God's Demon
Wayne Barlowe
Tor, Oct 2007, $24.95
ISBN 9780765309853
The civil war in Heaven ended with fallen angels banished to Hell. There a restrictive hierarchy formed with Beelzebub on the top of the pyramid and human sinners in the ooze at the bottom. Most of the Fallen are either pleased with the brutally oppressed set up especially those near the top or just too frightened to complain as Beezlebub runs a tightly controlled chain of command. However, there are rivalries running competing micro kingdoms mostly within a layer in which a local ruler wants an edge, but none come close to impacting the top leadership.
However, one angry former angel General Sargatanus has never forgotten The First War; he lives in anguish over the defeat and what could have been if Lucifer let the Generals run the fight and is livid that his side has given up hope for eternity. He wants back in Heaven, but fears open rebellion in Hell as his superiors are contented with the status quo of abusing those beneath them and strict obeisance to those above them in the chain of command. He decides he has enough subjugating to losers and he might as well have stayed upstairs if he has to kneel for eternity. When he is pushed over the edge, all hell breaks loose as he and several others of the downtrodden demonic fallen angels and the once human damned explode; civil war has occurred again this time starting in Hell as Sargatanus believes he cannot fall any further than he already has so this is step one in his strategic plan to win the Second War Between Heaven and Hell.
Hell seems real and the Fallen appear genuine turning Wayne Barlowe’s allegorical thriller into a fabulous exciting tale. GOD’S DEMON contains parallels to church hierarchy and American Federalism with Congressional fiefdoms and an imperial President ruling Hell instead of America. Fans will enjoy Mr. Barlowe’s deep look at the players making up his Inferno.
Harriet Klausner
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