Mortal

Mortal is the second book in the post-apocalyptic “Book of Mortals” series. This series, a collaboration of Christian writers Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee, presents a future in which all of society is ruled by fear, until a select group of people drink some special blood, and all of a sudden, they get super strength and heightened senses (including the ability to smell the fears of the so-called “Corpses”, or those who have not awakened to this new life). Those that have either imbibed this sanguine drink or otherwise have received a transfusion refer to themselves as “Mortals.”

In the second volume, the big bad, Saric, has awakened due to alchemy which seems to give the same outward effect as the blood of Mortals, but has show more completely different inward effects, like making them evil.

Meanwhile, the messianic Jonathan is encouraged to come to power and reign as the Sovereign, a position currently held by Saric. When Saric brings the previous Sovereign back to life using his “Dark Blood,” however, everybody is thrown for a loop due to unusual ascension rules.

Ultimately, it culminates into an all-out war between good and evil, or at least, kinda good and evil. After significant world-altering, the denouement paves way for the third and final volume.

Like all books I read, no matter how painful, I read this one cover to cover. There was very little in the prose that actually got me wanting to flip the pages as fast as I could read them, and ultimately, I realized that this book exhibited weak storytelling.

While I am completely unfamiliar with Dekker or Lee’s individual writing style, the prose presented in Mortal was akin to easy-to-read, not-too-challenging books you might find in the “best sellers” aisle, that place meant for the general populace to find a book that won’t make them think too hard. Everything is nice and clean, and the only mysteries that aren’t resolved by the end of book are left to the next volume, leaving very little for anybody to debate, and thus, giving the book a limited lifespan beyond the initial read.

I felt that many of the characters were flat and interchangeable. All the predominant female characters seemed to fit this pseudo-empowered, I-am-woman-hear-me-roar-except-when-a-man’s-talking role, all the “good” male characters seemed to be bellicose, rugged and handsome, and all the “bad guys” were slimy and dark.

From a religious point of view, the book had a very vivid dichotomy. On one very heavy hand, the allegory of Jonathan being Jesus, etc., etc., struck the reader continually. On the other hand, I’ve not read very many religious books that use phrases like “piss on the ashes.” That one threw me for a loop!

All in all, I thought that my time spent reading this book could have been better spent reading something else. If you happen to be a fan of Dekker or Lee, you may enjoy this book, as you’re used to the way they write, and apparently, you don’t mind it. If you’d like to avoid a book that further strengthens the (possibly flawed) stereotype that “Christian publishers will publish anything”, then avoid this book. After all, we only have so much time in this life to read. show less

Book description from publisher: Nine years have gone by since an unlikely hero named Rom Sebastian first discovered a secret and consumed an ancient potion of blood to bring himself back to life in Forbidden. Surviving against impossible odds, Rom has gathered a secret faction of followers who have also taken the blood-the first Mortals in a world that is dead.

But The Order has raised an elite army to hunt and crush the living. Division and betrayal threaten to destroy the Mortals from within. The final surviving hope for humanity teeters on the brink of annihilation and no one knows the path to survival.

My reaction: I enjoyed the first one and found the sequel entertaining. I did get caught up in it and all of it's twists and turns. show more The premise of a world where people don't have access to all of their emotions (except for fear) until some discover a way to get them back is thought provoking. Parts of it strongly parallel the story of Jesus in the Gospels and it also made me think about how much of a parallel it was and if the "Jesus figure" would truly redeem the world in the same way. show less

I honestly am just always amazed at Ted Dekker and his ability to both surprise and grab ahold of his readers.

This is the second book in "The Books of Mortals" series. It continues the story of Jonathan but now he is almost at the age where he will become the Sovereign. Saric has returned and is trying, yet again, to make himself Sovereign instead.

There is battle, romance, surprises, death and disbelief. And, as always with Ted Dekker, there is a beautiful, intricate dance between good and evil. He always amazes me in the way he can weave so much depth into his stories.

This series is definitely one I recommend! However, I always recommend reading his Circle series first because he often has cameos from it in his other books. I'm show more looking forward to finishing the series with the final book, Sovereign. show less

2nd book in the book of mortal series. Didn't find it as compelling as the first one, and the ending seemed to be tacked on at the end. In the end, Jonathan's blood could resurrect Triphon after 3 days, but not himself, which seemed a plot hole. Also, what deal was struck with Feyn that didn't seemed to be acknowledged?

Yes! Much better than the first in the series. Good story line, characters and action sequences. I would recommend this this novel and look forward to reading the rest of this series.

It's a decent book, just not my usual type of book. I like more modern day books. Plus there was one particular issue with the plot that was not discussed, but which would have ended the main conflict in my mind since it wasn't discussed. Anyway. I don't think I'll read the final book in the series.

I like it but thought at times it was slow.