Author Bites - Robert Browne Talks About Paradise

I got a bit gaga over Robert Browne's THE PARADISE PROPHECY so I asked if he'd want to stop by and say a few words about it. He's a super busy guy but he was able to answer a few questions about his book that I fired over to him. Yay! So here you go and enjoy! Thanks for stopping by, Rob!

Why was Paradise Lost such a central force in your story? Was it because it's untapped water in the genre or are there really rumors of a hidden code and secret organization?

The idea to use Paradise Lost came out of discussions with Dutton about who would be the ultimate villains, and the fallen angels from Milton's classic seemed to fit the bill. From there it was a matter of figuring out how to integrate these villains into a modern-day thriller and The Paradise Prophecy was born. The hidden code in Paradise Lost and secret organization is pure invention, I'm afraid, but the history of the Devil's Bible (including the missing pages) and Steganography are very much real, as well as Milton's visit to Galileo (although no one really knows what transpired between them) and most of the historical details surrounding the story.

Is this the end of the Callahan/LaLaurie team or will they have other matters to contend with in the near future?

There has been talk of a sequel, but nothing set in stone, as yet. Paradise is a big, bold story and I'll have to have an even bigger, bolder story to justify writing a sequel. I have something in mind, but I'm not quite there yet. We'll see what happens.

Has PARADISE gotten any backlash from the religious crowd about its interpretation of the bible? If so, what's been your response?

A few readers have expressed some displeasure, but others who are religious have accepted that the book is fiction and have given me good reviews in spite of that displeasure. I respect everyone's right to believe what they want to believe, but I take the attitude that no one really knows the truth about ANY religion—they only have faith to rely on—and I see nothing wrong with presenting a version of events that I feel is just as plausible as any other. As LaLaurie says at one point, the events in Paradise transcend all religious beliefs. The book isn't really about religion, but about the choices we have as human beings to do the right thing, no matter what we may personally believe. In this case, Sebastian LaLaurie is faced with a very difficult choice and I wanted to explore his emotional journey—as well as Callahan's. I'm not particularly religious myself, but I find religion and its trappings to be endlessly fascinating and a wonderful backdrop for the story of two people struggling to make the world right again.

Which of your characters is your favorite and why?

They're like my children, so I love them both equally, but in different ways. Batty is such a tortured soul who has gone through a devastating loss and I feel for him. The moment in the crypt—which I don't want to spoil here—when he makes contact with his past, brought tears to my eyes as I wrote it. As for Callahan, I love that she's a strong woman who doesn't take any bullshit from anyone, despite her own inner conflicts. It was pretty tough to say goodbye to both of them, so it's quite possible I'll have to visit them again.

Thanks for the questions, Donna!

Rob

The Paradise Prophecy by Robert Browne

Published July 21, 2011.

THE MYTH:

When God cast the archangel Satan into Hell, ending the War in Heaven, peace prevailed on Earth. Until the fallen angels took revenge in the Garden of Eden. Ever since, mankind has been in a struggle between good and evil, paradise and apocalypse: the fall of Rome, the Crusades, world wars, nuclear proliferation, the Middle East crisis. The War in Heaven never really ended-it just changed venues. For millennia, God's angels have been fighting Satan's demons on Earth to try to prevent Satan's greatest ambition-the apocalypse.

THE REALITY:

Satan has never been closer to his goal than right now.

Agent Bernadette Callahan is a talented investigator at a shadowy government organization known only as Section, on the trail of a serial killer with nearly supernatural abilities. Sebastian "Batty" LaLaurie is a religious historian who knows far too much about the other side-and that hard-earned knowledge is exactly what Callahan needs. This unlikely duo pairs up for a race across the globe, decoding clues left in ancient texts from the Bible to Paradise Lost and beyond. In the process they stumble upon a vast conspiracy-one beyond the scope of mankind's darkest imagination. (netgalley.com)

I'm gonna be honest. I probably wouldn't be as interested in a title like this if it weren't for Supernatural. Do you blame me? C'mon . . . have you SEEN Castiel? And maybe a little bite of Crowley, if for nothing more than his snarkitude?

But I liked what this book was promising. It's got religion without too much Jesus going on (actually there was hardly any at all); there isn't much god about it either, believe it or not. The focus is really on the angels, and the demon angels (in this world there aren't any demons a la Supernatural, the "demons" are fallen angels on Lucifer's side), and the fight to open up Hell's door and release Lucy from his cage. I liked that. There was a heavy theological element without it being preachy or, in Callahan's words, all woo-woo with the divine. It had a purpose and it stuck to it.

I liked this book to the point that I want to go out and read more of Browne's works. This guy writes up my alley, and not all of his stuff is like THE PARADISE PROPHECY either. But he does write thrillers and, judging just by this book, he writes them well.

It's been a long time since I've read a non-YA book that had me rocketing through it and Browne's PARADISE did just that. He writes in such a way that even when there isn't any action going on in the chapter, it feels like it. There's always some kind of threat lingering, even if it's off the page, and he makes sure that his characters feel it.

And his characters! They are haunted, damaged beings and he torments them with it. And I love it, the sadist that I am. Both Callahan and LaLaurie have some very large chips that they have to carry around on their shoulders but it doesn't sour them as characters. They don't sit around and pity themselves. They're not a drain on the plot. They have their issues but they turn them around into strengths. Even the most gruesome of pasts turns out to be helpful to the overall cause.

The only part that I was less than thrilled with was the ending. I felt it was a bit anticlimactic and ended a bit too abruptly for my liking. Like a button was pushed and poof! Over! It could have been set up for a sequel but I'm not sure if PARADISE is anything more than a stand alone. Other than that, even the fallen angels he uses are multidimensional. They, too, have weaknesses. Even angels aren't perfect and I like that.

Everything I was reading just felt so real. It felt like Browne had a firm grasp on the Christian mythos and what he created eased seamlessly into it, making it read as if it were something that really did/could happen. PARADISE never felt kitchy or over the top. I never felt like it was reaching for something that wasn't there. It was a level-headed, action-packed jet through the apocalypse. I'm willing to take another ride.

I think THE PARADISE PROPHECY would appeal even to readers of YA that have a thing for the angels and demons mythos. Even thought the characters aren't young, their ages aren't factors in the story so while reading it, they could have been much younger (although with Callahan's experience, that would have made the story reaching). But it's not about the age. The story is just great. If you're looking for an angels and demons story that DOESN'T revolves around some thinly-veiled abusive relationship between angels and humans, you'll find it with PARADISE. In fact, there really isn't much love interest at all in this. It keeps to the point and it's a point you'll want to ride all the way to the end. And then it'll leave you craving for more.

Ban Factor: High - Really? With how this book bastardizes Christianity? The banners would want to light it on fire. Irrespective of the sexy times.