What do you think?
Rate this book
Day of Vengeance
What if you escaped being sacrificed to the evil god Moloch and banished him from your town at a terrible price in blood and destruction… only to become prey to gods more powerful and ruthless still?
Teenage friends Suzie Mitchell, Amos Ross, and Vickie Riordan are plunged into this terrifying dilemma in the ruins of their hometown, Chatham’s Forge, in a world devastated by nuclear war. Stumbling through the wreckage, they must confront the physically living but soul-dead remains of their friends and family, the vengeful victims of the old order in the Forge, the ascent of the powerful and seductive goddess Asherah, and worst of all… the deeds they themselves are tempted to commit in their rage and grief.
Teenage friends Suzie Mitchell, Amos Ross, and Vickie Riordan are plunged into this terrifying dilemma in the ruins of their hometown, Chatham’s Forge, in a world devastated by nuclear war. Stumbling through the wreckage, they must confront the physically living but soul-dead remains of their friends and family, the vengeful victims of the old order in the Forge, the ascent of the powerful and seductive goddess Asherah, and worst of all… the deeds they themselves are tempted to commit in their rage and grief.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 13, 2017
1 person want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 1, 2018
We return to the world of Chatham’s Forge in the second book of The Day of Ascension series, Day of Vengeance, where Amos, Suzie, and Vicky appear to be the only survivors of their efforts to annihilate Moloch and free the town from the demon’s influence. They soon discover this isn’t quite the case, although many of those who apparently came away unscathed physically have suffered in other, much more terrible ways. Others who weren’t living in the town, including the ‘muties’, have also survived, and are ready to exact revenge against those who made them suffer under the rule of Moloch.
Our trio of main characters discover a bigger and even more dangerous world than the one where they lived behind the walled protection of Moloch, with hints of other beings of great supernatural power roaming the world and one in particular which is hungry to fill the vacuum of power left by the departure of the patron demon of Chatham’s Forge.
Overall, the characters have grown and gotten tougher as well as more mature-at least this is the case with Amos, though Suzie has seemingly inherited some of his whininess from the first book. Vicky takes an interesting and far different path, and we are introduced to several new characters, both good and evil, whose personal sagas add to the overall flavor of this tale.
There are plenty of new developments and again the world has grown much bigger, though the story continues to focus mainly on Chatham’s Forge and the surrounding woodlands. There are indications that other demons, like Moloch, have sheltered other towns in the region and forced the members of those communities to follow their evil rituals to remain alive. The demon world becomes less hidden as well, with the introduction of a new and compelling potential replacement for Moloch. The author has set the table for an intriguing third act.
Overall, a solid second addition to this series. While the main characters depth have expanded, I felt that Vicky, in particular, seemed a bit too easily manipulated and Suzie a bit scattered with her jealousies, but those are more or less minor quibbles. Amos has grown-still immersed in self-doubt but stronger and more determined to be the hero people are starting to expect him to be. The writing is crisp and the story is quite unique. I was ready to gripe about women not having Adam’s Apples because the author refers to a woman with one here, but then I discovered they do, just not as prominent as the ones men have. One other minor distraction (yes, being nitpicky) is when an older character reflects back on when they got to cruise around town in their Mustang before the world went kerplooie, which wouldn’t be possible since the first Mustangs came out in 1964 and the old world ended in nuclear fire in 1962. Still, a minor distraction only.
I’m very interested to see what happens in the third installment in the series (trilogy?) and look forward to diving into it. This is the most sincere form of flattery there is for the second book in a series that I can think of.
Our trio of main characters discover a bigger and even more dangerous world than the one where they lived behind the walled protection of Moloch, with hints of other beings of great supernatural power roaming the world and one in particular which is hungry to fill the vacuum of power left by the departure of the patron demon of Chatham’s Forge.
Overall, the characters have grown and gotten tougher as well as more mature-at least this is the case with Amos, though Suzie has seemingly inherited some of his whininess from the first book. Vicky takes an interesting and far different path, and we are introduced to several new characters, both good and evil, whose personal sagas add to the overall flavor of this tale.
