if they're places I also go! The other really good thing abt it is the character of Lauryn, the protagonist. She is Definitely what would be called a Mary Sue if she were written by a female author, but I'm not against that. I like a protagonist who's just a genuinely good person trying to help people. She was relatable + sometimes funny + I wanted her to be happy + succeed. The other thing I really liked abt it was that there was this notion of preordainment, if I can say that? There wasn't a lot of stress in the story, because it was clear from the start that the solution to the problem is to Believe that God's gonna get all of you out of there alive + he does! Happy ending! Also they save [literally] all the people who had been turned into sin zombies. I love that shit. It also kept it from feeling too scary, which is why I usually steer clear of the genre. I also really liked Talon bc, like, I've got a type + it is people w a good + strong sense of right and wrong.
Low points include: a cop character whom Lauryn used to date + who is one of the Good Guys. Disgusting + Unrealistic. Also, I think the writing was just Okay. The religiousness of it also kind of. I dunno. It felt a little more preachy than I would have liked. As far as these things go, the author was really very nice about all of it. The message was very "everyone can be saved; everyone is redeemable" and also "it's not about how much scripture you have memorized, but the way you treat your fellow man; even if you're not Christian," + that's nice. I was down with that. But like. The protagonists sure did have a lot of scripture memorized.
The other thing was just the pacing of the story I guess? I described how the happy ending felt very set in stone from the beginning, which definitely made it hard for the authors to raise the stakes, and also. In almost the first scene, there is a Cure to the Sin Disease, +, spoiler alert, a version of that is what ends up being the ultimate solution to the problem, which just felt? Anticlimactic + like the protagonists were Bad at their jobs for not realizing it immediately. And that's always a bad feeling.
Also Lauryn has a bad preacher dad, with whom she reconciles basically just because she's like "no you were right actually god is super literally real" + he's like "my daughter is literally Touched by an Angel." The relationship pre-supernatural was described in a really nuanced way, but once Lauren becomes a Believer, a lot of that nuance fell away.
But like listen: there were a lot of nice things abt this book; it went quickly and I'm glad I finished it I guess.
I'm going to start with what I liked abt the book, which was a decent amount! The reason I didn't put it down once I realized that it wasn't really what I generally read was that it is set in Chicago in the present day; much of it takes place in Englewood even! I love that! I'm super easy to please! I just like to have in my head a map of the places where things are happening + even better if they're places I also go! The other really good thing abt it is the character of Lauryn, the protagonist. She is Definitely what would be called a Mary Sue if she were written by a female author, but I'm not against that. I like a protagonist who's just a genuinely good person trying to help people. She was relatable + sometimes funny + I wanted her to be happy + succeed. The other thing I really liked abt it was that there was this notion of preordainment, if I can say that? There wasn't a lot of stress in the story, because it was clear from the start that the solution to the problem is to Believe that God's gonna get all of you out of there alive + he does! Happy ending! Also they save [literally] all the people who had been turned into sin zombies. I love that shit. It also kept it from feeling too scary, which is why I usually steer clear of the genre. I also really liked Talon bc, like, I've got a type + it is people w a good + strong sense of right and wrong.
Low points include: a cop character whom Lauryn used to date + who is one of the Good Guys. Disgusting + Unrealistic. Also, I think the writing was just Okay. The religiousness of it also kind of. I dunno. It felt a little more preachy than I would have liked. As far as these things go, the author was really very nice about all of it. The message was very "everyone can be saved; everyone is redeemable" and also "it's not about how much scripture you have memorized, but the way you treat your fellow man; even if you're not Christian," + that's nice. I was down with that. But like. The protagonists sure did have a lot of scripture memorized.
The other thing was just the pacing of the story I guess? I described how the happy ending felt very set in stone from the beginning, which definitely made it hard for the authors to raise the stakes, and also. In almost the first scene, there is a Cure to the Sin Disease, +, spoiler alert, a version of that is what ends up being the ultimate solution to the problem, which just felt? Anticlimactic + like the protagonists were Bad at their jobs for not realizing it immediately. And that's always a bad feeling.
Also Lauryn has a bad preacher dad, with whom she reconciles basically just because she's like "no you were right actually god is super literally real" + he's like "my daughter is literally Touched by an Angel." The relationship pre-supernatural was described in a really nuanced way, but once Lauren becomes a Believer, a lot of that nuance fell away.
But like listen: there were a lot of nice things abt this book; it went quickly and I'm glad I finished it I guess.
June 11, 2024
I can't let nostalgia cloud my judgement, this book is exactly what you think it is, except worse. First, it is NOT a Christian book, it preaches new age perennialism, ecumenist cafeteria illusion of Christianity. Every chapter starts with every strip mall suburban protestant's favorite Bible verses. It is very heavy handed and on the nose preaching sola fide and sola scriptura anti church anti tradition tv "Christianity". Blatant insults to Catholics, their church (which actually has history and evidence on its side for being canonical). Even with an extremely basic understanding of Christian theology, christology, eschatology, etc one would see how wrong this book is. It shoves down your throat the fake kind of American Christianity that makes people turn away from the faith, in the most cringe way possible. Even insults ancient church fathers and their teachings, seriously I'd choose any church father or patristic teaching over Wesley Snipes theology any day. With how disrespectful to traditional Christianity and apostolic traditions this book is, I seriously can't believe the hubris,pride and vanity of these authors. Blade was my favorite growing up, don't meet your heroes or in this case, read their crappy books. Snipes' understanding of theology is very misguided and misinformed, he should study some more to see his massive errors of commission and omission. To set about writing such an ambitious book with what it intended to do, you have to REALLY know what you're talking about and these guys sure don't, after one Bible study session you'd know that too.
August 23, 2017
First off, I enjoyed the book, that said, one of the problems I had was the fact that the sword carrying hero barely used his weapon. Now I will admit because of the cover and author I might have been anticipating a Blade-like character in the story. I couldn't be more wrong. This character was much more reserved than Blade and would rather seek compassion over violence. Nothing wrong with that, however when you're supposed to be fighting demons, one might expect more violence being necessary.
The story did have some really cool elements included; the mysterious cube, an ancient order of defenders, the corruption of souls, and a well laid out villainous plan.
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Would I read a sequel to it? Yes.
Overall rating: 3.5
The story did have some really cool elements included; the mysterious cube, an ancient order of defenders, the corruption of souls, and a well laid out villainous plan.
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Would I read a sequel to it? Yes.
Overall rating: 3.5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews