The Roman Empire used the early Christian Church to enslave the world. In this the 21st century, the empire’s descendants return to take the church back.
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
"A TRULY THRILLING AND ENTERTAINING SERIES" - A Clarion Review
In this second installment of Shawna Ryan’s Destiny’s Damned series, our heroes, Alicia, Patrick, Kevin, and Alex, work to uncover the truth about the New Testament—namely, that it’s a fictional work created by a Pagan in order to enslave the world. Of course, the Catholic Church isn’t too happy about their work and might have something to do with the attempts on their lives and those close to them that occur as the story unfolds. Despite the immediate similarities to the works of Dan Brown, Ryan has created a truly thrilling and entertaining series that is as original and insightful as anything in the genre. Ryan’s style of writing is far more straightforward and less complex than most mystery and thriller writers, but her prose is inspired and carefully penned, making the story easily enjoyable for all readers. Set largely in Ireland, the story offers detailed and accurate descriptions of many real locations, such as the library at Dublin’s Trinity College and the Abbey of St. Ide located in the Burren on the west coast. Ryan hits the nail on the head with her wonderfully layered and detailed descriptions. Setting the story in Ireland offers myriad ideas, locations, events, and even characters that help mold the story into another stunning thriller by this talented writer. The protagonists find themselves in a variety of colorful situations: Alicia joins a convent in order to help bring the church down from the inside, while Kevin and Alex work closely with librarian Mrs. Shanahan in the moody and atmospheric Old Library in Dublin. The situations abound with Sherlock Holmes-esque moods and settings, while the storytelling moves forward with careful planning. Everything is kept tight and intact in this story, as multiple storylines unfold in each chapter and allow the entire work to come together in a climax that will have readers scrambling for the third installment in the series. The only real downsides are the unprofessional cover and the lack of dialect employed by some of the characters. The story would have been more believable and entertaining if the Irish characters spoke as if they were actually from Ireland. Nevertheless, Satan’s Scat is a solid historical thriller.
The DESTINY'S DAMNED Trilogy: The Roman Empire used the early Christian Church to enslave the world. In this the 21st century, the empire’s descendants return to take the church back. The author weaves history, theology, and paganism into a searing thriller.
An investigative reporter lies witness as he is murdered piece by piece. He catches a glimpse of a headless man dressed in black, as a plate is hammered into his forehead. A nun is committed to an insane asylum and bites off the ear of a renegade priest hiding from the Church. Within the bowels of the Sequentia, a timeless subterranean prison, a child, her face blistered, her hair burned away, stares at the body of a woman thrown inside.
I am a novelist, author of what has been described as searing thrillers,DESTINY'S DAMNED and SATAN'S SCAT. I am also an attorney specializing in dispute resolution. I love exciting and/or informative books. I especially like thrillers that don't fit the mold. My favorite authors are Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, though I am absolutely fascinated with the conclusions of the renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell.
An investigative reporter lies witness as he is murdered piece by piece. He catches a glimpse of a headless man dressed in black, as a plate is hammered into his forehead. A mother’s captor gazes at her through a cream colored mask, at once revolted and aroused by her stench and bestiality. A teacher watches as a purple gloved hand holding a boning knife severs his index finger and uses its bloody stub to sign an oath. These three murders are only the beginning of the killer’s savage, calculating plan. Meanwhile, the modern Christian church was created by a cruel and sadistic dictator to enslave the world. In this, the 21st century, his descendants want the Church back.
Reviews & Reader Comments
DESTINY'S DAMNED is in the searing genre that has made best seller lists and was forged by Dan Brown with his THE DA VINCI CODE. Ryan, a Pacific Northwest attorney, has conducted extensive research on mythology that predates Christianity...The novel has a kind of cinematic quality as the story unfolds, and the pacing is such, that readers will find the novel a quick page turner! -Patricia Harrington, mystery writer.
Great descriptive verse and a book that will keep me on edge until the next installment. Carroll A.
I kept racing ahead looking for the next clue. A fascinating read. Excellent first book, I can hardly wait for the next book in the series. BR
Finished at 2 a.m., standing since midnight, reading 'just one more page.' If you liked the Da Vinci Code, you're going to love this one. Beth
I haven't had that much fun reading since I don't know when. In fact, I found myself talking out loud to the characters! Marilyn R.
I find myself feeling what the victim is feeling. I am in awe! Jan E.
SATAN'S SCAT
Evil is Everywhere
SATAN'S SCAT - BOOK 2
A nun is committed to an insane asylum and bites off the ear of a renegade priest hiding from the Church. She is not what everyone thinks she is. The nun secretly seeks to infiltrate the Sequentia, a timeless subterranean prison. Within the deep, abiding hell of the Sequentia, women sacrifice their own lives and those of their children to hide crucial information from the Church. She is convinced that the women in the Sequentia are protecting a document personally dictated by Christ which contains His last instructions to mankind. Should these women fail to keep the information safe, the modern world would be enslaved.
Reviews & Reader Comments
In Satan's Scat, the second book in Shawna Ryan's thriller trilogy, the author continues the page turner pace she established in Destiny's Damned....the chapters titled Sequentia throw the reader into a devil's cauldron with depictions that horrify and have a cinematic reality to them of the struggle between evil and good. Author Ryan, who is a practicing attorney, also has included an impressive appendix of the resources and research she conducted before embarking on the trilogy. Readers who enjoyed the Da Vinci Code also will find Satan's Scat a fascinating read.
Like the first book, it is fast paced, well researched and fascinating. Destiny's Damned is a dark, intellectual thriller and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. E. Bennetts
I started it the other night about 10 pm. & then had to stay up 1/2 the night to finish it! Great book; very dark...L. Barber
Triumvirate of the Damned
TRIUMVIRATE OF THE DAMNED - BOOK 3
Within the bowels of the Sequentia, a timeless subterranean prison, a child, her face blistered, her hair burned away, stares at the body of a woman thrown inside. Sacrificing their lives, the women and the children in the Sequentia are hiding from the Church a document personally dictated by Christ which contains His last instructions to mankind. The woman is half-naked. Her hands are tied. Dried blood is crusted beneath her nose and in her short, blond hair. Bruised and battered, she is the first new inmate imprisoned in the Sequentia for hundreds of years. With her and in her wake, comes the force that would steal Christ’s document and enslave the modern world.
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