Omega’s Shepherd: Book I of the White Circle Trilogy
Four out of five stars.
Omega’s Shepherd: Book I of the White Circle Trilogy
, is a beautiful journey into a world of spiritual warfare and fully-developed characters. I’m hoping the next two installments come out soon, because I feel like this one just whetted my appetite!
At the beginning the book, a demon is sent out to battle against forces of good in the world. These forces, embodied in James Omega and his friends, are trying to prepare for a battle. They believe they have found their Shepherd, or leader, in the form of a college student named Michael Johns, and they are using tests and trials to mold him into the man he needs to be to win. We are teased with references here and there to exactly what the Shepherd is supposed to do, but it is not really explained. There are many great characters in this book, not least of which is Anna Dawn, Professor Omega’s assistant. She plays the cello, organizes everything, and banters with Omega in a delightful way. The demon builds his own network of followers and co-conspirators, who are equally compelling characters.
My only frustration with this book was that it was a lot of building anticipation, and very little delivery. There are a few scenes of conflict, but overall the entire book seems to serve as a prologue to the next two. I enjoyed every word of it, because of the beautiful prose (this book is extremely well-written), but I would have liked a more complete story, even if it meant condensing some of this book down. We are tantalized with the prospect of revelations and disclosures, but for the most part the book ends before they take place. The other possible issue some might have with the book is its strange blend of environmentalism and religion. I didn’t think that the themes of environmentalism and stewardship were taken too far, but at times the protagonist characters would mention God, and at other times they would refer to ‘Mother Earth,’ and it was often difficult to tell whether they were using cultural references or the world was built with those entities in mind.
That said, the book is a pleasure to read. The dialogue, the characters, the descriptions — they all blend together perfectly into a book that reminds me of my favorite meal, all the flavors well-balanced.
I would recommend it to anyone looking for a complex, well-developed fantasy read. Because this book contains themes of spiritual warfare, demonic influence, and physical violence in addition to non-descriptive sexual situations, I rate it appropriate for children 16 and older on the Aardvark Scale.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
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