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The Balance #1
Realmshift
Isiah is having a tough time. The Devil is making his job very difficult. Samuel Harrigan is a murdering lowlife. He used ancient blood magic to escape a deal with the Devil. Now he's on the trail of a crystal skull that he believes will complete his efforts to evade Lucifer. But Lucifer wants Samuel's soul for eternity and refuses to wait a second longer for it. Isiah needs Samuel to keep looking for the crystal skull, so he has to protect Sam and keep the Devil at bay. Not for Samuel's sake, but for all of humanity. RealmShift is an engrossing dark fantasy thriller; a fascinating exploration of the nature of people's beliefs and their effect on the world around them. Magic, action and intrigue, from dank city streets to the depths of Hell and beyond.
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
6 people are currently reading
705 people want to read
About the author
Alan Baxter
135 books526 followersMy book rating system:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Brilliant, I bloody loved it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really good, highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyable, well worth a read.
I don't talk about ⭐⭐ and ⭐ reads because I only talking up the good stuff. That's why my Goodreads rarely has anything under a ⭐⭐⭐.
Bio: Alan Baxter is a British-Australian multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers, dark fantasy, and crime. He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among the valleys of southern Tasmania.
Fond him online at www.alanbaxter.com.au
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Brilliant, I bloody loved it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really good, highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyable, well worth a read.
I don't talk about ⭐⭐ and ⭐ reads because I only talking up the good stuff. That's why my Goodreads rarely has anything under a ⭐⭐⭐.
Bio: Alan Baxter is a British-Australian multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers, dark fantasy, and crime. He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among the valleys of southern Tasmania.
Fond him online at www.alanbaxter.com.au
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 6, 2020
I won't say this book is perfect, but it hits the sweet spot on several specific levels.
First, the so-so:
Our antagonists, between Carlos the one-dimensional killing machine, and Satan, the one-dimensional greater foe, are pretty much there for our rubbernecking and tension building.
The bad: seriously? Where did I hear about this plot? Oh, wait... the last Indiana Jones movie must have stolen it from Alan Baxter.
The good:
Our heroes are overpowered and godlike, but they're a bit more well-rounded. And let me be clear, while overpowered action, magic, and nearly deus ex machina stories can be done bad, they can also be done pretty well, and this one was FUN.
I consider this an example of popcorn fiction for those who loved the core idea of Gaiman's American Gods but who wanted it to be BIGGER, BRIGHTER, and FASTER. You know, have a little mentorship without the subtlety, get out there with stakes as high as gods fighting gods, but keep all the action more like a sprawling action film that hops all over the Earth.
I'm reminded of Christopher Golden in his UF as I read this, but more streamlined and simplified.
This was fun and I am very happy I read it, but there ARE faults I can't ignore: such as the end. After all that build-up, I wanted a better end.
Not a deal-breaker, but it's always the little things, no?
First, the so-so:
Our antagonists, between Carlos the one-dimensional killing machine, and Satan, the one-dimensional greater foe, are pretty much there for our rubbernecking and tension building.
The bad: seriously? Where did I hear about this plot? Oh, wait... the last Indiana Jones movie must have stolen it from Alan Baxter.
The good:
Our heroes are overpowered and godlike, but they're a bit more well-rounded. And let me be clear, while overpowered action, magic, and nearly deus ex machina stories can be done bad, they can also be done pretty well, and this one was FUN.
I consider this an example of popcorn fiction for those who loved the core idea of Gaiman's American Gods but who wanted it to be BIGGER, BRIGHTER, and FASTER. You know, have a little mentorship without the subtlety, get out there with stakes as high as gods fighting gods, but keep all the action more like a sprawling action film that hops all over the Earth.
I'm reminded of Christopher Golden in his UF as I read this, but more streamlined and simplified.
This was fun and I am very happy I read it, but there ARE faults I can't ignore: such as the end. After all that build-up, I wanted a better end.
Not a deal-breaker, but it's always the little things, no?
March 21, 2009
RealmShift
Self published in 2006 by Alan Baxter (AHWA Member and all around nice guy) and rereleased in 2008 by Blade Red Press
ISBN-13: 978-0980578201
On starting to read this offering I was filled with dread as deus-ex machina seemed ingrained. In a modern day setting, gods, devils, and characters with superhuman powers were everywhere, with our protagonist, Isiah, chief among them.
A 400 year old tool of a vaguely described entity called “The Balance”, Isiah struggles to maintain the status quo between gods and other supreme creatures of power.
The status quo between gods not so much the good and evil bit. The lines are continually blurred as Isiah struggles to keep a loosely preordained plan on track and save a minor deity from extinction because the loss of this one god of an Amazonian rain forest tribe would result in collateral damage of apocalyptic proportions. If a butterfly flaps it wings in Brazil…
But human nature rides roughshod over the development of Isiah as a character, making him a little more good than evil. He has an innate niceness about him which allows the forces of good, like the angel Gabriel, to side with him occasionally, even cultivate a friendship with him. When thinking of the champion for Balance I would consider someone who is a true neutral would be required, but Isiah is thankfully not. He is a flawed character who retains his humanity and really only wants out of his current vocation and a chance to find some peace – this makes him easy to identify and empathise with – once you get past all his amazing abilities.
Alan Baxter has a unique style to his prose which I found annoying at first. It seemed he has a physical aversion to joining sentences together with little words like ‘and’, preferring instead to just use a comma. This gives many sentences a disjointed quality and jars the reader out of the story. If the intention was to create pace and immediacy, it failed in my opinion. Strangely this trait seems to die out as you progress through the book so as you rush toward the end it makes less of an appearance which adds to the overall pace and a feeling of a better produced book.
However, the story is solid and carries the reader through the sprawling urban jungle to the heat and oppression of the Guatemalan jungle, home of the ancient Maya. We follow Isiah as he tries to nudge events back into alignment by escorting a nasty piece of work by the name of Samuel from seedy backstreets to an archaeological dig site to kill a man, and save a girl, who would ultimately save a race of people, and therefore a god.
For you see, in Baxter's world, people create gods. Both the good ones and the evil ones, for belief is the basis of divinity. If people truly believe, then their god, or devil, or other supreme creature, comes into being. The more people who believe, the stronger the entity. Isiah works for the force in between, “The Balance”, which ensures one side of the eternal struggle never becomes stronger than the other. There are plot convolutions a plenty and occasionally it gets a little murky, but it does all make perfect sense in the end.
Add a small cast of characters who are swept up in the events triggered by Samuel’s attempts to get out of a deal he made with Satan. Katherine Bailey is a journalist for an eco-friendly magazine: in love with her boyfriend, overworked, and has a strong desire to help preserve native cultures, but she is one of the very few individuals on the planet who doesn’t believe in anything beyond her existence. Carlos Villalopez is a truly evil individual with no conscience. A mercenary living in the jungles of Guatemala, he is another who doesn’t believe. This causes a problem. With no belief, then they have no god to nudge them back on the right track and keep things as they should be. Individuals like this are the jokers in the pack of life; wild cards who keep Isiah’s life interesting.
When Carlos sets out on a mission of revenge, his path becomes entwined with Samuel and Katherine’s, until Samuel decides to break his deal. Enter “The Balance’ and Isiah in an attempt to get things back on track.
Nearly all the characters in the story have abilities above those of mortal man, but when you’re travelling between Limbo and Hell, I guess one should expect this. Our main character deals with Satan, Gabriel, vampires, dragons, and ‘The Balance’, among other things, so extra powers are a requirement. But the mortals are a little different as well. The the villain, Carlos, is a walking death machine, the best at what he does, Samuel is a growing psychic power in his own right, and even the journalist has hyper-sensitive capabilities, which all leads to a slight sense of unbelievability. But then, when something momentous is about to happen, you'd expect to see the cream rise to the top - wouldn't you?
Another minor gripe I had was with “The Balance” – Apart from a theory offered by Isiah toward the end of the book, it remains somewhat ‘just there’; a convenient tool to fill in a plot hole. While the existence of everything else is explained, the Balance is not. It also shouts – ALL THE TIME. I think Baxter may have been going for an all encompassing voice, something which surrounded Isiah completely whenever it communicated with him, but this could have been expressed through descriptive narrative rather than type every response in CAPITALS.
Finally the ending was a little bit of a let down. The lead up to it is brilliant, with extreme care taken to build tension and getting the reader to start second guessing what is about to come. The imagery is excellent as are the descriptive passages. It is fast and action-packed, but it plateaus a little on the climax and the after affects, particularly the reactions of the mortal characters, is very disappointing.
So, in the end, I found RealmShift to be a good story based on an interesting premise, but I think it would have benefited from going through a more vigorous editorial process to iron out the prose, remove some of the little annoying bits, and give it a more kick ass ending. Still, it is definitely worth the time spent reading it as Baxter manages to work with an intriguing list of characters, throws a thought provoking explanation of religion at the reader, and keeps everything moving at a rapid pace, while making some nice observations about today’s society and those within it. I look forward to reading the second instalment, MageSign, to see where the authors goes from here.
