Ancient Awakening

The Ancient #1

by Matthew Bryan Laube

Hell comes home to Jersey.
Seven ancient demons known as the Fallen have awakened in New Jersey after a hundred years. Fortunately for Mike and Ann, so has the one man who can stop them, Joseph Miller. Trapped in a hospital filled with mythical monsters, only together can they unravel the mystery of the Cursed and escape with not only their lives but their very humanity.

Ancient Awakening is a Horror/Action/Comedy novel. It is the first book in the series "The Ancient" which follows the adventures of eccentric demon hunter Joseph Miller. His job is to defend the human race against seven mythical demons and their offspring. Unfortunately for us, he has been dead for the last hundred years. Ancient Awakening will be followed by Ancient Enemies in 2010 and Ancient Revelations in 2011 and is written by Matthew Bryan Laube.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Fantasy, Demons, Urban Fantasy, Thriller, Fiction

232 pages, ebook

First published September 29, 2009

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Acción y fantasía urbana convencionales pero con algún momento destacable.-

Género. Narrativa fantástica.

Lo que nos cuenta. En Francia, a comienzos del siglo XX, Joseph Miller y su grupo paramilitar de voluntarios se enfrentan a unas criaturas legendarias. Cien años después y en New Jersey, Miller vuelve a la vida para encontrarse con un mundo muy diferente al que recordaba pero en el que las amenazas que tan bien conoce siguen siendo tan reales como antes. Primer libro de la serie The Ancient.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://www.librosdeolethros.blogspot....

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a difficult time starting this. I did not like Ann, Miller seemed to have a rough potential, and I instantly liked Mike but the story felt hollow. By the final third, the story came together, each of the main characters possessing enough depth to interest me, and I had less issues with the humor.

As a fast paced monster book, this was excellent. There were a variety of beasties running around and the action was plentiful. I wish the first half of the book had had the cohesion and tightness that the last bit of the book did. I realize it must be difficult to throw characters into a world where monsters are real and have those characters convincingly act instead of going into shock or useless catatonia but I prefer instinctive reactions and an inner monologue of denial over humor used as a coping mechanism. But I did not write this so maybe ignore that comment. I just did not feel the humor too much. The book had potential to be truly frightening without it but that is not what the author wanted to do. I think he was going more for B horror and camp, which I am not complaining about. It's just a matter of preferances.

Regardless, this was fun and I am eager to read book 2 in the series. The ending here was perfect. The author has created a unique mythology with great promise. I also appreciate that the series is a planned 3 books and not another never ending addiction. 3 1/2 stars.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. It has a little bit of everything - demons, werewolves, a vamp or two and even a klate appearance of zombies. The author describes the story as horror/ action/comedy. The story is about seven ancient demons coming back to earth after 100 years after their enemy The Ancient has killed them. The Ancient is a demon slayer, immortal man currently known as Joseph Miller, who has come back through the many demonic cycles. After an initial flashback to 1908 the story takes us to modern day New Jersey where we first are introduced to Ann a young Biologist, who is looking for her ex-boyfriend. Then we meet Mike a traffic cop who makes a horrific discovery in his neighbors house. Both Ann and Mike end up at the local hospital, which is where the demons have set up shop. Ann and Mike join forces with Joseph Miller and help him fight their way through the attacking horde. have to read the book to see if they survive the demon attack i truly enjoyed the book , Don,t want to give away the ending!

[Tracy Dobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was an Amazon "recommended for you" list item - it sounded interesting and it was cheap. I really liked the story. It is a perfect Halloween read - demons and werewolves, a vamp or two, and even a late appearance of zombies. (Although the monsters aren't the typical movie offerings of their type.) The author describes his story as horror/action/comedy...I'm not sure I saw much that I would call comedy, but it is action-packed and, well, horror can be assumed when demon created monsters, AKA "The Fallen", take over a hospital.

