A post-apocalyptic story of Biblical proportions (no joke), Ash & Flame: Season One is a story of one man and the impossible odds he faces.
Our world is literally torn asunder by demons and angels. A Hellfont has formed, belching out hell’s spawn to prey on humankind and God has thrown out all the Angels from Heaven, leaving them to defend humanity as best they can.
Ren and his daughter, Emma, are on the run. Well, everyone is on the run in this story. No one is safe and there’s really no place to go. Demons cavort across the USA countryside, killing or recruiting anyone they encounter. Ren has heard of a safe haven, protected by Angels and the Blessed, humans given special powers by the Angels. With his daughter in tow, they traverse annihilation to get there.
But it is not easy. Just when Ren thinks they might make it, they are caught. Ren hadn’t been fast enough, wasn’t careful enough, and he and his daughter are about to be demon-bait until an Angel saves them and dumps them exactly where they want to be – Haven (on the Mississippi River, no less).
But that’s not safe either.
The Grigori (Fallen Angels or demons) and the Malakhi (the good, but scary, Angels) have other ideas for Emma.
In a world gone to Hell, Ren struggles to keep his daughter safe. The Grigori are after Emma for reasons that become clear to Ren as the story progresses. Ithuriel, an Angel, is fighting his own brethren. Cut off from God, the Angels are directionless and fight among themselves. When Lilith, Emma’s mom and Hell’s leader on Earth, attempts to take her, a little bit more of Hell breaks loose. Ithuriel can’t let them unite, even if it means he has to kill Emma. And Ren can’t let that happen.
This is a fast-paced, action-packed, demon-filled, awe-inspiring-Angels kind of story. Told from multiple viewpoints, we are given the background of the fight between Heaven and Hell through Ren. He’s just a normal guy caught up in extraordinary circumstances and he tries the best he can to keep his daughter safe. The odds pitted against him are incredible and fascinating. If you wondered what Hell on Earth might look like…well, here it is.
While I was completely intrigued by the world setting, I must admit I wasn’t completely enamored with Ren and Emma. In this first season, they are fairly predictable characters. Ren relentlessly protects his daughter, at the expense of others. And Emma struggles against her demonic nature, but in the end, really, can she go against what she is?
What I really found exceptional was the portrayal of the Angels in Ash & Flame. Ithuriel became the most convincing character for me, followed by Kevin, one of the Blessed. They have the most to lose in this struggle, I think. Or the most interesting things to lose – their souls.
A big disappointment with this season is that we are left with a cliffhanger. Several, in fact. Ren is most likely dead, but we’re not really sure. Emma is caught by her mother, but god knows (pun intended) what will happen to her or the Earth. Ithuriel has abandoned his post and Kevin must face Gabriel, a fiercer Angel than Ithuriel.
And the second season isn’t out yet! Please, Wilson, finish the story. Hell cannot win.
This self-published series is off to a great start. The writing is clean, the action clear, and character motives make sense. Though at times the descriptions of hellish settings and creatures became repetitive, it was not distracting. The world-building is well thought out. Not being particularly religious, I don’t know anything about Grigori or Malakhi. It would have been nice to have some sort of glossary or index to compare real-world religious mythology with the mythos of Ash & Flame.
All in all, recommended with reservations. If you are like me, and want a satisfying ending, then I would wait until the second season comes out.
Ash & Flame: Season One
By Wilson Geiger
Self-published, December 2015
N.E. White, October, 2016.
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