Self published in 2006 by Alan Baxter (AHWA Member and all around nice guy) and rereleased in 2008 by Blade Red Press
ISBN-13: 978-0980578201
On starting to read this offering I was filled with dread as deus-ex machina seemed ingrained. In a modern day setting, gods, devils, and characters with superhuman powers were everywhere, with our protagonist, Isiah, chief among them.
A 400 year old tool of a vaguely described entity called “The Balance”, Isiah struggles to maintain the status quo between gods and other supreme creatures of power.
The status quo between gods not so much the good and evil bit. The lines are continually blurred as Isiah struggles to keep a loosely preordained plan on track and save a minor deity from extinction because the loss of this one god of an Amazonian rain forest tribe would result in collateral damage of apocalyptic proportions. If a butterfly flaps it wings in Brazil…
But human nature rides roughshod over the development of Isiah as a character, making him a little more good than evil. He has an innate niceness about him which allows the forces of good, like the angel Gabriel, to side with him occasionally, even cultivate a friendship with him. When thinking of the champion for Balance I would consider someone who is a true neutral would be required, but Isiah is thankfully not. He is a flawed character who retains his humanity and really only wants out of his current vocation and a chance to find some peace – this makes him easy to identify and empathise with – once you get past all his amazing abilities.
Alan Baxter has a unique style to his prose which I found annoying at first. It seemed he has a physical aversion to joining sentences together with little words like ‘and’, preferring instead to just use a comma. This gives many sentences a disjointed quality and jars the reader out of the story. If the intention was to create pace and immediacy, it failed in my opinion. Strangely this trait seems to die out as you progress through the book so as you rush toward the end it makes less of an appearance which adds to the overall pace and a feeling of a better produced book.
However, the story is solid and carries the reader through the sprawling urban jungle to the heat and oppression of the Guatemalan jungle, home of the ancient Maya. We follow Isiah as he tries to nudge events back into alignment by escorting a nasty piece of work by the name of Samuel from seedy backstreets to an archaeological dig site to kill a man, and save a girl, who would ultimately save a race of people, and therefore a god.
For you see, in Baxter's world, people create gods. Both the good ones and the evil ones, for belief is the basis of divinity. If people truly believe, then their god, or devil, or other supreme creature, comes into being. The more people who believe, the stronger the entity. Isiah works for the force in between, “The Balance”, which ensures one side of the eternal struggle never becomes stronger than the other. There are plot convolutions a plenty and occasionally it gets a little murky, but it does all make perfect sense in the end.
Add a small cast of characters who are swept up in the events triggered by Samuel’s attempts to get out of a deal he made with Satan. Katherine Bailey is a journalist for an eco-friendly magazine: in love with her boyfriend, overworked, and has a strong desire to help preserve native cultures, but she is one of the very few individuals on the planet who doesn’t believe in anything beyond her existence. Carlos Villalopez is a truly evil individual with no conscience. A mercenary living in the jungles of Guatemala, he is another who doesn’t believe. This causes a problem. With no belief, then they have no god to nudge them back on the right track and keep things as they should be. Individuals like this are the jokers in the pack of life; wild cards who keep Isiah’s life interesting.
When Carlos sets out on a mission of revenge, his path becomes entwined with Samuel and Katherine’s, until Samuel decides to break his deal. Enter “The Balance’ and Isiah in an attempt to get things back on track.
Nearly all the characters in the story have abilities above those of mortal man, but when you’re travelling between Limbo and Hell, I guess one should expect this. Our main character deals with Satan, Gabriel, vampires, dragons, and ‘The Balance’, among other things, so extra powers are a requirement. But the mortals are a little different as well. The the villain, Carlos, is a walking death machine, the best at what he does, Samuel is a growing psychic power in his own right, and even the journalist has hyper-sensitive capabilities, which all leads to a slight sense of unbelievability. But then, when something momentous is about to happen, you'd expect to see the cream rise to the top - wouldn't you?
Another minor gripe I had was with “The Balance” – Apart from a theory offered by Isiah toward the end of the book, it remains somewhat ‘just there’; a convenient tool to fill in a plot hole. While the existence of everything else is explained, the Balance is not. It also shouts – ALL THE TIME. I think Baxter may have been going for an all encompassing voice, something which surrounded Isiah completely whenever it communicated with him, but this could have been expressed through descriptive narrative rather than type every response in CAPITALS.
Finally the ending was a little bit of a let down. The lead up to it is brilliant, with extreme care taken to build tension and getting the reader to start second guessing what is about to come. The imagery is excellent as are the descriptive passages. It is fast and action-packed, but it plateaus a little on the climax and the after affects, particularly the reactions of the mortal characters, is very disappointing.
So, in the end, I found RealmShift to be a good story based on an interesting premise, but I think it would have benefited from going through a more vigorous editorial process to iron out the prose, remove some of the little annoying bits, and give it a more kick ass ending. Still, it is definitely worth the time spent reading it as Baxter manages to work with an intriguing list of characters, throws a thought provoking explanation of religion at the reader, and keeps everything moving at a rapid pace, while making some nice observations about today’s society and those within it. I look forward to reading the second instalment, MageSign, to see where the authors goes from here.
December 25, 2010
I read fiction to relax and escape, and prefer a rollicking, fast paced adventure novel, and Alan delivers on that in RealmShift. I enjoyed the supernatural themes and religious comment that was intertwined with the gory action. The character of Isiah is complex and I love the idea of the gods being sustained by faith.
December 3, 2017
Whilst not a genre I regularly read in (supernatural horror) this was nevertheless an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the battle between good and evil and the concept of a higher power that oversees and maintains ‘balance’ in the world.
I read this on my Kindle and felt there were issues with the formatting that annoyed me. Particularly when we changed to another characters story but there was no break in the text to indicate that the scene with character A had ceased, and we were moving to character B.
Overall an enjoyable read and will read more of Alan’s books.
I read this on my Kindle and felt there were issues with the formatting that annoyed me. Particularly when we changed to another characters story but there was no break in the text to indicate that the scene with character A had ceased, and we were moving to character B.
Overall an enjoyable read and will read more of Alan’s books.
December 1, 2009
2 1/2
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It had the elements of a good chase story, mixed with with copious amounts of multiple mythologies, and a philosophy which I, essentially, agree with. But I just can't elevate this book to "really liked it".
So, where to start?
I think part of the problem I had is that I never really connected with any of the characters. There were moments where I liked Isiah (and I'm glad that the spelling of the name thing was commented on, 'cause it was driving me crazy), and some moments where Katherine was relatable, but, mostly, I just didn't care all that much about them. I sort of 'knew' that Katherine wasn't really in any danger, which made Carlos sort of an impotent bad guy. Even the Devil was more petulant than frightening. (The Lucifer graphic novels is the best Devil, imo, though Viggo Mortenson's Devil in 'The Prophecy' is something not to pass up.)
I did get a bit of a kick out of Gabriel, though.
Anyway...
Also, for a book which is a "race against time and the Devil", there was a lot of times where nothing much happened, and they discussed philosophy - which wouldn't be so bad if a) if didn't kill the pacing or sense of suspense at getting to the end and b) the philosophy wasn't repeated, using essentially the same language, over and over again. Granted, I would've been annoyed if Samuel got it too easily, but Isiah saying essentially the same stuff over and over again was a hard read.
Also, a few comments on general editing:
1) I found the book generally hard to read. I'm not sure what it was, for certain. I think it was a mixture of the glossy paper, the contrast between page and words which was harsh, or the fact that there wasn't enough white space between the lines, but I would find my eyes really straining, especially during large paragraphs with no breaks.
2) There were several mistakes of the plural vs. possessive variety. "The priests hut" instead of "priest's hut", as one example, but there were several. I didn't keep track, though.
3) The "my dears" and "old boys" were killing me. In this instance, pointing out the oddity of everyone calling her 'my dear' did not make it less grating.
Ok, back to pacing, we spend several chapters where Carlos is in the jungle being an asshole, Katherine is at the site being a conflicted atheist, Isiah and Samuel are hiding out, being attacked, hiding out, being attacked, hiding out... and Samuel is being annoying, thick and snivelling... and then everything sort of happens all at once.
I would've liked the fight between the old gods and Satan to have actually been allowed to happen. I would've liked it to be more about saving Katherine and less about getting Carlos to believe something, because the Balance doesn't like lack of faith (which doesn't entirely make sense, since lack of faith would, arguably, balance out existence of faith). Um, mostly, I just would've liked at least one character I could really relate to, better pacing, the philosophy woven into the story more instead of the story coming to a screeching halt while we get into it, and a slightly more climactic ending.
And a question - are we supposed to know what country Isiah is in? Because it sort of reads like it's supposed to be America, but it sounds sort of British? I was unclear on that point... ?
Anyway, as I said, it's not a bad book and it has a lot of good elements. Just wish it was held together a bit tighter.
