The God of Endings is a magnanimous novel—epic in scope, audacious in its ideas, and heartful in its horrors. The tale manages to entice the reader with fully drawn characters, an interweaving narrative, and a philosophical bedrock upon which the scenes inevitably rest. Themes such as immortality, transcendence, the contrast of darkness and light, and the temporary nature of even our greatest loves are explored in this excellent vampire novel.
But then the word ‘vampire’ is not used once in this book—only the term, Verdilak—thereby harkening back to the ancient, blood-thirsty creature of Slavic mythology. The reader is swept away on a life journey with Collette LaSange (although known by other names in her past), as she travels much of the world and witnesses humankind at its tenderest and most loving, as well as its most downtrodden, horrific, and violent. Indeed, the full spectrum of the human experience is captured by Jacqueline Holland’s elegant prose—so much so that one feels awestruck by the fact this is Holland’s debut novel!
One must keep in mind that the flipside of cosmic horror is cosmic wonder—or, rather, the ability to marvel, despite the degradations of time and the weariness of adulthood, at the sheer gift of being human in an infinite universe. Such themes are explored through the eyes of a vampiric, immortal being—a fascinating and original take. Truly, the “God of Endings” spellbound me from Chapter One (which reads like a magnificent short story all its own) all the way to its conclusion.
Literary, heartful, and bold—the God of Endings contains many surprises for readers of literary, speculative, blood-thirsty fiction!
Tylor James 