Get ready for a wild, bumpy and sometimes chilling ride through the unknown with The Winter War, by Jason Garrett.
The latest in a long running saga of Bishop's Island, this work chronicles some of the events of demon-hunter turned preacher, Eric Kade.
The fictitious world of Bishop's Island draws you in and holds fast with a cold, iron grip.
Although not clear where geographically on the earth it may reside, you'll be reminded of perhaps a Northeastern and historically rich state like Maine.
It may also make you think of quaint and rural towns in England that adorn the rocky coasts near the frigid ocean waters where fishermen risk their lives to make a living.
The place has its own and unique culture as well as a complicated history of both the men and supernatural forces that have fought to control the lives of those who choose to live there.
It is on this island where readers sometimes feel a bit trapped--especially at night, when the snow is falling and you're on the edge of a forest.
In the distance, one hears the waves crash hard against the rocky cliffs and danger is somewhere near.
As potential peril lurks around every corner, we follow seasoned hunters as they seek to confront that which most of us would flee from.
Using sight, smell, tracking skills, medieval-type weaponry, some supernatural powers, but mostly instinct, our hunters and huntresses confront the worst in both the seen and unseen realms.
The hunters, trained to kill while mere children, are at the top of their game and already have much experience in their late twenties and early thirties.
But their objectives and motives are fueled by so much more than just the need to eliminate evil from the world.
Weaving a complex storyline of love, family, and betrayal, Garrett pulls from his imagination plots that cut deep into the hearts and souls of his both human and inhuman characters.
Our main character, Eric Kade, is a man who has made tough decisions and commitments, and he clings ruthlessly to them, and his faith, against everything trying to stop him.
In the face of total abandonment and treachery by people he used to love and was loyal to, he trusts in his God and moves forward.
To further escalate the difficulty of his situation, he also finds himself in the position of protecting innocents who are being used and manipulated by evil that seeks revenge and ultimately the destruction of our hero.
To avoid further mistakes as well as make amends, Kade must make some of the most difficult choices of his life.
Alongside Kade in this war are a diverse group of individuals.
One of his best friends, a hunter who is a superior tracker and fighter in some ways, betrays himself and succumbs to retaliation and evil.
A huntress turned witch joins our group and bravely confronts evil to help her friend.
Also against Kade, among many others, is a highly skilled huntress who has sold her soul to the obsession of revenge as well as the worst kind of malicious evil.
The Winter War is a continuing account of many intertwined lives and the challenges they face.
And unlike some other novels of Jason Garrett, it has a highly mysterious and cliffhanger ending.
If you get absorbed into the story as much as I was, you'll look forward to the continuing plight of our characters and the ever shadowy and surreptitious events of a place called Bishop's Island.