I might read the follow-up, but I probably will wait for the reviews to come in first.
**ETA: I was browsing other reviews and came across to other thoughts.
1) The style was a bit jarring at first. It reminded me of Caitlín R. Kiernan's style. A bit hard to get into at first, but becomes more organic as you read more.
2) The Balance speaking in capitals reeked of Death in Discworld. It can certainly work - but, in connection with the above issues I had with the typeface/set whatever, it made it even harder on my eyes to read.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It had the elements of a good chase story, mixed with with copious amounts of multiple mythologies, and a philosophy which I, essentially, agree with. But I just can't elevate this book to "really liked it".
So, where to start?
I think part of the problem I had is that I never really connected with any of the characters. There were moments where I liked Isiah (and I'm glad that the spelling of the name thing was commented on, 'cause it was driving me crazy), and some moments where Katherine was relatable, but, mostly, I just didn't care all that much about them. I sort of 'knew' that Katherine wasn't really in any danger, which made Carlos sort of an impotent bad guy. Even the Devil was more petulant than frightening. (The Lucifer graphic novels is the best Devil, imo, though Viggo Mortenson's Devil in 'The Prophecy' is something not to pass up.)
I did get a bit of a kick out of Gabriel, though.
Anyway...
Also, for a book which is a "race against time and the Devil", there was a lot of times where nothing much happened, and they discussed philosophy - which wouldn't be so bad if a) if didn't kill the pacing or sense of suspense at getting to the end and b) the philosophy wasn't repeated, using essentially the same language, over and over again. Granted, I would've been annoyed if Samuel got it too easily, but Isiah saying essentially the same stuff over and over again was a hard read.
Also, a few comments on general editing:
1) I found the book generally hard to read. I'm not sure what it was, for certain. I think it was a mixture of the glossy paper, the contrast between page and words which was harsh, or the fact that there wasn't enough white space between the lines, but I would find my eyes really straining, especially during large paragraphs with no breaks.
2) There were several mistakes of the plural vs. possessive variety. "The priests hut" instead of "priest's hut", as one example, but there were several. I didn't keep track, though.
3) The "my dears" and "old boys" were killing me. In this instance, pointing out the oddity of everyone calling her 'my dear' did not make it less grating.
Ok, back to pacing, we spend several chapters where Carlos is in the jungle being an asshole, Katherine is at the site being a conflicted atheist, Isiah and Samuel are hiding out, being attacked, hiding out, being attacked, hiding out... and Samuel is being annoying, thick and snivelling... and then everything sort of happens all at once.
I would've liked the fight between the old gods and Satan to have actually been allowed to happen. I would've liked it to be more about saving Katherine and less about getting Carlos to believe something, because the Balance doesn't like lack of faith (which doesn't entirely make sense, since lack of faith would, arguably, balance out existence of faith). Um, mostly, I just would've liked at least one character I could really relate to, better pacing, the philosophy woven into the story more instead of the story coming to a screeching halt while we get into it, and a slightly more climactic ending.
And a question - are we supposed to know what country Isiah is in? Because it sort of reads like it's supposed to be America, but it sounds sort of British? I was unclear on that point... ?
Anyway, as I said, it's not a bad book and it has a lot of good elements. Just wish it was held together a bit tighter.
I might read the follow-up, but I probably will wait for the reviews to come in first.
**ETA: I was browsing other reviews and came across to other thoughts.
1) The style was a bit jarring at first. It reminded me of Caitlín R. Kiernan's style. A bit hard to get into at first, but becomes more organic as you read more.
2) The Balance speaking in capitals reeked of Death in Discworld. It can certainly work - but, in connection with the above issues I had with the typeface/set whatever, it made it even harder on my eyes to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2012
RealmShift is the first of Alan Baxter‘s novel-length works that I have read. Having previously published his short fiction, I knew first-hand how talented he is. RealmShift confirmed to me that his abilities in long fiction are equally tight.
Not generally a big fan of dark fantasy, I put all my prejudices aside and dived in. It was a gripping and interesting tale right from the beginning; and the construct was nicely delivered.
RealmShift tells the story of Isaiah and Samuel Harrigan, in a race against time – and Satan! ��� to make sure that events occur as they should, to retain the ‘balance’ in the universe. I’m not going to write anything more about the story itself because you have to read the book for that; suffice it to say that other characters get drawn into the struggle, and that, for a while, you are not sure which way the story will fall.
Baxter handled the multiple storylines with aplomb, and brought them together in the ‘home run’ of the story admirably. Like many other great writers before him – like Le Carre and Iain Banks – the final portion of Alan’s book was the best part.
For me personally, I found, despite how good this book was, that Baxter’s grip on his characters was with a light touch, as though his ink wouldn’t render them as completely as I personally need to engage with them. They weren’t one-dimensional, but they were lightly sketched. It felt to me that Baxter had to work to portray them.
Except for the character of Samuel Harrigan, that is. Harrigan, in contrast, to the other cast, completely leapt off the page. I suggest that Baxter enjoyed writing this character far more. Harrigan had a density and dimensionality that the other characters lacked.
As an editor, some superficial glitches (of which there were a lot!) annoyed me: missing apostrophes, misused apostrophes, verb-noun sequences that didn’t agree. These could have been fixed with a solid copy edit. I *really* struggle with books that contain unnecessary errors, but with RealmShift I was able to overlook them and just enjoy the story. Kudos indeed!
This is a fabulous book, I’m sad it took me so long to find the time to read it (took me a year to finish it, thanks to other things – though I never had to go back and re-read passages, which is a feat in itself on the author’s behalf!!), and I’m sad it’s over.
Now. Where’s the next one, MageSign… I think I need another fix.
Not generally a big fan of dark fantasy, I put all my prejudices aside and dived in. It was a gripping and interesting tale right from the beginning; and the construct was nicely delivered.
RealmShift tells the story of Isaiah and Samuel Harrigan, in a race against time – and Satan! ��� to make sure that events occur as they should, to retain the ‘balance’ in the universe. I’m not going to write anything more about the story itself because you have to read the book for that; suffice it to say that other characters get drawn into the struggle, and that, for a while, you are not sure which way the story will fall.
Baxter handled the multiple storylines with aplomb, and brought them together in the ‘home run’ of the story admirably. Like many other great writers before him – like Le Carre and Iain Banks – the final portion of Alan’s book was the best part.
For me personally, I found, despite how good this book was, that Baxter’s grip on his characters was with a light touch, as though his ink wouldn’t render them as completely as I personally need to engage with them. They weren’t one-dimensional, but they were lightly sketched. It felt to me that Baxter had to work to portray them.
Except for the character of Samuel Harrigan, that is. Harrigan, in contrast, to the other cast, completely leapt off the page. I suggest that Baxter enjoyed writing this character far more. Harrigan had a density and dimensionality that the other characters lacked.
As an editor, some superficial glitches (of which there were a lot!) annoyed me: missing apostrophes, misused apostrophes, verb-noun sequences that didn’t agree. These could have been fixed with a solid copy edit. I *really* struggle with books that contain unnecessary errors, but with RealmShift I was able to overlook them and just enjoy the story. Kudos indeed!
This is a fabulous book, I’m sad it took me so long to find the time to read it (took me a year to finish it, thanks to other things – though I never had to go back and re-read passages, which is a feat in itself on the author’s behalf!!), and I’m sad it’s over.
Now. Where’s the next one, MageSign… I think I need another fix.
November 24, 2009
RealmShift is a mixture of genres, but it’s mainly horror. It reminded me of some of the Anne Rice books I read years ago – as in theme, not actual storyline. There are vampires, immortals, evil humans and tons of killer instinct, which always means blood and guts are sure to follow. Luckily, that doesn’t bother me.
Of course, there’s lots of swearing too. I’m not one for swearing, but I found I didn’t really have a problem with it in this setting. The characters are mainly male and they swear like troopers, which I find is true in real life so I guess that’s why I didn’t have much trouble accepting it in the story. The female character was much more reserved but when she resorted to more powerful words I accepted it because of the situation she was in at the time.
I was pleased to find characters with depth, characters I could relate to. Strangely, I could even understand why the bad characters were bad, which means they were well written and fully developed.
The story itself is fast paced. Something is always happening, or about to happen. There’s no holding back either. If someone has to die, the reader knows every detail. It certainly gets the imagination going in that regard. In fact, I feel as if I’ve tasted the life of a killer!
RealmShift also had a theme that I found was thought provoking. Yet at the same time, this same theme slowed the story down in sections because of the amount of explaining needed to get a point across. Yet it was important to the overall story and as it was religious based I understood how difficult it was for the author to make sure the reader understood something that is quite complex. The story put a different spin on the whole religion thing which I found quite fascinating. Ultimately, the message was to believe in oneself and stop relying on others and I think that’s a good message to give.
If you want to read a fast paced, action filled story, then you should definitely give RealmShift a read.
