Review: Mercury Falls

The world is ending. Or, at the very least, it's about to if Christine and her new-found friend Mercury can't stop it. Christine is a reporter for Christian newspaper, and Mercury is an avid enthusiast of ping-pong. Oh yeah, he's an angel as well.

Mercury Falls is the tale of Armageddon averted. It is nearly the time when the four attache cases (not horsemen) of the Apocalypse will be released and a great battle between the forces of God and Satan shall do battle. The only thing holding up the end of the world is a bit of bureaucracy. Robert Kroese paints a picture of an angelic world so caught up in red tape that they can't even figure out who is supposed to be the Antichrist. If you're a fan of dry humor and irreverence, you'll love this book.

An example of what's in store for you. Here, two angels discuss the attempt to find the Antichrist in the "Mundane Plane" or, as we know it, Earth.

"...They can't try to pull a designated hitter on us."
"A what?"
"A designated hitter," said Izbazel a bit condescendingly. "You don't follow Mundane baseball?"
"Not much of a sports fan," said Gamaliel.
"In the American League, you can designate an alternate hitter if your pitcher can't hit the ball."
"Isn't the idea of baseball that everybody on the team has to hit? It seems like that rule kind of goes against the spirit of the game."
"One of Lucifer's more ingenious ideas," Izbazel mused in a thoughtful tone.

Blaming everyday things on Satan? I love it. It's a bit in the spirit of Joseph Heller's God Knows. Really, I'm not quite sure how to sum this book up. It's a wild ride, and at times a bit confusing (Mercury is a double/triple/quadruple something or other agent. It's not a spoiler because I promise it'll still confuse you a bit). But overall, it was really enjoyable. I seem to have hit a streak of superb books lately, and I really hope it continues.