The Story: Seven ancient demons are coming back 100 years after being killed by their enemy, "The Ancient". "The Ancient" is a demon-slaying, immortal "man", currently known as Joseph Miller, who has also come back through the many demonic cycles. After an initial flashback to 1908, the story starts in modern New Jersey. we are first introduced to Ann, a young biologist, who is looking for her ex-boyfriend. Then we meet Mike, the traffic cop who makes a horrific discovery in his neighbors house. Both characters end up at the local Hospital, which is where the demons and Fallen have set up shop. Ann and Mike then join forces with "Joseph Miller" and start to fight their way out through the attacking horde.

[Dirceu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It´s a great humor/horror/action novel.....keep you nailed to it from the begining to the end....the story is very well written and you can relate to the main characters, even cheer for them...that Joseph Miller guy (or The Ancient One) is awesome, can you imagine a middle 20´s years old latino guy with ancient soul and irish accent?
Man, i got lucky in my last two books...this one and The Heretic from Joseph Nassise....if you do not read any of the two....what are you waiting for?????

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

So This book left me going WHAT The HELL! Great book. Great Characters. Starting the second one right now!

[Pam Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I don't usually read Horror/Action/Fiction stories but there is definitely something different about this one.

Caught in a time warp of mythical creatures, werewolves and other unspoken demons Joseph Miller has to once again save the human race from extinction.

Captivating, spine chilling, man kinds protector of a thousand years keeps the read on the edge of their seat whilst at the same time you want to read the whole book until the end for the final conclusion.

No doubt a story with twists and turns, exciting, riveting right to the end and on reading a preview of Ancient Enemies I have no doubt this one will be another challenging story.

Will appeal to fictional horror buffs

[Doreen Dalesandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

$0.99 Kindle book. It is a fun read. Well, hell, here's what Amazon has to say about it:

...
Seven ancient demons known as the Fallen have awakened in New Jersey after a hundred years. Fortunately for Mike and Ann, so has the one man who can stop them, Joseph Miller. Trapped in a hospital filled with mythical monsters, only together can they unravel the mystery of the Cursed and escape with not only their lives but their very humanity.

Ancient Awakening is a Horror/Action novel with just the right touch of comedy.
...

What bothered me is the poor editing. Wonder if that's what you get for a $0.99 book :-{

[AJ Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just took me where I never thought I'd go. For a little bit you assume this story is gonna go down like all the others like it. Then you take a sharp left, and the a right, then fly off of a cliff. Then you get slapped in the face with classic scenarios with a modern twist and a dash of humour. It played out like how something like this would happen in real life.

I found myself going, "Naw, it ain't gonna happen." Five minutes later, after I've been convinced that it wouldn't, "No... no... no! DOn't do this! DONT DO THIS!!! Oh fonz, it happened!" My parents have looked at me several times with my gasping and vocal outbursts.

[Scott Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great action and it was free from Amizon. What could be better. I will have to try and find a good way to get my hands on the next two, but they are usually not too expensive for a Kindle edition of the book.

[Amylynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Can't wait for more!

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is one big problem with this book..... it is way too short!
I absolutely loved it.
Great characters and I want to read more stories with them.
I'm off to book two, Ancient Ennemies, right now.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and entertaining read. Definitely plan to read the follow-up book, Ancient Enemies.

[Chinpearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror/Action - Something I usually don't read, but this was interesting. I bought book 2. ;o)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. It reminds me of Howard's early works.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books with demons, vamps, werewolves, and other scary creatures that come creeping and oozing out of the dark to strike fear and mayhem on us innocent, puny humans.

You get a whole bunch of that when these monsters take over a hospital and start eating or turning people. It appears the deadly ancient ones, seven monsters of legend, are back to do what they do best.

A young lady seeking her absent boyfriend lands right in the middle of this mess. Along with an injured cop, and a strange little man who happens to be “THE” master monster hunter.

The author wastes no time stirring up trouble for these characters and keeps monsters and humans busy: running, dying, the usual stuff.

I did like the creatures, the human characters, and the plot. But it felt a bit rushed at times, and the story didn’t always flow smoothly. And I wanted to know more about the monster hunter and the young woman’s connection with monsters. I suspect that’s the authors plan as I learned at the ending, which was an ending and a cliff hanger, that there’s more to come in this tale.

