Review: For those who gravitate toward science fiction, paranormal, religion, dystopian tales
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 5, 2014
Author C. D. Verhoff, originally from Indiana but now living in Ohio, has a broad spectrum of career involvements  - retail, elementary school teacher, medical lab tech, insurance, finance  - that have prepared her for the apparent parodies of interpersonal relationships she plays out in her novels. And though her books are anything but explorations of contemporary society, the manner in which she develops her penchant for fantasy/paranormal/science fiction/apocalyptic themes, the aspect that grounds them is her sensitivity to human emotions.SEEKER OF THE FOUR WINDS is the second (actually the third if the Prequel is included) book of the Galatia Series and it would behoove those who love this genre to read that first book before tackling the second - much seems too distant to have not had a reference in the previous book. For example, Verhoff's first paragraph is as follows: `A bell tolled in the distance as the last ember winked out in the small hearth. I prayed for a miracle, but the upcoming battle seemed inevitable. The stone walls of my holding cell sucked up every bit of warmth, leaving behind a damp chill. As I sat at an unvarnished table fresh from the workshop, I lowered my BIC pen to a spiral notebook, and wrote: Is this the end of the human race-- again? My rheumatic right hand screamed for aspirin, but none was to be found in this miserable place. ` And yes, this style continues through the book...Very briefly the story (as per the preview notes) develops as follows: `A series of catastrophic events have altered the cartography of the earth and the life forms that live there. Follow the last members of the human race as they struggle to survive on a radically altered earth in a strange new world determined to kill them. Led by an alien artifact called the Seeker of the Four Winds, Josie, Lars and the Red Squad are on a mission to save the Galatians from annihilation. But with a demented warlock on the loose, growing political unrest at home and a hostile army gathering on the horizon, will there be anything left when they return?'Verhoff manages to insert enough steamy eroticism and seriously graphic imagery and situations into the flow of the overlong book to keep the reader committed. Yes, there is an audience for works of this sort - look at the TV guide and the list of films in the theaters and note the predominance of escapist entertainment from which we are left to select. CD Verhoff pulls the genre off better than most, but one wonders what would happen should she decide to step away from the fantasy realm and enter contemporary reality. Grady Harp, March 14