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Mercury #1
Mercury Falls
Years of covering the antics of End Times cults for The Banner, a religious news magazine, have left Christine Temetri not only jaded but seriously questioning her career choice. That is, until she meets Mercury, an anti-establishment angel who's frittering his time away whipping up batches of Rice Krispy Treats and perfecting his ping-pong backhand instead of doing his helping to orchestrate Armageddon. With the end near and angels and demons debating the finer political points of the Apocalypse, Christine and Mercury accidentally foil an attempt to assassinate one Karl Grissom, a thirty-seven-year-old film school dropout about to make his big break as the Antichrist. Now, to save the world, she must negotiate the byzantine bureaucracies of Heaven and Hell and convince the apathetic Mercury to take a stand, all the while putting up with the obnoxious mouth-breathing Antichrist.
337 pages, Paperback
First published July 13, 2009
421 people are currently reading
2300 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kroese
70 books632 followersRobert Kroese's sense of irony was honed growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan - home of the Amway Corporation and the Gerald R. Ford Museum, and the first city in the United States to fluoridate its water supply. In second grade, he wrote his first novel, the saga of Captain Bill and his spaceship Thee Eagle. This turned out to be the high point of his academic career. After barely graduating from Calvin College in 1992 with a philosophy degree, he was fired from a variety of jobs before moving to California, where he stumbled into software development. As this job required neither punctuality nor a sense of direction, he excelled at it. In 2009, he called upon his extensive knowledge of useless information and love of explosions to write his first novel, Mercury Falls. Since then, he has written 18 more books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 529 reviews
November 23, 2009
A brilliantly silly novel that examines the idea of free will, man's relationship with the divine and the wisdom of redoing your linoleum floor just before the apocalypse. Some readers have compared this hilarious book to Christopher Moore but I think Kroese's writing style screams of Douglas Adams. Witness this little paragraph...
"The bullet, having thoroughly enjoyed this hole-punching business, proceeded to punch holes in the windows of four nearby cars, finally coming to rest on page 328 of a dog-eared copy of Gravity's Rainbow, which is 186 pages further than anyone else had ever gotten."
Throw in a good portion of Monty Python surrealism and you can see how this story of apocalyptic doom and angelic bureaucracies can be so much fun.
The author can sometimes overwhelm with the twists and turns this story takes yet it all comes to a totally satisfying ending. In between angelic and demonic powerplays, Harry Potter parodies, and the actions of a slacker Antichrist, Kroese mingles his own clever thoughts about the absurdity of human existence. I think most people who read this book will not only appreciate Kroese's extensive knowledge about theology and prophecy but also the way he mixes into a tale of high, and slightly dark, comedy. While this book may offend those who harbor very strict religious ideas, the rest of us will delight in this very intelligent work of humor.
"The bullet, having thoroughly enjoyed this hole-punching business, proceeded to punch holes in the windows of four nearby cars, finally coming to rest on page 328 of a dog-eared copy of Gravity's Rainbow, which is 186 pages further than anyone else had ever gotten."
Throw in a good portion of Monty Python surrealism and you can see how this story of apocalyptic doom and angelic bureaucracies can be so much fun.
The author can sometimes overwhelm with the twists and turns this story takes yet it all comes to a totally satisfying ending. In between angelic and demonic powerplays, Harry Potter parodies, and the actions of a slacker Antichrist, Kroese mingles his own clever thoughts about the absurdity of human existence. I think most people who read this book will not only appreciate Kroese's extensive knowledge about theology and prophecy but also the way he mixes into a tale of high, and slightly dark, comedy. While this book may offend those who harbor very strict religious ideas, the rest of us will delight in this very intelligent work of humor.
May 11, 2021
Mercury Falls
(Mercury #1)
by Robert Kroese
This is such a witty and fun book! Mercury is an Angel, one that has an assignment but he wasn't paying too much attention during the briefing. He knows it is about the Apocalypse but the details are fuzzy because he doesn't take good notes. He meets a reporter that is sick to death of the jobs she is sent on, "End of the World" type crackpots.
Through some hilarious adventures, they find the anti-Christ who happens to be a real loser named Carl. Carl really couldn't rule the world if he had to. The angels are trying to kill him and the fallen angels are trying to, well it's had to tell. They are not very organized. But they made bombs!
It's a fun read and very clever!
(Mercury #1)
by Robert Kroese
This is such a witty and fun book! Mercury is an Angel, one that has an assignment but he wasn't paying too much attention during the briefing. He knows it is about the Apocalypse but the details are fuzzy because he doesn't take good notes. He meets a reporter that is sick to death of the jobs she is sent on, "End of the World" type crackpots.
Through some hilarious adventures, they find the anti-Christ who happens to be a real loser named Carl. Carl really couldn't rule the world if he had to. The angels are trying to kill him and the fallen angels are trying to, well it's had to tell. They are not very organized. But they made bombs!
It's a fun read and very clever!
May 24, 2010
3.5 stars. Funny, light-hearted take on the coming of the apocalypse. Not as good as the classic Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, but if you enjoyed that book and the humor and tone of Douglas Adams, it is a safe bet that you will enjoy this. There were some genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud moments (the periodic debate between "pawn" or "prawn" is one that jumps to mind). There were also some clever concepts incorporated into the story. A few examples are (MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD): (1) the description of Heaven and Hell as being giant bureaucracies run by "middle management" and governed by complicated contracts and agreements; (2) the concept of a giant "call center" in hell where mid-level demons "call" humans to persuade them into committing sins; and (3) the parody of the debate that the Harry Potter books are evil and the tool of the devil (in fact the antichrist is selected through a contest put on by the publishers).
Layered throughout the book is the central theme of whether "free will" exists or whether everything has been preordained from the beginning. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of the sub-genre.
Layered throughout the book is the central theme of whether "free will" exists or whether everything has been preordained from the beginning. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of the sub-genre.
June 12, 2013
Please note: I will not change my rating or review, as my reviews are based upon the book, but I will warn other bloggers that this author has recently treated a fellow blogger very badly and abusively when she politely declined his review request and advised him to follow submission guidelines in the future when requesting a review. I have removed myself as a fan of this author and will no longer support him through purchasing his books.
Please note: I read this in September 2010 from a copy provided by Amazon Vine. Once I finish my current book, I'll be reading the rest of the series.
Genre: Humorous literary fiction
Reading Level: Adults
Trigger warnings: some religious people might find this book offensive
My Reactions (and a quick compare & contrast to Dogma: Mercury Falls is a breath of fresh air blowing out the stagnant dogma of way too many churches and throws a few punches at bureaucracy in general while it's at it. It has been compared to Dogma, but honestly I don't think there is any way to compare them, except for the fact that they both take a few swipes at organized religion (in Dogma's case it is only Catholicism) and in both cases there is an angel with an attitude (in Dogma we have Alan Rickman as Metatron - in Mercury Falls we have Mercury himself ...), but they really aren't all that similar - Metatron is in good graces and feels no need to be rebellious, while Mercury is all about expressing himself and pointing out the endless levels of bureaucracy preventing any type of action as ridiculous.
My Synopsis: It all starts when Christine - bored with her rounds interviewing people about the end of the world, which of course hasn't yet shown up (for one reason or another - the latest is that apparently of the 10 Virgins provided, not all of them are ... well ... virginal) - decides to interview one last "prophet," named Mercury. When she arrives, she finds him playing Ping-Pong and thirsty for a beer. He then proceeds to show her a card trick that goes wrong - whereupon he quickly ushers her out of the house, just in time to avoid a bolt of fire from the heavens, destroying the house. From that point, Christine is on the run from one near miss to another, with Mercury on her like glue, and is told that this time, the end really is nigh ... I mean, check it out, there is an Antichrist and everything! Oh, yeah, and what an Antichrist ... *facepalm* Wow, check out this guy ... *shudders*
My Thoughts: The book reminds me of the best of Terry Pratchett mixed with the best of someone like ... I don't even know, maybe Douglas Adams? But he's funny. However, it goes beyond that - after you finish laughing, you see how clever he is, because behind the humor is biting social commentary, satire on modern spirituality and dogma, and the tendency of people to just do what they are told, no matter how inane it is, because "someone" must know what is going on ... no one ever questions, and if someone does, everyone panics and goes into "pin the blame on the questioner" mode as quickly as possible, just in case the hammer falls.
