Devil's Cauldron

The War of Men and Angels #2

by Michael Jack Webb

Do you believe in Angels and Demons? What would you do if you discovered your blood is valuable to both of them?

A mysterious 10,000-year-old structure buried deep under the ice in the coldest place on Earth. A secret research facility using advanced technology developed by Nazi scientists. Cryptic messages sent to the FBI by a Mischlinge, one of Hitler’s Jewish Nazi’s, warning the world the Anunnaki, the Nephilim, are about to return.

 Project Nimrod is close to success.

A dire warning, Beware the Devil’s Cauldron, catapults Ethan Freeman into another life-threatening journey full of action and adventure. Recovering from ensuring the Light Gate protecting the Angelic Prison known as the Abyss remains closed, he faces even more powerful enemies.

A Portal has been opened to an alternate dimension. A parallel universe. But the scientists intending to use it to achieve god-like powers have no idea the evil they’ve unleashed. Ethan must stop Project Nimrod.

If the former Special Forces Ranger fails, humanity will suffer at the hands of unimaginable evil as an ancient conspiracy unfolds.

If you like epic battles, angels and demons, and supernatural conspiracy thrillers full of suspense and mystery then you’ll love the riveting sequel to Infernal Gates.

Can Ethan count on the Archangel Michael to help him again? Will the only remaining Guardian survive? Scroll up and click Read Now or Buy Now to find out.

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2020

About the author

Michael Jack Webb graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida and obtained his J.D. from the same university. Over the past forty years he has travelled the world in search of adventure.

Michael is a history buff, both ancient and modern, and is fascinated by the intersection of the scientific, supernatural, and Biblical world views. He's studied and taught from the Bible for more than twenty-five years.

Michael is intrigued by recent discoveries in quantum physics providing extraordinary insights into the reality of the spirit realm, especially as it relates to the study of Light.

He incorporates all of the above into his supernatural thrillers.

Michael and his wife make their home in Florida.

Books by Michael: The Master’s Quilt, The Nephilim Parchments, The Song of the Seraphim (Giants in the Earth trilogy), The Oldest Enemy, and Infernal Gates, The Devil’s Cauldron, Ghost (Justice Chronicles Book 1), Jackal (Justice Chronicles Book 2) coming soon.
He is currently working on AngelFire (Justice Chronicles Book 3).

He also authored a non-fiction work entitled In the Cleft of the Rock: Insights into the Blood of Jesus, Resurrection Power, and Saving the Soul.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devil’s Cauldron by Michael Jack Webb is a thrilling Christian dystopian novel revealing that life is a battle between the forces of good and evil. It is the second book in the series The War Of Men And Angels.
Once more the reader is in for an exciting read as the team battles against the forces of darkness. Mythical creatures, foretold in the Bible, emerge. The battles cannot always be fought in our strength. We are reminded that the battle is not ours but the Lord’s. “Whatever God has in mind for you, it’s not dependent upon your strength.”
We must remember to put on the full armour of God. Prayer is most important. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The plotline was intricate, well executed and complex. I did not always completely grasp everything that was going on but I enjoyed it as I read with heart racing and pulse rising. Michael Jack Webb certainly knows how to weave a thrilling tale.
I will leave you with my favourite quote:
“The Lord your God does not live in a Temple made with hands. He is as alive today – in you – as when he walked the Earth.”
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

[William]

I have read most everything Michael Webb has written. I have become a fan of his unique approach and style. He carries the narrative while setting up and building intrigue along the way. I was drawn in quickly because I felt like I already knew the principle characters and was anxious to see how they had developed in their relationships.
As the plot thickened and gelled the natural, emotional, and spiritual development kept pace with the intrigue.
The interaction of the supernatural with the natural was developed seamlessly drawing the reader deeper and deeper into the story. Michael left us anticipating the next book and wishing it was already available. I hope he does not take too long to finish it!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Webb's novel is like Frank Peretti meets Dan Brown. Spiritual warfare is combined with ancient artifacts, advanced technology, visions, people with special blood so they do not age, rifts in space time continuum, quantum teleportation, secret Nazi Antarctic constructions, biblical evil creatures, and more. There is lots of action and suspense and tons of exciting battles. Webb has an amazing imagination.

The novel got off to a rough start for me. Several individuals at various locations are introduced. The people and events seem unrelated and do not come together until well into the novel. This is the second in a series and I did not read the first one. That may account for my confusion at the beginning.

There is a great deal of back story in the novel. Several characters have historical roots that are generously explained. Several evil beings are introduced and their history and worship is also explained. There are Russians and ex-Nazis involved and their history is liberally provided. I have to admit, I started skimming some of those lengthy paragraphs in the second half of the book. There were a few scenes at the beginning of the book that were later recounted by a character, explaining the significance. I think some of that could have been edited out since it was repetitive. There were also many evil spiritual beings. It was a bit much. I think Webb could have focused the spiritual warfare more narrowly.

This novel is for readers who enjoy spiritual warfare on steroids and appreciate lots of historical background information. There was not an author's note in the digital book I read so I was unable to determine what was actual history and what was Webb's imagination.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Book Sirens. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very exciting. Lots of suspense and action. I got submerged in trying to pronounce every German word. I’m half German and should know these things lol. Part Irish too and have read lots of books on the Legends of every single fey creature in Celtic lore.

The fact of something like The Devil’s Cauldron being a gateway to an alternate universe was a fun concept to me. Not the scary creatures though. To just think that it’s entirely possible that something like this could actually exist is truly amazing. I mean who really knows what’s in the world that is being kept hidden. I’ve always wanted to time travel into the past and maybe that exists too, who knows.

I know so read this out of order but Definitely want to read the first book!

I found this book on BookSirens and I volunteered to write a review. My opinions are my own .

[Bonny Rambarran · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when your enemy is a demon?? This has to be one of the most intense books I have ever read. Suspense. Danger. Demons. Angels. So much danger. Lots of back stories in here to help you know each character better. Simply an amazing book!!!

[Kerry Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Jack Webb's latest book, "Devil's Cauldron" is an unbelievably believable novel dealing with very real topics that may be happening today!

I just finished reading Michael Jack Webb's latest thriller titled, "Devil's Cauldron". Wow, what a read! It's an unbelievably believable novel! By that I mean you'll traverse into almost every continent with this spell-binding page-turner and explore well documented subjects that span a vast spectrum of genres. You'll become close friends with the characters and find yourself cheering them on through life-threatening circumstances! This is a sequel to the heart-stopper novel he put out a few years back titled, "Infernal Gates" following some of the same characters through life's raw moments. For those of you who have read any of Michael Jack Webb's books you'll be in for another surprise enigma from a master story-teller! For those who might shy away because of the title, "Devil's Cauldron" don't! Because it's time to find out the truth about this enemy of our souls. For those who call themselves Believers this book should be on your list in learning more about Spiritual Warfare. For those who call themselves Atheist or Pagans this book should be on your list as well so you can learn more about the gods you think you serve. Truly, if we are honest, one would have to admit that we all believe in a GOD/god, even if it's our own self-reliance. If that's you, this is a book for you! Michael wraps years of research into what may be considered his Magnum-Opus! He doesn't hold back on any front taking you through history and into the future. He explores the secret and not-so-secret dealings of various government agencies among the Super-Powers. "Devil's Cauldron" is over 460 pages of facts wrapped in a fantastic fictional novel that will have you reading well into the night! Enjoy!

[Gailrosiere · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these 2 books. The series is so well researched and Webb’s writing flows so naturally it’s a must read. He has grasped the enemy’s plan and in these uncertain times it’s a prophetic glance into the past and future.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book taking verses from scriptures and making them come alive on the pages of a fantasy novel. The story is about a small team some of whom are called by God and who rely upon His power and authority to overcome demonic forces intent upon ruling over the earth and it's peoples. The author uses historical facts and builds upon them to create his story. Whether Christian or not, you'll enjoy this novel that continues the theme of an earlier story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Josh Olds · Rating 1 out of 5]

Occasionally, you read a book so bad you have to talk about it. Devil’s Cauldron is one such book. Now I could very easily pass on the review and normally when I receive a book like this, that’s what I do. However, because of the reason I received this book, I think it’s fair to let it have both barrels. It’s what they asked for. And I will always give the people what they want.

Devil’s Cauldron is book two in The War of Men and Angels. I had not read book one, but Michael Jack Webb has his characters reprise the salient points of their previous adventure enough that I have a fairly good idea what went on. Near the end of the book, for about the tenth time, the protagonist reminds us of what happened before: When the Archangel Michael confronted and defeated Osiris as he was about to separate my head from my body with Heitsi’s Sinbad scimitar last fall in the Cavern of the Djinn…

So, you get the idea. There’re supernatural goings-on and this isn’t the first time that Ethan and company have come up against demons. Devil’s Cauldron follows up on that, taking Ethan and company into the depths of Antarctica, where Hitler’s secret military base opened a quantum portal into another dimension, allowing for demons to travel into this reality. There are side plots about a type of human being that can live extraordinarily long lives. There’re connections to Egyptian mythology, Jewish Kabbalah, Nazi Occultism, quantum mechanics, World War II conspiracies, and so much more. Imagine your conspiracy theorist friend watching the very worst of the History Channel at 3am for an entire year, then trying to explain it to you. That’s what Devil’s Cauldron feels like.

