Robert Browne (1)

Imagine if you will, a world that is on the brink. God has turned his back on the people he created, leaving them to fend for themselves. Every soul on Earth is at the mercy of a Heavenly War. One side is set on creating the Apocalypse, the other side on preventing it. Callahan and LaLaurie have just stumbled into one of the biggest and longest standing battles in the history of the world, and as a reader you're along for the ride. Sound intriguing? I guarantee you, it is.

Meet our fearless team. Sebastian "Batty" LaLaurie is a bibliophile, theologian, and John Milton fanatic who also happens to have a drinking problem. His past is dark, and littered with secrets. Then there's Bernadette Callahan. Section agent, massive cynic and all around bad-ass woman. She might be nearing a collapse, but she'll be damned if she's going down without a fight. These two characters drive the story forward as they take off, across the globe, gathering clues. Murders, sacred relics, and musty archives are just some of what you'll find as you join their journey! It's tough not to be immersed.

What I loved most about The Paradise Prophecy is that it isn't a light read. Yes, I'm serious. The psychological aspect of this book is beautifully done, and really makes the reader think as they are reading. I devoured page after page as I hunted for clues and tried to tie things together. Browne crafts the plot carefully, allowing the reader to keep an eye on the big picture while still paying attention to little details. I never felt like I was drowning in too much information at one time, or being given a watered down version of Milton's epic. Quite the opposite actually. To me, it felt like a balanced read. Giving me just enough to keep me reading on, but not so much that I felt like I was being spoon fed the plot.

Perfectly done Robert Browne, perfectly done.

It's not often that a book has the ability to render me speechless. However as I turned the last page of The Paradise Prophecy that's exactly what occurred. I was utterly blow away by the complex plot that Browne had crafted. He weaves a tale that pulls you in deep, and doesn't let you go until the last moment. Pages just flew by. That doesn't generally happen in a 400 page book, but before I knew it I was finished and gasping for air. I read this entirely through in one sitting.

If you're looking at the cover of Robert Browne's book and thinking of similar titles, let me set you straight right now. Despite his name being similar to another writer, and despite this being a book along the same vein, this is infinitely better! At least such is the opinion of this humble reader. The Paradise Prophecy is a gripping, thrilling, and gorgeously written novel! It's everything I love about the thriller genre.

Highly recommended!… (more)

While reading this, I described it to friends as Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons meets John Milton’s Paradise Lost, by way of James Rollins. That comparison seemed to make almost as many turn their nose up as turn the page, but I still think it fits . . . for the most part.

Where it differs (and does so significantly) is in its zealous desire to celebrate the supernatural aspects of religious mythology, rather than challenge them. Being the unrepentant heretic that I am, that insistence on embracing religion was a bit of a stumbling block early on, but I came to appreciate the ways in which the mythology of the book diverges between the bible and Paradise Lost. Yes, it was a little preachy and heavy-handed at times, but the quality of the writing was such that I was willing (eager, even) to carry on.

The pairing of oh-so-secular Agent Bernadette Callahan and eccentrically-religious Sebastian LaLaurie is a bit clichéd (think Scully and Mulder), but their dynamic works well. These aren’t just two characters who exist to be at odds with one another, or to butt heads over questions of mythology, but reluctant partners who help one another to break out of their rigidly-defined roles. Both develop quite nicely throughout the story, and not necessarily in ways you expect. I really liked Callahan, and as much as we have our personal issues, I came to respect "Batty" LaLaurie.

As for the angels and demons, I liked them right from the start. They’re actual characters in the story, not just forces of nature. Their intentions may be flawed, and their actions may be unacceptable, but they’re honest. These aren’t perfectly good or perfectly evil beings, but supernatural denizens of Heaven and Hell who are just as imperfect as all mankind. Instead of simply dismissing them as biblical fictions (which would have made for a tough read), I was able to accept them with the same wiling suspension of disbelief that allows me to enjoy vampires, witches, and aliens.

Well-paced, with more than enough action to excuse (justify?) the biblical philosophy, this a story that I enjoyed as much as I had hoped, and far more than I expected. It’s clear there are more adventures in store, and I would be delighted to continue following the story to its apocalyptic conclusion.… (more)