My Recommendations: This is definitely a book to check out, for all these reasons, and many more. If no other reason, check it out because it is just fun and enjoyable.
Please note: I read this in September 2010 from a copy provided by Amazon Vine. Once I finish my current book, I'll be reading the rest of the series.
Genre: Humorous literary fiction
Reading Level: Adults
Trigger warnings: some religious people might find this book offensive
My Reactions (and a quick compare & contrast to Dogma: Mercury Falls is a breath of fresh air blowing out the stagnant dogma of way too many churches and throws a few punches at bureaucracy in general while it's at it. It has been compared to Dogma, but honestly I don't think there is any way to compare them, except for the fact that they both take a few swipes at organized religion (in Dogma's case it is only Catholicism) and in both cases there is an angel with an attitude (in Dogma we have Alan Rickman as Metatron - in Mercury Falls we have Mercury himself ...), but they really aren't all that similar - Metatron is in good graces and feels no need to be rebellious, while Mercury is all about expressing himself and pointing out the endless levels of bureaucracy preventing any type of action as ridiculous.
My Synopsis: It all starts when Christine - bored with her rounds interviewing people about the end of the world, which of course hasn't yet shown up (for one reason or another - the latest is that apparently of the 10 Virgins provided, not all of them are ... well ... virginal) - decides to interview one last "prophet," named Mercury. When she arrives, she finds him playing Ping-Pong and thirsty for a beer. He then proceeds to show her a card trick that goes wrong - whereupon he quickly ushers her out of the house, just in time to avoid a bolt of fire from the heavens, destroying the house. From that point, Christine is on the run from one near miss to another, with Mercury on her like glue, and is told that this time, the end really is nigh ... I mean, check it out, there is an Antichrist and everything! Oh, yeah, and what an Antichrist ... *facepalm* Wow, check out this guy ... *shudders*
My Thoughts: The book reminds me of the best of Terry Pratchett mixed with the best of someone like ... I don't even know, maybe Douglas Adams? But he's funny. However, it goes beyond that - after you finish laughing, you see how clever he is, because behind the humor is biting social commentary, satire on modern spirituality and dogma, and the tendency of people to just do what they are told, no matter how inane it is, because "someone" must know what is going on ... no one ever questions, and if someone does, everyone panics and goes into "pin the blame on the questioner" mode as quickly as possible, just in case the hammer falls.
My Recommendations: This is definitely a book to check out, for all these reasons, and many more. If no other reason, check it out because it is just fun and enjoyable.
November 24, 2009
You all know I love apocalypses, if that is indeed the correct pluralization. There's just something about the end of the world that really gets me going, and if it can be done with some sense of humor and insight, that's even better.
Mercury Falls has the distinction of being the first full-length book I've read on my Kindle, and let me say that it was a good christening. While I'm not writing a Kindle review, I have to admit that the device works very well. It's easy to read, easy to make notes and mark interesting passages, and it fits in my bag a lot better than a 352 page paperback would. So, score one for the Kindle.
This being the ADD Age of Twitter, I don't exactly remember how I first ran across Robert Kroese. He may have been re-tweeted by someone, or popped up on a Facebook update, or implanted into my mind while I slept (thank you, Dreamr.com!) I don't know. What I do know is that the man is relentless in promoting his work. He keeps up an excellent level of interactivity with his Twitter and Facebook followers and finds ways to increase the word-of-mouth marketing that he needs, since this book was self-published and can use all the marketing help it can get. Under his incessant barrage, I bought the book for the Kindle, and it turned out to be fortuitous. Divinely inspired, perhaps, as though it were part of a larger plan. Hmmm....
One of the central themes of the End of the World, whether it's the Biblical Apocalypse or any other, is that it has to happen. There's just no way around it - sooner or later the forces of Good and the forces of Evil will duke it out on the Earth to see who's the baddest bunch around. When asked why they would bother, the usual answer is that it's part of God's Plan, and that's all we need to know. So we imagine that while we miserable humans must be kept in the dark, there must be someone who knows what's going on. A prophet, perhaps the angels who are doing the fighting - God, definitely, right?
Not really, Kroese suggests.
He presents the reader with a celestial bureaucracy that makes the U.S. Government look like a small-town McDonald's on a slow day. There are levels within levels, rank upon rank of angelic bureaucrats and agents and paper-pushers, all working towards what they believe the Divine Plan involves. The problem is that no one is entirely sure what that plan actually is. But like all good bureaucrats everywhere, they don't care. There are rules, there are regulations, and they must be followed. What happens, however, when the Plan breaks down? Well, that's when things get messy.
The human woman Christine Temetri, a reporter on the apocalypse beat at a nationally-read newspaper, The Banner, is about to find out just how awry things can go when the Divine Plan gets all cocked up. On an assignment to cover the latest skirmish between Israel and Syria, Christine is entrusted with a Very Important MacGuffin Briefcase, which brings her to the enigmatic cult leader Galileo Mercury.
Only he's not a cult leader, really. He's an angel. A fallen one, yes, but an angel nonetheless, and he's the only angel who plans to sit out the end of the world. He's happy to do card tricks and play ping-pong, at least until Christine shows up and drags him back into the fray. Together, they have to not only figure out how to stop the apocalypse, but how to make sure they stop the right apocalypse, and see to it that it's done with as little damage as possible. They don't really succeed on that last part, but they certainly make a valiant effort.
The entertainment in this book is not so much in the plot, which is in the political thriller mode with twists and turns and reveals a-plenty, to say nothing of shootings, explosions and pillars of fire. There are two major things that make the book entertaining.
First is the cosmology that Kroese has built up. The idea of a Heavenly Bureaucracy is not a new one, but he takes it rather a step further. In one scene, a couple of angels are taking pity on humanity because we pitiful humans are running around, making decisions without knowing for sure whether they're right or wrong. The angels believe they are superior in that they have a Plan to follow - but they freely admit that they aren't entirely sure if the Plan they're following is the right one. "We assume that we're part of a system that ultimately makes sense to [the Archangel:] Michael, or God, or someone. All the little details may not make sense to us, but we go along with it anyway." In other words, the angels are just like us, except that they can fly, do miracles, and are immortal. The bastards. In a later section, the characters are given a look at how the whole celestial bureaucracy is set up, and discover that even the angels don't know for sure who's actually in charge of anything. They just do what the Plan tells them to do and hope for the best.
So what we have here is a bureaucratic cosmology. It works, but no one is entirely sure how it works. And as Christine discovers, the benefit to not knowing the actual plan is that you are then free to do what you think is right. While the book is obviously centered around the Judeo-Christian framework, it's not a religious book. It doesn't address whether there is or is not a God, or whether religion is a fundamental necessity to humanity or a primitive hang-up, or neither, or both. What it's about is the idea of choice, a topic covered pretty explicitly in chapter thirteen. The boiled-down version is that we may or may not have free will, and we can never really know, so it's best to just pretend that we do. What this means, then, is maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism about what you are told is the right or necessary thing to do.
This does lead to some editorializing at times, which is pretty obvious when you hit it. As soon as you get to a section where two characters are engaged in a Socratic dialogue with each other, you definitely get the feeling that it's Kroese putting his two cents in. This would be annoying if I disagreed with him, or if it was written with less wit. As it stands, I read it with the kind of patience I reserve for my really funny friends when they hit a topic they actually care about - I'll listen along, because I know it'll be good, but at the same time I'll feel a little uncomfortable that they've decided to be serious for once.