In fact, Webb’s goal appears to be to jam as many conspiracies into the book as possible, fleshing them out in stunningly boring detail that has no bearing on the actual plot. If you boil it down to just the action, this entire quarter-million word plus novel is about a trip to Antarctica to fight demons.

I even hesitate to put the “fight demons” part in because that all happens more or less within a single seven-page chapter right before the novel’s abrupt end. (SPOILERS: The archangel Gabriel bellows “Release your Light Arrow, Dread Champion. NOW!” and a supernatural arrow that takes half a page to describe flies “as if an invisible Archer finished notching it in His bow” piercing “Marduk/Horus in the heart” and he melts “like the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of OZ.” All of these are real quotes.)

As should be obvious, Webb’s writing is overly-detailed and in a severe need of an editor. The novel weighs in at a hefty 450 pages and could easily have been half that and not cut any of the story’s substance. A typical sentence in the book looks like this:

“…be prepared for the unexpected. Trust God—”
“And keep your powder dry,” interjected Sam, finishing the phrase attributed to the sixteenth century general Oliver Cromwell. The British statesman elected Lord Protector in 1653 uttered the now famous admonishment while crossing a river with his men to attack the enemy during his campaign in Ireland. It meant save your resources until you need them.

Even if we ignore that the 1600s is the seventeenth and not sixteenth century, you can immediately see the problem. Webb digresses into the specifics of English history to explain a simple line of dialogue, then explains it once again in case you didn’t understand the rather obvious meaning.

There are also a number of typographical and grammatical mistakes, beginning with the back cover copy, where an individual is called one of “Hitler’s Jewish Nazi’s.” Apostrophes indicate possession, not pluralization—except in rare exceptions of which this is not one. It’s an elementary grammatical error that Webb makes throughout the book and is indicative of the novel’s nonexistent editing. The fact he makes this error on the back cover copy shows that little care went into even trying to make this a quality product. Typos happen. Mistakes can be made even with rounds of editing and many eyes looking at a manuscript. But Webb’s mistakes in formatting, grammar, and typography only compound his storytelling sins. There is not a single area in which Devil’s Cauldron does not scream amateurish incompetence.

Which leads me to the racism. The most overtly racist part of the book is where Michael Jack Webb has a Native character refer to God as the “Great White Father.” This is not a phrase that Natives would use to refer to God. God is not White. He is not the God of the White people. Historically, “Great White Father” was used by white American invaders in the 1800s to Natives a term for the American President. To use that in reference to God is both inaccurate and racially insensitive. Webb also refers to the Mischlinge as “Hitler’s Jewish Nazis.” This is also historically incorrect to the point of being racist. Mischlinge (English: mongrels) was a pejorative term in Nazi Germany for those who were of both Jewish and German descent. It does not mean that they were Nazis and was, in fact, a label of persecution.

Devil’s Cauldron is the worst book I’ve read this year. Michael Jack Webb has no sense of how to tell a story. It’s a conspiracy-laden, uninteresting bloated pile of words that never cohere into an engaging or coherent plot. Webb seems to think that if he throws enough stuff into the book, something has to come out of it. It’s a terrible way to write a novel and someone should have told them that somewhere along the writing process.

As I was reading this, my two-year-old daughter climbed into my lap, asking “Dad reads a book?” Then she looked at the page. “Wow. Some lots of letters.” And that’s about the kindest thing I can honestly say about it. It’s a lot of letters.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two lines of the book description was enough to pique my interest. Do you believe in angels and demons? What would you do if you discovered your blood is valuable to both of them? Then, the prologue unleashed the first of the demons encountered in a frightening way. And chapter one had me fully committed to the author’s reality of the story. After that, this was just about all a fan what is described as a supernatural thriller could ask for.
This story has globe trotting adventure. There are gun battles. There are Nazi experiments into superweapons that are still being conducted that represent a human element of evil. And demonic evil going back to pagan gods of early civilizations. And, as this is a Christian based supernatural thriller, there are believers of varying strengths of faith who oppose the human element and angels that appear in opposition to the demonic forces.
For some, the scientific detail could cause some to glaze over, but the geek in me found it interesting. Also, this is the second in a series, but the author managed to make this a stand alone story, since I haven’t read the previous book in the series, yet. Mention of the previous story does occur regularly, mostly as an indicator to how the main characters previously became a team.
I believe this is an exciting entry in the thriller category period. But as a appreciative reader of faith based thrillers also, this is a strong representative of that genre.
I did receive a free copy of this story through BookSirens for an honest review.

