Customer Reviews

Solomon's Jar (Rogue Angel, Book 2)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a good follow up to Destiny in the Rogue Angel series. I enjoyed it enough to buy the next few books in the series and am on book 4, The Chosen, now. I hope Alex Archer keeps up the good writing because I have the first 8.

Annya Creed is an archeologist who now wields the mighty sword of Joan of Arc. OK, don't get turned off yet. Yes, it sounds a little bizarre, but it's so well written, and seemingly well researched (I haven't fact checked, but everything sounds plausible) that the story moves along quite nicely. There's adventure, exotic locales, danger, sword fighting, romance without all that gratuitous sex that seems to creep into everything nowadays. The focus is the story, and the story is a lot of fun!

Alex Archer continues the fascinating story of archaeologist Annja Creed with ROGUE ANGEL: SOLOMON'S JAR.

Annja hears a rumor that the jar used by the biblical King Solomon to trap a legion of demons has been found. Legend states that Solomon harnessed the demons' power to build the revered temple in Jerusalem and then bound them to a jar. Annja begins to investigate this mystery and runs into a myriad of other people wanting the demons' power for their own nefarious purposes. Along the way, Annja will have to examine the true meaning of evil in this world.

ROGUE ANGEL: SOLOMON'S JAR is a wonderful follow up to the first book in the series, DESTINY. It can definitely be read as a stand alone novel, as Alex Archer provides all of the necessary details for the first time reader of the series. This reviewer highly recommends that all who love ROGUE ANGEL: SOLOMON'S JAR also read the first book, DESTINY, as the growth of Annja in her role as a modern day Joan of Arc is thrilling to see.

Annja is a fascinating character as she has been thrust into a role she doesn't quite believe in. A softer side is displayed through her relationship with Aidan Pascoe and it will be interesting to see if he reappears in future books. Annja's strength of both character and physical ability make her a powerful force and it is intriguing to see this concept of a strong, feminine role applied to the field of archaeology. Alex Archer also does a superb job at interweaving a metaphysical side to Annja through her conversations with Tsipporah. Their conversation regarding good and evil is quite simply riveting.

ROGUE ANGEL: SOLOMON'S JAR is a must read! The action-packed storyline is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Alex Archer ensures that the reader will keep turning the pages with this fast paced thriller. ROGUE ANGEL: SOLOMON'S JAR is sure to hook readers on the exploits of Annja Creed!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I thought this series had everything: mystery, action, intrigue, and strong characters. I couldn't have been more wrong. Solomon's Jar is full of action, and that is it. There is a plot, but it is so thin it can barely be considered a plot. Solomon's Jar surfaces, the main character goes to find it and keep it safe. Along the way people try to kill her. That's it. No mystery about ancient civilizations, no character growth, just one long chase scene. I was bored from the first 5 page long action sequence. Beating up bad guys is not enough to make a novel, not by a long shot, and I am extremely disappointed after loving the first book so much. This novel just feels like a cheap imitation of Destiny. Actually, it barely even feels like the same series. I see that there are more books in the series, but I will not give it another chance.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Annja is still reeling from the news that she is the chosen successor to Joan of Arc herself in the quest for good triumphing over evil but she can't rest. Rumors abound that the fabled jar of Solomon has been found... the very one in which he trapped all the demons after using them to build his temple. Now Annja journeys across Europe to get the answers.

Several others are also interested in gaining the jar however, and the power it presumably gives to its owner. There is a British cult who wants it to return the world to how it was before humans sullied it. A popular televangelist longs to use the jar to instill himself as a global leader of religion. And the Russian mob wants it for their own unknown reasons. Who will find the jar and what will they do with it once they acquire it? Annja will do whatever it takes to preserve it for the great archeological find that it is.

I'm loving the Rogue Angel series! While I'd have liked to see a little more in each book about Joan of Arc and the reasons for Annja's ties to the sword, I'm enjoying the books for the thrilling adventures they are. Solomon's Jar is yet another fast paced adventure ride through the life and times of archeological expert Annja Creed. Action starts immediately and never lets up until the end. With a variety of enemies also on the trail of Solomon's Jar, each with their own lust for power driving them in different ways, we are kept guessing as to what will happen next and who will get in Annja's way this time.

Annja is one tough cookie and there's no messing with her. However, she has a softer side too that peeks out every now and again which does a great job of preventing Annja from being the stereotypical action-adventure female character. Most of them are hard and cold but not Annja, she has a heart and isn't afraid to reveal it sometimes. This is best evidenced through some of Annja's relationships, especially the romantic one brewing between Annja and Aidan Pascoe who is hunting down the jar for his own reasons.

I love the audio productions of the Rogue Angel series. I have a very strong impression in my mind of what Annja and company are like that may not be as clear through just reading the book. As if there wasn't enough intensity already, the sound effects up the ante, adding quite a bit to the story. My only complaint is that many times the sound effects are overdone and so overpowering that I can't even make out the dialogue between the characters. This was disappointing as I wanted to hear everything that was being said.

I look forward to the further adventures of Annja Creed so it's a good thing I have every single book available in audio already. This means I can move right along into the next book.

Again, not going to rehash the entire plot like others have done already. It's a nice read, easy to pick up and put down (such as lunch time reading)and interesting enough to keep me wanting to continue with the other stories in the series.