Which brings me to the second reason I enjoyed the book - it's damned funny. It reminded me in various places of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books, as well as the fine work of Christopher Moore. There was plenty of narrative commentary, which was sarcastic and biting, and the characters often matched wits with each other at lightning speed. There were many parts that I re-read because I was sure I had missed something in the exchange, and it turned out I was right - and what I had missed was worth going back for. I put my Kindle's highlighting function to good use, let me just say that. While I have trained myself to hold in my guffaws, in accordance with social norms here in Japan, there were a few points where I just couldn't help but draw the stares of my fellow train passengers.
On a tangent: there was a moment in the book that made me think of the infamous LJ RaceFail of '09, something I had hoped to not have to think of again for a while. When Christine meets Mercury for the first time, we're introduced to two people. One is a short, dumpy man of Chinese ancestry, and the other is a tall, handsome white guy, and they're playing ping-pong. When Christine asks for Galileo Mercury, the tall, handsome white guy leads her to believe that his opponent is the one she wants. He then reveals, of course, that he's just messing with her. "Is there some law," he says, "that a Chinese dude can't be named Galileo?" And then, "But you have to admit, it would be pretty funny if Galileo Mercury was a Chinese dude." He then sends the Chinese dude out to get some sodas.
This made me ask myself, "Well... why not? Why couldn't Galileo Mercury have been a dumpy Chinese guy?" It's not really apropos of anything - the presumed ethnicity of the character (who is an angel, after all) is utterly irrelevant to the rest of the story - but I would have been very impressed if Kroese had made his celestial action hero a less obvious action hero. Just a thought. Tangent over.
So, a fine first novel from a clever new author. You really can't ask for much more than that, in my opinion, and I look forward to seeing more of Kroese's work in the future. As he improves his craft, he may become a force to be reckoned with in the fantasy/comedy genre, so keep your eyes on him.
Mercury Falls has the distinction of being the first full-length book I've read on my Kindle, and let me say that it was a good christening. While I'm not writing a Kindle review, I have to admit that the device works very well. It's easy to read, easy to make notes and mark interesting passages, and it fits in my bag a lot better than a 352 page paperback would. So, score one for the Kindle.
This being the ADD Age of Twitter, I don't exactly remember how I first ran across Robert Kroese. He may have been re-tweeted by someone, or popped up on a Facebook update, or implanted into my mind while I slept (thank you, Dreamr.com!) I don't know. What I do know is that the man is relentless in promoting his work. He keeps up an excellent level of interactivity with his Twitter and Facebook followers and finds ways to increase the word-of-mouth marketing that he needs, since this book was self-published and can use all the marketing help it can get. Under his incessant barrage, I bought the book for the Kindle, and it turned out to be fortuitous. Divinely inspired, perhaps, as though it were part of a larger plan. Hmmm....
One of the central themes of the End of the World, whether it's the Biblical Apocalypse or any other, is that it has to happen. There's just no way around it - sooner or later the forces of Good and the forces of Evil will duke it out on the Earth to see who's the baddest bunch around. When asked why they would bother, the usual answer is that it's part of God's Plan, and that's all we need to know. So we imagine that while we miserable humans must be kept in the dark, there must be someone who knows what's going on. A prophet, perhaps the angels who are doing the fighting - God, definitely, right?
Not really, Kroese suggests.
He presents the reader with a celestial bureaucracy that makes the U.S. Government look like a small-town McDonald's on a slow day. There are levels within levels, rank upon rank of angelic bureaucrats and agents and paper-pushers, all working towards what they believe the Divine Plan involves. The problem is that no one is entirely sure what that plan actually is. But like all good bureaucrats everywhere, they don't care. There are rules, there are regulations, and they must be followed. What happens, however, when the Plan breaks down? Well, that's when things get messy.
The human woman Christine Temetri, a reporter on the apocalypse beat at a nationally-read newspaper, The Banner, is about to find out just how awry things can go when the Divine Plan gets all cocked up. On an assignment to cover the latest skirmish between Israel and Syria, Christine is entrusted with a Very Important
Only he's not a cult leader, really. He's an angel. A fallen one, yes, but an angel nonetheless, and he's the only angel who plans to sit out the end of the world. He's happy to do card tricks and play ping-pong, at least until Christine shows up and drags him back into the fray. Together, they have to not only figure out how to stop the apocalypse, but how to make sure they stop the right apocalypse, and see to it that it's done with as little damage as possible. They don't really succeed on that last part, but they certainly make a valiant effort.
The entertainment in this book is not so much in the plot, which is in the political thriller mode with twists and turns and reveals a-plenty, to say nothing of shootings, explosions and pillars of fire. There are two major things that make the book entertaining.
First is the cosmology that Kroese has built up. The idea of a Heavenly Bureaucracy is not a new one, but he takes it rather a step further. In one scene, a couple of angels are taking pity on humanity because we pitiful humans are running around, making decisions without knowing for sure whether they're right or wrong. The angels believe they are superior in that they have a Plan to follow - but they freely admit that they aren't entirely sure if the Plan they're following is the right one. "We assume that we're part of a system that ultimately makes sense to [the Archangel:] Michael, or God, or someone. All the little details may not make sense to us, but we go along with it anyway." In other words, the angels are just like us, except that they can fly, do miracles, and are immortal. The bastards. In a later section, the characters are given a look at how the whole celestial bureaucracy is set up, and discover that even the angels don't know for sure who's actually in charge of anything. They just do what the Plan tells them to do and hope for the best.
So what we have here is a bureaucratic cosmology. It works, but no one is entirely sure how it works. And as Christine discovers, the benefit to not knowing the actual plan is that you are then free to do what you think is right. While the book is obviously centered around the Judeo-Christian framework, it's not a religious book. It doesn't address whether there is or is not a God, or whether religion is a fundamental necessity to humanity or a primitive hang-up, or neither, or both. What it's about is the idea of choice, a topic covered pretty explicitly in chapter thirteen. The boiled-down version is that we may or may not have free will, and we can never really know, so it's best to just pretend that we do. What this means, then, is maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism about what you are told is the right or necessary thing to do.
This does lead to some editorializing at times, which is pretty obvious when you hit it. As soon as you get to a section where two characters are engaged in a Socratic dialogue with each other, you definitely get the feeling that it's Kroese putting his two cents in. This would be annoying if I disagreed with him, or if it was written with less wit. As it stands, I read it with the kind of patience I reserve for my really funny friends when they hit a topic they actually care about - I'll listen along, because I know it'll be good, but at the same time I'll feel a little uncomfortable that they've decided to be serious for once.
Which brings me to the second reason I enjoyed the book - it's damned funny. It reminded me in various places of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books, as well as the fine work of Christopher Moore. There was plenty of narrative commentary, which was sarcastic and biting, and the characters often matched wits with each other at lightning speed. There were many parts that I re-read because I was sure I had missed something in the exchange, and it turned out I was right - and what I had missed was worth going back for. I put my Kindle's highlighting function to good use, let me just say that. While I have trained myself to hold in my guffaws, in accordance with social norms here in Japan, there were a few points where I just couldn't help but draw the stares of my fellow train passengers.
On a tangent: there was a moment in the book that made me think of the infamous LJ RaceFail of '09, something I had hoped to not have to think of again for a while. When Christine meets Mercury for the first time, we're introduced to two people. One is a short, dumpy man of Chinese ancestry, and the other is a tall, handsome white guy, and they're playing ping-pong. When Christine asks for Galileo Mercury, the tall, handsome white guy leads her to believe that his opponent is the one she wants. He then reveals, of course, that he's just messing with her. "Is there some law," he says, "that a Chinese dude can't be named Galileo?" And then, "But you have to admit, it would be pretty funny if Galileo Mercury was a Chinese dude." He then sends the Chinese dude out to get some sodas.
This made me ask myself, "Well... why not? Why couldn't Galileo Mercury have been a dumpy Chinese guy?" It's not really apropos of anything - the presumed ethnicity of the character (who is an angel, after all) is utterly irrelevant to the rest of the story - but I would have been very impressed if Kroese had made his celestial action hero a less obvious action hero. Just a thought. Tangent over.
So, a fine first novel from a clever new author. You really can't ask for much more than that, in my opinion, and I look forward to seeing more of Kroese's work in the future. As he improves his craft, he may become a force to be reckoned with in the fantasy/comedy genre, so keep your eyes on him.
November 30, 2011
I read the reviews and was very excited about reading this book. Truth be told, I was so sure that I would like it that I was even happy there was a sequel. However, this book was so dreadful that I didn't even want to finish it.
This is what armageddon would look like on CSPAN. Angels have lawyers? Seriously? People keep saying how funny this book is. I couldn't find any humor at all. I honestly thought the constant bashing of "Charlie Nix and the Flaming Cup" was just JK bashing.
I just don't understand the great reviews this book has gotten. The dialogue is forced, the story is so bogged down that the apocalypse comes across as just a political discussion that never makes one feel a sense of danger and finally there is no distinctive voices for the characters. When a book about angels talks mostly about flooring (if I read linoleum one more time) it ain't that great.
This is what armageddon would look like on CSPAN. Angels have lawyers? Seriously? People keep saying how funny this book is. I couldn't find any humor at all. I honestly thought the constant bashing of "Charlie Nix and the Flaming Cup" was just JK bashing.
I just don't understand the great reviews this book has gotten. The dialogue is forced, the story is so bogged down that the apocalypse comes across as just a political discussion that never makes one feel a sense of danger and finally there is no distinctive voices for the characters. When a book about angels talks mostly about flooring (if I read linoleum one more time) it ain't that great.
February 7, 2011
I wasn't sure what I would think about this book. It was on sale on Amazon and it dealt with angels...so I figured I'd give it a try. I ended up really liking it. The pace was quick, so I found myself reading even when I should have been sleeping. And, the humor was great. I think my husband will really enjoy this.
February 9, 2013
5 Stars
What a fun satirical ride Mercury Falls is. I really found myself chuckling and laughing out loud as I quickly ate up this fast and easy light hearted take on the end of the world. Robert Kroese does an excellent job at keeping the reader interested in the story as this is a real page turner. He finds a way to question the views and beliefs of many different groups. The humor in this book makes it really shine, as does the current topic satire.
Christine is a human journalist that specializes in covering the occult and the crazies that claim that the ends of days are upon us. After tiring of her niched role she finally gets a real story to cover interviewing the general deep inside the war zone. That is when things get really interesting. Christine is thrown into a world that she never even knew existed. She befriends a rouge Angel named Mercury, as well as with Karl the antichrist. She is knocked out, teleported, confronted by demons, and made privy to the knowledge that her world was about to end.
Kroese uses humor and wit to drive his story forward:
“At present she was guiding a Toyota Camry across the Bay Bridge toward Berkeley. Troy had provided the address of the Mercurian cult and some basic information about Galileo Mercury, and she was trying to focus on what questions she might ask him. Unfortunately, her mind currently resembled a Hollywood cocktail party, with a roomful of third-rate notions all simultaneously vying to be the center of attention. There was the titanium case that she was supposed to bring to another planet, that damned teenage warlock Charlie Nyx, the constant nagging sensation that something wasn't right with her linoleum. . .not to mention, slumped right in the middle of the festivities, the corpse of David Isaacson, architect of the Olive Branch War.”
Kroese also spends a great deal of time challenging people’s beliefs and questioning what is faith? and what is free will?
“Two schools of thought have emerged on the issue.
The determinist argues that in a Universe governed by the principle of cause and effect, every event must have a cause. Further, if every event has a cause, then there is no such thing as "freedom"—every event is determined by the prior succession of events. The actions of human beings are not immune to this rule: everything a person does must have been determined by prior causes. Free will, then, is an illusion. Everything human beings have ever done—and will ever do—has been determined for eternity.
The advocate of free will blames the determinist for excusing all sorts of crimes, from child abuse to mass murder. After all, if everything we do is determined for us, then there can be no such thing as guilt or responsibility.”
I enjoyed this so much that I will quickly move on to the next book. For those that loved Neil Gaimans Good Omens, this book is your perfect cup of tea. Highly recommend!!!
What a fun satirical ride Mercury Falls is. I really found myself chuckling and laughing out loud as I quickly ate up this fast and easy light hearted take on the end of the world. Robert Kroese does an excellent job at keeping the reader interested in the story as this is a real page turner. He finds a way to question the views and beliefs of many different groups. The humor in this book makes it really shine, as does the current topic satire.
Christine is a human journalist that specializes in covering the occult and the crazies that claim that the ends of days are upon us. After tiring of her niched role she finally gets a real story to cover interviewing the general deep inside the war zone. That is when things get really interesting. Christine is thrown into a world that she never even knew existed. She befriends a rouge Angel named Mercury, as well as with Karl the antichrist. She is knocked out, teleported, confronted by demons, and made privy to the knowledge that her world was about to end.
Kroese uses humor and wit to drive his story forward:
“At present she was guiding a Toyota Camry across the Bay Bridge toward Berkeley. Troy had provided the address of the Mercurian cult and some basic information about Galileo Mercury, and she was trying to focus on what questions she might ask him. Unfortunately, her mind currently resembled a Hollywood cocktail party, with a roomful of third-rate notions all simultaneously vying to be the center of attention. There was the titanium case that she was supposed to bring to another planet, that damned teenage warlock Charlie Nyx, the constant nagging sensation that something wasn't right with her linoleum. . .not to mention, slumped right in the middle of the festivities, the corpse of David Isaacson, architect of the Olive Branch War.”
Kroese also spends a great deal of time challenging people’s beliefs and questioning what is faith? and what is free will?
“Two schools of thought have emerged on the issue.
The determinist argues that in a Universe governed by the principle of cause and effect, every event must have a cause. Further, if every event has a cause, then there is no such thing as "freedom"—every event is determined by the prior succession of events. The actions of human beings are not immune to this rule: everything a person does must have been determined by prior causes. Free will, then, is an illusion. Everything human beings have ever done—and will ever do—has been determined for eternity.
The advocate of free will blames the determinist for excusing all sorts of crimes, from child abuse to mass murder. After all, if everything we do is determined for us, then there can be no such thing as guilt or responsibility.”
I enjoyed this so much that I will quickly move on to the next book. For those that loved Neil Gaimans Good Omens, this book is your perfect cup of tea. Highly recommend!!!
November 7, 2010
Christine Temetri is a journalist who reports on cults and religious nuts. Fed up and almost ready to abandon her career, her boss sends her in the midst of warfare, which leads her to the angel Mercury. Mercury is flaky and well-intentioned as he tries to steer the world into the apocalypse. The Antichrist is Karl Grissom, a dim-witted fellow who's more interested in fast food than world affairs. Christine shuttles through portals, going on different planes of existence to handle angels and demons, trying to figure out a way to stave off the end of the world as she obsesses about the eerie linoleum that she just purchased for her kitchen.
Robert Kroese's Mercury Falls is a hilarious take on the apocalypse. The characters are a colorful, kooky bunch of humans, angels, and demons. The action consistently engaged me and the entire novel bubbled with humor. Who knew that Armageddon could be so funny?
Robert Kroese's Mercury Falls is a hilarious take on the apocalypse. The characters are a colorful, kooky bunch of humans, angels, and demons. The action consistently engaged me and the entire novel bubbled with humor. Who knew that Armageddon could be so funny?
January 31, 2010
This book is a rare treasure. Great satire require some of the most clever writers. This author was the most clever person in the Starbucks he wrote it in.
This book was both great and terrible. The plot, fictional world and characters were very good. I enjoyed the concept of the heavenly choir of angels being a mammoth bureaucracy, same for the demons of Lucifer. The apocalypse is a carefully scripted agreement between Heaven and Hell that has been signed by both parties, "The Apocalypse Accord." The dialogue and jokes were terrible. Really the diametric opposition of the good and the bad parts of this book made it worth the read, such an oddity.
This book was both great and terrible. The plot, fictional world and characters were very good. I enjoyed the concept of the heavenly choir of angels being a mammoth bureaucracy, same for the demons of Lucifer. The apocalypse is a carefully scripted agreement between Heaven and Hell that has been signed by both parties, "The Apocalypse Accord." The dialogue and jokes were terrible. Really the diametric opposition of the good and the bad parts of this book made it worth the read, such an oddity.
October 5, 2009
This is a fun read -- it has all of Kroese's trademark wit and rhetorical flourishes (found on his excellent blog, Mattress Police, and the book based on the blog) -- plus there's a crazy story about bureaucratic wrangling amongst angels and demons over how the apocalypse will actually proceed. Or IF it will; the human protagonist and the angel Mercury are against against the end of the world, the former because she lives there, and the latter because he's still not very good at ping pong.
November 27, 2011
This is my first book review, and for the record I don't know what deserves a full 5 star. I love the premise, Kroese's writing style, and absolute humor that went into the book. I just learned that it is part of a trilogy and enthusiastically ordered the new "Mercury Rises". Angels, demons, the apololypse, a slovenly Antichrist, and loads of humor. What's not to like? Just a fun book all around.
Warning: It does give you a healthy appreciation for good linoleum.
Warning: It does give you a healthy appreciation for good linoleum.
November 15, 2010
Clever concept, but terribly cheesy writing. The writer thinks he is sooooooo funny and every page has a dozen little quips. Sort of funny the first few times, tedious after a few hundred pages. Yes, it brings up some semi-interesting discussions about religion, but is it worth having to endure the writing?
February 9, 2017
As a humor enthusiast and recovering fundamentalist I found this books enjoyable on several levels. Looking forward to exploring the rest of the Mercury series.
January 3, 2011
Mercury Falls tells the story of Christine, a journalist who is growing tired of her job writing in apocalyptic cults who ultimately don't seem to really know what they're talking about. But things change when she meets cult leader Mercury, a rogue angel and Karl the newly appointed Antichrist and she realizes that the trip must work together to stop the impending apocalypse.
Mercury Falls is a father fun and interesting read, portraying both heaven and hell as a mass of hopelessly complicated bureaucracy in which the apocalypse is an agreed upon battle between heaven and earth that was finally agreed to after thousands of years of legal fighting. It's easy to read and I found myself breezing through it and enjoying various parts of the book that I found to be inspired especially when it actually examined the idea of free will and independent thought.
But the problem I had is that the book is that it can feel a bit too pleased with itself at times, forcing some humor that feels like the author trying to be funny as opposed to creating humor that stems from the situation itself which results in a lot of forced snarkiness and pop culture references that fall a bit flat. Another problem I had is that the characters are somewhat flat, Christine is a bit bland and Karl is one of those character who is so dumb that you can't imagine how they're still alive. The author clearly has a great deal of love for the character Mercury, and since I didn't really find him as interesting as the author did, it can feel a bit much. He's essentially supposed to be a funny, charming, clever slacker who is also brilliant at doing the right thing at the right time to save the situation when needed, which felt just too "perfect" in a sense.
I also felt that the entire concept of the apocalypse never felt as if it were an immediate danger, which sound stupid I know. But the characters seemed rather removed from the whole situation, and the book lacked a real sense of danger and urgency.
But as I said, it was an enjoyable, albeit flawed read. For this with a particular sense of humor, I'm sure they would love it, but I never found myself laughing out loud. But I'd still recommend it for those who are interested.
Mercury Falls is a father fun and interesting read, portraying both heaven and hell as a mass of hopelessly complicated bureaucracy in which the apocalypse is an agreed upon battle between heaven and earth that was finally agreed to after thousands of years of legal fighting. It's easy to read and I found myself breezing through it and enjoying various parts of the book that I found to be inspired especially when it actually examined the idea of free will and independent thought.
But the problem I had is that the book is that it can feel a bit too pleased with itself at times, forcing some humor that feels like the author trying to be funny as opposed to creating humor that stems from the situation itself which results in a lot of forced snarkiness and pop culture references that fall a bit flat. Another problem I had is that the characters are somewhat flat, Christine is a bit bland and Karl is one of those character who is so dumb that you can't imagine how they're still alive. The author clearly has a great deal of love for the character Mercury, and since I didn't really find him as interesting as the author did, it can feel a bit much. He's essentially supposed to be a funny, charming, clever slacker who is also brilliant at doing the right thing at the right time to save the situation when needed, which felt just too "perfect" in a sense.
I also felt that the entire concept of the apocalypse never felt as if it were an immediate danger, which sound stupid I know. But the characters seemed rather removed from the whole situation, and the book lacked a real sense of danger and urgency.
But as I said, it was an enjoyable, albeit flawed read. For this with a particular sense of humor, I'm sure they would love it, but I never found myself laughing out loud. But I'd still recommend it for those who are interested.
June 22, 2012
Witty and entertaining, with a great plot line and many laugh-out-loud moments (though I can only speak for myself, of course). The book is easy to read and draws you in with it's conversational tone/style... if I may call it that... no, wait: let's go with flowing. The whole book just keeps flowing and moves you along perfectly with it, almost forcing you to continue reading (though I suspect "compelling" is probably a better word choice).
If you're highly religious and don't like people talking about angels and God's plan and the Apocalypse and all of that (people who I quite fondly refer to as 'Bible-crazies'), you should probably steer clear of this book. Not that I'm saying you SHOULDN'T read this book if you're religious, but... you know... people are strange things - you never know what might upset them.
The pseudo-hero, Mercury (every books needs a hero, right?) comes across as suffering from A.D.D., which I quite liked - sort of scatter-brained and easily distracted. Silly, even. Another thing I liked was the mutant corn that was going to run (or should that be crawl?) rampant in South Africa. I can see the slow shuffling row of corn taking over Cape Town and scaling Table Mountain. Might take them some time, and I'm not sure how deadly they'd be, but I always find it amusing/fun when authors bring my home country into their books.
I'll be sure to flesh out my review later, but I'll leave you with a few final words:
1) Keep an eye on your linoleum.
2) Try saying "Diabolopolis" fast a few times.
PS: One of my favourite quotes from the book -
I've probably found a way to keep almost everyone from becoming more than mildly disgruntled for the very near future.
If you're highly religious and don't like people talking about angels and God's plan and the Apocalypse and all of that (people who I quite fondly refer to as 'Bible-crazies'), you should probably steer clear of this book. Not that I'm saying you SHOULDN'T read this book if you're religious, but... you know... people are strange things - you never know what might upset them.
The pseudo-hero, Mercury (every books needs a hero, right?) comes across as suffering from A.D.D., which I quite liked - sort of scatter-brained and easily distracted. Silly, even. Another thing I liked was the mutant corn that was going to run (or should that be crawl?) rampant in South Africa. I can see the slow shuffling row of corn taking over Cape Town and scaling Table Mountain. Might take them some time, and I'm not sure how deadly they'd be, but I always find it amusing/fun when authors bring my home country into their books.
I'll be sure to flesh out my review later, but I'll leave you with a few final words:
1) Keep an eye on your linoleum.
2) Try saying "Diabolopolis" fast a few times.
PS: One of my favourite quotes from the book -
I've probably found a way to keep almost everyone from becoming more than mildly disgruntled for the very near future.
March 16, 2012
"The Apocalypse has a way of fouling up one's plans."
I loved this book. Hence the five stars. It's very much like the 1999 Damon-Affleck film "Dogma," where Heaven and Hell are not so much forces of Good and Evil as competing bureaucracies with their own myriad sets of rules and regulations, policies and procedures. It also reminded me of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which is a send-up of both Nostradamus and The Omen.
