Release Day Review ~ For a Glance by Dan Ackerman
Title: For a Glance
Series: The Serpent's Throne Trilogy Book 1
Author: Dan Ackerman
Date of Publication: October 1, 2018
Category: Gay Fiction, Paranormal Fantasy
Where to Buy: Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
Novel Summary:
As the king of Hell, Lucifer's role is mainly bureaucratic--sorting souls, managing unruly demons, and dealing with the politics of Heaven. A demon sneaks a human lover into Hell, leaving Lucifer conflicted, and with an opportunity for revenge against his enemies back on Earth.
Meanwhile, at a brothel, Lucifer meets Ira, a lovely gray demon. Starting a romance is difficult with his life in constant turmoil and when there are souls to save that don't want saving. Mundanity and horror mix in a sprawling, alluring hellscape.
Review Quotes for Previous Dan Ackerman Books:
“Quite the charming gem… I obviously loved the endearing vulnerable character that is Kato.” – Boy Meets Boy on That Doesn’t Belong Here
“This book was unbelievable. It had such an amazingly well-executed premise and just the concept of this book had me so hooked… the author tops it off with some amazing characters, perfect in their imperfections.” – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words on That Doesn’t Belong Here
“If you are looking for something a bit anomalous or sui generis then this is the book to read. While this was put forward to me as a GLBT M/M Romance it is much more and far more and away from any kind of that sort of book I’ve ever read.” – William Bitner Jr. on What Everyone Deserves
“I was too engrossed in the story to highlight or note anything other than the brilliant pieces of dialogue that made me melt. Because that's what this book did. I came in a little nervous, unsure of what I'd get, but with a whole lot of expectations. The story made it all pointless. There was nothing to be nervous about. And my expectations? Blown away! It was absolutely nothing like I'd thought and everything I didn't realise I'd wanted.” – Divine Magazine on What Everyone Deserves
Author Biography:
Dan is a writer and educator who has lived in or around Wolcott, Connecticut for their entire life. They received their BSED from CCSU in 2013 and has written their Master's thesis on representation of women in same-sex relationships in contemporary Spanish literature and cinema.
Excerpt:
Huddled together, some wailing, some rocking and others limp and silent, a hundred human souls waited for judgment. They had come floating down from their world to wander the Empty Plains and there they had been gathered up and herded into the city. They had been chained and marched through the wandering streets of the many districts to the Ninth Precinct.
The demons bustled around now, jabbing the souls into place, into neat rows and columns. Their Prince liked things tidy. Certain things, anyways.
They did not like to disappoint him.
When their Prince entered the room, all the demons genuflected, though some fell to their knees and touched their heads to the floor, or did the best that their bodies allowed. Skarn, snake-thing that he was, simply lay down.
“Stand,” came their Prince’s voice, quiet and sweet.
The souls shuddered collectively, their wailing and weeping going quiet.
Malketh approached her Prince. “From the Empty Plains, Your Highness.”
“This many?” His eyes moved over the crowd, one brow raised. “Is there trouble above?”
Normally only a few dozen souls fell to the Plains, leftover things that hadn’t been sorted properly into their afterlives. Numbers swelled in times of war or plague. And, as the Plains bordered Hell, it fell to the Devil to manage them. Angels had no interest in coming to help or in finding the ones who should have gone to Heaven; they worried they wouldn’t make it back up to Heaven if they dared to come down.
“None that we know of, my Prince,” Malketh told him.
He nodded and waved a hand to dismiss her. He found himself running his hands through his long hair, his fingers braiding it of their own volition. His hands liked to be busy, which meant that no matter how carefully he arranged his hair in the morning, it was always undone by midday.
The demons moved away from the souls, waiting for instructions.
Satan circled the souls, walking between their rows and peering at each one. He stopped in the second row and drew out a young man. He walked him out of the mass and said, “Hindu. Not one of ours. Bring him where he needs to be.”
A demon moved forward and took the young man by the arm.
Satan eyed that demon, then shook his head. “No, not you, I want him to make it there.” He gestured for Skarn to approach.
The snake creature took the soul by the hand and led him away to his correct destination.