Of course, there’s lots of swearing too. I’m not one for swearing, but I found I didn’t really have a problem with it in this setting. The characters are mainly male and they swear like troopers, which I find is true in real life so I guess that’s why I didn’t have much trouble accepting it in the story. The female character was much more reserved but when she resorted to more powerful words I accepted it because of the situation she was in at the time.
I was pleased to find characters with depth, characters I could relate to. Strangely, I could even understand why the bad characters were bad, which means they were well written and fully developed.
The story itself is fast paced. Something is always happening, or about to happen. There’s no holding back either. If someone has to die, the reader knows every detail. It certainly gets the imagination going in that regard. In fact, I feel as if I’ve tasted the life of a killer!
RealmShift also had a theme that I found was thought provoking. Yet at the same time, this same theme slowed the story down in sections because of the amount of explaining needed to get a point across. Yet it was important to the overall story and as it was religious based I understood how difficult it was for the author to make sure the reader understood something that is quite complex. The story put a different spin on the whole religion thing which I found quite fascinating. Ultimately, the message was to believe in oneself and stop relying on others and I think that’s a good message to give.
If you want to read a fast paced, action filled story, then you should definitely give RealmShift a read.
August 20, 2018
I just can't understand why I haven't run into this book more often in my journey through the realms of dark fantasy. This must be a classic or at the very least a cult classic.
Isiah is an immortal human employed by the mysterious Balance to well... to balance things out. The world in which this takes place is very similar to our own, but every religion, no matter how small, is real. The deities and their mostly evil opposites exist and can influence the world and their respective followers. Magic is a thing and is largely governed by belief or willpower.
Isiah has to keep an evil sorcerer, Samuel, alive long enough for him to get hold of a crystal skull that has recently been unearthed in South America. The only catch.. the Devil himself is after Samuel's soul. The book follows different key characters up to the point where all their paths intersect and we find out that they are destined to play their own role in a major predestined event. How that event will play out is largely up to Isiah and how well he performs his task for the Balance (maybe) for the greater good of all.
This book and the world it presents is super interesting and dark. It has the philosophical look on religion that has always crept around in my own mind, so naturally, it speaks to me. Apart from that, it is filled with bloody murder, gore, humor, satanic rituals, angels, strange deities and gods and demons out of myth, who battle each other eternally while humans live their oblivious lives. It is pretty dark and pretty thought-provoking. I like both.
Isiah is an immortal human employed by the mysterious Balance to well... to balance things out. The world in which this takes place is very similar to our own, but every religion, no matter how small, is real. The deities and their mostly evil opposites exist and can influence the world and their respective followers. Magic is a thing and is largely governed by belief or willpower.
Isiah has to keep an evil sorcerer, Samuel, alive long enough for him to get hold of a crystal skull that has recently been unearthed in South America. The only catch.. the Devil himself is after Samuel's soul. The book follows different key characters up to the point where all their paths intersect and we find out that they are destined to play their own role in a major predestined event. How that event will play out is largely up to Isiah and how well he performs his task for the Balance (maybe) for the greater good of all.
This book and the world it presents is super interesting and dark. It has the philosophical look on religion that has always crept around in my own mind, so naturally, it speaks to me. Apart from that, it is filled with bloody murder, gore, humor, satanic rituals, angels, strange deities and gods and demons out of myth, who battle each other eternally while humans live their oblivious lives. It is pretty dark and pretty thought-provoking. I like both.
December 25, 2018
Questioning the orders of a higher power is not part of Isiah’s agenda, but even he finds it difficult to believe a soul as disgusting and vile as Samuel Harrigan’s is worth saving. Would it be so bad to let Satan have him? Samuel believes himself clever enough to cheat the Devil. All he needs is the crystal skull recently discovered in a remote part of the Central American jungle and he’ll be immortal and beyond Satan’s reach. Isiah’s been to Hell and back more than once, but as secrets are revealed, Isiah becomes aware that nothing is as it seems and that even for the most devilish of human souls, they still have their part to play.
I enjoyed this story. One’s beliefs can be a powerful thing and that is evident in this story from how Isiah came to exist to the people he encounters. A soldier in the balance between Good and Evil, the lines are blurred when it comes to doing what he needs to comply with the task he’s assigned. Sometimes as a reader, it’s easy to see the difference, but then the writer twists the story to another viewpoint and you question who is right, who is wrong, and if everything is as clear as it seems. I also liked the way magic weaved its way through the story and the hints and nods toward other supernatural beings and beliefs. Although this novel is a stand-alone, there is more to Isiah’s story in Mr Baxter’s second novel, ‘MageSign.’
I enjoyed this story. One’s beliefs can be a powerful thing and that is evident in this story from how Isiah came to exist to the people he encounters. A soldier in the balance between Good and Evil, the lines are blurred when it comes to doing what he needs to comply with the task he’s assigned. Sometimes as a reader, it’s easy to see the difference, but then the writer twists the story to another viewpoint and you question who is right, who is wrong, and if everything is as clear as it seems. I also liked the way magic weaved its way through the story and the hints and nods toward other supernatural beings and beliefs. Although this novel is a stand-alone, there is more to Isiah’s story in Mr Baxter’s second novel, ‘MageSign.’
March 6, 2011
Realmshift by Australian author Alan Baxter is available as an ebook and in print from Gryphonwood Press. This review is based on an epub version presumably generated by the Smashwords meat grinder.
I read Alan's Blog and converse with him regularly on twitter. When he asked for reviewers I put up my hand as , Realmshift falls within my reviewing guidelines ie Australian Speculative Fiction.
So this book is a review copy provided free of charge.
The Story
Isiah is a centuries old servant of The Balance (a nebulous entity that entrusts tasks to Isiah), a mix of Highlander's Connor McLeod and an avenging Angel. In Realmshift Isiah must ensure that certain events happen, that certain characters meet, interact and in one case kill each other. This seems easy enough considering the super powers Isiah seems to possess. To throw a spanner in the works though, one of these people, the evil Samuel has gone and sold his soul to Satan and Satan has come collecting.
Isiah must rescue the soul selling Samuel from the torturous pits of hell and set him back on his predetermined path. Samuel was previously of the belief that if he can reach the site of a recently discovered Mayan Crystal Skull, then he can claim immortality and avoid Satan's soul collecting indefinitely. This means that his path will cross with Katherine Bailey a journalist investigating the skull, whose destiny is to go on and save an indigenous tribe, and thereby the rainforest and prevent a huge ecological disaster. Samuel's part was to run into Carlos Villalopez, a crazed Mercenary, and prevent him from killing Katherine.
In which I have issues
I wanted to like this book. It has elements I enjoy - theological thriller mixed with archeological adventure. Unfortunately there were a number of issues with the story that prevented me from enjoying it.
Formating - the Bane of eBooks
Alan sent me the ePub version which I have viewed on both my SONY PRS 505 and Adobe Digital Editions on my laptop. On both devices the font size would alter within the same page for no apparent reason, although it did seem to be limited to paragraphs or dialogue. This does not appear to be the case for those who have read it via the kindle. This was a minor issue.
More of an issue was the lack of section breaks. With a paperback or printed book you can get away with a couple of hard returns to signify a scene change within a chapter, this doesn't seem to work in eBooks and Realmshift is not the first book I have come across with this issue i.e. a section break not being apparent. I find it interrupts the flow of reading and dumps me, as the reader, right out of the story. Particularly when its not clear that the author has changed to another character/scene in a different time/location. I think the best solution is to insert a symbol(like an asterix or hash) to signify the break.
Torpedoed
The one issue that really did scuttle my enjoyment was the the early revelation of the plot - what needs to occur for Isiah to be triumphant. This coupled with the fact that Isiah is such an all powerful character meant, that as a reader I was never really in doubt that he would succeed - there was for me, no tension, no fear for any of the characters.
Now it could be said that the vast majority of fiction is the hero always triumphing or succeeding, in our best stories, however, an illusion is crafted that places the characters or someone close to them in danger(some nasty authors even kill their darlings).
There was no tension in this thriller, anything of real value to Isiah had already been lost and I felt that even if he failed in this task he wouldn't be too worried. So with the main character not at risk, and a bit annoyed at being at the beck and call of The Balance I began to feel blasé as well.
One genre too many
For a thriller this story moved too slowly for me. I attribute this to a couple of factors - in tone it was more Noir, the start was broody and atmospheric, which is fine to a point, but I felt the atmosphere building was overdone and got in the way of fast paced action.
The second was the metaphysical pondering which verged on the point of preaching(not in a literal sense, perhaps lecturing is a better word for it) through dialogue . It was the wrong place, in my opinion, for that sort of conversation with the reader. I think it would have been better to cut all metaphysical discussion, that wasn't essentially illustrative of character and let the reader think come to their own conclusion about the metaphysics.
A shining light
Where the story did work for me( I noticed a palpable shift in my attention and immersion) was at the dig site. Here I thought to myself, was some mystery, for the first time I was curious about what might be in store of the characters and the reader. There was a real chance that the characters could be threatened - without a supernatural figure to rescue them. Unfortunately the story didn't pan out that way.