Christine is a reporter assigned to cover the end of the world, wherever and whenever it's predicted. Of course it never happens and with each "last" sunset she witnesses, she becomes more jaded. So it's a shock for her when real angels, demons, cherubim and seraphim start showing up in her life, all bent on bringing about the Apocalypse. It's up to her and a rogue angel named Mercury Falls to somehow stop the bureaucratic machinery of both realms as they grind slowly and surely towards Armageddon.
There's a lot of wonderful quotes and commentary in this book, such as
"You find, after a few thousand years of corrupting mortals, that people with the most rigid religious viewpoints are the most predictable and therefore easiest to manipulate."
"The illusion of free will is straining under the weight of determinism."
And my favorite:
"You know what happened to the last guy to make a pact with Lucifer, right?--"I thought he was still hosting American Idol." "Exactly."
A wonderful book to have on hand around the third week of December of this year.
I loved this book. Hence the five stars. It's very much like the 1999 Damon-Affleck film "Dogma," where Heaven and Hell are not so much forces of Good and Evil as competing bureaucracies with their own myriad sets of rules and regulations, policies and procedures. It also reminded me of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which is a send-up of both Nostradamus and The Omen.
Christine is a reporter assigned to cover the end of the world, wherever and whenever it's predicted. Of course it never happens and with each "last" sunset she witnesses, she becomes more jaded. So it's a shock for her when real angels, demons, cherubim and seraphim start showing up in her life, all bent on bringing about the Apocalypse. It's up to her and a rogue angel named Mercury Falls to somehow stop the bureaucratic machinery of both realms as they grind slowly and surely towards Armageddon.
There's a lot of wonderful quotes and commentary in this book, such as
"You find, after a few thousand years of corrupting mortals, that people with the most rigid religious viewpoints are the most predictable and therefore easiest to manipulate."
"The illusion of free will is straining under the weight of determinism."
And my favorite:
"You know what happened to the last guy to make a pact with Lucifer, right?--"I thought he was still hosting American Idol." "Exactly."
A wonderful book to have on hand around the third week of December of this year.
February 26, 2011
This is a case of a unique story/concept that makes it worthwhile to read even though the characters have very little depth and the dialogue is less than adequate. In fact, the dialogue usually is one of two things 1) way too trite for the situation or 2) a vehicle for the author to explain the plot line in an expository fashion. The first is annoying but the latter is downright frustrating. It's one of those books where you think to yourself "who talks like that?!" As the characters figure out different aspects of the plot, they inevitably break into conversation that explains it to you, the reader, in an elementary and unusually matter-of-fact way. It's hard to describe, but confounding, as is the main character's over the top use of sarcasm in every situation, no matter how dire, inappropriate or presumably frightening. The author does have some comedic chops, but it didn't always feel fully committed. I did have a few laugh out loud moments. It's also funny that by the end of the book, you accept terms like "Seraphic Senate" and "Angelic Beauracracy" as perfectly plausible. The ending was also a great touch and perhaps my favorite part, so you have that to look forward to. I also have to commend the author for a unique story idea altogether. The conventions he created were very entertaining, and I liked the world he developed. All told, I consider the book decent and worth your time (unless you barely ever read). Just be prepared that you are not going to experience wordsmithing at its finest. Just enjoy the dark romp.
November 18, 2009
‘The Apocalypse has a way of fouling up one’s plans.’
Ah yes, it’s the end of the world. Again. Agreements have been reached and the associated paperwork has been completed. The Four Attache cases of the Apocalypse are out there, as is the Antichrist.
What can prevent the Apocalypse?
Enter Christine Temetri, a journalist who covers the antics of ‘End of the World’ cults for a religious magazine. Christine is thinking about a career change, and is seeking some new floor-covering. Hmm: one out of two isn’t bad. Christine meets Mercury, an anti-establishment angel who would rather play ping-pong than attend to his real job which is helping to orchestrate the Apocalypse. As the End draws closer, the Apocalypse is threatened by conspirators amongst the angels and demons seeking to subvert the End for their own purposes. Along the way, Christine and Mercury save Karl Grissom, the selected Antichrist.
I loved the dialogue in this novel: ridiculously funny in parts, deliciously droll in others. And this novel is mainly dialogue as seems appropriate, really, given the role of bureaucracy. Who’d have thought that the choice of linoleum for a breakfast nook could be quite so significant? Or that one department (at least) of Hell is a massive Dilbertian cubicle farm? Read ‘Mercury Falls’ and laugh. But don’t ignore the footnotes: they are important.
‘Divine providence is a mysterious and wonderful thing.’
Ah yes, it’s the end of the world. Again. Agreements have been reached and the associated paperwork has been completed. The Four Attache cases of the Apocalypse are out there, as is the Antichrist.
What can prevent the Apocalypse?
Enter Christine Temetri, a journalist who covers the antics of ‘End of the World’ cults for a religious magazine. Christine is thinking about a career change, and is seeking some new floor-covering. Hmm: one out of two isn’t bad. Christine meets Mercury, an anti-establishment angel who would rather play ping-pong than attend to his real job which is helping to orchestrate the Apocalypse. As the End draws closer, the Apocalypse is threatened by conspirators amongst the angels and demons seeking to subvert the End for their own purposes. Along the way, Christine and Mercury save Karl Grissom, the selected Antichrist.
I loved the dialogue in this novel: ridiculously funny in parts, deliciously droll in others. And this novel is mainly dialogue as seems appropriate, really, given the role of bureaucracy. Who’d have thought that the choice of linoleum for a breakfast nook could be quite so significant? Or that one department (at least) of Hell is a massive Dilbertian cubicle farm? Read ‘Mercury Falls’ and laugh. But don’t ignore the footnotes: they are important.
‘Divine providence is a mysterious and wonderful thing.’
May 18, 2017
I received a reader copy of this book from the author, but please do not consider this review as being sycophantic. Because, to be frank, this novel is flat-out funny, irreverant, demonic, and insightful.
I was worried - being fan of Good Omens - that this would border that book too closely. The main difference, though, is that all parties in this are fairly "in the loop" to their own machinations and motivations. Even Perpetiel knows his place (and what a great addition Perp is to the proceedings).
Mercury is by far one of the more interesting characters I have read in a log while. I posted on Amazon that I voiced him as a sort of Sam Rockwell character, maybe because at times he reminds me of how Rockwell played Zaphod in the movie version of "Hitchhiker's Guide..."
I like the small winks and nods to other works...and I could tell that the author enjoyed this book.
So, there you have it. I have the book signed and now I am shouting this to all who will listen: the Apocalypse can be fun, if the right people (angels?) are involved.
Kudos to you, Diesel!
I was worried - being fan of Good Omens - that this would border that book too closely. The main difference, though, is that all parties in this are fairly "in the loop" to their own machinations and motivations. Even Perpetiel knows his place (and what a great addition Perp is to the proceedings).
Mercury is by far one of the more interesting characters I have read in a log while. I posted on Amazon that I voiced him as a sort of Sam Rockwell character, maybe because at times he reminds me of how Rockwell played Zaphod in the movie version of "Hitchhiker's Guide..."
I like the small winks and nods to other works...and I could tell that the author enjoyed this book.
So, there you have it. I have the book signed and now I am shouting this to all who will listen: the Apocalypse can be fun, if the right people (angels?) are involved.
Kudos to you, Diesel!
February 2, 2012
I seriously had a fun time reading this book. Robert Kroese, seems to write exactly how I think—sort of Mystery Science Theater:3000—where I stop to make a parenthetical comment about something, then pick right back up where I left off! I read this after I watched The Adjustment Bureau and thought it (the book) was amazing. You see, I plainly get the whole "angels among us" thing. (By the way, the characters in Mercury Falls are far more interesting than the previously mentioned movie.)
The humor he pours into the angelic/demonic characters had me actually laughing out loud. However, it's certainly an acquired taste—I loaned it to my mother-in-law (who obviously is a dullard—don't tell her I said that)—but she wasn't liking the situation or the humor. I felt so sorry for her that she couldn't enjoy this "gem."
