Phantom
by Gabriel Common
Plot Summary:
Rarely, if any, are science and celestial creatures mixed in a work of fiction. Phantom shows that such fusion of seemingly incompatible subjects can blend together very harmoniously to tell an interesting story. The book is about a young Nephilim who is caught in the middle of an interplanetary battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. It tells the readers that, like the Nephilim, we humans can tap into our angel side, which is a source of so much power, so that we can overcome our challenges, conquer our personal demons, reach the goals we have set for ourselves, and fight for what is right and good. This story not only entertains the readers but inspires them opening the door to new creative possibilities and showing that nothing is impossible no matter how big the goal is. It is the first in its series of four original books.
Expectations:
Science fiction and fantasy are awesome genres on their own, so I was looking forward to a book that combined the two.Review:
This novel starts the action very quickly, so much so, that I had to go back to the beginning, wondering if I missed something. There are a lot of ideas, plot points, and characters thrown at the reader with a minimum of exposition, and I felt like this characterized the whole novel. There is a minimum of character development, and many characters are introduced with little actual impact on the plot. The young angel/human hybrid, Traiven, is similarly quickly thrown into his new role as defender against the evil forces of the demons who want to build a gateway into this world. Traiven is unfamiliar with his angel powers, and struggles to learn to control it for most of the book. Since this is the first book of a series of four, I understood that Traiven still had to develop, but he made very aggravatingly senseless decisions, including one major one near the end that did not endear his character to me. There are many fight sequences in this novel that might appeal to readers, and some suspense as the forces of good struggle against the forces of evil. Overall, I thought this story could have used more development all the way around - including more depth to the world-building - but it is a very quick read.review copy kindly provided by the author in connection with Crossroads Book Tours