While this first book didn’t completely wow me, it certainly showed promise and I will be reading the next book. You see, the author has me very curious about one particular monster. I have a feeling I’ll be getting some of the answers I seek and plenty more action.

[Philip Scott]

After a few atmospheric but slow crime thrillers I decided to read something in a different genre.

Ancient Awakening is a tale of ancient evil - of demons, dragons, werewolves and vampires appearing in modern day America, the people affected and the ancient hunter out to eliminate the monsters.

The book is rated well and noted as a quick read and I would agree with that assessment.

It reminded me most of a large-budget Buffy the Vampire Slayer story with jokes aplenty in the direst circumstances. Nothing is taken too seriously (which ultimately weakens the book as the main characters appear indestructible).

The story continues into book 2. I'll maybe return to it if I fancy another quick, light read with a few jokes thrown in.

[Paul Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a werewolf story! And this one delivers. It also includes vampires, banshees, demons, and a few hybrids.
There were a few grammatical errors and typos, but easily overlooked by the quality of the narrative. Some of the dialogue is simplistic with less-than-stellar attempts at humor. However it is intense and features a lot of action. I’m totally down to read the next book.

[Ian Denner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Distinctly average

In the blurb on Amazon the review of this book sounded like a story that I would definitely enjoy reading. Once again I was sadly mistaken. It was good enough, but without any real depth to either the story or the characters. Very disappointing.

[Erick Earwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

We have two seemingly average people—Ann, who is obsessed with finding out why her boyfriend dumped her (again), and Mike, a police officer and single dad. But both of them encounter bizarre things one day, like monsters and werewolves. Thinking no one will believe them they try to ignore it, but then they find each other.

There's some decidedly creepy stuff here, and the oddities seem to be coming from the hospital. As luck may have it an immortal demon hunter, Joseph Miller, is recuperating in said hospital from another bout of coming back to life.

This isn't my typical genre, but I stumbled upon this series at ComicCon and gave it a go. If you're into the supernatural type of thing, it could be a pretty okay book. The demons and night creatures are presented in an unusual light, much more vicious and darker than we're accustomed to.

Unfortuantely, Mike & Ann weren't very strong characters. I had a hard time grasping onto them. Ann was worse—she got into this whole mess because she was kind of stalking her ex-boyfriend. At least she realized it. But considering the majority of the story focused around them, I really couldn't get into it.

If you ask me, Miller was the best part of the book. He's so weird, and he'd been asleep for one hundred years or so, so there are many modern things he has no idea how to use. Like television, and guns. And he's fascinated by it all! If it wasn't for Miller, I probably wouldn't have cared to finish.

[Jennifer Rainey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars.

As if hospitals weren’t scary enough, Matthew Bryan Laube takes it to the next level in Ancient Awakening. This hospital has been taken over by werewolves and vampires and even the scaliest, nastiest demons I’ve ever seen.

The book follows everyman cop Mike Samson and Ann Melakh, an unstable bio student, as they traverse the hospital and fight these monsters alongside Joseph Miller. Miller has a bit of an advantage, of course. He kills these things for a living.

Ancient Awakening is really fun. It is the book equivalent of a SyFy original movie, and I mean that in the best way possible! It never pretends to be something it’s not. This book is unadulterated demon butt-kicking from start to finish. And to liven up the journey even more, we’re given the incredibly entertaining Joseph Miller to guide us. Miller is a little crazy and a little brilliant, and he’s a real treat to read.

The book’s prose is admittedly a bit rocky at some points, occasionally relying too heavily on telling, rather than showing. It also took me a long time to warm up to the character of Ann. She seemed very whiny and petty at first, but as the book progressed, she grew on me. The crazier she got, the more I liked her!

I’d recommend this book to someone looking for a quick and fun read. It was definitely entertaining, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book with Joseph Miller!

[A Book Vacation · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This novel has a little bit of everything, and I think that many readers, across all spectrums, will really enjoy it. There are werewolves, vampires, zombies… but these are not the traditional type we’re used to. Instead, Laube has taken these entities and created a much fiercer, scarier group of monsters, and I loved the explanations and details provided as the monsters multiplied within the novel.

