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Exodus (Hellgate, London, Book 1)
by Mel Odom
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Pocket Star (2007-06-26)
ISBN: 1416525793
EAN: 9781416525790
Dewy Decimal #: 813
Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
SKU: MM2547
Condition: Very Good
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
LONDON, 2038 The once-great city lies in ruins. A massive gash in the fabric of our reality roils against the horizon as it blends into a permanently darkened sky. The world as we know it has come to an end. Demons, the visions of our nightmares, walk the Earth. Mankind, driven in retreat to the sanctuary of the Underground, struggles to survive the Hellish apocalypse. Among the survivors are those who foresaw the coming of the darkness, those who see it as an opportunity to improve the standing of man, and those who seek revenge for what was lost. All are now banding together in the shadows, arming themselves with futuristic weapons and arcane spells designed for one purpose -- to battle the demonic hordes and take back their world.
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Customer Reviews
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Walking Weapon Arsenals (Knights)
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-12-01
Armed with snub-nosed bolt throwers and limb severing metal nets, the knights created by Mel Odom in Hellgate: London bring constant surprises. The battle scenes are vivid and never let up once they begin. The cool thing is, just when you think you have seen all of the weapons and technology used by the knights/demons, Mel exposes you to yet another creative contraption that ensures demon blood. The world/society Odom creates is creative, descriptive yet to the point. He does not embellish his atmosphere with "wordy" descriptions that cause the reader to become bored. I am currently reading the second book, and I will eagerly read the third to see this series's conclusion.
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A Much Smoother Read...
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-05-03
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
...Than the second. Yeah, I read the books in reverse order, because the second book was available locally, and the first was not. I won't bore you or spoil the story in any way by going in depth with the book, but I'll say this much: Mr. Odom does an excellent job swinging between the two primary characters in the book. Not only does he give both of them their own fair share of screen time, but he chooses exactly the right moment to shift from the hero to the antihero, and vice versa.
I must admit that originally, this was actually a complaint of mine, because to me, at least, the antihero (Warren Schimmer) is quite a bit more interesting to read about than the hero (Simon Cross). So I'd be reading along and finish a chapter centered on Warren only to be jarred back to the much more--at the time--mundane Simon chapters. Eventually though, as the book gets its clip, both sides become equally exciting to read about, and you find yourself drawn in.
But of course, as I said in the beginning, this book is far better written than the second in terms of writing errors. Whereas the second book was plagued with issues--primarily grammatical--this book is all but free of any major problems whatsoever.
That said, the series is, without a doubt, one of the better book series I've read, and worth checking out.
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Not a review just a quality assurance comment
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-04-07
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I have just purchased this and finding it a rather gripping read. Sadly the proof reading was appalling. Nothing story quality-wise but terrible word replacements in the most distracting moments, repeatedly and predictably so. The word "lie" appears instead of "he" more often than I bear to count, "oven" instead of "over" - just two examples of many transcription-type errors ... did the author use a handwriting scanning and conversion software package instead of of a human proofreader ?
I am looking forward to the next in the "trilogy" but I am also hoping that the frequency of spelling errors (if this can be correctly used to describe the usage of correctly spelled but incorrect words) that disrupts the flow of reading the first book in series, does not exist in the second.
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Cutting edge science and legend merge in an apocalyptic battle against demons
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-03-23
The first novel in the HELLGATE LONDON, Mel Odom's EXODUS provides readers and game players with a prelude set eighteen years before the role playing interactive computer game. Mel Odom's book will appeal not only to game lovers but also to a more general action fiction readership who crave legendary history, technology and intriguing characters.
