Armageddon takes center stage in J.J. Ace’s first novel Judgment Day. But this isn’t your traditional Christian-based tale of the end of the world, where the physical forces of good and evil amass in the lands of Israel and battle til Heaven intervenes and wipes out evil. No, Ace morphs the events of Revelations into something entirely fresh, digestible for this highly comic-book-savvy society while still palpable to the religious-minded.
Every thousand years, a foreordained soul decides the fate of humanity for the next thousand years. And what is this decision the Forerunner must make? Should Heaven, Hell, or humankind rule?
Ace’s Forerunner of our time, Elias, isn’t Forerunner material at all. He’s flippant, angry, apathetic, reactionary, distrustful, lacks control of his mouth and passions, and overall is simply much too human for someone with such a weighty responsibility. I know what your thinking. This is the description of the modern teenager. And you would be right. Elias is a mere teen, who comes with every characteristic mentioned above including a healthy dose of low self-image, casting himself as a loser who has no life. And it is this mindset that moves him to find acceptance beyond the people who truly care for him.
Early in J.J. Ace’s clever story, Elias is invited to attend a rave party with the notorious Mort Barnes. Elias accepts, thinking that this is his opportunity to be someone. But it is a gross misjudgment of Mort’s character, a miscalculation that ultimately leads to Elias’ untimely death.
At the rave, Elias is offered drugs, part of a trap that was hatched to pin the blame on him for the rave and the drugs, instead of Mort. When Elias refuses and attempts to leave, Mort and his entourage of no-good hooligans beat him senseless, force him to swallow drugs, and throw him into a deep window well. Elias never makes it out alive.
What transpires after Elias goes into the afterlife, learns that he is the chosen Forerunner of his age, and is sent back to Earth to make his decision, is a thrilling read. Ace creates a multi-layered story with sub-stories that delight and intrigue. Primarily, he turns Elias into a superhero, a being who has the same powers of angels and demons, including having the gift of not ever tasting death again by the hands of a human.
Most noteworthy, though, is how Ace breathes life into an entire other-world that exists around us. Heaven’s angels (lead by the archangel Michael) and hell’s demons (lead by the witty Mephisto) walk in and out of reality, trying to influence Elias to choose their side; and an outcast faction of demons and fallen angels (lead by Warrish) try to kill him so they can start Armageddon and destroy the forces of Heaven, Hell, and Humankind and have the world for themselves. To top this all off, former Forerunners come to Elias aid.
But it is Elias’ difficult journey as Forerunner, in which he is tested and transforms into a hero-like character that lingers in my mind. The most important decisions are never the easiest to make, and Elias’ path to his decision leaves us on the edge of every page, caring about our youthful hero and his band of good-hearts as they fight for their lives and the lives of all humankind.
Judgment Day is verifiably a fun read. Moreover, and I will stand as a proponent right now, Hollywood could turn this into celluloid and find another hit the likes of Constantine and Dogma on their money-loving hands.
*******
Judgment Day, by J.J. Ace, Five Star Publishing, is available online at Borders and Amazon.
