Imperium (A Caulborn Novel)
by Nicholas Olivo
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Grade: Adult
Publishing Type:
self-published
Publication Date: June
29, 2011
Source: e-book review
copy from author
Age Rating: Teen (15+)
Vincent Corinthos
leads a triple life. As a secret agent, he handles paranormal
threats; as a god, he protects his followers from evil forces; as a
stock clerk, he keeps the back room of an antique store tidy.
When
one of his fellow agents goes missing, Vincent begins with the usual
suspects. His investigation takes him to vampire lairs, golem
laboratories, and the realm of the fae. Along the way he squares off
against genetically modified gremlins, virus-spawned zombies and a
horseman of the Apocalypse.
But it's only when he infiltrates a private medical lab that he realizes just how big of a threat he's facing, and even being a god might not be enough of an edge...
But it's only when he infiltrates a private medical lab that he realizes just how big of a threat he's facing, and even being a god might not be enough of an edge...
My Review
I received this title as
a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
There are a lot of
impressive things going on this story. The main character, Vincent,
is a half-god and he was born with a caul, so these things give him
some supernatural abilities. On top of that, he is also a god to
group of people who live in another dimension, and they all have
supernatural abilities that he can draw upon. Through these
worshipers' faith in him, he can move things with his mind,
communicate with rats and birds, and spontaneously start fires.
He honestly seems
overpowered to me. I have a bit of trouble believing he has so much
difficulty defeating his enemies when he has so much going for him. I
suppose that's better than him easily defeating any foe, since that
would be boring, but it breaks the illusion when I keep thinking that
any other person in his position would just use one of his many
abilities to get himself out of his predicaments.
Still, it is an
interesting story with a vast array of paranormal characters,
mythical gods and goddesses, and a super cute tech-savvy gremlin
named Gearstripper. But, I just wasn't able to really get into this
story, nor most of its characters. The plot is very confusing until
you get about two-thirds of the way into it—then, it starts to make
sense. It does, however, come together in the end, as all the loose
and mysterious threads get tied up.
But, I feel the ending is
a bit weak as it literally employs a “deus ex machina”, by which
I mean an actual god-character pretty much saves the day with a
simple move to end everyone's trouble for the time being. I have to
admit, it sucks the energy out of the story, and it takes a long time
for the plot to build up.
Overall, this is a book
worth taking a chance on if you love urban fantasy that stars
paranormal characters and secret agents who have to patrol them.
My score: 3 out of 5
stars.