By the time the Devil had finished his inspection, more than half the souls had been removed. The rest were left to be sorted into their proper precinct, where their punishments awaited them.
When the room had been emptied, Lucifer stretched up on his toes, reaching his arms far above his head. He let out a yawn, half stifled as he’d turned his head into one of his shoulders.
“Long day, my Prince?” Malketh asked when he’d finished.
“I am tired, Malketh, always tired.”
She nodded. Their Prince was busy, always having something to tend to, either here in Hell or above on Earth. “Perhaps you should retire early. Things have been quiet.”
He shrugged, a loose-limbed movement that emphasized the length and thinness of his body.
Rumor said that the Devil had not always appeared so, with spidery long limbs and milk-pale skin. His hair had not always been so inky black and his eyes had not always been such a terrible reddish gold. Malketh had been made in Hell, so she had not known him before the Fall; those who had tended to stay quiet about how Satan had been. Of course, he hadn’t been Satan then, only Lucifer.
“There is always so much to do.”
He glanced around the room one last time as if he expected to see one last soul lingering. He peered more closely at a shadow, sure that he had seen something glinting.
Malketh asked, “What is it?”
He shook his head. “Probably nothing.”
Malketh couldn’t take her eyes from the shadows. She stepped forward, hand on her knife, but the only thing there was an orange tabby. Hell was lousy with cats, though no one exactly knew why.
Without a word, the Devil wandered off, leaving Malketh behind and heading to the Eighth Precinct. The Eighth was free of souls to be punished and home to the lower-ranking demons and other creatures that made their home in Hell.
Hedged in by a great circular wall, Hell had nine wedge-shaped districts of unequal size, seven for the sinners and two for those who worked there. Once it had been a great sprawling wasteland, but punishing sinners was difficult when roaming on horseback. Sometimes he missed the days when it had been only him, some hell beasts, and a few friends chasing down those who needed recompense for their deeds. But he had been young then.
In the Eighth, he walked with his hands in the pockets of his silk trousers to keep himself from undoing and re-braiding any more of his hair. Many of the creatures he passed genuflected or bowed. He had never meant to make that a habit for the rank and file, but when he’d forced one cheeky demon to do it, they’d all started.
All the Fallen, no matter their order, touched their heads to the floor at the sight of him. Junius had done it before anyone else, sweet and love-struck thing he had been then, on the first night they had been cast out.
The Fall had been a great scattering, and those cast out had landed all over the human world. Some he had not seen again for many years. Somehow Junius had been with him that night; the poor thing had wept, not used to being confined in an earthly body for so long and heartbroken at the idea of never going home.
Seeing Junius weep had sent Lucifer to his knees. He had taken Junius’s face in his hands and promised, “I will see us home, love, you will not have to stay in this place.”
In the thousands of years that had gone by, he had not yet been able to deliver on his promise.
Some of the Fallen had chosen to stay on Earth, others had accompanied him to Hell, where he was bound. He could not leave the realm for too long without being compelled back. Hell was his punishment as much as he was meant to punish the souls in his custody.
He knocked on the front door of one of the small houses in the Eighth.
No one answered.
He waited, looking up and down the street. Here all the houses crowded close together, touching or with only narrow alleys in between. This small house was not on the outskirts of the Eighth, so generally, people could pass unmolested if they didn’t seem like an easy target.
He knocked again and called, “Eodus, I know you’re in there.”
The door opened a moment later to show a demon, slight-framed and dark-eyed. His hands shook as he stepped back. “My Prince, I didn’t…” He remembered his manners and knelt. “I…”
“We know why I’ve come, Eodus, let’s not be coy.”
“I-I don’t…is…” The demon’s eyes darted around; his thin, ash-colored hands twisted together. “Is something the matter?”
Satan entered the house and closed the door behind him. He glanced around the room. Clean, simple, no sign of the carrion that some demons liked to gather or of the excesses in which some of them indulged.
Eodus had done little of note in his lifetime and Lucifer was surprised to find himself needing to deal with him.
A large, white cat leaped up onto the kitchen table and blinked slowly at the Devil.
“Your Highness, what do you want from me?”
“There is a human in the Eighth, Eodus.”