There are plenty of new developments and again the world has grown much bigger, though the story continues to focus mainly on Chatham’s Forge and the surrounding woodlands. There are indications that other demons, like Moloch, have sheltered other towns in the region and forced the members of those communities to follow their evil rituals to remain alive. The demon world becomes less hidden as well, with the introduction of a new and compelling potential replacement for Moloch. The author has set the table for an intriguing third act.
Overall, a solid second addition to this series. While the main characters depth have expanded, I felt that Vicky, in particular, seemed a bit too easily manipulated and Suzie a bit scattered with her jealousies, but those are more or less minor quibbles. Amos has grown-still immersed in self-doubt but stronger and more determined to be the hero people are starting to expect him to be. The writing is crisp and the story is quite unique. I was ready to gripe about women not having Adam’s Apples because the author refers to a woman with one here, but then I discovered they do, just not as prominent as the ones men have. One other minor distraction (yes, being nitpicky) is when an older character reflects back on when they got to cruise around town in their Mustang before the world went kerplooie, which wouldn’t be possible since the first Mustangs came out in 1964 and the old world ended in nuclear fire in 1962. Still, a minor distraction only.
I’m very interested to see what happens in the third installment in the series (trilogy?) and look forward to diving into it. This is the most sincere form of flattery there is for the second book in a series that I can think of.
November 24, 2017
‘Curséd shalt thou be in thy waking, and curséd when thou liest down’
Washington, DC author Martin Berman-Gorvine is a professional journalist, currently serving as a reporter for the Bureau of National Affairs newsletter Human Resources Report. He has published seven books to date, and has become a popular science fiction writer, winning awards in both Canada and the US.
DAY OF VENGEANCE is Book 2 of Martin’s Days of Ascension series and in keeping with his apparent faith in his readers’ enjoyment of his works he adds a preliminary note: ‘After defeating the powerful demon Moloch and ending the horrid custom of human sacrifice in Chatham's Forge, teenagers Amos Ross, Suzie Mitchell, and Vickie Riordan find that freedom is elusive and evil a constant presence in their home town of Chatham's Forge, as the demon Asherah arises and demands her share of blood.’
Martin’s books fall into the Young Adult range and that is a receptive audience to science fiction and the occult and all things mysterious enough to defray the realities of our current time. His writing style punctuates the importance of involving characters with whom the YA audience can identify. For example, in opening Book 2 of his series, Martin writes, ‘What’s the first thing you do after the world has ended, but you and your girlfriend and the girl you accidentally cheated on her with are somehow still alive? I stand leaning on Vickie’s right shoulder, the girl I had turned to for comfort when I thought Suzie was dead, while Suzie leans against her left shoulder. Together we watch in stunned silence as a fiery mushroom cloud spills into the dead black sky in the direction of the Chatham’s Forge Town Hall, where Moloch, the demonic god who has ruled our town since before we were born, has been immolated. Suzie is the first to speak. “We did it,” she says hoarsely. “We killed Moloch! No more Virgin Sacrifices!” Which is excellent news for her. A few minutes ago she was bound to the hood of Jack Kolver’s 1963 Ford Thunderbird while Pastor Justin Bello, Moloch’s faithful servant, stood over her with his knife ready to slaughter her so that the demon could feast on her blood and guts. Now the pastor is as dead as his god, and the Cathedral where the annual All Souls Day Black Mass concluded barely an hour ago is a smoldering ruin. But they’ve taken the entire town with them. We are the only survivors, or so it seems. “We’d better find shelter,” I say, only to double over coughing on the ash drifting down all around us. The back of my head explodes with pain where someone hit me hard enough to knock me out cold as I charged ahead, gun in hand, to try to rescue Suzie. Red and black spots dance like moths in my field of vision and I struggle to stay conscious as the girls help me to my feet. Some hero I am. “Amos is right,” Vickie says, glancing at the sky. “My parents told me the ash and black rain that fell on the first All Souls Day was radioactive. It’s killing us a little more with every moment we stand here exposed.”
