'Salvation' by Simon G. Scott

TITLE: Salvation (Book 1—a God’s Testament)
AUTHOR: Simon G. Scott
PRICE: Book: $7.58, e-book: $1.91
GENRE: FANTASY
ISBN:
PUBLISHER: Lulu
POINT OF SALE: http://www.lulu.com/content/199222

Salvation opens with an epic battle between good and evil gods in a timeless celestial world. The early protagonist of the story is Edmund, an angel who dies defending heaven, but then moves to Balic a god of terror who walks from the battlefield victorious but dissatisfied. The discovery of a new, human world opens up new possibilities.

Simon G. Scott’s prose is smooth and vivid with only very minor errors. While both Edmund and Balic are well-developed characters and I found each scene engaging, the overall narrative constantly changes direction and ends up feeling disjointed especially in the middle chapters. Salvation is filled with characters based on, and presumably depicted as, precursors of human gods from many cultures. However the connection between these characters and their name-sakes seemed under-developed.

‘Salvation’ is not at all difficult to read, but for a short work (less than 20,000 words) it lacks the focus and central narrative needed to truly grab my attention and interest me in reading any sequels (as implied by the ‘Book 1’ subtitle). However the fast moving martial action and intriguing ending suggests that the book may appeal to younger readers.

RATING: 5/10

SEE ALSO: (ratings scaled to /10)
8/10 Lulu

AVERAGE RATING: 6.5/10