Annja is starting to accept her new role as a force for good when she sees a note online form someone who claims to have found Solomon's Jar and wants to know what it might be worth. The jar was supposedly created by King Solomon to trap the demons he commanded to build the Great Temple. Surely the stories could not be true. But soon Annja finds herself looking into the story. There could be some truth and the demons could be very real. But how does a female archeologist track down legends and demons even with a mystic sword? The answer is in very traditional ways with plenty of legwork.

Annja's investigations take here to many locations where she encounters many dangers as others are also on the trail of the jar. Annja begins to be convinced that the jar exists but is it what legend claims? Greek fishermen, Russian mafia, a celebrity guru, and a passel of demons all must be confronted and overcome for Annja to complete her mission and get the jar into proper hands where it will not be used for evil. Can she succeed?

A good follow-up to the first book in the series. Although demons feature strongly in the plot, the rest of the book is a little more down to Earth than the first. The style is a little different from the first book but that is often the case with origins. Annja Creed continues to be an interesting character and is still trying to figure out her new role in the world. Her "wizard" mentor plays a smaller part in this book and I hope to see more of him in the future. I have high hopes for this series. Check it out.

the reason im writing this review before reading it is because i saw one of the books in a book store that looked so good i bought it. i realised later it was the latest in the series. book eight i think. anyway, i have to say i loved it anyway and am now reaing book two. you'll love it if you like adventure stories about an intelligent woman who knows what she's doing. . .usually ;)

Destiny was one of my favorite books. Then I picked up Solomon's Jar - the second in the series. This book is a very good read that is so compulsively readable that you will want to finish it in one sitting as I did. However, that said, it is not as good as Destiny when it comes to the writing.

Even with the passage of time I was able to recognize the difference in the writing style of the person who wrote Destiny vs. the person who wrote Solomon's Jar. The writing was so different that I actually pulled Destiny off the shelf to compare the writing style - sure enough, there is a clear difference.

Now that aside, the difference in style doesn't matter as much as the fact that the person who wrote Destiny gave us a heroine who was immediately likeable and was reluctant to use her gifts to kill, even in self-defense. In Solomon's Jar, however, this writer interpreted the character a little differently and turned her into a near killing machine. Perhaps the writer of Solomon's Jar should have studied the character of Destiny that we all came to love.

It is rumored that this series is written using multiple authors all under the guise of the pen name Alex Archer. Now that I have read the first two books in the series, I can see that the rumor is indeed true.

Now that all aside, this book was a very good read that you don't want to put down once you start. I gave it four stars because this book was just not as well written as that in Destiny - character change and all aside. I still recommend this book and I will continue to read the other books in the series. This book can be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend that you read Destiny first. And, if you only plan to read one book in the series - read Destiny.

This is not as good as the first book, and Anja Creed rapidly hops from continent to continent at ridiculous speed, almost.

The ultimate goal is Solomon's Jar, thanks to some usenet help. It may or may not have demons in it. Along the way, she runs into one of her usenet correspondents, who turns out to be a decent bloke, rescuing her at one stage after a bitch fight with a crazed Brazilian supermodel.

She is a bit less than forthcoming about how she gets out of all her physical confrontations.

"I don't believe in superheroes...but you'd look smashing in a cape and tights." Is the quip her new friend Aidan comes up with.

Mad cultists and the Russian mafia make appearances.

With the huge outpouring of this new genre of mixed genres in the supernatural/occult/romance/fantasy-sci-fi we have Gold Eagle's Rogue Angel series, written by two of the best writers that Gold Eagle has in their store of writers, Mel Odom and Victor Milan. Both are respected writers for the past 20-years-plus, having written for several publishing houses and giving us everything from post-holocaust action/adventure to excellent sci-fi & fantasy series.

Mel Odom wrote the first one and now here we have Vicor Milan lending his tremendous talent in the 2nd book in Annja Creed's continent-jumping latest adventure, searching out a jar that is known to be holding demons locked in a jar.

In Victor Milan's well-known and great style, we have a very exciting beginning with Annja running from a group of mercs through the Amazon jungle. What then ensues is a continent-spanning adventure from the Amazon basin to Amsterdam to Egypt and beyond, filled with everything from demon-possessed baddies to Russian mafia hit-men to magical swords that slice and dice the reader through pages of exciting fun.

It is no wonder why this series has taken off like wildfire! And with two of the most respected adventure writers onboard, readers have tons of fun and exciting reading experiences in front of them.

But in regards to this particular novel, my husband and I thought that even though it was a solid entry, and Milan wrote Annja as a newly-grown adventurer not yet used to loads of bloodshed, we felt some elements of the reactions to her bloodletting were not wholly believable. We know in such novels you must suspend belief, but when Milan did write her abhorance to her killing, it was like after the third battle sequence or so.

Being martial artists, my husband and I like to read an author who knows the basics of hand-to-hand combat, therin creating more believable action sequences that make the reading experience that much more enjoyable. Milan does that.

But we had to wonder why Annja Creed doesn't get a license to carry a gun, since a hidden magical sword isn't as good as an AK-47. After being chased and attacked by so many bad guys, hopefully in future volumes she will learn this lesson.

Great work, Mr. Milan! Keep up the high level of suspence and adventure.