Book Review: Silent Oath by Paul Anthony Shortt

Silent Oath
Locked Within Trilogy, Book Two
by Paul Anthony Shortt

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: WiDo Publishing
Date of Publication: October 8^th, 2013
ISBN: 978-1937178369
 
Number of pages: 300
Word Count: 80,000
Cover Artist: Steven Novak



Book Description:
 
Hope has returned to New York City. Nathan Shepherd leads a small band of dedicated fighters against the Council of Chains and the city's supernatural masters. But it's not enough. Because from the shadows of Nathan's former lives comes an old enemy, one who knows terrible secrets that Nathan has not yet remembered, secrets that could undo everything he has fought for.
Nathan's only chance to uncover the memories of his previous existence, and to conquer these new forces of evil, lies in Elena DeSantis. A woman he has fought beside in past lifetimes. A woman he has loved.
Together, Nathan and Elena are the only future the city has.


Our Review:

Certainly not a traditional Romance, Silent Oath reads like an MMO (i.e. Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, Halo, etc) in prose form, with all the action, fighting, mayhem, and monsters you could ever imagine or hope to meet. My best guess is that it will appeal more to a male audience.

Reborn hero, Nathan Shepherd is doing his best to keep supernatural evil at bay in New York. Elena, his soulmate over many centuries and lives, has shown up for the first time in this life, but Nathan is not sure she can be trusted. Add to this Athamar, their mutual arch-enemy over an equal amount of lives, and you have only the beginning of the problems that beset this fast-paced story of death, rebirth, and possible world-as-we-know-it-ending annihilation.

Mostly a dark Urban Fantasy, it holds a fascinating touch of time travel and a skosh of true-love romance. While it is well written, the reader may want to fasten their seat belt and take notes, because the sheer number of names thrown out in the opening pages (and thereafter) is enough to make an inattentive mind spin right off its axis, however this may be less problematic if the reader has read book one in the trilogy, Locked Within.  With a certain amount of breathlessness I say - well done.

-Cary Morgan Frates

Amazon

About the Author:A child at heart who turned to writing and role playing games when there simply weren't enough action figures to play out the stories he wanted, Paul Anthony Shortt has been writing all his life. Growing up surrounded by music, film and theatre gave him a deep love of all forms of storytelling, each teaching him something new he could use. When not playing with the people in his head, he enjoys cooking and regular meet-ups with his gaming group.
 
Paul lives in Ireland with his wife Jen and their dogs, Pepper and Jasper. Their first child, Conor William Henry Shortt, was born on July 11th, 2011. He passed away three days later, but brought love and joy into their lives and those of their friends. The following year, Jen gave birth to twins, Amy and Erica.
 
Paul's first novel, Locked Within, was released on November 6th, 2012, by WiDo Publishing. Silent Oath is the second book in this urban fantasy trilogy.

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