*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Monsters walk the Earth once more. But so do heroes.
Riya De Moor retired from the military to settle down and teach high school history. All that changes when Merlin appears in Riya’s village and reveals that the gods have a plan to release mythic abominations throughout the world. Now, teacher and wizard will travel the globe, assembling a team of resurrected heroes—relics of the ancient past, fighting to save the future.
Travel with Riya and the team as they battle a legion of undead Roman centurions in Syria, track demon-possessed dinosaurs across a Tanzanian national park, and face a frost troll against the backdrop of Dutch tulip fields.
Fans of the heart-pounding fantasy action of Brandon Sanderson and the humor and globetrotting in the Adventures of Tintin will be swept away by this epic story.
Age of Omicron is fantastic for any fellow fans of fantasy with a light, comedic tone and emotional depth. I absolutely loved it!
Dave Kavanaugh has cleverly blended historical myths and magic with modern technology and sensibilities to great effect. The heroes are presented with flaws and quirks that take them from legends to living, breathing individuals, and the monsters are actually horrifying – genuinely monstrous. Even though some of them are human.
There are some grey moral areas here. Our heroes are somewhat trigger- and stab-happy, and when some of the ‘monsters’ are human beings that are apparently possessed or influenced by an ‘evil god’, it seems a little bit iffy to crow too much about blasting them into particles. The author recognises this, and addresses the issue indirectly via the various characters and their backstories without pausing the action or hammering the point home.
I was utterly hooked on the plot. It should have felt repetitious as Riya moves from one location to another, collecting heroes and facing monsters, but the distinctive characters, witty banter, and development of both plot and protagonists had me reading feverishly; thoroughly immersed in the quest. There were some dark moments, some touching moments, some gory moments and plenty of funny moments… a bit of something for everyone.
This was one of those books where, when it ended, I flipped my Kindle over a few times hoping for a few more pages to somehow ‘fall out’! Then I went straight to the internet to search for more from Dave Kavanaugh. Unfortunately there is no sequel listed (yet?) but I will keep you posted. In the meantime, I definitely recommend this book to fans of Tom Holt (and similar comic fantasy authors), as they share similarities of content and style – although Omicron is darker and more action-packed than Holt’s doddering gods could manage!
“Oh let me think.” Omicron rubbed a palm across the shiny top of his head. “Here in Britain, most knew me as Merlin. In the Netherlands, they called me Witte Draak. I would tell you what the Franks called me, but”–he glanced at a nearby booth with a cluster of chattering children and their flustered parents–“I’m not sure ‘twould be appropriate.”
– Dave Kavanaugh, Age of Omicron
Find more from Dave Kavanaugh at his website here, or follow him on Twitter and Goodreads.
Age of Omicron is available on Amazon right now!
Bookshine And Readbows 