Deal with the Devil & Rise of Azrisol Kaimana

by Alfred Muller

Purchase Options

PLOT SYNOPSIS (from the back of the book)
The monster in his nightmares calls him friend, but Anthony Luther wants nothing to do with the Man-in-the-Dark, wishing only to disappear into the small town of Heckhaven, TN. Unfortunately for him, that town has a long memory and it remembers he caused a fire that killed one of their own. Ten years later Anthony learns that sharing a drink with someone in the abyss of the afterlife is more than it seems.
His best friend, Dezeray Lilet is able to overlook his past transgressions making life in the small town bearable, until another fire threatens to unravel his happiness. Already marked by the first fire Anthony doesn’t think he’ll be able to overcome a second. To make matters worse Dezeray has hidden her past from herself as a coping mechanism, but when Anthony’s past resurfaces her own skeletons are pulled from the cobwebs of her mind unleashing her personal demons into the pot of chaos brewing.
All comes to a head when a demon crashes a graduation party and tips the pot flooding the town of Heckhaven with violence. Only then is a reluctant group of angels called Sciathan Zaldune dispatched to watch over Anthony, at least until the secrets of his past and his connection to the Man-in-the-Dark can be explained. Caught in an ancient struggle between good and evil Anthony finds himself forced to side against humanity to save himself and his few friends.

NOTE
These books were originally published as one volume. This is the version I have, so I will be reviewing them as a single book.

Book Information

Series: The Water Crystal
Book: 1 & 2
Age Range: 18+
Content Notice: Occasional strong foul language, underaged drinking, sexually suggestive language, religious-ish content, graphic violence, frightening imagery, topics involving suicide
Faith Based: No
ISBN: 979-8355231446

Ratings

THE BOTTOM LINE
An intriguing story, fleshed out world, and deeply nuanced characters need cleaner writing and a tighter focus.

THOUGHTS
Potential: one word to sum up this novel and its author. The backdrop, a war between heaven and hell with earth caught in the middle, is an interesting premise but leads to problematic theology. God barely exists. People go to hell because their guardian angels fail to protect them on the way to heaven. These are just two of the problematic concepts. To be fair, the book is guided more by general principles of mythology than any specific religion, but it is still abrasive to my sensibilities since I am a Christian, the basic faith system explored in this novel. Despite its sacrilegious nature, the story is engaging. Its fantastic characters are the strongest part of the book. The protagonist, Anthony, is very relatable. Initially timid and self-loathing due to his past, he develops in realistic fashion. Though improvement is torturously slow at times, the pace of his arc gives it even more weight. To keep things grounded, he does not turn into a perfect character but develops new flaws alongside his strengths, flaws which I hope will play a role in later books. A standout supporting character is Dezeray. An interesting backstory and character logically based on her experience make this broken person sympathetic and likable. She is developed extensively enough that she could be a main character, but the book doesn’t always treat her as such. The rest of the supporting cast is a mixed bag. Some are caricatured and stupid, some are over the top, and others are a perfect mix. It is often difficult to tell which of the many supernatural and physical characters are the good guys, making for a dynamic read. By contrast, the plot is all over the place, and the pacing suffers for it. The same general arc drives the novel from beginning to end, but smaller plot arcs come and go in haphazard fashion. Most notably, Anthony changes location at one point, none of the supporting characters accompany him, and a new cast is introduced. Secondary plotlines are put on hold and new ones are introduced. The material of this section is interesting but feels like an intermission to rather than a continuation of the main storyline. From interpersonal conflict to superhero-esq fights between towering angels and demons, action in this novel is thrilling, well-described, and easy to visualize. Unfortunately, scenes lack cohesive arcs with little push and pull as each side gains or loses ground over time. Instead, characters bash at each other until one of them wins. The scenes aren’t bad, but they could be better. The writing is by far the weakest part of this book. Bad punctuation, missing/misspelled/wrong words, mixed tenses, run-on sentences, and general poor sentence structure abound. Paragraphs are often bloated with unnecessary sentences. On the other hand, dialogue is usually natural and raw in the best possible way, though sometimes it is hampered by poor attribution, lack of contractions, and stilted wording. Despite the plethora of writing errors, the strengths of the story make this weakness fade into the background to a certain extent. Normally I would rate this book two-stars on the writing alone; however, the story and characters are interesting enough to make it worth reading. The excellent aspects of the story are the most difficult to teach while the weakest ones are the simplest to fix. This is Muller’s first book, so he can certainly improve his skill with time. I will definitely read the sequel to these books and am excited for the future of this promising new author.

RANTS AND RAMBLES
DISCLAIMER: When I review books, weaknesses and inconsistencies tend to dominate my discussion; therefore, I will emphasize that any particular rant (and, yes, they can be long-winded) does not have special bearing on my unified opinion of the book. For this, please refer to my overall star rating. Additionally, this review is my personal opinion, intended to help like-minded readers navigate the plethora of available options. Use it as a tool but do not assign undue importance to it (i.e. feel free to disagree with me).