I enjoyed the plot of the story, though at times I did feel like I was missing some information—nothing to the point where I couldn’t follow the story, but I feel like I was left with a lot of questions that weren’t answered, though, as this novel is the first in a series, I think it is natural for readers to feel this way. In terms of characters, I enjoyed most; however, Ann was a little difficult to stomach at times. For me, she’s a little too naive and her neediness was a little overwhelming. Yet, she pulls through in the direst of situations, making her a likeable character in the end. I did thoroughly enjoyed both Mike and Miller, especially as the battle scenes unfolded and Miller attempts to protect those around him from the Fallen...

To read my full review (11/30):

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

[Schwana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me all of 3-4 minutes to get into the book once I got home from work, greated my family, and the dogs; but once I got my hands on the book ... I really liked it from the start! I knew that I would when I read the blurb about it in the givaway section. The way the type is in the book is really interesting, that took me a bit to get used to, but once I did I just dug right in and could not put the book down. I want more and I have to finish it to find out what happens. More to come after I have finished this awesome story!

OK, finished!!! LOL
LOVED IT! I have started looking for the follow up to this. I was intrigued by the demon/wolf combo, not what I expected at all. I had to slow down as I came closer to the end of the story because I was not sure what was going to happen. I did not see that coming ... the main female character is the bad guy? OMG! Matthew that was sneaky! lol Ready for the next book asap.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic copy of this book from the author. I had won the second book in a Goodreads giveway, and he had offered to email the first book to get me started.

I have to agree with a couple of the other people who have reviewed this book. It was slow to start, which almost had me putting it down. Then all the sudden, BAM! The story took off with non-stop action.

I enjoyed the new take on what the author believes a werewolf, vampire and demon to be. It was refreshing to see something new. I also enjoyed the humor that popped up here and there through out the book.

This was a nice, fast read. More like a 3.5. I am looking forward to the next book, and I am glad I have it handy to start ASAP!

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a baaaaaaad book. I don't know if I would call it fantastic thought either. It worked. It kept my attention and I made it through although I kept thinking that this is probably the next series that will get picked up by the WB for something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Charmed. That being said, it got me thinking about different genres that I could play with as a writer, or mixing genres I should say. I've been so focused on traditional fantasy and traditional scifi lately in my own writing that this was a much needed break. Truthfully, I wish that I could give it 3.5 stars instead of 3, but Goodreads doesn't do half stars . . . .

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy horror read with a new take on the vampire and werewolf origin story. While demons slowly possess people in a hospital, our PhD student heroine Ann is trying to track down her on-again off-again Dr boyfriend with no luck, while there she meets off-duty traffic cop Matt. Also arriving at the same time is Joseph Miller, a supernaturally powered man, with a very cheery personality, who is reborn each time demons start getting out of hand on earth. Together they try to figure what the hell is going on at the hospital. A good sprinkling of humour and quick action kept me entertained right to the end.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Overall, it wasn't too bad. When Ann decides to barge in on her on-again, off-again boyfriend at work and give him hell for not calling her, she finds herself trapped in the hospital with all sorts of nasty demons. Throw in a traffic-cop and an old (and by that I mean ancient) demon hunter, and you've got yourself a bloody mess.

I had a hard time getting into this book because I found Ann to be so irritating, but Joseph Miller added some comedy to the cast of characters and the story got more entertaining towards the end.

[Brandi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the pace of this book once you got past the first few pages. However, I do not like this new trend of just bluntly ending a story. There was no winding down, no closure... just done. I know that it is to get you interested in the next book, but you should want to get the new book from your love of the style of the prior reads from the author. This author sold me on the next book; I just hope that he doesn't cut off the end of it.

[Brenda Seaberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this started out a little slow for just a few pages. I even considered putting it down, since it didn't seem to be something I'd enjoy. Boy, am I glad I kept reading. It sped up quickly, and just kept going.

Something is changing things in the hospital. People are disappearing, and those that are around are changing. What's going on?

You need to read this fast-paced book to find out for yourselves!