Review: A reader's guide to the Demonica world for books #1 - #9: APOCALYPSE: THE LORDS OF DELIVERANCE CONPENDIUM by Larissa Ione
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2014
From the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse - Reseph, Limos, Ares, and Thanatos - to the staff of Underworld General Hospital (UGH), this series index provides RPG-style stats for each reoccurring "good" character. Such stats can include:* Physical traits* Likes/dislikes* Agimortus and trigger* Armor, weapon, and weakness* Most memorable historical event* Tattoos/Identifying marks* Personal Seminus symbol* Horse's name and description* Breed/species* Profession & location* Daemonica/Demonica prophecy* SpouceSee the last one on the list? It appears for some of the UGH staff and humans, not the Four Horseman. This means that the first five Demonica books contain spoilers within this conpendium, while I'd consider the note on Cara to be more of a tease than a spoiler for ETERNAL RIDER. Descriptions of each Horseman's horse is also provided in detail in a similar fashion as the human bios.Four sections concentrate on world-building and setting: The World, Regions in Sheoul, Weapons, and The Deamons. These are a collection of tourist stops in Larissa's world, a brief intro to Sheol, a listing of what can hurt you (hellhound saliva to gargantua-bone daggers), and a crash-course in demonology.Next, there's a Q&A; with Larissa, from the fan basics to some off-the-wall questions.Lastly, the treat of a teaser for REAVER (Demonica #10, LoD #5). It's a short story about the conception of the Horseman, featuring Lilith, Yenrieth, and Verrine.If you made it all the way through from book #1 to book #9, you know "everything" in this conpendium, but you should buy it, because it's a convenient and fun way to have all your favorite characters and Larissa's world at your fingertips. The distance between Demonica/LoD book publication can be lengthy, and this conpendium can be a nice resting spot for a refresher, as well as making an educational and handy reference for bragging to your friends about what you are reading. Toss Larissa another buck; look what goodies she's given us already!Should you buy this without reading Larissa's novels first? Not if you want to avoid spoilers. Read books #1 - #5, and only then grab this eBook; it'll set you on the path for books #6 - #9 and beyond. There will be more conpendiums to come, so this isn't a must-have, unless you're an obsessive fan, like me.Three things this conpendium missed were not providing info on specific book baddies, not telling how big the horses were (hands/pounds), and not providing any new information. This index is a positive slant on info I already had, just better organized. Even the short story doesn't tell me but one sliver of a fact I never knew until today (the sister). Never-ever publish a conpendium with exclusive content - "exclusive" also referring to content I've not overheard discussed before by archangels.* The numbering of the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance books can confuse readers. "Demonica" is the overall numbering system, while "LoD" is a sub-series within the same world. This means that a book can be both Demonica #10 and LoD #5 (which REAVER is). This book was published between IMMORTAL RIDER and LETHAL RIDER, but it is not included in the numbering system as of yet.Demonica #1-#5 (which the APOCALYPSE conpendium spoils):Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1)Desire Unchained (Demonica, Book 2)Passion Unleashed (Demonica, Book 3)Ecstasy Unveiled (Demonica, Book 4)Eternity Embraced (Demonica)Duel numbering scheme of Demonica #6-#10 and LoD #1-#5:Eternal Rider (Lords of Deliverance, Book 1)Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance, Book 2)Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance)Rogue Rider (Lords of Deliverance)Reaver (Demonica)