I'll be adding the second book, Mercury Rising to my list of materials to read, very soon. Robert, please keep them coming.
The humor he pours into the angelic/demonic characters had me actually laughing out loud. However, it's certainly an acquired taste—I loaned it to my mother-in-law (who obviously is a dullard—don't tell her I said that)—but she wasn't liking the situation or the humor. I felt so sorry for her that she couldn't enjoy this "gem."
I'll be adding the second book, Mercury Rising to my list of materials to read, very soon. Robert, please keep them coming.
October 9, 2011
Absolutely hilarious!As an avid Christopher Moore fan, I was surprised to find another author who could make me laugh out loud (almost as hard as Moore) while poking fun at religion & philosophy in an intelligent, creative way. If you like Moore, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and especially if you loved Good Omens, then you'll enjoy "Mercury Falls."
November 9, 2009
This book cracked me up. Diesel is a master at delivering deliciously snarkastic dialog and this book is chock full of it. Anyone who is looking for a twisted interpretation of how the Apocalypse is going down will love this story.
February 23, 2010
Nice job by an independent author. It's been a while since I read this so I can't give a detailed review. Let's just say that it was humorous, witty, and well written. I recommend checking it out.
April 10, 2014
This book was so much fun. I mean, is there anything funnier than Armageddon? There really isn't much more to say about it than that. Read it... it's funny!
April 11, 2020
This was an enjoyable, witty farce built around the angelic interference of Armageddon, and the part that a reporter plays in it, as the plot develops and deepens through the book.
Much like Pratchett, Holt and in some ways Adams, the wit is built around making real life references to angelic activity, and Kroese does it well. The dialogue provides the best jokes, and most of the laugh out loud moments. The plot wraps up nicely, and it is resolves well.
This is the 2nd book i've read by him - Starship Grifters being the first. Starship Grifters I absolutely loved - this one I liked a lot.
Much like Pratchett, Holt and in some ways Adams, the wit is built around making real life references to angelic activity, and Kroese does it well. The dialogue provides the best jokes, and most of the laugh out loud moments. The plot wraps up nicely, and it is resolves well.
This is the 2nd book i've read by him - Starship Grifters being the first. Starship Grifters I absolutely loved - this one I liked a lot.
March 20, 2018
Funny, yet compelling
I really liked this book. It's about a journalist who gets caught up in the Apocalypse. The humor in this book is great and really helps make the characters real. The plot stayed together and the author didn't get all tied up with too many of the finer details which, in my opinion, happens a bit too much in a lot of stories. I definitely plan on continuing the series.
I really liked this book. It's about a journalist who gets caught up in the Apocalypse. The humor in this book is great and really helps make the characters real. The plot stayed together and the author didn't get all tied up with too many of the finer details which, in my opinion, happens a bit too much in a lot of stories. I definitely plan on continuing the series.
July 13, 2018
Great book. I'll post a bigger review on Urban-Fantasy.com
March 16, 2011
While Heaven and Hell, and, of course, Earth, are rushing headlong towards the contractually agreed upon Armageddon but one renegade (yet not yet fallen) angel, along with one road weary reporter on the End of the World beat, have worked out just what is going wrong and decided to try and stop it, at least for now.
The short version: Good book, I recommend giving it a reading.
The (likely to be) longer version:
I don't know when I started following the author, Rob Kroese, on twitter. Or why, for that matter. But he's funny, slightly geeky, and loves some very obscure references.
Regardless, when he started talking about his book, I was interested, but, honestly, I haven't/hadn't been reading that much anymore, due to various changes in my life. Long, long story there. I'll tell you over dinner sometime. Because it is definitely (not) that kind of story.
But I wanted to read it. And, like I regularly try to do, I wanted to support an independent artist. He's a software person by default. So, finally, when I had a gift card, I finally decided to pick up his book, as well as his blog collection The Force is Middling in this One: And Other Ruminations from the Outskirts of the Empire.
I felt rather guilty that it had taken me this long to get to the book, since I've 'spoken' with Rob often enough on Twitter, so, once it showed up from Amazonia, I cracked it immediately, despite being in the middle of a couple other books.
One of my favorite bits of religious fiction was Steven Brust's To Reign in Hell, and, oddly, it really felt like this book was a sequel to it, albeit a completely and totally different vein.
Reign in Hell is... well, I won't call it dark. But it really isn't light. It is dramatic, while this is comedic. It is serious while this is, lets go with less so. But the cast is, more or less, the same. The relationships, or the broad strokes of them, especially. The contentions between the Fallen and the not. The feelings you can sense between those who stayed with the Host, and those who rebelled, and how the relationships explored in Brust's work could have led into a mammoth contractual agreement spelling out exactly how the Apocalypse would play out, down to Lucifer losing.
It isn't worth thinking about why Lucifer would sign a contract wherein he actually loses in the end. But, if you must, think of it this way: He is the ultimate evil, the conniver, the liar. You don't think he'd sign now and figure out how to get out of it later?
The story, tho, I suppose I should talk a little bit about that. First, it is about the Apocalypse (or events leading up to), so you know the basic cast: Heaven's angelic horde, Satan's fallen minions, humanity. But, in this cast, we also have two important folks. Mercury, the titular (heh. I said tit...ular) Angel, and Christine, the human caught up in the behind-the-Apocalyptic-scenes.
Mercury hasn't fallen from Heaven, so much as he is sort of hovering between Heaven and Hell. He makes no excuses about it, but he vaguely likes this planet and doesn't want to see the Apocalypse happen.
Christine, being a mortal, doesn't really want it to happen either, despite the fact that her career has revolved around finding Endtimes preachers and sitting with them on the prescribed dates, just to see if anything ever happens (it doesn't... mostly).
Thrown together by fate, it is up to them to stop the end of the world, or, at least, try and make sure it happens according to plan.
I don't want to say much more about the story, because it is always tricky to keep on the line of not giving away too much of the story, but still giving you the idea that you should really pick this book up and give it a read.
Because you should. The book is rife with pop culture references, humor, surrealism and wit. I'm not going to say Rob is a great writer, but, what I am going to say is (in my book) a far better compliment: He writes like I want to write, like I aspire to write. Dialog that may lend itself closer to live action instead of prose, pages that turn easily (and no, I'm not talking paper stock), words that flow easily. There are hints of Pratchett, Adams, and yes, Brust (I'm thinking Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill more than any of the Taltos books, or Gypsy). It almost makes me wonder what author's Kroese may have had influence him before he wrote this book.
After I wrote that paragraph, I sat here and tried to figure out 'Who would I call a great writer? Hemmingway? No, can't stand him. Tolkien? Great story, awful writing. Shakespeare? Mostly bores me. So, now, I'm not sure what I meant apart from inherently knowing that there's a difference between a 'great writer' and 'a writer I like', just like there's a difference between a 'great movie' and 'a movie I like'. RAN is an example of where those two don't meet up in my mind. Great movie, don't like it.
[This review was originally published by me at http://www.jaydeflix.com/blog/index.p...]
The short version: Good book, I recommend giving it a reading.
The (likely to be) longer version:
I don't know when I started following the author, Rob Kroese, on twitter. Or why, for that matter. But he's funny, slightly geeky, and loves some very obscure references.
Regardless, when he started talking about his book, I was interested, but, honestly, I haven't/hadn't been reading that much anymore, due to various changes in my life. Long, long story there. I'll tell you over dinner sometime. Because it is definitely (not) that kind of story.
But I wanted to read it. And, like I regularly try to do, I wanted to support an independent artist. He's a software person by default. So, finally, when I had a gift card, I finally decided to pick up his book, as well as his blog collection The Force is Middling in this One: And Other Ruminations from the Outskirts of the Empire.
I felt rather guilty that it had taken me this long to get to the book, since I've 'spoken' with Rob often enough on Twitter, so, once it showed up from Amazonia, I cracked it immediately, despite being in the middle of a couple other books.
