(Schecter Hellraiser) Guitar In Flames by Catriona Lovett
Review: Perfect Prophet by Diane M Johnson
Warning: mild spoilers ahead!
I got really excited about this book. The title, Perfect Prophet, is loaded with different meanings, an illustration of just how deep the story is. Suspenseful, frantic, and fraught with menace, this was an excellent read!
The central characters were likable and well-developed. Within a plot full of action and danger, their internal struggles were an important component and highly relatable. There were unexpected twists that made the novel truly original.
A cult of Satanists are out to fulfill their mad leader’s prophecy through the ritualistic killing of his own son, the guitarist and lyricist of a popular band.
Even though their lyrics referenced the Satanic and their fans thought that he and the rest of the band were Satanists, Alec believed that the existence of either God or Satan was dubious at best.
He had rejected the idea of himself as some kind of messiah completely. If anything, his music was an act of rebellion against his father, a religious zealot who had physically and mentally tortured him throughout his childhood.
His father believed he was a Prophet, that beating and abusing Alec was in service to his God. He believed he was preparing his son for his portentous destiny. After Alec rejected that and left, his father’s mental condition deteriorated until he was hospitalized.
This treatment was thought-provoking in a way that is so relevant for our modern lives. As the number of traditional religious followers are falling, those who feel lost and are searching for deeper meaning in their lives are multiplying. This gives important value to a book that might only have been another apocalyptic horror story.
The author seems also to have skillfully adapted real life events into the plot. In the attempts on Alec’s life, I thought of the murder of Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell by a crazed fan, for example. I picture Alec as a more metal-leaning Kurt Cobain (without a heroin addiction), sensitive, incredibly talented, but broken. I see sweet and saucy Cleo as the Mary Magdalen of their group, supporting them all in her own ways. I could go on… LOL
Perfect Prophet perfectly fulfilled my desire for an exciting, rock and roll thriller and an intelligent, philosophical read as well.
Cat's Game 