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The Infernal Game #1
Cold Warriors
"You died 20 years ago - WELCOME BACK" At the start of the Cold War, the British secret services formed the Hermetic Division, an agency charged with using supernatural means to defend the nation. It has only one mission: to find the mysterious Ragnarok artefacts, said to have the power to end the world. Now, two of the divisions most senior agents are sent on the trail of a corrupt Russian oligarch. The journey will take them across Europe and into the darkest reaches of the occult.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Levene
57 books80 followersBritish author, editor and tv storyliner.
Educated at Clare College, Cambridge.
She has written books for Virgin's Doctor Who line, Abbadon books and Black Flame.
She also writes for Doctor Who Magazine and SFX.
Educated at Clare College, Cambridge.
She has written books for Virgin's Doctor Who line, Abbadon books and Black Flame.
She also writes for Doctor Who Magazine and SFX.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 5, 2011
Ms. Levene managed to write a book here that is an equal mix of supernatural and spy noir. There are many twists and turns here. I thought I had figured everything out, but I hadn't even discerned the tip of the iceberg. The whole storyline that seemed to be apparent turned into something even more sinister. I liked how tense the narrative was. Ms. Levene writes tautly, like a spy thriller, and the well-executed, horrifying supernatural elements pricked me into another level of unease. This story was very dark, with some ugly use of magics and villains who worked for the real bad guy (if you know who I mean), but it was quite appealing and well-written, and I didn't feel icked out as I read it. I liked that there were real heroes in this story, even if they were weary and conflicted (like spies who had been at the game too long, chess pieces acting out their roles in a game that they didn't understand). Even in this dark universe, there were still some people who knew that there were some boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. Although there is a bit of gore, it was not over-the-top, and it was written in a way that was true to the understated espionage tone.
This book is highly recommended for horror/dark fantasy fans who would like some spy thriller elements thrown in and deftly executed, at that. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, because I like this idea, and I have a real soft spot for Morgan, the protagonist.
This book is highly recommended for horror/dark fantasy fans who would like some spy thriller elements thrown in and deftly executed, at that. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, because I like this idea, and I have a real soft spot for Morgan, the protagonist.
December 2, 2010
“You died twenty years ago. Welcome back…“
Over the last couple of years, I have become a fan of the publisher Abaddon Books and have taken the opportunity to read as many of their ongoing series as I can get my hands on. I enjoy The Afterblight Chronicles, and Pax Britannia has become a personal favourite (more on that in the next review). I recently picked up the first book in another series called The Infernal Game.
The Infernal Game: Cold Warriors by Rebecca Levene charts the fortunes of the members of the Hermetic Division, the United Kingdom’s supernatural investigation agency. Disbanded at the end of the cold war the agency is reformed when rumours resurface regarding the mysterious Ragnarok artefacts. These items are said to grant their possessor great power.
Due to the nature of their work the Hermetic Division is top secret and their existence is only known by a select few. The reader gets to follow new recruit, Morgan Hewitt, a marksman from the army who is seconded into the new team. As Morgan begins to learn the secrets of the Division he discovers that magic is real and there is an ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil.
Morgan is partnered with Tomas, who was an agent with Hermetic Division back in the 1980s, and they are tasked with locating the missing artefacts. Tomas went missing when the Division was decommissioned and seems not to have aged at all in the twenty years that have passed. Tomas’ character brings an interesting perspective to the novel. As the story shifts location from the UK to Germany, Poland and then Russia you get a real feeling of how he still views these places. For him nothing has changed, and he still sees Eastern Europe as it was before the collapse of Communism. The world may have moved on but Tomas has not moved with it.
Once the novel moves from the UK to mainland Europe two further characters are introduced. Anya, is an agent from the German equivalent of the Hermetic Division, and Belle, an eleven year old girl in the employ of the CIA.
In Cold Warriors there are secrets everywhere. All four main characters have their own secrets. Where has Tomas been? Why was Morgan selected to join the Hermetic Division? How is it possible that Anya can be in two places at once? Why has the CIA got an eleven year old on their payroll?
Blending the elements of these two genres together, espionage and supernatural, works well. Both types of tale rely on secrets, and knowledge that remains hidden until a key moment in the narrative, so mixing the two feels natural and not forced. Some of the characters are trying to uncover secrets while others attempt to keep their secrets hidden. There is betrayal and double crossing and all the characters are continually mistrustful and wary of one another. The supernatural element of the story adds a tension to the novel that develops as the book progresses. This builds toward an exciting climax involving an army of the dead.
In some respects Cold Warriors suffers a little being the first book in an ongoing series. After the initial prologue it takes a while before the pace really picks up but once it does it is great. There is a lot of, albeit necessary, scene setting but this is a very minor gripe on my part. Overall I enjoyed all the action scenes I just wish there was more. Cold Warriors shows a great deal of potential and I was keen to learn more of the Hermetic Division’s secrets when I was done.
There is a sequel currently available called The Infernal Game: Ghost Dance.
