Sunday, April 09, 2006

Soloman & Hunter... Now Thorn

James Byron Huggins is one of my favorite authors. I've enjoyed every book that I've read by him, and two [Cain and Hunter] are all-time favorites. In fact, I've always wished that Huggins would do a sequel teaming the two heroes, Soloman and Hunter, in a new adventure.

Although Sorcerer, Huggins' latest novel, doesn't bring back either Soloman or Hunter, it does introduce us to a new hero, Michael Thorn. Thorn is an ex-cop, ex-Airborne Ranger who, at 45, has opted for early retirement after seeing more than enough action in the military and as a decorated detective. Thorne, his wife, and two children move to a remote New England town where they buy a house in the country.

Any hope for a peaceful retirement is gone when Thorn discovers a hidden room in his basement. In the room he finds a skeleton chained to the wall. The manacles are engraved with an ancient writing. When the skeleton disappears and people start turning up dead, Thorn suddenly finds himself allies with Assassini sent from Rome to do battle with the ancient evil that has returned from the grave!

Huggins has the ability to make a story move, but never at the expense of character development. He also has the talent to make the unbelievable believable. I must admit that before reading the book,. I was worried that the villain would be some kind of wizard like in Harry Potter or King Arthur. Boy, was I wrong. This sorcerer is an ancient evil who dared to challenge Moses himself!

I thoroughly enjoyed Sorcerer and wouldn't mind a sequel. Hmmm... maybe Thorn could team with Soloman and Hunter on a new adventure?

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