Thomas F. Monteleone, Serpentine

Serpentine

Thomas F. Monteleone

Borderlands Press, Jun 2007, $16.95

ISBN: 1880325764

In Scarpino, Italy, the old too small village church was replaced by a modern edifice with its altar moved. No one was prepared for what resided underneath the altar in the old church when the religious icon was moved.

Just after the altar was relocated, Sophia Rousseau appears out of seemingly nowhere and begins a trek as she has done for many millennia. Men and women desire her at first sight and die for her at first contact. Sophia is on her way to Manhattan looking forward to mingling with its phallic towers as she brings her ancient supremacy to the new age seat of power. Deaths remain her calling card leading to fifty year old paranormal expert Matthew Cavendish to conclude that a beautiful ancient demon is sucking out the essence of life; some religious types would insist the Angel of Death is stealing their souls.

From the opening sequence in Italy to Sophia Manhattan journey, readers will enjoy this terrific battle between good (Matthew) and evil (Sophia) although the audience will ponder the absolutism of what is evil once Sophia's cause surfaces. The story line is fast-paced, but is at its best with the hero and villain stepping closer to a modern day confrontation. Flashbacks to several historical periods like the Ancient Greeks enables the reader to better understand Sophia's motives and how powerful she is, but that also slows down the overall tense tale; these side trips and more tales of Sophia's past would make a great short story collection. Still Sophia steals the novel as she is more than a sexy soul eating demon; she is female on a mission to achieve an objective.

Harriet Klausner