Book Review: The Hades Project

The Hades Project, by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore (A Cotten Stone Mystery).


I picked up this book on a whim from the "New Arrivals" shelf at my local library, because the back blurb mentioned the Holy Lance and the Ark of the Covenant and a world-tracing adventure - and I like stuff like that.

Turns out this is the 3rd book in a continuing series (a 4th book is due out soon), but it's written well enough that you don't have to have read the previous books to know what's going on. In fact, at the very beginning is a short "primer" on the basis of the series: Cotton Stone is the offspring of "the only forgiven fallen angel". Her father, a fallen angel, asked God for forgiveness and was granted the life of a human. He had twin daughters, one of which was taken by God to fill his place in the ranks of the angels, and the other - Cotton Stone - lives the life of a normal human, as a globe-hopping TV News Reporter.

This was an enjoyable book and I plan on reading the others in the series. The book seems to be written from a Christian world-view: God is the Creator, Jesus is the Savior and God-incarnate, the Bible is God's Holy Word (though written by fallible humans), and Satan and the fallen angels are at work in the world to corrupt man and keep as many souls as possible from God.

I like that.

The book does feature some New Agey-type stuff, but even that is given a kind of Christian explanation.

It's most definitely not a Christian novel though. There's foul language, sex, etc. (That's not to say that Christians don't curse or have sex - you just don't find it written quite so bluntly in novels from Christian publishing houses). I've never come across fiction before that featured a forgiven fallen angel or a nephilim as a protagonist and definite good guy.

The blurb on the back of the book doesn't really do justice to the story, and is actually kind of misleading. The Holy Lance, and the presence of the Ethiopian church with the Ark of the Covenant are merely small pieces that don't show up until later in the novel - though the need for the Lance is a driving force throughout the novel, the reader isn't told the connection between the Lance and the plot until rather far into the book. The main plot is mainly about the daughter of a childhood friend of Cotton's who is being followed by "Rubys". The Rubys want to take her away from her mother and turn her into a warrior for Satan. The same thing is happening with the CEO of a major computer company that is trying to develop a quantum computer.

Another organization is also trying to develop a quantum computer in a project codenamed "The Hades Project", which is really just a ploy by Satan to cause massive death on a global scale, thereby preventing so many souls from being with God.

Cotton Stone is an interesting character. While she doesn't have any superhuman powers or senses, she still seems to be able to overcome just about any situation. Whereas some characters in action/adventure books always know just what to do, when to do it, and know they can do it - Cotton is unsure of herself, has to seek help from qualified people, and while she's knows her heritage, isn't happy about being involved in this ongoing spriritual battle.

The Hades Project is a good cross between Action/Adventure, Mystery, Suspense, and wannabe Christian Fiction (even though it's not Christian Fiction). It's published by MIDNIGHT INK, and you can find it by it's ISBN-13: 978-0738709307.