[Kathy Parish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this through because I enjoyed the first in the series. And I like the story line, strong characterizations, plentiful Biblical facts and references. However, the excessive detail about the physics of parallel dimensions and weapons, etc., wore me out. Back story kept coming up, sometimes sounding like a direct quote from earlier chapters. A more scientific mind than mine might enjoy all the extra stuff, but a VERY readable and interesting story could have been 20,000 words shorter. Give us the meat of the story, Mr Webb, and get a better copy editor. There are still some distracting grammar and spelling things. Ethan and Sam and Avner and all the supporting characters have my undying love, but I can’t wade through all that extraneous stuff. You don’t have to impress with your intelligence and esoteric knowledge. You have the bones of a VERY good series here, but some of us are not going to be able to partake.

[Kelly Liberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A supernatural thriller that reads like a history lesson, classic horror story and scientific experiment.
Devil’s Cauldron is one of those books to be read during vacation or over a long weekend. Because you can’t put it down.
It’s a novel that crosses genres but also packs substantive amounts of historical and scientific information. Enough facts to give the reader a ‘suspension of belief’ necessary to get lost in a story.
Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti fans will enjoy this new twist on the supernatural thriller.
When I finished this book I found myself continuing to think about what I’d read. And talked about some of the concepts with anyone who will listen.
All of this author’s books have been excellent. And I look forward to reading Michael Jack Webb’s next book!

[Carol Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Join Ethan and his gang from Infernal Gates as they travel to Antarctica to unravel a mystery surrounding several murders in one of the most desolate places on earth, the Crystal Desert.

This book is a sequel to Infernal Gates and would be best read in sequence as the same characters are involved and some of the same themes are involved. The book is obviously well researched and involves some very complex themes. I particularly enjoyed learning a bit about Antarctica. This thriller has quite a bit of graphic violence, and there are a few curse words; otherwise, it is a clean book. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy reading thrillers and who enjoy books about spiritual warfare.

[Caroline Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Jack Webb has written a fantastic sequel to Infernal Gates, book 1 of his The War of Men and Angels (currently two book, but hopefully more to come) series. In book two, The Devil's Cauldron, Ethan Freeman returns in another life threatening all action adventure. This really is edge of the seat suspense and I couldn't put it down!

Cryptic messages are sent to the FBI announcing the imminent return of the Nephilim, Project Nimrod is close to success. A portal to a parallel universe has been opened by scientists hoping to achieve God-like powers, little realising the evil they have unleashed. Ethan must stop Project Nimrod before all Hell let's loose. Great stuff, recommended!

[Timothy Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devil's Cauldron by Micheal Jack Webb

I was given a copy of this book for review.

If you are looking for a book filled with action and a well-written plot, then this book is what you need to read. The many references to historical facts and fiction keep my attention throughout the book. I found myself lost in the battles and scenery that are described in this book. I enjoyed this so much, I plan to read the first in this series.

#devilscauldron

[TIMOTHY L]

Devil's Cauldron by Micheal Jack Webb

I was given a copy of this book for review.

If you are looking for a book filled with action and a well-written plot, then this book is what you need to read. The many references to historical facts and fiction keep my attention throughout the book. I found myself lost in the battles and scenery that are described in this book. I enjoyed this so much, I plan to read the first in this series.

#devilscauldron

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that THE DEVIL'S CAULDRON (The War of Men and Angels #2) by Michael Jack Webb is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Kristjan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christian Fantasy, so expect a fair bit of mary sues, deus ex machina and evangelical preaching (Caveat Emptor). This is a sequel to Infernal Gates and I recommend reading that prior to this book, or you will miss a fair amount of background (all of the limited character building for the protagonists is there).

Ethan and Sam are back and once again taking on the Adversary. The MCs are easy enough to like (if a bit shallow), so this is not a bad read, given the genre within which it is found. To be fair, it is pretty hard to develop any interesting drama or plot conflict when you put the Almighty in your corner. Maybe that is why they tend to rely so heavily on conspiracy theories. These can be entertaining if done well; this book is decidedly average on this count. The primary appeal here is actually how the author weaves in several threads of ancient myth into the dark forces working against our heroes (so ancient history buffs might find it interesting as well).

What prevents this from being a better story are the typical mistakes I see in newer authors ... such as info dumps (which can be a slog) and/or over explaining what is happening (which removes the mystery too early ... and can be a slog when I don't really care about the details of what they are eating). Plot disciple is also problematic when you have an Ace in the Hole that can always put you back on track (I personally prefer less obvious interventions). Add to this a "Young Earth/Creationist" cosmology that just makes it hard to take anything else in the book very seriously (Continental Drift is not that fast buddy). All of that considered, if you are familiar with the genre, it is actually better than average.

This book is currently available through Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#DevilsCauldron #BookSirens