Rising Leviathan (After Eden #3)

First, thank you all for coming out for the blog tour for Austin's Latest book.

Book Blurb

Rising Leviathan is the latest sci-fi thriller in the After Eden series—a dramatic mix of politics, religion, and intrigue. The saga continues in the Russian Bloc (Yes, Russia “owns” Eastern Europe too) in the year 2096 with the inexplicable death of the Russian president. Or was it murder? As one leader falls, a deadly power rises. Will there be war or more than one? The march to the explosion of World War III continues— the first global war of the tek age, a hell we have never seen before.

About the Author: (goodreads profile)

About this author

Austin Dragon’s After Eden Series includes Thy Kingdom Fall (Book #1), Stars and Scorpions (Book #2) and soon-to-be-released Rising Leviathan (Book #3) on May 4th, 2014. He is a native New Yorker, but has called Los Angeles, California home for the last twenty years. Words to describe him, in no particular order: U.S. Army; English teacher; one-time resident of Paris; political junkie; movie buff; campaign manager and staffer of presidential and gubernatorial campaigns; Fortune 500 corporate recruiter; renaissance man; dreamer.

Website/Social Media Contacts. 

http://www.afteredenbooks.com

Twitter-

Austin_Dragon

Before I give you my review, I want to give you a glimpse of the questions I asked Austin. 

Questions:

1. Tell us about you?

I believe all authors find a routine and stick to that. For me it's simply going to a local Coffee Bean (never been big into Star Bucks for some reason) and there I sit for up to two hours to write. I do that everyday until the book is done, which for me is about 45 to 60 days. On the weekends I will write for about three to five hours in a day.

When I write, I sometimes do play music with the headphones or just work quietly. I always do research, but unlike how I used to write years ago, it isn't done before I write. Some of it is before, but most of it is during.

2. What is your book about?

The subtitle of the series is "The Genesis of World War III." It is the people and places leading to this horrific global battle with is also known as the first war of the Tek Age. I think its the first science fiction to try to directly link current times to this future time and we see how our cultural, political, religious, technological changes lead to a "wonderful" Tek World, as some in this time call it, or quite the opposite, by other segments of the population. Many reviewers have commented that they feel the series is quite "prophetic."

3. How did you get your idea for your book?

Firstly, most science fiction seems to suggest that in the future there is no religion at all as if suggesting that we "grow up" and "grow out of it." Besides being insulting, it's just to quote Spock: illogical. Two thirds of the world's population is religious today and we go to no religion. All Jews, Christians, Mormons, Buddhist, Muslims, etc. disappear? That's not believable.

Secondly, I've always been good at seeing and predicting trends in society. Unfortunately, most of the trend lines I see are not looking good. For example, we have kids today who literally can't exist without their i-phone or smartphone of choice today. Imagine what we'll be like in 50 years. So that was the other motivation. If I could travel into the future as a kind of civilian journalist what would I see? Report on everything in the society--good, bad and in between.

4. Who is your favorite character and why?

As you well know there are no shortage of absolutely great characters in the series. In the first book, Thy Kingdom Fall, Logan, "General" Moses, M and the one who steals the show is the Amish girl Kristiana. In book two, Stars and Scorpions, it is definitely Shoshana and Father Marcos. For book three...well you'll just have to see.

5. Why the political theme? 

Is there something that drove you to this? Even for people who are apolitical or hate politics, that part of our society is a driving force in our lives, whether we like it or not, pay attention to it or not. If the government decides to have civilian drones in every corner of the sky, that is a political issue. The size of government, the power of government—all those questions are political ones that are both shaped by our culture and create the culture.


6. Why the Sci-Fi element in the story? 

I love sci-fi, but for this series it was more a story to warn people about what seems to be very trivial today can have dramatic and deadly consequences in the future.


7. I truly loved the way you developed your characters. Are there going to be spin offs after the main series is done. 

That’s a great question. I’m thinking that there might have to be. Some of these characters you really want to know what happens to them way before World War Three happens.

What do you all think? Does this answer some of the questions you have? If not let me know and I will reach out to Austin and get you an answer. 

Now, on with the show, 

Recently, I was asked why I chose to read this series by an author that is not well known at this point. 

Here is my answer...

There are so many great authors that are out there that need our help. Social media is a powerful tool and Austin is an amazing author with an amazing mind. Sure, I love political suspense stories. Scandal is one of my favorite shows, however just the theme of the story was not enough to keep me reading. With every page I read, I kept questioning the sanity of my mind. Sure, I knew science fiction is just that, but I kept asking myself if some of the great sci-fi writers of the past would look at today and exclaim, "I WAS RIGHT!" 

Sometimes, Science Fiction is just a sort time away from becoming Science Fact. 

Review:

Where to start? Maybe, I need to rehash some of the past story line. We have an America in the future that would make us of today ill to our stomach. The religious persecution is such that I have vivid thoughts of some of the great totalitarian reigns of the past. Humans seem to have a knack for persecuting religion whenever some external stressor presents itself. It's a sad reality. Our history is littered with examples of such evil. 

Then we have the other two great powers in the world. The CHIN's (A combo of China and India) and the Islamic Caliphate (a power driven from Saudi Arabia that engulfed Western Europe under its rule). 

In this book, we get to see the other great void in the world. The Russian Bloc. Just like Russia of the past, we find ourselves riddled with plots, assassinations, a matriarchal upheaval in the religious sector, and a final play for power that I feel will bring pain to world in the future. 

The opening scene of the book sets the tone. The Russian President is dead. In the room, were the leaders of the three superpowers. No one really knows how he died, just that a series of events unfolds that will leave you speechless.

I will give you one little surprise. The demon we saw in Mexico. You know which one! He is back, and he brought some friends to the party. 

On the other side of the world. The Mormon Order is fleeing America and they are soon going to find themselves involved a a power struggle that might cause the end of the world. 

The Russian president: The Leviathan

The Mormon Secret project: The Leviathan 

Are they linked? Of course, I will not tell you. 

Here is what I can tell you. 

1. Vampires-yes

2. Witches...Both Dark and "Glinda's"- yep

3. Surprise relation/marriages that will shock you-yep

4. Demons- Of course....also, some of their past and potential future is explored. 

5. The Continuum- YES...

6. Father Marco-Who is my favorite character. Yep!

Where will this series goes, as the book ends less than 30 years before the first shot of WWIII? No one can speculate, as Austin has proved that he is a master of deception with the plot of his story! 

Quotes: 

These are some quotes that I found that keep the theme of this series,

“The End is Nigh!" the man shouted.
"Is there still time for hot chocolate?" Riley asked.
The-End-is-Nigh guy blinked. "Ah, maybe, I don’t know.”

― Jana Oliver, Forbidden

“They say the captain goes down with the ship, so when the world ends, will God go down with it?”
― Fall Out Boy

This one...fits

“Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, Christians think He is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely. I do not suppose you and I would have though much of a Frenchman who waited till the Allies were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side. God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else -something it never entered your head to conceive- comes crasing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity

Rating:

Until Next Time,