  • I will forever harp on inaccuracies associated with weapons. Muller made two mistakes which are relatively minor but which stuck out like a sore thumb to me. First, a person flips off the safety on their Glock handgun; the problem is that Glocks famously don’t have safeties. Also, a magazine for a firearm is referred to as a clip which, while a bit pedantic, is inaccurate.
  • Police in this book seem overly stupid, immature, and petty. I understand that people can be all of these things, but every single police personality in the story, save one, seems like a caricature, and it makes the story less believable.
  • The rules of the world and the water crystal are not even remotely clear. I know some of this is because Anthony is learning throughout the novel, but even the explanations he receives are a bit unsatisfactory. With unclear rules, it is often confusing why things occur the way they do.
  • Some descriptions in this novel are odd yet strangely effective. For example, one particular voice is described as sounding like a person who inhaled helium and is speaking into a fan. Weird, but I understand exactly what this person is meant to sound like. Excellent work by Muller
  • The story acts like it has only one main character, Anthony; however, if you look at the book blurb, page time, etc, it really has two: Anthony and Dezeray. Dezeray has all the depth, backstory, emotional investment, and agency of a main character; unfortunately, this split of main character spotlight does as much to hamper and slow down the book as it does to help it. The story, pacing, and arc are written for Anthony’s character, and Dezeray can seem out of place at times.
  • MINOR SPOILERS: There are several legal inaccuracies in the story. Relatively early on, Anthony is served papers in a lawsuit alleging (falsely) that he assaulted another kid. I am not all that familiar with legal issues, but I’m not sure this is how suing works, especially a mere week after the incident. Second, Anthony’s stepdad reads in said served papers that Anthony is accused of hitting a kid with his car but later says there is no time on the accusation, asking if Anthony hit the kid later as he was being stuffed in a closet (notably without his car). I am assuming a lawsuit which did not specify what assault it is based on wouldn’t even get off the ground. Additionally, Anthony’s stepdad is served the papers, but since Anthony is 18 and not a minor, I would assume they would have to be served to him. Finally, Anthony’s mom says they are trying to keep him out of jail, but a civil suit can’t have criminal sentencing.
  • MINOR SPOILERS: More legal issues abound. While not necessarily unrealistic, Anthony’s decision to not get a lawyer is really stupid. Later, a lawyer shows up, and when Anthony says he doesn’t want him there, the lawyer replies that Anthony didn’t hire him so he can’t fire him. While technically true (in a weird sort of way), Anthony definitely has the ability to refuse the counsel of this lawyer.
  • MINOR SPOILERS: A catholic priest in the story displays some pretty non-priestly behavior. He is supposed to be a bit of a renegade, so some of his actions fit, but it also clear that he is all-in on the church and priesthood, so there are two actions in particular which make no sense. First, he administers the Eucharist to at least one non-Catholic, an action which is absolutely not condoned by the Catholic church. Then, he uses communion wine recreationally, not only for himself but also for two other people. It is very likely that he views the wine as the blood of Jesus (an opinion central to Catholicism), so using it recreationally seems a bridge too far.
  • MINOR SPOILER: Injury in the book is all over the place. In the beginning, Anthony is hurt and has to go to the hospital. He is subsequently healed by the water crystal. The stone continues to heal him until three-quarters of the way through the book. I think there is a reason the healing stops, but I can’t remember what it is. Shortly after, he is beat up and his lung gets punctured; however, he refuses medical help and is fine, so is the water crystal still healing him? Four chapters later, a broken rib pokes his lungs again, showing it wasn’t healed by the water crystal, so how is he still alive? He was spitting blood earlier! While I do appreciate that injuries are acknowledged and not simply waved away by the plot (except where the water crystal is involved), a more even-handed approach to injury overall would have been a good idea.
  • SPOILER: When trapped in a police station by a demon, Anthony uses an effect of the crystal discovered earlier to save Gabriel and himself. This effect is more of a byproduct and not an actual power of the crystal, so Anthony’s creative use of it shows off his intelligence. The whole scene also fits nicely into the story, because this potential use of the crystal is foreshadowed, yet not in an obvious manner, so the clever solution is a surprise.
  • MAJOR SPOILER: Near the end of his time in The Wandering, a Purgatory-like place, Anthony dies, and Lucy sacrifices herself to resurrect him. This scene works reasonably well for the plot, but on an emotional level, it falls short because Lucy is the one making the decision. We barely know her, and this happens right after she forgives Anthony for killing her earlier, so the choice she faces means little. For the sacrifice to punch harder, it should have come from a character we know better and/or who is conflicted, not one who is good through and through. For Lucy, the choice isn’t really a dilemma at all.
  • MAJOR SPOILER: The reveal that the detective is harassed by demons is a good idea. It takes a character we have come to know over the course of the story and somewhat recontextualizes his actions. But good twists need to be at least somewhat predictable, and this one was not. It has one or two very weak clues and then, after a time, is revealed. Consequently, it feels like it comes out of left field.