The demon flushed. “A human, surely…with so many souls…there must be so many…”
“A live human, in the Eighth Precinct, where no human, dead or living, has any business being.”
Eodus wrung his hands so fiercely that he ran the risk of pulling his own fingers off. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Jaspar ratted you out. That one seeks forgiveness for other crimes and hopes pointing fingers will garner it.” Satan watched the cat jump down from the table and pause in front of a narrow door. The cat flopped down and stuck its paw under the door. “Bring out the boy.”
The demon shook his head, tears glinting in his eyes. “Please, my Prince.”
“Bring him out.”
Eodus went to the narrow door and brought out a human, young and fair. From Jaspar’s report, Lucifer had expected a child. “Small and sweet and young, tender,” Jaspar had crooned, lips wet with hunger.
Instead, the boy was a slim youth, twenty, or maybe a little younger. He set his jaw and squared his shoulders. Lucifer guessed that, since the Devil lacked the popularly depicted horns and red skin, the youth didn’t know who he was trying to stare down.
Satan smiled and the boy’s brave posture faltered.
“Your Highness, please, he’s no trouble to anyone,” Eodus said.
“Tell me your name,” Satan said to the boy.
“Jack Callahan.”
“And where did Eodus find you?”
The youth answered, “Walter and Shanley Circus, outside of Amherst.”
Satan reached out to Eodus, his hand palm up and waiting.
Eodus took him by the hand but flinched when he felt his Prince searching inside of him.
He saw Jack as Eodus would have: tumbling and juggling in white stockings and black leather slippers. He saw him with his brown curls shining in the moonlight after the show as Eodus could not take his eyes away. Every night for the whole time the circus had been set up outside of Amherst. Eodus had taken the young man by the hand and pleaded for his affections. He had covered him in greedy kisses and eagerly knelt before him, pulling down the youth’s stockings, infatuated and longing to please him.
Lucifer released the demon’s hand, having learned what he wanted to know. The boy had not been taken without consent. Nor was he a child.
“Still, it does me no good to let humans run amok here. Soon everyone will want one.” He looked at Jack and found himself wanting to touch the youth in a way he hadn’t a moment ago. “A pretty one, too. Tell me, Eodus, why could you not be content with going to visit your lover? So many keep their trysts on Earth where they belong. On Earth.”
Strictly speaking, such trips to Earth were not permitted, but there was always a demon who had been granted travel privileges and would sneak others up for the right price. Lucifer let them think they were quieter about it than they were.
The boy’s face flushed and Eodus turned his eyes to the floor. “I didn’t want to leave him with Mylas.”
“Mylas, Second Fallen?” Lucifer asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice. Mylas had left centuries ago with no love for Hell or its Prince.
“He calls himself Mylas Shanley now. Trains the acrobats. Keeps the ones he likes best for his own use.” Eodus could not meet his Prince’s eyes.
“Hmm.”
The human had taken ahold of Eodus’s hand, his body tense. Don’t send me back, Lucifer could hear him screaming within, his mind filled up with the things Shanley had done to the other boys who had gone behind his back. Beatings and lashings, castrated while their lovers watched, or simply fucked until they were broken and bleeding so that they’d never again want to take another to bed.
Satan reached for the boy’s arm and pushed up his sleeve. Branded into his skin was a string of unearthly symbols. So like Mylas to write his name on everything. “He’d find you quick with this. He searches for you even now, can you feel the runes calling to him?”
Jack nodded, swallowing.
“Do you know where you are?” Lucifer asked.
“Hell.”
“And what about me, do you know who I am?”
Jack shook his head. “If I had to guess I’d say you’re what he is. What Shanley is.”
“We are called the Fallen. Demons, yes, but different from ones like Eodus here, who was born in Hell.” He released the boy’s arm. “Mylas is rogue, an enemy of Hell.”
Jack stared at him, his gray-hazel eyes fixed on the Devil’s face.
“I cannot let you stay—”
Eodus let out a small sob.
The Devil tried again. “I cannot let you stay unless—”
“I’ll do anything,” Jack offered.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “Would be nice to finish a sentence for once. Bring me the head of Mylas Shanley and you may request permanent residence in my realm. You have…six months or you must return to Earth to stay.”
