Customer Reviews

The Sacred Rota: Waking God Book Two

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4 star:		(1)
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About two, maybe three years ago I read Waking God, by Philip F. Harris and Brian L. Doe. I was instantly drawn into the world they created, which, is really our world - this world, except seen through the eyes that most do not look through. The vision seen when the veil of deceit and insidious religious dogma, put in place nearly two thousand years ago by the organized church for political and power grabbing reasons to ensure that "all truths are not to be known by all people," gets lifted. It would be classified as a suspense thriller in the "Theological Science Fiction" genre, but one has to wonder and gasp if ... the "fiction" part is perhaps unwarranted?

The Sacred Rota, newly released and the second book in the trilogy, picks up on the fast paced and highly entertaining, yet fundamentally belief shaking and unsettling saga, where Waking God leaves off, with Michael (the Archangel) and Mantrella (a.k.a. Lucifer) in a power struggle to determine who will rule and what the fate of mankind will be. Adam - the original man, and a god Himself, lies slumbering. If he wakes, the DNA in mankind's hidden god-seed is activated and Michael and his cohorts are, well ... I won't spoil the whole read for you. But it's not good news for the angels if that happens, and Michael will stop at nothing to prevent it. Who stands in his way, thwarting his every turn, championing the cause of humanity?

Mantrella. Yes, you read that right. Lucifer - the biblical "fallen angel," also referred to in the scriptures as the "Bright and Morning Star," is on our side. There is no devil, Lucifer is not your enemy, he's been falsely demonized by the Catholic Church to keep people in fear and abeyance to the Church for nearly two thousand years. Until Pope Peter in The Sacred Rota comes along. Peter is going to release the ancient secret hidden truths to the masses. And he pays for it. The Bilderberg group, well on its way to establishing the "New World Order," sees to that.

There are many controversial elements in this trilogy. Traditionally held fundamental religious dogmas and beliefs are put into question and done so in the form of a first rate sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat and clench your teeth thriller of a book. Harris and Doe make a great writing team; the writing is sharp and yet breezy, extremely imaginative and compulsively readable. The book is not only a deep and ponderous read underneath the quick action with other worldly yet well developed and believable characters, it provides several hours of entertainment in literature that ranks with the best out there.

The book stands alone as a great read by itself, but I'd highly recommend getting both Waking God and The Sacred Rota, even if it's in reverse order once the Rota compels you to go back and catch up fully on the tale. I, for one, am looking forward to the third and concluding book in the series with a great deal of anticipation.

But be forewarned, this is not a Sunday School book. You may be shocked. And it might just be for your own good.

Sacred Rota, the second book in the Waking God trilogy has me on the edge of my seat awaiting Waking God, Book III. Although it is an intriguing and fast-paced spiritual thriller and work of fiction with numerous fascinating characters (my favorite is Mara and Malak), it teaches you much about the true meaning of life and to open your eyes to the truth of many biblical teachings and religious doctrines as well as Tarot. I was born and raised Catholic so much of this was an eye opening experience to the reality of what we as human beings are experiencing and learning on a spiritual level in life here on earth. I am partial to angels but am slowing becoming convinced that the devil may not be such a "bad guy" and that angels are not what they appear. I am anxiously awaiting the release of Waking God, Book III since Sacred Rota leaves you with many unanswered questions and a passion to continue learning and growing on a spiritual level. Hurry up, Phil and Brian!

The second book in the Waking God Trilogy, The Sacred Rota does not disappoint. We continue to witness the battle between "good" in the form of Lucifer and "evil" in the form of the archangel Michael, while continuing the adventures of an assortment of characters both mythical and human. Harris and Doe give the reader all in this novel- adventure, battles, ancient civilizations and symbolism, secret societies, love triangles, sex- all in the name to save humanity from it's demise from blindly following the dogma of organized religion. The message, I think, is that there is "God" in all of us and all around us and that we have the ability to create our own universe and universal truths. But aside from that, this is a good read- it is a fast paced adventure novel that is difficult to put down. Can't wait to read Book III and see how it all turns out!

Reading Waking God II, the sequel to Waking god I, was a delight. The authors brought the reader up to speed with a carefully crafted synopsis of Book I.

The drama continues to build that takes the reader on a new high. Enlightenment, revelations and prophesy merge with realism. The world as we know it is changing. The forces of light and darkness are at work, fighting each other for dominance. The human characters, in forms of hero, heroine and other key players are at risk. The impending events cause suspenseful anxiety. What will happen next sets the stage for another sequel.

The book is timely to events of our time. A must read.

