I Am Satan (2012)

"Thoughts of revenge on Asmodeus invaded the space I held for Judas" - Mary Magdalene

Michael is still no closer to being re-united with Charlotte, who is in purgatory, and has to battle his anger against God else risk turning into a demon. First things first, Michael must establish his dominion over Hell and marshal its not inconsiderate forces to have any hope of storming the ramparts of Heaven. Helping out are a few old friends from the last book and strangely Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene! Together they devise a plan that revolves around obtaining the keys to Purgatory and uniting the souls trapped there with the Hell spawned legions. Unfortunately Asmodeus discovers the plan and seeks to thwart it before Michael can act.

Smithy, the old pilot we meet last book, was wise to some fifth column action in Hell's company and with Mary's help devises a way to stop Asmodeus from completely gaining the upper hand. Michael and Mary visit Purgatory and seek aid from Azazel, who wants to know their true motives. Michael is reunited with Charlotte and launches a pre-emptive attack on the gates of Heaven.

Tim Hawken's second book in the Hellbound trilogy finds an Author who has discovered his voice and who is prepared to use the full range of that voice on the page. If you thought the first book was mind bending well then get ready to have your mind shattered by the ideas Hawken sends our way in I Am Satan. Don't know about you but I would be hiding my arse from the Christian Fundamentalists if I was Tim Hawken, those folk are not going to take kindly to the Author bending and twisting Christian theology out of anything like a recognisable shape. I reckon even now they are gearing up the Teenage Exorcists to visit Mr Hawken and expel the demons that have taken root in his dark and scheming soul. Of course not being a Christian Fundamentalist I just reckon Tim Hawken has created a well crafted novel that is just busting with ideas and imagination. Be warned however if you have strict Christian leanings, you are on the wrong site and sure as space aliens probe Rednecks in the bum your blood pressure is going to go through the roof as the Author really whipes into some alternative religious interpretation.

Firstly let's get the technical side of the equation done and dusted. Hawken writes in well considered prose that is paced on the faster side of reading. You will find yourself ripping great chunks out of this novel each time you sit down to read it as the prose is unrelenting and keeps you on the page as the narrative develops. At no stage does Hawken take his pedal off the metal, pausing only to give the Reader a breather every now and again. Thankfully the prose style is easy to keep up with and there's no poorly written paragraphs for you to stumble over. If you have ever wanted to write a book then pour over Hawken's style in I Am Satan to find out how to do it right. I should also mention I guess this is a true sequel to the first book, you really need to read that one to follow on with what is going down in this one, there's a fairly epic story arc that is in keeping with what Tim Hawken has plunged himself into. The story in I Am Satan is told exclusively from Michael's viewpoint, as it was in Hellbound, which is pretty interesting since Michael is for all intents and purposes the Anti-Christ and I guess the second coming of Christ all rolled into the one being. Thankfully Michael remains a sympathetic character, who has to fight his own demons, figuratively and literally as it happens, in order to advance through the novel's twists and turns.

Okay guess I should mention a few of the things that may have your local Hillsong Church heating up the tar and getting ready the feathers for a Tim Hawken cook out. Firstly God isn't the benign being Christians have supposed him to be, in the Hellbound universe God is rather self seeking, uses people up, and if I had to lay my chips on the table is pretty much a spoilt brat of a deity used to getting his own way. To add fuel to the fire Mary and Judas are presented in a completely different light to normal scripture teaching, and if anything have been wrong by a God who makes up his own rules at a whim. Mary apparently convinced him to create purgatory to help out souls that shouldn't be sent to Hell, and is then herself sent down under due to disagreeing with God's master plan, which may or may not have involved the invasion of Poland. I'm only touching the surface here, read the book to see how exactly Hawken has taken the mythology and twisted into new and interesting shapes, just don't leave it where your cousin who became a Nun can read it.

While the imagination is soaring in this novel, where the heck did Hawken's get the notion of the souls of suicide victims being trapped in trees, it doesn't take away from the overall narrative the reader is confronted with. Sure we are talking the Prince of Hell and cosmic forces but I Am Satan for all that is pretty much a fantasy novel involving quests, exotic dangers, and worlds that will have you spellbound. The Author's descriptions of Purgatory as being simply a grey world with very little vibrancy is worth picking up the novel for in itself, especially when we consider there is a metaphysical reason for Purgatory being as exciting as Hobart on a wet week day. So yes I will openly admit this novel is more fantasy with the odd horror orientated backdrop than an out and out scary read, blame Tim Hawken I just work around here.

Someone asked me after our review of Hellbound to describe Tim Hawken's writing styles in terms of another Author. Now that's always a vexed question friend and neighbours. Hawken's writes in a naturalistic style that brings to mind Stephen King's Dark Tower series of novels I guess. That's about all she wrote on the comparison front unless you regularly read those Les Norton books by Robert G. Barrett.

So I rocked out to the second book in the Hellbound trilogy and am more than pleased to see we have the third novel locked in for a future review. Tim Hawken kicks a major in terms of his imagination, writing style, and over all bad ass approach to giving religious thought the middle finger. I Am Satan moves the narrative along from the first novel, doesn't get bogged down in chick moments, and will have you rocking to the prose on the page. If you haven't dug into this trilogy yet then you are missed a treat, full recommendation, go buy the books today and rip into them.

More information on Tim Hawken can be discovered via his informative and excellently designed website, here right. Follow the links on that site to purchase your own copies of the trilogy and then set aside a week to devour them, hey I would take annual leave just to be safe, you don't won't to have to ring your Boss and tell her you can't come in due to having contracted Hawken's disease.