A distillation of the plot is provided – ‘What if you escaped being sacrificed to the evil god Moloch and banished him from your town at a terrible price in blood and destruction… only to become prey to gods more powerful and ruthless still? Teenage friends Suzie Mitchell, Amos Ross, and Vickie Riordan are plunged into this terrifying dilemma in the ruins of their hometown, Chatham’s Forge, in a world devastated by nuclear war. Stumbling through the wreckage, they must confront the physically living but soul-dead remains of their friends and family, the vengeful victims of the old order in the Forge, the ascent of the powerful and seductive goddess Asherah, and worst of all… the deeds they themselves are tempted to commit in their rage and grief.’
Solid concepts and skills and the ability to weave a story that captivates the reader from the start, Martin Berman-Gorvine has taken his place on the popular bench of YA Sci-Fi authors.
Washington, DC author Martin Berman-Gorvine is a professional journalist, currently serving as a reporter for the Bureau of National Affairs newsletter Human Resources Report. He has published seven books to date, and has become a popular science fiction writer, winning awards in both Canada and the US.
DAY OF VENGEANCE is Book 2 of Martin’s Days of Ascension series and in keeping with his apparent faith in his readers’ enjoyment of his works he adds a preliminary note: ‘After defeating the powerful demon Moloch and ending the horrid custom of human sacrifice in Chatham's Forge, teenagers Amos Ross, Suzie Mitchell, and Vickie Riordan find that freedom is elusive and evil a constant presence in their home town of Chatham's Forge, as the demon Asherah arises and demands her share of blood.’
Martin’s books fall into the Young Adult range and that is a receptive audience to science fiction and the occult and all things mysterious enough to defray the realities of our current time. His writing style punctuates the importance of involving characters with whom the YA audience can identify. For example, in opening Book 2 of his series, Martin writes, ‘What’s the first thing you do after the world has ended, but you and your girlfriend and the girl you accidentally cheated on her with are somehow still alive? I stand leaning on Vickie’s right shoulder, the girl I had turned to for comfort when I thought Suzie was dead, while Suzie leans against her left shoulder. Together we watch in stunned silence as a fiery mushroom cloud spills into the dead black sky in the direction of the Chatham’s Forge Town Hall, where Moloch, the demonic god who has ruled our town since before we were born, has been immolated. Suzie is the first to speak. “We did it,” she says hoarsely. “We killed Moloch! No more Virgin Sacrifices!” Which is excellent news for her. A few minutes ago she was bound to the hood of Jack Kolver’s 1963 Ford Thunderbird while Pastor Justin Bello, Moloch’s faithful servant, stood over her with his knife ready to slaughter her so that the demon could feast on her blood and guts. Now the pastor is as dead as his god, and the Cathedral where the annual All Souls Day Black Mass concluded barely an hour ago is a smoldering ruin. But they’ve taken the entire town with them. We are the only survivors, or so it seems. “We’d better find shelter,” I say, only to double over coughing on the ash drifting down all around us. The back of my head explodes with pain where someone hit me hard enough to knock me out cold as I charged ahead, gun in hand, to try to rescue Suzie. Red and black spots dance like moths in my field of vision and I struggle to stay conscious as the girls help me to my feet. Some hero I am. “Amos is right,” Vickie says, glancing at the sky. “My parents told me the ash and black rain that fell on the first All Souls Day was radioactive. It’s killing us a little more with every moment we stand here exposed.”
A distillation of the plot is provided – ‘What if you escaped being sacrificed to the evil god Moloch and banished him from your town at a terrible price in blood and destruction… only to become prey to gods more powerful and ruthless still? Teenage friends Suzie Mitchell, Amos Ross, and Vickie Riordan are plunged into this terrifying dilemma in the ruins of their hometown, Chatham’s Forge, in a world devastated by nuclear war. Stumbling through the wreckage, they must confront the physically living but soul-dead remains of their friends and family, the vengeful victims of the old order in the Forge, the ascent of the powerful and seductive goddess Asherah, and worst of all… the deeds they themselves are tempted to commit in their rage and grief.’
Solid concepts and skills and the ability to weave a story that captivates the reader from the start, Martin Berman-Gorvine has taken his place on the popular bench of YA Sci-Fi authors.
February 2, 2018
An interesting sci-fi world with an entertaining YA adventure. My full review here ---> https://wp.me/p5t5Tf-1nT
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews