Customer Reviews

The Second Coming (Words of the Prophecy)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read a fair amount of fantasy, adventure & horror over the years - enough that I don't often find something really new that I like. I did this time - it was both unique & thrilling.

An excellent dark fantasy or horror fantasy that sets the background in a post apocalyptic world based on our current one & the Christian myth, adds in some others, & stirs the mix into an intriguing mystery-adventure. It is not for the faint-hearted. All of the characters are flawed, most badly enough that they're not all that likable, but the reasons for this are revealed - slowly. Against my will, in many cases, I was drawn into sympathetic agreement with their plight & their actions. Revelations were logical, redemption plausible & plights were chilling. The action was well described & the scenery was awesome. Wow! What a trip!

Usually, if I don't like or can't identify with one of the main characters, I put a book down. I couldn't this time. The writing was too good & the plot too intriguing.

I was very surprised that a self-published novel (it is, isn't it?) read as if it were professionally edited. One of my biggest turn-offs is poor punctuation, logic flaws, rambling text & 'favorite lines'. (Pieces of text that don't quite fit, but are kept by the writer because they like them.) All of these are typical of self-published novels. I didn't find any here. The writing was tight - sometimes requiring close reading or I would miss an important point - Perfect! That's the way it should be, but often isn't, even in commercial publications.

As I write this, the book is available only in electronic format for a couple of bucks on Amazon (or write the author). I hope to see it in paper format, someday because it is complex enough that I wanted to flip back & forth a few times to double check names, which I find hard to do in electronic format. If it does come out in paper, I will buy it & likely re-read it when the sequel is released & I read that (hurry up & write, David!). Definitely a keeper & a book I'd like to add to my collection.

Set in a post-apocalyptic earth, The Second Coming is the introduction to an `in progress' series named Words of the Prophecy. Centuries after the Earth shifted on its axis nearly wiping out mankind and unleashing all manner of dark and otherworldly creatures, a long-prophesied event has occurred, one that threatens the remainder of humanity.

Burton has provided a suitably dark world for the reader to explore and he paints it innovatively. There is a real play with mythology and religious history and prophecy. Instead of being completely inventive, the author has used existing lore to cleverly fashion new possibilities. Additionally, the author never attempted to create the blinding (and sometimes boring) light of goodness in any of his creation. The best one could hope for was a grey or darker and this is an approach I can really appreciate.

The characters were hopelessly flawed and even the main protagonists could not be easily cast in the hero role. Again, this is an aspect of a story I can enjoy as I like temptation and struggle. In this story, there are probably three main characters which meet as three disparate story lines eventually intertwine. It's a fairly typical story mechanism but it does allow us to explore each of these characters in detail as progress on their own journey. There are also several secondary characters which add interest and sometimes smaller story arcs to compliment the main plot. In fact, the overall web of characters in this novel becomes quite complex with all manner of intersecting relationships being revealed over the course of the plot.

The plot, although derived from familiar elements, has a feel that was quite unfamiliar. The unified church of the new world has ties with all kinds of practices otherwise seen as pagan. The evangelical church of the former U.S.A. is viewed as somehow sinister and similarly contradictory in its practices. Elf-like creatures seem to be biblical in origin and the wild and harsh gods of nature do not necessarily represent evil - although everything demands a price. Sometimes, this alien territory was confusing and I wasn't sure I always understood all the connections being made. Several elements of the tale, I felt, were left incomplete by the end of the book. Given that this was to be a series, I can't hold this against the author. It's likely these are to be played out in future volumes.

The prose flows very well and I often found myself picturing various scenes of despair vividly. The story line starts slowly but completes in a rush of pounding action and several fairly dizzying changes in one of the main characters. I'm still not certain that I completely followed the development of Paine, especially towards the end of the book. What he was, what he became was a little confusing in the end, but the author had chosen to make his origins and his destiny quite complex. It will be quite interesting to see how he plays out in subsequent novels.

I have read David H. Burton before and have thus far enjoyed all his stories. He manages to present a world I want to explore, characters I want to follow and story lines that remain interesting and The Second Coming is no exception. I would recommend this to all who like their fantasies dark and desperate.

This was a very impressive first book by a small press author. I was pleasantly surprised.

Sure, it was a bit erratic at times. The tenses seemed to switch up and the time flow was confusing. The story didn't always flow smoothly from event to event, as time shifted differently for the different character sets.

There was also a lot of backstory. Repeat: a LOT. Good backstory, I'll give him that. Very intriguing stuff. I just felt overwhelmed with it all at some points. It was hard to keep the characters straight as the narrative bounced around so much, and to keep the proper backstories to the proper characters. Perhaps this could have been solved by extending the work to a longer volume, or series of volumes. Then there would have been more room for character building and gradual backstory development.

That said, I very much like the method of telling the backstory as the present story happens. David did this without heavy use of flashbacks, which can be something of a cheat. I loved the real in depth histories to all the characters, it just seemed that I needed a map to keep up with them all.

I love the premise of the book. 500 years in our post apocalyptic future, where technology is gone and magic is back. The dead have power and demons are back. I enjoyed the way David brought the religions of the world together to cope with the happening that wiped out our civilization, and the way it has developed. The biblical references and interpretations were quite intriguing.

I did have trouble as well with the multitude of strange new races of people. Or more accurately, old races that are now back due to the world shifting on its axis. Between Little Doe's tribe, the Firstborn, the Revenants, the Nymphs, the Lastborn, the Sidhe, and the Obek, I was often having to stop and retrace who was of what race and aligned with which others. There was also the fact that many were of mixed races, so mapping that all out in my head took a bit of effort. Again, this is a lot of great information and worldbuilding, but the book's shortness made it seem a bit jumbled.

Would I recommend stretching this book out a few hundred pages to make the worldbuilding smoother? Not so much. That might help, but I like David's brevity. He's trying to pack a great story in a shorter format, which is a relief to those that are accustomed to huge bricks for fantasy novels. He certainly doesn't drag anything out. But maybe it might have worked better to be a bit more gradual about the histories and backstories, even if it meant giving some of that in future volumes.

All in all, this was a satisfying read with dark concepts that pushed the envelope of moral beliefs of human history. I'm looking forward to future volumes.

First, let me say that Burton is a very good writer. The story had a good narrative and lots of imagery, but perhaps a little too much. The sample started out extremely well, and certainly good enough for me to order the full book, but before too long I felt like I needed a program to know all the players, locations, magical items, internal thought processes of characters, etc. Perhaps, unfairly, when I think of fantasy I think of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I think this book could have been like that (with more books to follow), but there were so many characters and events going on, it was hard to enjoy them (my opinion only). Half-way through I found myself irritated because the narrative was rushing through the lives and situations of people who, I think, would have made the book more enjoyable if it had slowed down and spent more time with them. Again, Burton is very good; you'd have to be to create a world like this, but I wish he would have let us spend more time in a slightly less-complicated world where "everyone" didn't some type of magical power/connection and giving us time to appreciate his talents.

I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book, but from the moment I opened it, I didn't want to stop reading. It is very dark and full of witch craft. You really are conflicted if you should be cheering on the characters or not. It is full of twists and turns and always keeps you guessing about what will happen next. When I finished the story, I wanted to know more. I am already looking forward to part two, which I have been informed that David H. Burton is already working on. All I can say, is that I am hooked. I now have my friend reading it and she is enjoying it as well. This is definitely worth the purchase. Thank you David H. Burton for making me want to take the time to read again.

The language of David H. Burton in this story was at times poetic, and at time prophetic. The words, always descriptive would one minute make me feel like I was there, a part of the action, and then the next drive home an image so bluntly that I would be shocked out of my flight into fantasy. It was an amazing ride.

The characters were deep, all rich with back stories, driven by differing motives, while omitting just enough to keep me on edge constantly wanting to know more about them. My only even semi-criticism, and maybe just my own failing rather, was with the vast multitude of characters. There were so many names, and often secondary names given to the same characters. Add to that the connections between the characters which kept developing, plus all of the names of the creatures, and they were at times hard for me to follow. Again, I say me, maybe another reader would have no problem with this at all. It did not distract me though from the enjoyment of reading Second Coming. It is just no easy read, and I would guess no easy write. As an author, I am in awe of Burton's craft, his abilities to create such a tale. I would love to know if he had all of the twists and turns plotted out before writing it, or if a story such as this one just came from him imagination as he wrote.

The paranormal elements were again a combination of old and original, and the magic was dead on and amazing even to one who has read novels in the genre. But always, it remained gritty, dark, edgy and yet I found myself praying for things to work out in certain characters no matter what they did or how they transgressed!

