Before Daniel Arenson sent us his glowing contribution to last month’s Zelazny Zealotry, I was not familiar with him nor his first book, Firefly Island. It came out in hardcover in 2007, at which time I missed it completely, and is only just now seeing paperback and Kindle editions. Why this delay is anyone’s guess, because it's really a very enjoyable tale; a perfectly serviceable Fantasy and almost textbook Coming of Age romp through a magical land--though it could perhaps have benefited from a catchier title.

True, it doesn’t really go in for breaking any new ground. There’s the Despotic Ruler. The Hidden Mage. The Achilles Heel. The Love at First Sight and Rightful Heir tropes. The gang’s all here. But sometimes you don’t want something paradigm shattering. Sometimes you just want a fun, clean and satisfying read, and Firefly Island, I was delighted to discover, delivers all that, and more.

And so I was more than pleased to follow it up with Arenson’s sophomore effort, Flaming Dove, published independently and released last month in e-book format only, though now followed up in a trade paperback edition. E-book exclusive releases are becoming more and more common (usually out in the fringier elements of fiction, and certainly among self-publishers), and one can only applaud this entrepreneurial spirit, as the success of Kindle and other e-readers allows authors without a publishing house to their name a chance to get their words out into the world. But it also means, of course, that e-book releases can be an extremely hit-or-miss proposition… but in this case, Arenson is right on target.

This book is just really, really fun. It’s pure pleasure to read, even in its darkest moments. It’s all epic battles and complicated relationships and thoughtful allegory all wrapped up in clean, well-crafted prose.

Although I do wonder if I’d have enjoyed this novel as much -- or would have even wanted to read past the first few chapters -- had I not already seen and adored Legion and Supernatural Season 5 before picking it up.

Oh, dear. Yet another Supernatural reference from me this month (we should have considered making this the Supernatural issue). It rates a mention here because Flaming Dove is all about angels and demons battling it out, and to me nothing says Biblically-prophesied End of Days-spanning war like two unreasonably hot men in a vintage muscle car.

Also, 80’s heavy metal music.

Arenson’s is a very different take on the story, I must hasten to inform you; there are no self-sacrificing, demon hunting humans here, no hairstyles that are practically characters in their own right… and of pop culture references, nary a one. But despite this book’s vastly dissimilar presentation of the basic premise, I think I was mostly drawn into it because it reminded me so forcibly of one of my favorite TV shows.

Is that weird?

To be sure, I’d never really given the idea of sword-wielding angels much thought prior to Legion (well, maybe I’d pondered it briefly watching Dogma, but that’s it), and Supernatural’s recent flirtation with the mythology has continued to make this concept appealing to me, as a kind of examination of moral absolutes. I now find the eternal enmity between the garrisons of Heaven and the minions of Hell quite captivating, and I am consequently drawn to various modern interpretations of what is, when you come right down to it, an ancient pile of crazy.

Flaming Dove takes the crazy up a notch and takes us to a place that Supernatural managed to avoid. In this version of Armageddon, there were no Sam and Dean-like saviors to shame the devil back to Hell; in Arenson’s holy holocaust, the prophesied clash of the titans raged across the planet with Heaven’s angelic host taking up arms against Hell’s demonic legion, only to find that they were pretty evenly matched. We open on a scene of devastation, the world lying in ruins and the population decimated. Contrary to Biblical prophecy, Heaven didn’t emerge triumphant from the Lucifer/Michael showdown, and both sides are digging in for a long war of attrition. (Note the clever parable.)

Enter, then, Laila, a half-demon/half-angel hybrid who is spurned by both sides, beautiful, deadly and complicated. Laila is just the kind of heroine you want in your fantastical literature; she’s full of conviction and spirit, sarcasm and intelligence, and she pretty much keeps everyone guessing at all times. (Also, she seems to have a pretty awesome stylist, if the frequent loving descriptions of her clothing are any indication. Where does one shop when one is a demon/angel hybrid?)

Arenson writes very deftly, offering up few surprises in his style, but even fewer offences. His characters are layered, his fight scenes are gripping, his atmosphere is all-pervasive, and his inner monologues are pleasingly distinctive. He also throws in some unexpected humor, and a palpable sense of irreverence. One of my favorite moments from the book comes when one of our main bad guys is ruminating on his past: “Beelzebub remembered the first time he touched the human girl, kissed her, not really knowing what he was doing, but liking it. Oh, man, God was so pissed…”

This book is an absolute bargain at the Kindle store, and is a thoroughly engaging way to spend a couple of hours. It’s perhaps not for everyone, but if you, too, enjoyed Legion and recent Supernatural, then I recommend giving Laila and her supremely dysfunctional extended family a try. Even if you -- bizarrely -- didn’t like them, maybe check this one out anyway, for an intriguing vision of how they could have gone differently.

If for nothing else, check it out to support quality independent publishing. There’s not enough of it out there, and we should all do our part to encourage those vanishingly rare self-published authors who actually make the grade.

  -- Rachel Hyland