Summary
Baxter has, I think attempted a too much with Realmshift and in trying to fit everything he wanted to the story has left me feeling as though it's forced. I think he needed to stick with Isiah as a central character and really put him in danger, make the reader fear for his safety.
I wanted to, but couldn't bring myself to like this book, no matter how hard I tried. From the blurbs and reviews available on Amazon though, it seems that there are plenty who do like it.
My advice is to download the sample from Smashwords or Amazon and try it for yourselves.
I will be reviewing the sequel Magesign by the end of the month and it will be interesting to see how Alan's writing has developed. Early indications are that Magesign contains a bit more suspense.
I read Alan's Blog and converse with him regularly on twitter. When he asked for reviewers I put up my hand as , Realmshift falls within my reviewing guidelines ie Australian Speculative Fiction.
So this book is a review copy provided free of charge.
The Story
Isiah is a centuries old servant of The Balance (a nebulous entity that entrusts tasks to Isiah), a mix of Highlander's Connor McLeod and an avenging Angel. In Realmshift Isiah must ensure that certain events happen, that certain characters meet, interact and in one case kill each other. This seems easy enough considering the super powers Isiah seems to possess. To throw a spanner in the works though, one of these people, the evil Samuel has gone and sold his soul to Satan and Satan has come collecting.
Isiah must rescue the soul selling Samuel from the torturous pits of hell and set him back on his predetermined path. Samuel was previously of the belief that if he can reach the site of a recently discovered Mayan Crystal Skull, then he can claim immortality and avoid Satan's soul collecting indefinitely. This means that his path will cross with Katherine Bailey a journalist investigating the skull, whose destiny is to go on and save an indigenous tribe, and thereby the rainforest and prevent a huge ecological disaster. Samuel's part was to run into Carlos Villalopez, a crazed Mercenary, and prevent him from killing Katherine.
In which I have issues
I wanted to like this book. It has elements I enjoy - theological thriller mixed with archeological adventure. Unfortunately there were a number of issues with the story that prevented me from enjoying it.
Formating - the Bane of eBooks
Alan sent me the ePub version which I have viewed on both my SONY PRS 505 and Adobe Digital Editions on my laptop. On both devices the font size would alter within the same page for no apparent reason, although it did seem to be limited to paragraphs or dialogue. This does not appear to be the case for those who have read it via the kindle. This was a minor issue.
More of an issue was the lack of section breaks. With a paperback or printed book you can get away with a couple of hard returns to signify a scene change within a chapter, this doesn't seem to work in eBooks and Realmshift is not the first book I have come across with this issue i.e. a section break not being apparent. I find it interrupts the flow of reading and dumps me, as the reader, right out of the story. Particularly when its not clear that the author has changed to another character/scene in a different time/location. I think the best solution is to insert a symbol(like an asterix or hash) to signify the break.
Torpedoed
The one issue that really did scuttle my enjoyment was the the early revelation of the plot - what needs to occur for Isiah to be triumphant. This coupled with the fact that Isiah is such an all powerful character meant, that as a reader I was never really in doubt that he would succeed - there was for me, no tension, no fear for any of the characters.
Now it could be said that the vast majority of fiction is the hero always triumphing or succeeding, in our best stories, however, an illusion is crafted that places the characters or someone close to them in danger(some nasty authors even kill their darlings).
There was no tension in this thriller, anything of real value to Isiah had already been lost and I felt that even if he failed in this task he wouldn't be too worried. So with the main character not at risk, and a bit annoyed at being at the beck and call of The Balance I began to feel blasé as well.
One genre too many
For a thriller this story moved too slowly for me. I attribute this to a couple of factors - in tone it was more Noir, the start was broody and atmospheric, which is fine to a point, but I felt the atmosphere building was overdone and got in the way of fast paced action.
The second was the metaphysical pondering which verged on the point of preaching(not in a literal sense, perhaps lecturing is a better word for it) through dialogue . It was the wrong place, in my opinion, for that sort of conversation with the reader. I think it would have been better to cut all metaphysical discussion, that wasn't essentially illustrative of character and let the reader think come to their own conclusion about the metaphysics.
A shining light
Where the story did work for me( I noticed a palpable shift in my attention and immersion) was at the dig site. Here I thought to myself, was some mystery, for the first time I was curious about what might be in store of the characters and the reader. There was a real chance that the characters could be threatened - without a supernatural figure to rescue them. Unfortunately the story didn't pan out that way.
Summary
Baxter has, I think attempted a too much with Realmshift and in trying to fit everything he wanted to the story has left me feeling as though it's forced. I think he needed to stick with Isiah as a central character and really put him in danger, make the reader fear for his safety.
I wanted to, but couldn't bring myself to like this book, no matter how hard I tried. From the blurbs and reviews available on Amazon though, it seems that there are plenty who do like it.
My advice is to download the sample from Smashwords or Amazon and try it for yourselves.
I will be reviewing the sequel Magesign by the end of the month and it will be interesting to see how Alan's writing has developed. Early indications are that Magesign contains a bit more suspense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2017
Not too bad but didn't quite live up to its promise. Found the characters a bit on the light and sketchy side and everyone seemed to have a bit of a common voice which is weird when the characters include a serial killer, a journalist, an immortal wizard and Satan. The pacing was a bit off, too when there were a number of repeated confrontation scenes and then the end happened all at once a bit too quickly.
Still, was enjoyable for what I paid (I got a free electronic copy from Alan's website) and worth looking out for the sequel.
Still, was enjoyable for what I paid (I got a free electronic copy from Alan's website) and worth looking out for the sequel.
April 28, 2020
Quite a few interesting concepts thrown in here all woven together in a pretty tightly told story. Some of the dialogue was overblown, but on the whole it was worth a read. I'll definitely check out the next in the series to see how Baxter's writing has moved forward.
October 26, 2010
RealmShift is a difficult story to classify. It is a well-written dark fantasy with a detailed cosmology that feeds heavily into the plot, but the characters populating the story are less important than their purposes to facilitate plot continuity, which makes me hesitate to recommend it.
The plot revolves around Isiah, an immortal tool for the Balance, which facilitates change within the world by maintaining order between good and evil. Humans unknowingly create their own realities with faith, which brings all manner of gods and religions into the cosmology who exist because of the humans who believe in them. Isiah is tasked with rescuing recently-deceased occult-practitioner Samuel Harrigan from Hell after he reneged on a deal with Satan. The Balance wants Samuel to complete a trip he had planned to Guatemala (for purposes of acquiring a crystal skull) so that Samuel can kill mercenary-sociopath Carlos Villalopez, who in turn would have murdered American eco-journalist Katherine Bailey, whose presence will convince a tribe to receive inoculations and prevent the death of a god when the tribe dies out. (This isn't a spoiler, as the Balance tells all of this to Isiah within the first couple of chapters.)
I prefer character-driven stories. This is primarily why I found the characters in this novel--with the exception of Isiah--to be predictable and somewhat monotonous. The story shifts point-of-view between Isiah, Katherine, and Carlos as they all travel separately for different purposes to Guatemala where they will eventually intersect. Isiah is the most well-developed "gray" character who is neither good nor evil. Katherine represents the "good" journalist with noble intentions while Carlos is the "evil" mercenary out to kill/rape/torture anyone he comes across, and after the first few chapters in their p-of-v, I found myself becoming impatient to get back to the chapters featuring Isiah. The chapters of Katherine and Carlos were well-written and descriptive; I just found myself growing bored with these human caricatures. There's only so much murder and mayhem you can read before it all runs together. Likewise, I found myself wanting to roll my eyes after a few chapters of Katherine's good will toward men ideals.
The tone of the omniscient narrator is extremely distant and unemotional, almost as if the events are being relayed by a bored entity. I can see where this might have been deliberate on the author's part, but this style made it very difficult for me to become invested in the story, and easy to set the book down and pick back up as opposed to reading straight through.
The pacing was noticeably faster during the chapters featuring Isiah, as those are the only ones containing fantastical elements (fight scenes with Satan and his minions, dealing with archangel Gabriel and a group of vampires); particularly engrossing was the scene when Isiah journeys into Hell to steal Samuel's soul from the devil. Carlos and Katherine chapters are mired in reality. I honestly think this story could have benefitted from cutting some of the chapters focusing on those two characters as they don't seem to serve any purpose other than representations of opposing forces. Had the novel focused solely on Isiah's journey with Samuel--a wretched human being who Isiah is forced to protect from Satan--I probably would have enjoyed it much more. One irritation I had was the manner in which Isiah dealt with Samuel: a murdering scum who kills two people right in front of Isiah during their mad rush to escape the devil. Isiah kept threatening Samuel with dire consequences but never followed through when Samuel called his bluff. As an immortal being, surely he could have enacted some kind of psychic smack-down without killing him? I was also mildly disappointed by the very Christianized physical description of the devil and Hell when the cosmology of the novel encompasses so many different religions.
