Lincoln Cole – Sci-Fi Kingdom

World of Shadows: Book 3 – The Bishop’s Legacy (Book Review)

The Bishop’s Legacy is the third and final part of Lincoln Cole’s World of Shadows trilogy. Arthur Vangeest and Father Niccolo Paladina continue their quest to prevent Bishop Leopold Glasser’s evil plans against the Church from coming to fruition.

With the Bishop gone it is up to Jeremy, Leopold’s second in command and the most powerful of the Vatican Children, to finish what the Bishop has begun. Meanwhile, Arthur and Niccolo, with help from the Council of Chaldea and the Catholic Church, must find Jeremy and stop him from unleashing a demonic army upon the unsuspecting world.

The Bishop’s Legacy is a very short novel at around 200 or so pages, and in my opinion far too short. It takes a long time before anything of relevance really happens, and I would have preferred a lot more action and excitement in this concluding story.

One of my main peeves about the previous novel, The Vatican Children, is that we don’t receive much detail about the children with special abilities, such as what their abilities are, how they work and what the Bishop really wants to use them for. I had hoped that since these children play an important role in this final book, that we would learn a lot more about all of the different children. Unfortunately, only a small handful are discussed, and even less of those actually contribute to the overall story. This is extremely disappointing.

There are also a lot of loose ends, from both the World of Shadows and also the World on Fire series, which have yet to be concluded. Does this mean that a third trilogy is imminent?

One final thing to note is the large number of spelling and grammar errors within this rather short novel, well over 30 of them in fact. As a result, I feel that The Bishop’s Legacy, is an inadequate conclusion to an otherwise intriguing series at just 3 out of 5 stars.

However, those interested in discovering how the story ends can pick up a copy of The Bishop’s Legacy from Amazon here.

World of Shadows: Book 2 – The Vatican Children (Book Review)

It has taken me a little longer than planned to read the second instalment of Lincoln Cole’s World of Shadows trilogy, but here it is, my review of The Vatican Children.

As it follows on directly from events in The Everett Exorcism, it is highly recommended that you read part one of this trilogy before moving on to The Vatican Children. Arthur Vangeest and Father Niccolo Paladina are now preparing to confront Bishop Glasser and hopefully thwart his evil plans against the Church.

So far, this story, as with most middle novels in a trilogy, seems to be just setting the scene for the conclusion that will come in the final book, linking parts one and parts three together, without moving the story on very far. However, the pace is good and brisk, giving the reader just enough detail and intrigue to keep them hooked and continually turning the page.

It includes more characters from the World on Fire series, building on character development and providing additional information, which increases the readers’ knowledge, understanding and ultimately their enjoyment of both trilogies.

The Vatican Children deals with a very controversial theme that surround the Catholic Church, the mistreatment of children by those with power and authority within the organisation. I commend the author for his bravery in writing such a story.

Unfortunately, the Vatican Children are only briefly alluded to within this book, and I found it rather disappointing that we didn’t receive more details of their ‘special abilities’. Hopefully this will be rectified in the third and final part of the World of Shadows trilogy, which is due for release on 30^th January 2018.

As far as The Vatican Children goes I can only give it 4 out of 5 stars. It is a decent novel, compelling enough that I read it in one sitting, adding depth to both the World on Fire and World of Shadows series’ and I look forward to finding out how the intriguing story ends. However, based on its predecessor I had expected there to be much more action, suspense and horror within this book, and sadly it fell a little short of those expectations. It sets the scene for the next novel, but had a basic plot that could have been so much more.

Grab your copy of The Vatican Children at Amazon here, before Lincoln Cole releases the series conclusion later this month, The Bishop’s Legacy.

If you would like to support this authors’ work he is also running a Kickstarter Campaign for his new technothriller novel, CRISPR.

For more details you can visit the Kickstarter page here.

World of Shadows: Book 1 – The Everett Exorcism (Book Review)

Ever since I read an excerpt from The Everett Exorcism at the end of one of Lincoln Cole’s earlier novels, Raven’s Peak, I have been eagerly awaiting the moment of its release, and luckily for me I have actually received an advanced readers’ copy of the new book, direct from the author, and can therefore give you this review on the actual day of its release.

