The Peacock Angel: Rise of the Decarchs

By: Glenn Dale Bridges
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Publication Date: 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4787-1389-0
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: June 11, 2013

Glenn Dale Bridges presents the coup de grace between good and evil in the first of his Angel series, titled The Peacock Angel: Rise of the Decarchs.

Thousands of years have come and gone. Earth among humans is thriving in the ebb and flow of day-to-day life as we know it. The time has come, however, for angel brothers Armaros and Azazel to face off—one with a clear vision of inherent victory of global peace and harmony; the other on a mission to achieve total destruction.

The story begins in the year 5799 BC and the location is Eastern Turkey. Armaros has been directed to walk with man, but he must get to the mountains before he can do so. His own survival depends on getting to higher ground. He quickly traverses the raging rivers as a formidable storm laps at his heels. He is the chosen angel and has survived the beasts and all the evil they represent. He does not understand why he is the chosen one although he knows his assignment is to walk among the humans. He must warn and protect them from the imminent destruction his fallen angel brother Azazel has planned for them. There was no clemency for Azazel. This Armaros knows as he runs faster and climbs higher to free his memory from the merciful cries and hate-filled shouts from the battle he has left behind.

Convinced he will rise again, Azazel gathers his army of fallen angels. Perhaps the great one favored his brother Armaros. Perhaps things were as they should have been; but he would not accept his fate. His rise to power this time would be with grander vengeance and solid demand for nothing less than supreme power. After all, his exile provided him with too many years filled with nothing but time to rebuild and develop a greater strength in order to conquer all mankind. He would defy the odds and be victorious. This, he believed, was his destiny. His key to winning, however, was to obliterate the one force that stood in his way. He would need to accomplish the total destruction of Thane, prophet of absolute truth. Therein lays the only inhibiter of his hope that supreme power would be Azazel’s for the taking.

Mr. Bridges has done an admirable job of presenting the case of good versus evil (or perhaps the other way around). He has adequately delivered a story that encourages the reader to continue to turn each page in order to learn who will prevail when all is said and done. He creates believable scenery in a time long before man and certainly spins the story in a way where one has no choice but to choose sides. Bridges achieves toying with the psyche of his reader through strategic word placement; challenging them to consider their own conscience and the choices humans must make when faced with good versus evil. There is, however, one observation I would point out about the writing which is a consistent flaw when using the word "to." There are several areas in this book when the word "to" should have been "too" and it became a contributing deterrent to the overall read. As a whole, however, this is a fast-paced, engaging story and it will be interesting to read the continuing legacy of the Peacock Angels.

Quill says: The choice of good versus evil lives in all humankind. The question is: What will you choose?

For more information on The Peacock Angel: Rise of the Decarchs, please visit the publisher's website at: outskirtspress.com/thepeacockangel