Aside from these, I enjoyed the story for what it was. The plot was interesting and the ideas suggested have a very "Matrix" feel to them, questions upon questions upon questions type of thing. There is a sequel advertised on the last page, and honestly, I have little or no interest in reading it. Isiah was an interesting character, but the end of the story had a very "pat" wrapped-up feel, and I would have preferred a less predictable close to a dark fantasy novel.
The plot revolves around Isiah, an immortal tool for the Balance, which facilitates change within the world by maintaining order between good and evil. Humans unknowingly create their own realities with faith, which brings all manner of gods and religions into the cosmology who exist because of the humans who believe in them. Isiah is tasked with rescuing recently-deceased occult-practitioner Samuel Harrigan from Hell after he reneged on a deal with Satan. The Balance wants Samuel to complete a trip he had planned to Guatemala (for purposes of acquiring a crystal skull) so that Samuel can kill mercenary-sociopath Carlos Villalopez, who in turn would have murdered American eco-journalist Katherine Bailey, whose presence will convince a tribe to receive inoculations and prevent the death of a god when the tribe dies out. (This isn't a spoiler, as the Balance tells all of this to Isiah within the first couple of chapters.)
I prefer character-driven stories. This is primarily why I found the characters in this novel--with the exception of Isiah--to be predictable and somewhat monotonous. The story shifts point-of-view between Isiah, Katherine, and Carlos as they all travel separately for different purposes to Guatemala where they will eventually intersect. Isiah is the most well-developed "gray" character who is neither good nor evil. Katherine represents the "good" journalist with noble intentions while Carlos is the "evil" mercenary out to kill/rape/torture anyone he comes across, and after the first few chapters in their p-of-v, I found myself becoming impatient to get back to the chapters featuring Isiah. The chapters of Katherine and Carlos were well-written and descriptive; I just found myself growing bored with these human caricatures. There's only so much murder and mayhem you can read before it all runs together. Likewise, I found myself wanting to roll my eyes after a few chapters of Katherine's good will toward men ideals.
The tone of the omniscient narrator is extremely distant and unemotional, almost as if the events are being relayed by a bored entity. I can see where this might have been deliberate on the author's part, but this style made it very difficult for me to become invested in the story, and easy to set the book down and pick back up as opposed to reading straight through.
The pacing was noticeably faster during the chapters featuring Isiah, as those are the only ones containing fantastical elements (fight scenes with Satan and his minions, dealing with archangel Gabriel and a group of vampires); particularly engrossing was the scene when Isiah journeys into Hell to steal Samuel's soul from the devil. Carlos and Katherine chapters are mired in reality. I honestly think this story could have benefitted from cutting some of the chapters focusing on those two characters as they don't seem to serve any purpose other than representations of opposing forces. Had the novel focused solely on Isiah's journey with Samuel--a wretched human being who Isiah is forced to protect from Satan--I probably would have enjoyed it much more. One irritation I had was the manner in which Isiah dealt with Samuel: a murdering scum who kills two people right in front of Isiah during their mad rush to escape the devil. Isiah kept threatening Samuel with dire consequences but never followed through when Samuel called his bluff. As an immortal being, surely he could have enacted some kind of psychic smack-down without killing him? I was also mildly disappointed by the very Christianized physical description of the devil and Hell when the cosmology of the novel encompasses so many different religions.
Aside from these, I enjoyed the story for what it was. The plot was interesting and the ideas suggested have a very "Matrix" feel to them, questions upon questions upon questions type of thing. There is a sequel advertised on the last page, and honestly, I have little or no interest in reading it. Isiah was an interesting character, but the end of the story had a very "pat" wrapped-up feel, and I would have preferred a less predictable close to a dark fantasy novel.
December 20, 2017
'Control a person's beliefs and you control the very essence of their being.'
I was just settling into the 'urban fantasy vigilante demon hunter vibe' when Alan Baxter took a surprising transcendental shift to the left, then a plot twist the right and seamlessly delved into ancient Mesoamerican mythology whilst engaging in philosophical discussions regarding the nature of belief.
Realmshift really is an action adventure with a difference.
Highly recommend!
I was just settling into the 'urban fantasy vigilante demon hunter vibe' when Alan Baxter took a surprising transcendental shift to the left, then a plot twist the right and seamlessly delved into ancient Mesoamerican mythology whilst engaging in philosophical discussions regarding the nature of belief.
Realmshift really is an action adventure with a difference.
Highly recommend!
February 6, 2014
Alan Baxter's first novel, RealmShift, is a smart, action-packed
multi-genre epic: dark urban fantasy, thriller, noir and horror, all
rolled seamlessly together.
In a world where every god and demon from every culture is exactly as
real as its followers believe it to be, Isiah is an immortal enforcer
for the Balance, a meta-deity that polices these strange and contrary
powers.
The story here is quite straightforward without being simple. The
Balance tells Isiah what it needs to happen early on in the book--the
fun is in seeing how it all plays out. There are plenty of twists and
wrinkles in the plot, but the story goes exactly where it's intended
without ever cheating.
The characters are deftly drawn. Even though there are greater forces
are dragging them into the conflict, the humans do their best to make
their own choices. The story really does hinge on what they have
learned throughout their journey. For all his power, Isiah is not
allowed to directly enact the Balance's will: his role is to prevent
gods and demons from interfering with ordinary humans.
Isiah himself is a bit seedy for a superman, which makes helps make
him sympathetic. He's quite moral, like the Balance he serves, but
he's a long way from being a saint. He's a man with a dirty job to do;
he's allowed to complain every now and again.
I'm a sucker for a good villain, and Carlos Villalopez, the primary
antagonist, is twisted and vicious and still sympathetic. Samuel
Harrigan, who is perhaps the real villain, is a talented psychopath
upon whose damned existence the Balance hangs. Much as Isiah despises
him, he has to protect the vicious bastard throughout the book and I
enjoyed seeing the hero compromised in this way. This dynamic makes
the book for me.
RealmShift does slow down through the middle as some of the characters
have to literally waste time while the rest of the pieces get in
place. Baxter fills this with exposition about the cosmology and the
way that 'magic system' works. To his credit, this never really feels
like an info dump--although it does drag a little. But even when the
pace of the story slowed, RealmShift never lost my attention.
This book is generally quite pacy and there are a few occasions where
it surprises you with a sudden laugh or an unexpected moment of
contemplation. The action scenes blend martial arts with magic without
getting breathless or self-indulgent. Dialogue is good and natural,
although on rare occasions the American characters sound British.
A good smart read. This is multi-genre spec fiction done right. I had
a great time with RealmShift and I'm looking forward to the sequel,
MageSign.
multi-genre epic: dark urban fantasy, thriller, noir and horror, all
rolled seamlessly together.
In a world where every god and demon from every culture is exactly as
real as its followers believe it to be, Isiah is an immortal enforcer
for the Balance, a meta-deity that polices these strange and contrary
powers.
The story here is quite straightforward without being simple. The
Balance tells Isiah what it needs to happen early on in the book--the
fun is in seeing how it all plays out. There are plenty of twists and
wrinkles in the plot, but the story goes exactly where it's intended
without ever cheating.
The characters are deftly drawn. Even though there are greater forces
are dragging them into the conflict, the humans do their best to make
their own choices. The story really does hinge on what they have
learned throughout their journey. For all his power, Isiah is not
allowed to directly enact the Balance's will: his role is to prevent
gods and demons from interfering with ordinary humans.
Isiah himself is a bit seedy for a superman, which makes helps make
him sympathetic. He's quite moral, like the Balance he serves, but
he's a long way from being a saint. He's a man with a dirty job to do;
he's allowed to complain every now and again.
I'm a sucker for a good villain, and Carlos Villalopez, the primary
antagonist, is twisted and vicious and still sympathetic. Samuel
Harrigan, who is perhaps the real villain, is a talented psychopath
upon whose damned existence the Balance hangs. Much as Isiah despises
him, he has to protect the vicious bastard throughout the book and I
enjoyed seeing the hero compromised in this way. This dynamic makes
the book for me.
RealmShift does slow down through the middle as some of the characters
have to literally waste time while the rest of the pieces get in
place. Baxter fills this with exposition about the cosmology and the
way that 'magic system' works. To his credit, this never really feels
like an info dump--although it does drag a little. But even when the
pace of the story slowed, RealmShift never lost my attention.
This book is generally quite pacy and there are a few occasions where
it surprises you with a sudden laugh or an unexpected moment of
contemplation. The action scenes blend martial arts with magic without
getting breathless or self-indulgent. Dialogue is good and natural,
although on rare occasions the American characters sound British.
A good smart read. This is multi-genre spec fiction done right. I had
a great time with RealmShift and I'm looking forward to the sequel,
MageSign.
April 5, 2010
There are some people’ whose heads you really don’t want to be inside and dark fiction author Alan Baxter is one of those people. In Realm Shift Alan Baxter takes you from blood sacrifices to the varied realms of hell and back again, battling demons, gods and Lucifer himself in a gore fest that makes your head spin.