Over the last couple of years, I have become a fan of the publisher Abaddon Books and have taken the opportunity to read as many of their ongoing series as I can get my hands on. I enjoy The Afterblight Chronicles, and Pax Britannia has become a personal favourite (more on that in the next review). I recently picked up the first book in another series called The Infernal Game.
The Infernal Game: Cold Warriors by Rebecca Levene charts the fortunes of the members of the Hermetic Division, the United Kingdom’s supernatural investigation agency. Disbanded at the end of the cold war the agency is reformed when rumours resurface regarding the mysterious Ragnarok artefacts. These items are said to grant their possessor great power.
Due to the nature of their work the Hermetic Division is top secret and their existence is only known by a select few. The reader gets to follow new recruit, Morgan Hewitt, a marksman from the army who is seconded into the new team. As Morgan begins to learn the secrets of the Division he discovers that magic is real and there is an ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil.
Morgan is partnered with Tomas, who was an agent with Hermetic Division back in the 1980s, and they are tasked with locating the missing artefacts. Tomas went missing when the Division was decommissioned and seems not to have aged at all in the twenty years that have passed. Tomas’ character brings an interesting perspective to the novel. As the story shifts location from the UK to Germany, Poland and then Russia you get a real feeling of how he still views these places. For him nothing has changed, and he still sees Eastern Europe as it was before the collapse of Communism. The world may have moved on but Tomas has not moved with it.
Once the novel moves from the UK to mainland Europe two further characters are introduced. Anya, is an agent from the German equivalent of the Hermetic Division, and Belle, an eleven year old girl in the employ of the CIA.
In Cold Warriors there are secrets everywhere. All four main characters have their own secrets. Where has Tomas been? Why was Morgan selected to join the Hermetic Division? How is it possible that Anya can be in two places at once? Why has the CIA got an eleven year old on their payroll?
Blending the elements of these two genres together, espionage and supernatural, works well. Both types of tale rely on secrets, and knowledge that remains hidden until a key moment in the narrative, so mixing the two feels natural and not forced. Some of the characters are trying to uncover secrets while others attempt to keep their secrets hidden. There is betrayal and double crossing and all the characters are continually mistrustful and wary of one another. The supernatural element of the story adds a tension to the novel that develops as the book progresses. This builds toward an exciting climax involving an army of the dead.
In some respects Cold Warriors suffers a little being the first book in an ongoing series. After the initial prologue it takes a while before the pace really picks up but once it does it is great. There is a lot of, albeit necessary, scene setting but this is a very minor gripe on my part. Overall I enjoyed all the action scenes I just wish there was more. Cold Warriors shows a great deal of potential and I was keen to learn more of the Hermetic Division’s secrets when I was done.
There is a sequel currently available called The Infernal Game: Ghost Dance.
April 16, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. I won't go into a huge synopsis because that is on the back of it or on one of the bookseller sites. I am very surprised that this book has not gotten more of a following. It is pretty good. It has something for everyone, gore for the horror fans, history, for the history buffs, mystery, for the mystery lovers, and urban fantasy for those of us that love our fantasy in the current world and time. I will say that there are some serious surprises. The character development was very well done. But, that is one of the surprises. Some of the people are who you think they are from the beginning of the book and some show you something completely different about their character and it is worth the read to see how Rebecca Levene does this. The one thing that I would love is if the story moved along a little more quickly. But, I believe that she was setting a stage and she did it very well. I was initially a little cautious with the thought of the story being about the Cold War. That is something that took a very long time to resolve itself and a book could go on a very long time if it tried to follow it. But, it was backdrop. The real story is in the desires of men and women of the story and what drives them to behave the way they do throughout the book. The fantasy part of the book was a bit gory for me. I was not quite sure where it was going and when I figured it out I thought no way can I stomach this. But, it was just part of why things happened the way they happened. Sometimes as a reader you wish all questions in the story did not have to wait until the end to be answered. It is nice if breadcrumbs give a bit to the reader but leaves the big questions for the grand finale. Sometimes when there are multiple stories going on within a book it's nice to not have a huge crescendo at the end and drag it out until the end before answering all of the questions. Other times, the reader, if they are patient, gets a huge reward at the end that says it was well worth the wait. I look forward to Ghost Dance and more of what is in store for Morgan.
November 29, 2018
Rating: 7/10
Pages: 32o
This book jumps right in, with a spy who has been frozen in time from the Cold War, essentially being thrown in the cold water of cell phones and unified Germany. It was a fun thriller and in the search for Ragnarok, not much has changed after all the years. Whoever has it still has the ultimate power.
Kindle
Pages: 32o
This book jumps right in, with a spy who has been frozen in time from the Cold War, essentially being thrown in the cold water of cell phones and unified Germany. It was a fun thriller and in the search for Ragnarok, not much has changed after all the years. Whoever has it still has the ultimate power.
Kindle
November 13, 2014
Again, some great pulp fiction. Most impressive is that Ms. Levene avoids my common gripe of "too much exposition." She really tries to show, not tell. The plot is gripping, the characters well-developed and sympathetic, and the fantastical elements are not addressed matter-of-factly (so that they are not over-the-top and corny/goofy). This is the second book that I've read (and loved) from this publisher - I can't wait to read more.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews