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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

KM Wilsher reviews HAUNT OF JACKALS by Eric Wilson

Haunt of Jackals by Eric Wilson
Book 2 of Jerusalem’s undead Trilogy
3 DAY REVIEW FOR CHRISTIAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY BLOG TOUR

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE AUTHOR
CLICK HERE FOR MY SYNOPSIS OF HAUNT OF JACKALS

CLICK HERE to find HAUNT OF JACKALS for sale.
CLICK HERE for Eric Wilson’s Web site
CLICK HERE for The Undead Trilogy Web site

Read below for my final post -- KM Wilsher reviews HAUNT OF JACKALS



My favorite things about HAUNT OF JACKALS?
I love the character, Cal Nichols. A fallen Nastarim. Imperfect. He lets his heart cloud his judgment, and he loses his position among the immortal due to the heat of passion. He is a father, guardian of the world, protector of the remaining Nastirim, and mentor to the upcoming Nastarim. Very relatable don’t you think? Cal is my favorite character.

Gina, Cal’s daughter, is the true main character. She spent many years without knowledge of her father. Her lonely childhood is riddled with abuse. As a rebel teenager she marries young and loses much. Just as Gina finds purpose for her life in the some orphans she cares for, she is yanked into this war between vampires and the followers of the Nazerene. Collectors vs. Nastarim. And her adopted son becomes the target for the worst of the Collectors, the Alkedama – the ones born of the blood of Judas Iscariot.

There was a lot going on in Haunt of Jackals. This may be the story’s Achilles heel. Sometimes I got lost. The Nastarim and the Collectors are a large group of many different powers and levels. I am not sure I ever understood them completely.

And, sometimes I felt like I was on a sightseeing tour. Little pieces of information kept popping up like those plaques in front of state monuments, giving me tiny bits of information. You know the ones with just enough of a story to make you want to know the whole story. Dracula, biblical history, Jewish folklore, salvation, archeology and theology they all darted in and darted out. I wanted to know more, but more would have been a tangent and not a fact to move the story forward.

I did like HAUNT OF JAKALS. After reading the first in JERUSALEM’S UNDEAD TRILOGY: FIELD OF BLOOD, I wasn’t sure I would, but I did. The story started to grab me, and I was invested.

If you like Horror, Haunt of Jackals is pretty creepy at times. These vamps are no Twilight, pretty boy, Brad Pitt, Interview-with -a-Vampire types.

If you like history and archeology, you’ll find some of both here.

I think there are some great discussions. Jesus Christ is alive throughout this book.

One time Cal describes church to Gina as – “a group getting together on Thursday night or going to the coast together for the weekend.” Giving the picture of a family – how the Church should be.
Gina has to answer questions about her own beliefs in a very contemporary, relevant way.

Hurray Eric Wilson - what a subtle, gentle, but very apparent inclusion of the Truth, the Way and the Life. This is one opinion, check out the tour below.

Over all, I’d say this book has a hook. I had tears at the end, and wished the next book was already on the shelf. The bumps are over now, and the story draws me in like a magnet gathers flecks of metal.

Don’t forget to check out what others on the tour are saying about HAUNT OF JACKALS.
MAKE SURE TO TOUR THE FOLLOWING LINKS:
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
John W. Otte
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

9 comments:

Jill Williamson said...

Fun post. I like Cal the best, too. He's just so much fun. I think I relate most to Gina, though it hurts to see how thick she can be...but I was that thick...

:-)

Keanan Brand said...

Good review -- and I think I like that cover picture better than the one that's on my copy of the book.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, KM. Your reviews are helpful.

KM Wilsher said...

Hey fellow-Cal-fan-Jill :) We can be thick, huh? Gina was believable for sure :) Thanks for the comment - your review was great!

Keanan - I know, this cover is great! It is not on my book, I found it on the net. Wonder why the two different covers?
Thanks for coming over!

Lynn - yours too, thank you! Good luck at Fight Club. Everybody go over to Fight Club and, if you like the story: CHARGED, vote for Lynn Rush :)

Rachel Starr Thomson said...

Great cover! I see it's already stirring comment :).

I agree that the ending hook was great. In fact, I thought it was one of the best parts of the book :).

Brandon Barr said...

Good review KM :)

KM Wilsher said...

Me too, Rachel. I didn't see it coming!

Brandon, thank you! Nice to see you!

Rebecca LuElla Miller said...

I agree the ending was satisfying. (And I liked Cal, too, though I also liked Gina. I thought Eric did a good job making them likable). I'm glad you enjoyed the book--which supports my review conclusion. There will be people out there who are the target audience.

Becky

KM Wilsher said...

Rebecca, It sure does! Thanks for the comment. This was a great tour, you agree?
Lots of great conversation over a great book!