The Everett Exorcism follows Vatican Priest, Father Niccolo Paladina as he travels to the city of Everett, Washington upon orders from his superiors. Father Paladina has been trained as an exorcist by the Catholic Church in Rome, and as a result he has been tasked with investigating claims of demonic activity when an elderly woman appears to be acting erratically.

Father Paladina, and his colleagues, doubt the credibility of the claim made by Father Jackson Reynolds, believing instead that Rose Gallagher would benefit more from the care of a psychiatrist, rather than that of an exorcist. However, bound by his oath to the church, he must thoroughly investigate the situation, regardless of the outcome. This places both Father Paladina and Father Reynolds’ lives in jeopardy.

For those already familiar with Lincoln Cole’s World on Fire series, The Everett Exorcism takes place sometime between events in The Ninth Circle, a World on Fire novella, which can be found on Amazon here, and the events of Raven’s Peak.

As a result the book includes familiar characters that play important roles within this excellent story, and provides additional information on the Council of Chaldea and Arthur Vangeest, which gives more depth to both of the World on Fire and the World of Shadows series.

Having already read some of Lincoln Cole’s previous work, I had high hopes for this book, and I was not disappointed. The novel is well written, with an engaging plot, likeable and relatable characters, and plenty of suspense and mystery.

With no obvious issues, aside from one instance where a characters’ name is clearly confused with that of another – swap out Abigail for Frieda – I rate The Everett Exorcism at a full 5 out of 5 stars. Those interested can pick up a copy from Amazon here. This offers a great start to yet another amazing book series from Lincoln Cole. The follow-up, The Vatican Children, is due for release this coming Halloween, just mere days away, and I for one, cannot wait to read it.

See Also:

World on Fire Series – Book Review

World of Shadows: Book 2 – The Vatican Children (Book Review)

World of Shadows: Book 3 – The Bishop’s Legacy (Book Review)

World on Fire Series – Book Review

Since I am currently reading an ARC (advanced readers copy) of Lincoln Cole’s newest novel The Everett Exorcism, due for release later this month, I felt that this was a good time to republish my earlier review of his World on Fire series.

In Raven’s Peak the first instalment of the World on Fire paranormal fantasy series, Abigail Dressler is defying orders from the Council of Chaldea, an organisation intent on protecting the world from supernatural threats. Her mentor, Arthur Vangeest, has went missing after an altercation with a powerful demon, and despite being advised not to pursue that line of enquiry, Abigail is determined to find him. Her search leads her to Raven’s Peak where the local townsfolk are acting in a really bizarre manner.

The follow-up and second novel in the World on Fire series is Raven’s Fall. The Council places Abigail on trial to answer for her recent actions and dissent in the town of Raven’s Peak. Believing her to be a security threat to the organisation, Aram Malhotra, leader of the Council, petitions to have Abigail charged with treason and removed from the Order of Hunters, by having her executed. Can her friends save her before it is too late?

Raven’s Rise is the third and final novel in the World on Fire trilogy, and thanks to Aram’s deceit and treachery the Council of Chaldea now lies in ruins. A powerful threat looms over the few surviving members of the Council and the Order of Hunters, and the Catholic Church has turned against them. Can those remaining prevent the demon from completing the ritual and unleashing an evil entity upon the world?

At first I was sceptical of this series due to the religious cults and secret organisations, fearing that the constant talk of religion would result in a rather boring and disinteresting story, but thankfully religion doesn’t play a major role, as the book concentrates more on the emotional and physical after-effects of demonic possession and the psychic links between demons and their hosts, rather than on the banishments and exorcisms that you may expect from other demonic possession novels, such as The Exorcist.

Raven’s Peak is a riveting page-turner which constantly leaves you craving more, and with no filler material added to help bulk up the story, this is a fantastic, past-paced novel for fans of both horror and fantasy. You can read my full review of Raven’s Peak here at onlinebookclub.org.

Both sequels, Raven’s Fall and Raven’s Rise, continue in the same manner as the first, reeling in the reader with their strong, action packed storylines, keeping you on tenterhooks and cliff-hangers as the tale quickly unfolds.

Once you begin reading this series it will be a struggle to stop, until you have devoured all three books in quick succession. While not always a fan of the paranormal, I found Lincoln Cole’s World on Fire series to be a very surprising, thrilling and entertaining read, with all three novels scoring a full 5/5 star rating.

Please keep an eye out for my review of The Everett Exorcism which is due for release on October 24th.