Not only does Baxter spin a tale of life on the dark side, he questions, quite soundly, the basis for all religions, modern and ancient, treating all with the same irreverence and offering an alternate viewpoint that is so valid it’s almost frightening. It’ll challenge your deepest held beliefs. Belief creates reality and Baxter’s reality is full of magic and darkness, evil and good, but a good that lies easily to serve its own purpose and with the full backing of the universe and all the power behind it.
Baxter’s fight scenes are intense. They get your heart pounding, leaving you on the edge of your seat. With Baxter’s own martial arts training the scenes are realistic, sometimes so much so that you find yourself wondering if Baxter himself has ever crushed someone’s head or slit a throat and heard the blood gurgle and the breath hiss as his victim lie dying. Baxter draws you along a knife's edge of tension from the first page to the last, leaving your heart thumping and sweat on your brow.
A good example of the supernatural element in Baxter’s writing, his use of imagery and his ability to write a good fight scene follows:
“Samuel could do nothing but watch helplessly as the battle began. Isiah’s fingers were pressing with immense force into the devil’s face. Samuel could hear the creak and crack of bones fracturing, Isiah’s middle finger and thumb slowly sinking into the hollows of Lucifer’s temples, dark black blood leaking out, running down his cheeks. Satan’s own nails were drawing blood from Isiah’s forearm, Isiah’s skin taut and white under his grip. The devil lashed out with his other hand, clawing for Isiah’s face. Isiah caught his hand with lightening reflexes, his hand wrapped around the devil’s closed fist, squeezing. More of Lucifer’s bones began popping.”
RealmShift is phenomenal. If it's not already on your bookshelf it should be.
RealmShift First Published 2006 by Alan Baxter, Second Edition, 2008 by Blade Red Press. ISBN 978-0-9805782-0-1, Third Edition 2010, by Gryphonwood Press. ISBN 978-0-9825087-4-9, release date April 27,2010 available online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, other online bookstores, as well as local book retailers. For more information see the author's website at http://www.alanbaxteronline.com
Not only does Baxter spin a tale of life on the dark side, he questions, quite soundly, the basis for all religions, modern and ancient, treating all with the same irreverence and offering an alternate viewpoint that is so valid it’s almost frightening. It’ll challenge your deepest held beliefs. Belief creates reality and Baxter’s reality is full of magic and darkness, evil and good, but a good that lies easily to serve its own purpose and with the full backing of the universe and all the power behind it.
Baxter’s fight scenes are intense. They get your heart pounding, leaving you on the edge of your seat. With Baxter’s own martial arts training the scenes are realistic, sometimes so much so that you find yourself wondering if Baxter himself has ever crushed someone’s head or slit a throat and heard the blood gurgle and the breath hiss as his victim lie dying. Baxter draws you along a knife's edge of tension from the first page to the last, leaving your heart thumping and sweat on your brow.
A good example of the supernatural element in Baxter’s writing, his use of imagery and his ability to write a good fight scene follows:
“Samuel could do nothing but watch helplessly as the battle began. Isiah’s fingers were pressing with immense force into the devil’s face. Samuel could hear the creak and crack of bones fracturing, Isiah’s middle finger and thumb slowly sinking into the hollows of Lucifer’s temples, dark black blood leaking out, running down his cheeks. Satan’s own nails were drawing blood from Isiah’s forearm, Isiah’s skin taut and white under his grip. The devil lashed out with his other hand, clawing for Isiah’s face. Isiah caught his hand with lightening reflexes, his hand wrapped around the devil’s closed fist, squeezing. More of Lucifer’s bones began popping.”
RealmShift is phenomenal. If it's not already on your bookshelf it should be.
RealmShift First Published 2006 by Alan Baxter, Second Edition, 2008 by Blade Red Press. ISBN 978-0-9805782-0-1, Third Edition 2010, by Gryphonwood Press. ISBN 978-0-9825087-4-9, release date April 27,2010 available online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, other online bookstores, as well as local book retailers. For more information see the author's website at http://www.alanbaxteronline.com
March 5, 2011
Imagine if everything you believed in, everything anyone believed in was real. All of the Gods and Goddesses; heaven and hell, all of it. Imagine that if you believed it enough, the tooth fairy and the Grinch and a pink, fluffy Easter Bunny existed.
Imagine that they were real because you believed in them. Such is the world created by Alan Baxter in RealmShift.
Baxter creates an original, but very plausible, alternative to how we view religion. Everybody’s right! There is no one true god, only the god that you believe in. Think you’re going to burn in the pits of hell when you die? You will. Think that death with ultimately reunite you with the puppy you lost when you were five? It will.
But there has to be balance. For this world to work, for no god to become too powerful, for good or evil to not take too strong a hold, there has to be balance. And it is upon this premise that RealmShift takes place.
Isiah is an agent for Balance, that which works to ensure that no one deity has an unfair advantage or that deities cease to exist. Isiah is not good, nor is he evil; he simply does the jobs that are necessary to maintain the balance.
In RealmShift, he must maintain the life of a murdering lowlife who used ancient blood magic to escape a deal with the devil. If Samuel Harrigan falls into the hands of the devil too soon, it will set off a chain of events that will upset the balance and put all of humanity in jeopardy.
RealmShift takes us from city streets to the pits of hell and to the jungles of South America without skipping a beat. Its characters, though most are extremely unsavoury and unlikable, are lovable. We, as readers, want to know their stories, want to read more of them.
RealmShift builds pace as the story progresses, rocketing us towards the ultimate showdown, never releasing us from its grip until the climax.
Not only is it thought-provoking in its exploration of religious beliefs, but contains magic, dark humour, action and fight-scenes so intense and so realistic that it would be difficult to find their rival.
For lovers of dark fantasies, thrillers or just a bloody good read, this book comes highly recommended.
Now I’m looking forward to reading its sequel, Mage Sign.
For more information, to find stockists, or to order your copy online visit:
http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/realm...
Imagine that they were real because you believed in them. Such is the world created by Alan Baxter in RealmShift.
Baxter creates an original, but very plausible, alternative to how we view religion. Everybody’s right! There is no one true god, only the god that you believe in. Think you’re going to burn in the pits of hell when you die? You will. Think that death with ultimately reunite you with the puppy you lost when you were five? It will.
But there has to be balance. For this world to work, for no god to become too powerful, for good or evil to not take too strong a hold, there has to be balance. And it is upon this premise that RealmShift takes place.
Isiah is an agent for Balance, that which works to ensure that no one deity has an unfair advantage or that deities cease to exist. Isiah is not good, nor is he evil; he simply does the jobs that are necessary to maintain the balance.
In RealmShift, he must maintain the life of a murdering lowlife who used ancient blood magic to escape a deal with the devil. If Samuel Harrigan falls into the hands of the devil too soon, it will set off a chain of events that will upset the balance and put all of humanity in jeopardy.
RealmShift takes us from city streets to the pits of hell and to the jungles of South America without skipping a beat. Its characters, though most are extremely unsavoury and unlikable, are lovable. We, as readers, want to know their stories, want to read more of them.
RealmShift builds pace as the story progresses, rocketing us towards the ultimate showdown, never releasing us from its grip until the climax.
Not only is it thought-provoking in its exploration of religious beliefs, but contains magic, dark humour, action and fight-scenes so intense and so realistic that it would be difficult to find their rival.
For lovers of dark fantasies, thrillers or just a bloody good read, this book comes highly recommended.
Now I’m looking forward to reading its sequel, Mage Sign.
For more information, to find stockists, or to order your copy online visit:
http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/realm...
February 27, 2014
Alan Baxter is one of the hosts of a favored podcast "ThrillerCast" and I've read several of his short fiction pieces in the past. I've always enjoyed listening to his perspective on different writerly topics and finally made the time to read "Realmshift" after all this time.
I'm very glad I did.
The work itself is a very unique match up of urban fantasy combined with major mythological elements. The protagonist is an agent of Balance, dedicated to keeping the scales even between good and evil, whatever the cost.
Baxter creates a very unusual character in the work. Centuries old and possessed of hidden knowledge, strength and skills the protagonist has an amazing array of "edges" - enough so he can go toe to toe with gods and Satan himself. But always at a cost and always for a reason.
The pace was good overall, though I felt it dragged in a few places. The combat scenes were top notch as one might expect from an author who is also a kung fu instructor and has written a great book called "Write the Fight Right". The combination of pace plus elements of a classic "chase" story combined very well and made for compelling reading.
There are two different narratives which take place and this provides the reader insight into how the primary characters will eventually conflict with a most uncertain resolution.
In addition I really enjoyed the time Baxter spent detailing his protag. Despite (in spite) all of his wonderful abilities, the hero of the tale is a man conflicted. Forced to do reprehensible acts in the name of Balance, it is his role to ensure that destinies are met, no matter the cost. Baxter never lets the reader forget that fact.
