"One of those stories that stay with you for a long, long time!"
Lieutenant Anderson "Andy" March of the Trust Corps, was a
police officer before he joined the TC. The sole purpose
of the Trust Corps is to track down and destroy demons.
Part of their duties is also to find those who have taken
the oath with Ezrakul so when they die, more demons won't
be unleashed. The existence of Ezrakul was brought to
light by someone on the radio, who managed to get out on
the air, how to call the demon to take the oath. Those who
take the oath are promised what they want in return for
Ezrakul gaining control of their bodies once they die. No
downside to the person taking the oath, however, to those
left, definitely not good when demons sprout out of their
bodies. And it's Andy's job to track those demons down and
destroy them. The fact Andy's own wife was an oath taker
has been mostly forgotten by now, especially with his
service record. While tracking down and destroying a demon, Andy's partner
is killed and so he gets a new guy from another city.
Right off the bat Andy isn't especially fond of his new
partner. He's way too gung ho about getting potential oath
takers off the streets and since most civil rights no
longer apply to the TC, this can be very dangerous. So
when his new partner invites Andy and his three sons to
dinner, Andy decides to try and get along with the man.
The two families become close. Things start looking up when Andy's oldest son is admitted
to Harvard. His middle son, Sean, is finally getting
better grades at school and the youngest is still young
enough to act like a child. When there's a school dance,
Andy's two older sons are both attending. His youngest is
spending the night at a friend's house, so Andy goes to a
poker game with other TC officers. Well imagine Andy's
surprise when he finds out his oldest son was killed in a
car race and a demon came out of his body. Not an ordinary
demon either, but one of Ezrakul's head priests. And the
demon walked right by Sean and didn't kill him. Now Andy's
new partner is on a crusade to name Andy's other two sons
as oath takers and get Andy kicked out of TC. And this
particular demon has met up with three others, leading the
TC to believe something is in the works. Will Sean be safe, or will he be named as an oath taker?
Will Andy be able to save his youngest son from his new
partner? What of the four demons? Can they be stopped
before their plan comes to fruition? OATH OF FIRE is a very thought provoking story. Matthew
Schramm does a fantastic job of pulling us into the story
and not letting up throughout. The action is nonstop from
the first page through the end of the story. While this is
a classic tale of good versus evil, it does introduce
various shades of gray. When forced to bargain with the
devil as it were for Sean's life, Andy is forced to look
inside himself and decide if he can do it or not. He must
decide if Sean's life is worth allowing Ezrakul to win.
All in all, this is a very compelling read and one you
don't want to miss.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted July 18, 2007
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The Oath of Fire: a pact with the archdemon Ezrakul that grants its earthly signee great fortune, but allows the passage of Ezrakul’s terrible minions--beasts thought only to exist in legend--into our world. Anyone can take the Oath. Anyone might have taken it already. Everywhere, Oath-takers may live among us, living under a pact that may
destroy civilization itself. America’s defense against Ezrakul and his Oath is the Trust Corps. Feared by innocent and guilty alike, they seek out Oath-takers by any means necessary, and use deadly force against the demons that have entered our world already. Their bloody work requires them to turn schools, parks, and neighborhoods into war zones, and to interrogate even those they love the most. The will of the Trust Corps is about to be tested in Powell County, Pennsylvania, as evidence points to Sergeant Anderson March’s own family. His duty torn between the Trust Corps and his own children, he must prove his son innocent of Oath-taking while doing battle with a host of demons that threaten to kill thousands.
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