 |
The setting is twenty-first-century Silicon Valley. But does it matter? The ancient forces of evil still hold sway. So, however, do the ancient forces of good. The problem is, no one knows whether a mysterious young woman found near death in a dumpster is good or evil. Even she has forgotten who she is. All anyone can positively say is that she has survived being shot in the back of the head, and she exudes a childlike innocence. She eventually recalls enough to know that she belongs to a race of immortals from the lost colony of Atlantis. They call her the Archivist. She is the chronicler of their history. She's also the only one who can banish Baba Yaga, the witch of Russian folklore, back to the fairy world and mend the tear in the Twilight Veil that separates our world from theirs. What will this feat cost her?
This is a dark fantasy tinged with unforgiving realism. Ageless wisdom meets endearing innocence in the nameless stranger who learns to call herself Rose. Human feelings and the desire to have friends are presented as completely new ideas to her. Alex, a snarky young librarian, brings a healthy dose of real-world skepticism along on the adventure to mend the Twilight Veil but grows to revere the supernatural. Ripley accentuates the superhuman strength of such monsters as Grendel, who can effortlessly crush modern police firearms. In his human form, he is a six-foot-eight-inch Russian terrorist named Yuri, who is also prodigiously strong. Interestingly, the author portrays Rose as the paramour of the ancient Danish king Hrothgar. Alex's injured war veteran father Francis is the current reincarnation of Hrothgar. Rose's dazzling beauty, extreme height, healing powers, and immortality will likely draw fans, and the narrative should also attract dark fantasy enthusiasts.