Despite some much slower passages which seemed to focus too much on description, I very much enjoyed the book.
I'm very glad I did.
The work itself is a very unique match up of urban fantasy combined with major mythological elements. The protagonist is an agent of Balance, dedicated to keeping the scales even between good and evil, whatever the cost.
Baxter creates a very unusual character in the work. Centuries old and possessed of hidden knowledge, strength and skills the protagonist has an amazing array of "edges" - enough so he can go toe to toe with gods and Satan himself. But always at a cost and always for a reason.
The pace was good overall, though I felt it dragged in a few places. The combat scenes were top notch as one might expect from an author who is also a kung fu instructor and has written a great book called "Write the Fight Right". The combination of pace plus elements of a classic "chase" story combined very well and made for compelling reading.
There are two different narratives which take place and this provides the reader insight into how the primary characters will eventually conflict with a most uncertain resolution.
In addition I really enjoyed the time Baxter spent detailing his protag. Despite (in spite) all of his wonderful abilities, the hero of the tale is a man conflicted. Forced to do reprehensible acts in the name of Balance, it is his role to ensure that destinies are met, no matter the cost. Baxter never lets the reader forget that fact.
Despite some much slower passages which seemed to focus too much on description, I very much enjoyed the book.
December 20, 2012
A while ago Alan Baxter gave away eBook versions of his Isiah duology as part of a promotion for the Thrillercast podcast that he hosts with American thriller author David Wood. In preparation for reading Magesign I decided to re-read Realmshift (I'd already picked up and read a physical copy of Realmshift at local Australian con).
It's still a damn good read and more so when in retrospect you start to think about what the author tries to achieve with his main character, Isiah.
Isiah is an immortal and very powerful agent of the BALANCE, someone who can go toe-to-toe with Satan. His job is to deal with such beings as demons, vampires and angels to make sure that the status quo of the gods (and there are many in this world) remains balanced. All without knowing the full details of what is going on and having to protect someone he detests. In the end the balance is maintained and all the 'bad' people get their comeuppance and so the reader is left satisfied.
It's a fascinating cosmology and an interesting setting, which in parts teases with the hints of what else might be happening in this world, and I look forward to see what the author does in Magesign. I wonder if he will be brave enough to have Isiah on the side of the bad guys, which must be a possible consequence of the character's role in the universe.
Not recommended for anyone who has strong traditional feelings about the Christian religion.
It's still a damn good read and more so when in retrospect you start to think about what the author tries to achieve with his main character, Isiah.
Isiah is an immortal and very powerful agent of the BALANCE, someone who can go toe-to-toe with Satan. His job is to deal with such beings as demons, vampires and angels to make sure that the status quo of the gods (and there are many in this world) remains balanced. All without knowing the full details of what is going on and having to protect someone he detests. In the end the balance is maintained and all the 'bad' people get their comeuppance and so the reader is left satisfied.
It's a fascinating cosmology and an interesting setting, which in parts teases with the hints of what else might be happening in this world, and I look forward to see what the author does in Magesign. I wonder if he will be brave enough to have Isiah on the side of the bad guys, which must be a possible consequence of the character's role in the universe.
Not recommended for anyone who has strong traditional feelings about the Christian religion.
Read
March 5, 2011While journalist Katherine Bailey investigates a crystal skull discovered in Guatemala, a psychopath is intent on killing her companion, and Isiah--an immortal of sorts, an angel of sorts, and also slightly human--must save a blood mage's life so he can fulfill his destiny and save Katherine's life.
There's a depth of mythology in this book and a lot of great action. All realms are covered, from earth to Hell. Satan makes an appearance (not slick and clever but a real demonic Beelzebub) as do many Gods, and a force called Balance that sorts it all out. Isiah works for Balance, and his ideas about its origin are fascinating. There are also great discussions about belief and fate.
Isiah is by far the best character, weary from hundreds of years of life and determined to succeed even without thanks. Katherine is a much weaker character, a conflict of independent woman and a bit of a moron (I don't know any independent women who think that taking up with random strangers while travelling is a great idea.) I'd like to say she grew on me, but it was more that she served her purpose.
The story is heavy with truly despicable characters. With fewer of them there might be a more complicated ending, but they do provide a very strong Good Versus Evil theme and as is the conclusion is satisfying. Isiah is compelling enough that he certainly deserves his sequel (MageSign.)
There's a depth of mythology in this book and a lot of great action. All realms are covered, from earth to Hell. Satan makes an appearance (not slick and clever but a real demonic Beelzebub) as do many Gods, and a force called Balance that sorts it all out. Isiah works for Balance, and his ideas about its origin are fascinating. There are also great discussions about belief and fate.
Isiah is by far the best character, weary from hundreds of years of life and determined to succeed even without thanks. Katherine is a much weaker character, a conflict of independent woman and a bit of a moron (I don't know any independent women who think that taking up with random strangers while travelling is a great idea.) I'd like to say she grew on me, but it was more that she served her purpose.
The story is heavy with truly despicable characters. With fewer of them there might be a more complicated ending, but they do provide a very strong Good Versus Evil theme and as is the conclusion is satisfying. Isiah is compelling enough that he certainly deserves his sequel (MageSign.)
February 20, 2013
I read this book on the train. For some reason, it really suits train reading. It's about an immortal-ish being, Isiah, who goes about fighting demons and trying to restore balance to the belief systems of the world. I really Ike the ideas of religion in this book - humans believe something strongly enough, and it is real. Your deity, whatever that may be, exists because you believe in it. As an atheist myself, I don't believe in any deities. But I do believe in having faith. Believing in something, anything, is important, it gives life meaning. I think RealmShift supports this; it gives important to the self, the character. Humans are the important ones, those who do the believing. RealmShift ties together these ideas of faith and belief in a gritty, violent, suspenseful story.
February 14, 2014
Alan Baxter’s Realmshift (The Balance #1) is an intriguing read that is well worth a look.
It’s the story of Isiah, a powerful magician and agent of a spiritual entity called The Balance, who is charged with protecting a murderous scumbag from the Devil (no less), and preventing a chain of events that would destroy all humankind.
With its supernatural themes this story was right up my alley and while it contained some horrific elements (I haven’t read much horror), it wasn’t gratuitous and served the story well.
Realmshift is at once an entertaining and thought provoking dark fantasy romp. I’m very keen to get my hands on the next book in the series, Magesign (The Balance #2).
It’s the story of Isiah, a powerful magician and agent of a spiritual entity called The Balance, who is charged with protecting a murderous scumbag from the Devil (no less), and preventing a chain of events that would destroy all humankind.
With its supernatural themes this story was right up my alley and while it contained some horrific elements (I haven’t read much horror), it wasn’t gratuitous and served the story well.
Realmshift is at once an entertaining and thought provoking dark fantasy romp. I’m very keen to get my hands on the next book in the series, Magesign (The Balance #2).
December 13, 2014
Disclaimer: I received this book from a first-read giveaway.
I honestly didn't know what to expect of this book given the blurb on the Goodreads page, but I was not disappointed. Though the whole deal-with-the-devil concept is a bit overdone, Alan goes a different way with it by explaining that the people of the world and their beliefs shape gods (much like Gaiman and a few others).
All in all, I enjoyed myself, though!
I honestly didn't know what to expect of this book given the blurb on the Goodreads page, but I was not disappointed. Though the whole deal-with-the-devil concept is a bit overdone, Alan goes a different way with it by explaining that the people of the world and their beliefs shape gods (much like Gaiman and a few others).
All in all, I enjoyed myself, though!
March 4, 2015
Amazing story!
This is one of those stories where the author apparently combined a lot of research into religions, history, culture, and archeology to write an amazing story. I really liked his development of the main characters and the continual balancing act of deities. However, I wasn't really fond of his loose portrayal of the spiritual world and faith and beliefs, etc. I have a strong spiritual side and that is where that comment comes from. However, Baxter did an amazing job of writing a great story. Well worth the read.
This is one of those stories where the author apparently combined a lot of research into religions, history, culture, and archeology to write an amazing story. I really liked his development of the main characters and the continual balancing act of deities. However, I wasn't really fond of his loose portrayal of the spiritual world and faith and beliefs, etc. I have a strong spiritual side and that is where that comment comes from. However, Baxter did an amazing job of writing a great story. Well worth the read.
September 18, 2012
Pretty good dark fantasy/horror. If it had been cut down a little, I'd have liked it more. I did like that the villain was bad, unredeemable. I liked some things about him, but Sam was bad to the core. Some authors would be tempted to make him a likable guy, but he wasn't. Sometimes it is black and white.
January 7, 2010
Simple yet entertaining fantasy.
Read
June 11, 2010This is the new Gryphonwood Press edition of RealmShift.
January 23, 2014
Overly complicated plot and world introduced too quickly, before I could even care about the characters.
August 23, 2014
Representation of POC was woeful, gratuitous rape scene, overwritten hell scene, white writers should never use the n word.
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