3 out of 4 stars
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The Calling (A Protector Book) by C. S. Lane is a compelling 440-page novel that is the first book in the Protector Series. This Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel opens up with the destruction of one earth and the beginning of a new one. It begins with the birth of Marissa and Jaakan in the age of the Neanderthals.
Marissa is called to be a Protector, maintain the human races choice of free will, and aid in making the world prevent the mistakes of the past. Jaakan is born into life abandoned and afraid because of his family’s absence. He is found by a Prince of Darkness, Baywrath, and raised in ignorance of who he is. Jaakan knows he is different when compared to other humans because he has powers but is unsure of himself. He is persuaded to follow Jaakans view in bringing about the real intentions of people, but in all reality, Baywrath is just using him. Baywrath’s goal is to return the world back into the hands of all demons. They have also inadvertently brought about pain and sorrow for Marissa throughout time. It is therefore up to Marissa and the other Protectors to stop Baywrath and his plans.
This novel focuses on the idea of the what-if scenario: What if we could go back and prevent certain things from happening? Would you do it? That is the central theme associated with this novel and involves bettering the world whether you are of the light or dark. Demon or not, everyone is capable of doing good.
The characters in this book are simply fantastic. Each one is developed to be more than just a simple figure or fill in space, all while having viable substance. They all have significant roles within, which add depth to the story immensely. The author gives the most character development to the two main characters Marissa and Jaakan. The book follows them from birth, in the age of the Neanderthals, to the 1930’s in which the main story takes place. The explanation of their past was presented as flashbacks throughout and ties in their significance. They also become tied emotionally to significant beings throughout the story, which further develop their characters. The author brings in an adolescent demon, Leo, to portray Marissa as a motherly figure even.
The setting takes place mostly in the 1930’s in America, Japan, the Underworld, and China. The Protectors are capable of dematerializing to any location at any time, which allowed the author to expand the setting for each character. Most of the conflict within the story takes place in China.
I enjoyed reading this novel. It was easy to get lost in, and I could not seem to put it down. I did observe that there were frequent grammatical errors and also some issues with the formatting. The print varied between Italic, Bold, and Normal, which is normally seen only in conversation. I finally began to ignore it and focus on the story, but I do recommend having the book edited a second time to correct these issues. My positive opinion of this novel greatly outweighs these negative aspects, and I cannot wait to begin the second book in this series. My rating, therefore, is a 3 out of 4 stars. I loved the characters, their humor, friendships, and determination.
This novel is filled with action, adventure, magic, friendship, and great lessons focusing on loving others, and making the world a better place. There is quite a bit of fighting, but nothing too graphic. I think this book would be fitting for anyone willing to take on the challenge of reading over 400 pages regardless of age.
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The Calling (A Protector Book)
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