End of Days by J.F. Penn (ARKANE #9)
Read in January 2025
The ARKANE series by J.F. Penn follows Dr. Morgan Sierra and Jake Timber as they confront supernatural threats rooted in religious artifacts and historical mysteries.
Summary:
The ARKANE team faces a prophecy foretelling the apocalypse. Morgan and Jake must decipher cryptic clues and confront a shadowy organization intent on bringing about the end of days. Their pursuit uncovers hidden truths and tests their resolve as they battle to save humanity from impending doom.
Main Characters:
Morgan Sierra is an Oxford psychologist with a background in religion, and ARKANE agent. She's an ex-Israeli military officer who has experienced severe loss in her life.
Jake Timber is a seasoned ARKANE agent and Morgan's partner. He's South African and an ex-military officer who has experienced the loss of his entire family.
Father Ben Constanza: monk at Blackfriars College. He used to be good friends with Morgan's mother and has been Morgan's mentor and friend as well.
Lilith: a young American woman who has become addicted to snake venom. She becomes entangled with Samael in his pursuit to wake the great serpent.
Samael: a former ARKANE agent turned villain. He's rich and well connected politically. His goal is to awaken the great serpent and bring about the end of days.
There are many others.
World-Building:
Since this is a thriller set in the modern world, there isn't much world-building. However, J. F. Penn does a fantastic job of describing the locations and setting the scene. She includes many historical details and information that make the world, and places come alive on the page.
Themes/Tropes:
- Religious Artifacts
- Exotic Locations
- Ancient Secrets
- Religious Themes
- High Stakes
- Secret Agency
- End of Days
- Human Sacrifice
- Secret Society
- Larger-Than-Life Threat
- Religious Extremists
- The Vatican
- Conspiracy
Entertainment Value:
The book is fast-paced and full of historical facts. Although the pace sometimes slows down a bit, I quite enjoyed the information in this book. I loved that Martin Klein, ARKANE's head archivist had a more active role in this book.
I'm still frustrated with Morgan and Jake's lack of a relationship. I also am getting a bit tired of Morgan continuously questioning her role with ARKANE. She's been doing this for 8 books now and I'm over it.
I loved the suspense! It was a bit brutal, and for some people, maybe too much so. There was some sadness here, I won't spoil anything, but it was sadder than the other books.
As a fan of Dan Brown, I was happy to find an indie author with a similar writing style and plot. I devoured this book in less than a day!
Cover Art:
I like the cover, with the snake, and think it fits the theme and genre well!
Would I read this book again?
Yes, I would. I'm already working my way through this series!
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