The Second Edition of Book II, THE SACRED ROTA, WILL BE RELEASED IN 2/11 by All Things That Matter Press. BOOK I, The Journey Begins (Third Edition),is being released by All Things that Matter Press on 1/19/11. BOOK III, THE SECOND COMING OF HUMANITY, is scheduled for release in 3/11.Waking God Book I: The Journey Begins

The TRILOGY will be in print and Kindle!

It's been almost 2 years since I read the first book "Waking God", and I had forgotten a good bit of it. I struggled to remember who was who through the first couple of chapters. I would not recommend reading this book without reading "Waking God" first. Personally I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had waited for the final book of the trilogy to come out, and then read all three at the same time.

Picking up where the first book left off, this is more of a continuation rather than a sequel. Once again the story is excellent, with the fascinating conflict between Lucifer and the Archangel Michael. A good read, thoroughly enjoyable.

For enlightenment, no new concepts are presented from the first book. The tarot is explored as a key part of the story, but I did not come away with any great insight from it. This is a book to read for fun, in my experience anyway.

Entertainment: 4 stars
Enlightenment: 2 stars

I am providing copies of these reviews so readers can see the early reaction to this book.

"I read Waking God II The Sacred Rota, by Brian L Doe and Philip F Harris.JESUS TAUGHT IT, TOO!: THE EARLY ROOTS OF THE LAW OF ATTRACTION This is a sequel to Waking God, published in 2006, or really a continuation of a three part story. It is a science fantasy theological thriller, odd as that combination may seem to be. The final battle is developing, and while they do argue theology, there are also people getting killed wholesale as the several themes slowly integrate. I am agnostic, with no belief in the supernatural, but as before, I found portions of the discussion more interesting than the action. Here's when Lucifer harangues an Archangel: "You create demons and false hopes of redemption. You build them mighty temples and give with one hand and slaughter with the other. You have kept them separate and ignorant and give just enough to raise empty hopes. You destroy their prophets and burn their seers. If they question, you put them to the rack and crush all semblance of free thought. You give them a doctrine of poverty and offer riches in your fantasy heaven. Kill in the name of god and your treasure shall be immeasurable. You divide them and thus conquer them, and tell them they have no responsibility but to be good sheep and to follow your demented dictates." This strikes me as an apt description of global religion. I was intrigued by the Tarot discussion, because I did some research there, thirty years ago, when writing Tarot and devising my own 100 card Animation Tarot deck, because the established decks are clearly incomplete. I conjecture that one author in this collaboration knows how to write, and the other knows his occult lore, because they clearly have done their Tarot homework. So this is a novel worth reading, but it will help to have an open mind. I fault it for developing serious characters who may then be thrown away, or suddenly having new significant characters for whom there was no prior reference. (But it turned out I had forgotten that one of those was in the prior novel. That will be clarified in the published edition of this one.) So I think it needs better overall organization, but there is nevertheless much here that you probably won't find in the tacitly expurgated traditional press." (June 2008)



WAKING GOD II: THE SACRED ROTA
by Brian L. Doe & Philip F. Harris
Be sure you re-read WAKING GOD,Waking God: Book One The Journey Begins or at least review it a bit,
before you begin WAKING GOD II: THE SACRED ROTA. Otherwise you
may have trouble following the action and keeping the characters
straight, and you don't want to do either. This tale moves along
smartly, and it features an even more varied and intriguing cast
than the first book in this planned trilogy.

Andrew, the young comparative religions professor from Book I,
knows what he needs to do. He needs to give the still sleeping
Adam flesh, by mating with a young and mysterious Middle Eastern
woman known as Mara. The time is right at last, so what can
possibly stop Andrew and Mara from coming together in
fulfillment of prophecy? Well, for one thing, there's Michael.
And then there are those who follow Michael, the great archangel
who's made it his mission to keep humanity in its current
ignorant and deluded state. Ranged on the looming battle's other
side are Mantrella, Bringer of Light, and those who follow him.
Meanwhile, Earth itself convulses as its inhabitants endure the
plagues of Revelation. Will those who can stop Michael act in
time? And even if they do, will they prevail?

Once again authors Doe and Harris draw together the whole range
of humankind's myths and spiritual beliefs, and use those
threads to weave a story no one else could have imagined. The
tale twists and turns, with new puzzles popping up even as those
from the first book resolve (at least in part), until WAKING GOD
II ends with a cliffhanger that may just make you want to
scream. Scream for the next and final installment, that is...!
--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of the Fictionwise best
selling FARTHINGHOME Trilogy

"I have waited for some time, the arrival of this book and it was well worth the wait. Philip Harris and Brian Doe have done what no other authors have. They have captured what perhaps just might be the behind the scenes of what goes on in our world each and every day and they bring it to light for the rest of us to see. This is not just a story but a learning experience. What an amazing read. Can't wait for the next one!" Katrina Stiles
WritingWithStiles, Book Reviewer