On All Hallow's Eve 2020 Thomas Cross, a Templar sworn to protect London to his death, enters the battle for which he has dedicated his entire life. Prepared for death, survival signifies failure in a battle against demons that have arrived through a portal and now threaten devastation beyond anything the world has never known. Armed with Nanodyne armor and arcane knowledge unavailable to the masses, Thomas enters battle, indeed his destiny. His son Simon trained as a Templar but rejected his legendary heritage in the disbelief of the reality of demons while also wanting to make his own way in the world. Now Simon conducts safaris in the wild lands of South Africa with Saundra McIntyre, sometimes encountering poachers in dangerous though less mythical fights than those of Templar legends. Returning to Cape Town after a particularly perilous action-packed encounter, Simon realizes he must return home to London in search of his father. When others are risking everything to get out of the apocalyptic mayhem that has laid waste to London, Simon risks his life to return. While others tell of aliens arriving, Simon now knows the truth behind his childhood Templar training --- somehow demons have been unleashed and all the tales he heard were not fairy tales or the delusions of his elders.
The general populace faces unfathomable devastation beyond the worst natural disasters. Power outages render people and technology helpless. Food and water become scarce while smoke darkens the sky. All normal services, substructures and civilization are no more. An attempt at escape or even emergence to look for basic necessities risks encounters with demons.
Set against the battle with the demons, two ancient organizations face the demons and each other in a subplot to the main battle between humans and demons. The Templars, driven underground in 1307 by Philip the Fair, now reside in secret chambers underneath London behind the subway system, teaching their heirs the stories of King Arthur and the responsibilities of knighthood. The Cabalists, fed on the works of Aleister Crowley and H.P. Lovecraft, seek to study demons rather than to do battle against them. A Cabalist invites Warren Schimmer to their enclave after recognizing his potential during one demon encounter. As Warren's powers grow, so do the risks --- risks with possible consequences both personal and widespread. In the battle against the demons' onslaught, Mel Odom pits organization against organization and man against man as internal politics and personal jealousies arise. The outcome promises not to be simple when one member makes a Faustian bargain that might endanger the entire human world.
EXODUS is a magnificent opening to a trilogy, setting up powerful characters, legends and personal histories as a background. The reader is drawn into the characters of both Simon and Warren as their personal histories make them multi-dimensional and indeed mythical. The powerful portrait of father and son relationships complements the fast-paced action, adding depth and personal stakes into the approaching apocalypse. Fierce loyalties and resentments undergird dynamic adrenaline-high action. Mel Odom displays a sweeping and thorough command of history and literature as well as more modern pop culture, making the world of HELLGATE LONDON a riveting read that gives more and more delight with each new finely embedded precise detail. Mel Odom captures the magic and lure of ancient history, merging elemental forces with physical science and modern technology in a trilogy that will appeal to action lovers, computer gamers, Medievalists and Moderns, and just about anyone who loves a great science fiction or dark fantasy read. EXODUS, Book One of HELLGATE, LONDON is a brilliant tale from a master storyteller.
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Excellently written, action-packed
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-02-29
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
The Knights Templar are usually linked with the enigmatic Freemasons, but in "Hellgate: London: Exodus," their purpose is clear: to save the citizens of London from demons leaking from the gates of Hell ('Hellgates', if you need more clarification).
You know, everyday stuff.
Author Mel Odom knows how to write a good book. And he more than proves it with Exodus, the first of three in the "Hellgate: London" series, following former Knight Thomas Cross through his struggles with accepting himself and his fate...or completely changing fate altogether.
Meanwhile, Londoner Warren Schimmer deals with the battles of living with roommates that despise him and surviving an attack from one of the Hellgates' demons.
As I said, everyday stuff.
Odom expertly intertwines Cross's and Schimmer's stories very gradually, creating an action-packed tale of good versus evil, or more simply, the changing of powers. As Thomas makes his way from his escape of South Africa to London to search for his father, or what remains of him, Warren staves off death and watches his body slowly transform into a tool for the demons.
The inclusion of characters like Leah Creasey, who holds more secrets than she's willing to tell, and Schimmer's roommate Kelli, whom he is almost unconsciously mind-controlling, helps expand a somewhat restricted storyline and add elements of impending disaster to the most heart-pounding situations. And trust me - there are a lot of 'em.
Now, if I could just find out where to get one of those Knights' cool armour suits....
- T.C. Robson
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