The world building in Second Coming was amazingly original and absolutely believable for an apocalyptic world. The setting was a new world over renamed places I know of in my own world. The mentions of old ways tie it all together with the new, creating a viable existence. The writing conventions were well thought out, well written and always made the setting easily seen in the mind's eye.

To say the plot was layered would be a grave understatement. Talk about a mix. Burton intermixed flawlessly myth, the Bible, and his new take on them both allowing for more than one hero and villain, and therefore a multitude of conflicts and possible resolutions. Only once the layers started to really overlap, I found myself wishing, hoping, guessing... As a paranormal writer, I can only imagine that this extent of world-building can only come from a great amount of research, of thought and of planning. It leaves definitely leaves you thinking... If my review seems vague, I am sorry. But, with this book, I dare say too much lest I spoil any of it.

I accidently stumbled across the writings of David H. Burton, and I have to tell you it was like finding a rare treasure in the midst of a whole lot of junk. His writing can be summed up with one word, Brilliant! I would not hesitant to compare his works, or for that matter, put his work up against the best sellers out there today.

The Second Coming is set in a post apocalyptic world of darkness, lost morality, magic, and the unknown. The characters are abundant, but written well enough that the reader will not have a problem conjuring up an image of them, come to understand their individual plights, and as the story unfolds, to connect with them. I even found myself sympathizing with character types that I normally would not care for.

Yes, it is deep and it is dark. What else would one expect given the setting? Burton did an excellent job incorporating religious prophecies/beliefs along with human behaviors one would expect to see in a post apocalyptic world. This is a MUST read, for anyone who longs for their intellect to be stimulated and their imagination to be stretched to the limit.

Amazing book, and an amazing author!!

Fans of films like The Prophecy and Legion will eat this up like pudding on Christmas day. Also, it doesn't hurt that the guy on the cover kind of has a "Jonathan Rhys Meyers as creepy priest" vibe going on ;-) If you like a story that has Fallen Angels, demonic plots, the Spear of Destiny, summoning demons, witches, and more, you'll enjoy this book very much. The book has shades of Buffy and Supernatural and Burton's writing has echoes of Douglas Clegg but in terms of plot, it's most comparable to Sara Douglass' Crucible series.

As someone who has stuck almost exclusively to non fiction books, I was not sure how much I would enjoy this book. Well after finishing the book I can say it just an amazing book. You literally felt as if you were transported to another world with such great details paid to the descriptive elements of the book. This respect for detail from Mr Burton really played a key role in why the book was able to draw you in so deep. Add to this a plethora of unique and diverse characters plus a plot that is multi-layered and you have a real winner here. Even better is that this is the first book in a series. I for one will be buying the next book as soon as it is released.

I wasn't sure what to expect as I sat down to read "The Second Coming (Words of the Prophecy)". In fact, the extent of my fantasy reading stopped at Harry Potter, and maybe a bit more adventurous, "The Lord of the Rings". I saw a trailer for this book and the words "What if God was immoral", splayed across the screen. I had to check this out.

I have never been a religious person, believing in many different "classic scenarios", and sure enough within the first part of this book, I knew once again, that my beliefs would truly be broadened. I was transported into a post-apocalyptic world, as the creative writing made me feel present in the dark, secretive world of "what if"?

Although the story is one that keeps the reader glued from the first words, it's the brilliance of the characters that truly make this journey feel personal. They are all beautifully warped, and one instantly falls in love with the way that they manaouver through their internal struggles and their surroundings. As each new character is introduced, I found myself conflicted as to who was my favourite. The most notable of these characters have to be the women. Whether good, or evil, they are portrayed as self sufficient, strong minded, ass kicking individuals, yet at the same time, the naivety of their internal wants and struggles are brilliantly executed with such grace.

Everyone is hiding something and only the reader is treated to the true diversity of these characters which truly helps one adapt the "where you go, I will follow" attitude.

It's a story of conflict, good versus evil (which Burton strategically lets the reader decide), but the who and what are good, always keeps you guessing. In a world where such chaos exists, this plainly to me, is the everyday journey of ones struggles and desires to find where one fits, and the cost that it takes to get there.

This truly was a second coming for me as a reader as my world was turned sideways, and I was brought into a world of in-between and the distance that the author help me wander. It will make you as a reader realize that there is a greater importance of the why and who, you are.