Mortal Coils

Mortal Coils #1
Author: Eric S. Nylund
Age genre: Fantasy | Young Adult Fiction
Release date: February 3rd 2009
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The beginning was seriously slow, the pace didn't really pick up until nearly halfway into the book. We're left wondering who everyone is, what their relation is to the two main characters and who their parents truly are. The author spent a lot of time building up the plot and setting up a nice background story, by reinventing certain mythological aspects to fit into this "universe". Gods exist and they're not exactly what you would think they'd be. The evil counterparts to the "Good" Gods are the Fallen Angels and not "dark gods" or even Titans. This is where it gets a little confusing since the author mixes up a bit of classical Greek/Egyptian mythology with aspects of Christianity. Apparently there was a war in heaven and the "Bad Guys" are the Fallen Angels who rebelled against (The) God, lost and were banished to the mortal realms. These Fallen Angels are referred to as Infernals and they end up ruling most of Hell. Now there's a BIG problem resulting from the Angels' Fall from Grace. The Earth already has a ruling class and they're not too happy about sharing the already limited space with a bunch of super-powerful, immortal beings that used to be "Good".

Contrary to their name, Immortals can actually be killed (as seen from the deaths of a Titan at the hands of one of the main characters, an attempt at killing a God by the same character and the death of a Fallen Angel by the "God-killer". A lot of things happen throughout the story after the slow start and it makes the wait worth it. You're always left wondering whether a character is a God/Infernal or something else entirely. There are a lot of battles, revelations and along the way the parents of Fiona and Eliot are finally revealed.

Scores
Cover:  7
Characters: 9
Story: 9

Overall:  9/10
Comment: This is an epic fantasy book with a load of innovative content. The characters are believable in the sense that they have all the right reactions to the situations that come up in the book and do not commit the literary faux pas of some mainstream novels in which the "guy/girl suddenly fall hopelessly in love at first sight for no bloody reason other than the fact that the other character is physically attractive". If you like Greek or Egyptian mythology, then you're sure to love this book.