One of my favorite bits of religious fiction was Steven Brust's To Reign in Hell, and, oddly, it really felt like this book was a sequel to it, albeit a completely and totally different vein.
Reign in Hell is... well, I won't call it dark. But it really isn't light. It is dramatic, while this is comedic. It is serious while this is, lets go with less so. But the cast is, more or less, the same. The relationships, or the broad strokes of them, especially. The contentions between the Fallen and the not. The feelings you can sense between those who stayed with the Host, and those who rebelled, and how the relationships explored in Brust's work could have led into a mammoth contractual agreement spelling out exactly how the Apocalypse would play out, down to Lucifer losing.
It isn't worth thinking about why Lucifer would sign a contract wherein he actually loses in the end. But, if you must, think of it this way: He is the ultimate evil, the conniver, the liar. You don't think he'd sign now and figure out how to get out of it later?
The story, tho, I suppose I should talk a little bit about that. First, it is about the Apocalypse (or events leading up to), so you know the basic cast: Heaven's angelic horde, Satan's fallen minions, humanity. But, in this cast, we also have two important folks. Mercury, the titular (heh. I said tit...ular) Angel, and Christine, the human caught up in the behind-the-Apocalyptic-scenes.
Mercury hasn't fallen from Heaven, so much as he is sort of hovering between Heaven and Hell. He makes no excuses about it, but he vaguely likes this planet and doesn't want to see the Apocalypse happen.
Christine, being a mortal, doesn't really want it to happen either, despite the fact that her career has revolved around finding Endtimes preachers and sitting with them on the prescribed dates, just to see if anything ever happens (it doesn't... mostly).
Thrown together by fate, it is up to them to stop the end of the world, or, at least, try and make sure it happens according to plan.
I don't want to say much more about the story, because it is always tricky to keep on the line of not giving away too much of the story, but still giving you the idea that you should really pick this book up and give it a read.
Because you should. The book is rife with pop culture references, humor, surrealism and wit. I'm not going to say Rob is a great writer, but, what I am going to say is (in my book) a far better compliment: He writes like I want to write, like I aspire to write. Dialog that may lend itself closer to live action instead of prose, pages that turn easily (and no, I'm not talking paper stock), words that flow easily. There are hints of Pratchett, Adams, and yes, Brust (I'm thinking Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill more than any of the Taltos books, or Gypsy). It almost makes me wonder what author's Kroese may have had influence him before he wrote this book.
After I wrote that paragraph, I sat here and tried to figure out 'Who would I call a great writer? Hemmingway? No, can't stand him. Tolkien? Great story, awful writing. Shakespeare? Mostly bores me. So, now, I'm not sure what I meant apart from inherently knowing that there's a difference between a 'great writer' and 'a writer I like', just like there's a difference between a 'great movie' and 'a movie I like'. RAN is an example of where those two don't meet up in my mind. Great movie, don't like it.
[This review was originally published by me at http://www.jaydeflix.com/blog/index.p...]
December 8, 2011
Summary:
The main premise is that the the Apocalypse is about to start and angels are attempting to implement a millenniums-old accord between Heaven and Hell. The main characters are a rogue, but apathetic angel, and a not-quite-made-it religion reporter. The apocalypse is about to happen, Lucifer is up to his old tricks, and Mercury, the rogue Angel is trying to make sure that nothing happens... nothing at all.
Plot:
The plot is good, but not great. The concept is unique, but honestly I felt like the story was too hard of a juxtaposition between reality and fantasy. There was almost too much mundanity to believe it was fictional, and it was too far fetched to believe it was real. Yet, it did do a good job of pulling you into the plight of the situation. The idea that the world ending was more important than humanity seemed to make you root for people, even if you didn't want to. I felt like this was written as a disaffected version of the book of revelation. If it is ever made into a movie I am sure the soundtrack will be full of Indie bands.
Characters:
The angels for the most part made sense, except for the main character. You never got enough about him to love him or hate him. He was just there, but not in a compelling-bored sort of way... The main human, Christine, reminded me of the female lead from the movie "Dogma." In fact... I feel like Christine was patterned off of her almost exactly. I guess this is good in that I could relate the character to someone, except the person I related her to was fictional. Aside from that, the characters were quirky, but never developed enough for an epic tale. I really wanted to connect with Mercury, or to feel something for him as a character. I wanted a glimpse of something worth hanging on to. In the end there were a few flashes of that, but they didn't come from the plot, but instead an understanding of what heroes (or maybe anti-heroes) represent... I just wanted something...
Theology:
As a Catholic, this book had very little loyalty to Catholic teaching. Not that I expected much loyalty from a Protestant writer, I was still hoping to hang a theological hat on something... that wasn't to happen. I couldn't tell if this was satire or mockery... that left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Overall:
Generally, the book was OK, but not super compelling. You saw how it was going to end early on, but even with twists and turns, you weren't scooting out to the edge of your seat at any point. Too much emphasis was placed on the wrong things, and I felt like the characters only got to about 2 3/4 dimension. As a Catholic, I felt that there was a strain of anti-Catholicism in the book, especially in the "anti-moral." I dont know exactly what the authors intent was, but there were bits that made me a little squeamish. In the end, I am glad I read it, but it took me longer than I thought to get through it.
It isn't up there with a Dekker or Peretti in terms of "Christian Fiction" but it is worth the read. There is a follow up, "Mercury Rising" and something tells me that it will bet better than this one... hopefully the coincidental altruism of Mercury will blossom into some virtue driven heroic trait.
The main premise is that the the Apocalypse is about to start and angels are attempting to implement a millenniums-old accord between Heaven and Hell. The main characters are a rogue, but apathetic angel, and a not-quite-made-it religion reporter. The apocalypse is about to happen, Lucifer is up to his old tricks, and Mercury, the rogue Angel is trying to make sure that nothing happens... nothing at all.
Plot:
The plot is good, but not great. The concept is unique, but honestly I felt like the story was too hard of a juxtaposition between reality and fantasy. There was almost too much mundanity to believe it was fictional, and it was too far fetched to believe it was real. Yet, it did do a good job of pulling you into the plight of the situation. The idea that the world ending was more important than humanity seemed to make you root for people, even if you didn't want to. I felt like this was written as a disaffected version of the book of revelation. If it is ever made into a movie I am sure the soundtrack will be full of Indie bands.
Characters:
The angels for the most part made sense, except for the main character. You never got enough about him to love him or hate him. He was just there, but not in a compelling-bored sort of way... The main human, Christine, reminded me of the female lead from the movie "Dogma." In fact... I feel like Christine was patterned off of her almost exactly. I guess this is good in that I could relate the character to someone, except the person I related her to was fictional. Aside from that, the characters were quirky, but never developed enough for an epic tale. I really wanted to connect with Mercury, or to feel something for him as a character. I wanted a glimpse of something worth hanging on to. In the end there were a few flashes of that, but they didn't come from the plot, but instead an understanding of what heroes (or maybe anti-heroes) represent... I just wanted something...
Theology:
As a Catholic, this book had very little loyalty to Catholic teaching. Not that I expected much loyalty from a Protestant writer, I was still hoping to hang a theological hat on something... that wasn't to happen. I couldn't tell if this was satire or mockery... that left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Overall:
Generally, the book was OK, but not super compelling. You saw how it was going to end early on, but even with twists and turns, you weren't scooting out to the edge of your seat at any point. Too much emphasis was placed on the wrong things, and I felt like the characters only got to about 2 3/4 dimension. As a Catholic, I felt that there was a strain of anti-Catholicism in the book, especially in the "anti-moral." I dont know exactly what the authors intent was, but there were bits that made me a little squeamish. In the end, I am glad I read it, but it took me longer than I thought to get through it.
It isn't up there with a Dekker or Peretti in terms of "Christian Fiction" but it is worth the read. There is a follow up, "Mercury Rising" and something tells me that it will bet better than this one... hopefully the coincidental altruism of Mercury will blossom into some virtue driven heroic trait.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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