Bloodring

by Faith Hunter

ROC Books; $14; 337 pp.

It’s a good hundred years after the biblical Apocalypse has arrived---without the Rapture. The seraphim appeared all over the world and the plagues came and millions died. The world is still dealing with the effects of a nuclear winter. Electronics and mechanical things are just beginning to be more common. (Most people get about by horseback and the occasional train). No appearance from God, or Jesus. Just the warrior angels referred to as “seraphs” here.

(And interestingly enough, Hunter sets it up so there are people who actually believe that the seraphs are part of an alien invasion. And there are some interesting hints near the end of the book concerning this).

The story here centers on a rogue “neomage” whose existence has remained hidden in Mineral City in the Carolinas. Mages are highly regulated and must live in specific enclaves. Thorn St. Croix is a stone mage: all rocks, from jewels set in rings to giant granite boulders, respond to her and give her magic-wielding strength.

And strength is needed, because not only are there prickly and distant seraphs living in enclaves called “Realms of Light” but there are, of course, very strict religious folk who consider mages or a “witchy-woman” in Thorn’s case—an “abomination” who should be destroyed. The Darkness has proliferated throughout underground. And they, of course, will attack and eat anything human after dark. Humanity’s only defense against this evil spawn is the mages—which are called the “First Unforseen” because they are the results between matings between human and seraphs and then there is the “Second Unforseen” who are very similar but are mostly considered “mules” for they usually cannot reproduce. These folks are an unforeseen result of the Apocalypse.

The seraphs remove themselves mostly from human affairs and rarely appear, even though the Darkness has made its appearance. Humans, after all, have souls and because they are innocent they will go onward either to heaven or hell. However, mages are considered soulless. And because they have no hope of an afterlife, they may call upon the help of seraphs when they are in “dire” need and threatened with death.

Thorn St. Croix of course, gets into trouble.

This is a wonderful, strange tale. St. Croix is a town jeweler who runs a business with several friends. She was married once to Lucas who cannot keep his hands to himself. They are now divorced. But now Lucas has been attacked by the Darkness (his abduction was caught on a security camera) and has gone missing.

And then, a half-breed “kylen” (a result of mages and seraphs mating) Thaddeus Bartholomew comes to town to investigate Lucas disappearance. The author has decided that the seraphs and mages have an almost unstoppable compulsion to mate. So Thorn has to fight the urge to fling herself on the detective who does not really know he’s part seraph because a ring he wears (which he has had forever) damps down his magical heritage.

And that’s one of the very nifty things about this novel: all the magics that are used or not used. The fact that the seraphs are unearthly beauties—but not particularly kind or interested in humans, except if they break the rules (mostly established by the Bible—but there are still Muslims and Jews and Hindus—so it is not solely a Christian world). That mages have sprung up and help in the fight against the Darkness.

This is great fun. I found it enticingly different.

The characters are very interesting and so is the story.

And more importantly: undoubtedly there will be more.

Can’t wait. (Especially to see if Thorn finally gets together with the oh-so-compelling Thaddeus Bartholomew!) - Sue Martin