Jack looked at Eodus. “Your realm?”
“My realm. For those six months, I grant you refuge. Enemy of my enemy.” He waved a hand dismissively, then took Jack by the chin and pulled him closer. “Do you accept?”
“If I stay in Hell…”
Lucifer felt the question buzzing in Jack’s mind, but the youth wasn’t sure how to phrase it. “You live for one lifetime, whatever that may mean for you while you’re here. Never had a human stay for long and time is deeply different once you leave Earth.”
“I accept.”
“Good. This might sting.” With one fingernail, Lucifer carved a few symbols into the boy’s left cheek, declaring him a refugee. The scarring would be minimal, smooth and white, but visible to all who thought to give him trouble.
When he released Jack, the boy was shaking, blood streaming down his face and dripping onto his shirt.
“Six months, as the human calendar goes. You’ll want to keep an eye on it. Eodus, do you have a calendar?”
Eodus shook his head. “No, Your Highness, I don’t get sent for Earth-bound work.”
“Alright.” Lucifer glanced over Jack. “I suggest you get the boy to training, he’ll need to do more than tumbling to best Mylas. The barracks are open to you.”
Eodus kissed his hand, then kissed Jack.
4 Stars
This novel took me by surprise because of the completely unexpected characters and the setting/world-building/landscape. I found Lucifer (yes, the Devil, Satan, the Prince of Darkness) to be irreverent, witty and all around enjoyable. I know, right??? The Devil was one of the funniest characters I’ve read in ages! I kept picturing him as Russell Brand. Most surprisingly, the author wrote him as a very sensitive and caring character in search of love, missing his family, missing God, and wanting to take care of those he loves. And, yes, he loves. Deeply.
His internal conflicts and quirks make for quite the interesting read. In the end, he wants to take care of those he loves - his wife (who is estranged), his daughter (also estranged, but quite deviant), his BFF Junius, his attacker Mercy, his butler Imogen, his love interest Ira and his subjects like Eodus and Elisha. He sincerely wants to do what’s in their best interest, even if it means hurting himself. He was also very liberal and accepting of others’ differences. He seemed to forgive easily and quickly if he loved someone. But rest assured, the retribution could be significant if he feels crossed. Somehow I came to really like the Devil!
Additionally, the author created a fascinating landscape in which this book occurs - both in Hell and Earth. It’s not all fire and brimstone. Mr. Ackerman makes the demons in Hell personable with homes and jobs and hobbies, they go out for shows and drinks. They’re just regular people in a different realm than all of us. With all of our usual hang-ups like egos and jealousy and greed...
So far this is not a love story. But the complexities of the plot and setting made it well worth the read. For the longest time as I read the book, I kept saying to myself, I don’t know how to rate it! In the end, I wasn’t ready for it to end and so glad it’s the beginning of a trilogy.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
3 Stars!
This is one of those hard to write reviews because I’m not exactly sure how I feel about the story. On one hand, it was quite interesting and the detailing involved in creating the characters and world building was excellent. It always amazes me when an author is able to paint such a vivid picture that I can completely imagine what’s happening as if I’m seeing it on a screen in front of me. On the other hand, though, I guess it was very different from what I was expecting and that kind of threw me off.
This isn’t a romance although yes, there are some qualities of a love story present. This is more of a fantastical story featuring Lucifer aka The Devil aka Satan. We are following along with him as he navigates his world and what happens in his life over the timeframe of book 1 in what I guess will be a trilogy. We see the ins and outs of ruling hell, how he feels about who he is and who people and demons think he is, the politics involved, the management and relationships and his struggles and fears.
There’s a lot going on and a lot of characters to keep straight and at points, I felt lost while at others I felt bored. Then there were times I laughed and found myself anxious and intrigued. There were a whole bunch of feelings going on as I read this story.
Overall, I found Lucifer interesting and funny and I liked him (even if he is the Devil). I found his story a bit sad and felt sorry for him in some ways. I’m not sure I loved his character though and I wasn’t quite drawn enough to any character in particular to truly say I loved them and can’t wait for book 2.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
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