1519

by Clive Rhodes ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

In Rhodes’ novel, a host of hellish demons wander 16th-century Italy in search of treasure that will lead them back to the Tree of Life.

The story features a rotating cast of narrators, none of them human. Readers are first introduced to Satan, who posits that Hell is actually “the ordinary, mundane world inhabited by mortals and the handful of demons who are condemned to eternally roam unrecognized amongst them.” He has deep resentment toward his father, Rex Mundi, and wishes to eventually replace him as King of the World. However, at Mundi’s behest, Satan travels to Heaven and convinces six archangels (Lucifer, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Mammon, and Belphegor—who each take turns narrating the novel) to leave Heaven and escape the rule of the boring, vain Holy Queen of the Universe. The group becomes known as The Seven Demons after Mundi places their souls into wolves and gives them the power to take over a human’s body at will. Soon, they’re on the hunt for seeds from the Tree of Life, which Satan hid centuries ago. He’s unable to tell them the location directly, so the group must rely on a series of clues that begins with Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. (Leonardo, in this fictional universe, is actually the demon Belphegor in disguise.) Because the demons can’t seize the treasure themselves, they recruit a trio of unsuspecting humans—Christoffe de Fillony, Michel de Nostredame, and Hans Holbein—to do the work for them. Chaos predictably ensues, complete with betrayal, treachery, and the appearance of a mysterious woman. The novel concludes with a handful of satisfying and truly shocking turns.

Rhodes consistently maintains tongue-in-cheek dialogue among his various demon narrators. Their snarky asides provide the novel with a sense of levity, as when Lucifer complains about Satan always making himself look good in stories; readers then hear a wildly different version of the Fall: “[Satan] tended to describe his role as a well-meaning, innocent victim of the machinations of a diabolical Queen who, he claimed, duped him into agreeing to the Undignified Exit clause at the last minute in the negotiations. The truth of the matter was that he was simply a lousy bargainer.” The demons also periodically take the form of real-life historical figures, such as the Italian philosopher Hieronymus de Manfredis, which adds to the sense of being let in on a giant cosmic joke. Hidden among all the clever references is an engaging adventure story with supernatural twists. The characters’ conversations aren’t exactly natural-sounding, but they do fit the era in which the bulk of the novel takes place—and, after all, the narrators aren’t even human. The massive cast of characters, complicated further by the demons’ ever-changing identities, can sometimes prove confusing. However, readers will ultimately be rewarded for their patience and attention—not just by a clever, offbeat story, but also by a barrage of twists at the end, which put the previous events of the story into a rather different light.

A sprawling, inventive tale that tackles a familiar theme of good versus evil in a refreshing way.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

FANTASY | GENERAL FANTASY | EPIC FANTASY