Fires Rising: Michael Laimo

The church waits in darkness. It looks abandoned, forgotten. It has no congregation, but it is not empty. Under its floor, in a pit dug long ago, lies a wooden crate that was never meant to be unearthed. But the church is finally being renovated and workmen have found the pit. How could they realize what they have done? How could they know the forces they've unleashed?

Father Pilazzo is overseeing the renovation of the old church. His dream is to see it restored to its former glory. But his dream is becoming a nightmare. He's begun to see horrific visions, unholy images of death and warnings of terrors to come. And within the church forgotten men fight to survive against impossible demons, while sides are drawn for the ultimate battle...

The forgotten waifs of the city shall rise up against the city's best paid yet underappreciated minions of darkness. Shall the pure be found in the hands of the homeless or dare we believe that a priest could really be sinless? Perhaps one of the possessed construction workers will have a change of heart and choose to follow the path of the rosary instead of shoving a screwdriver into another innocent's skull.

You know you are in it too deep when: your hair stands on the back of your neck when you walk into a holy hundred-year old church; all you can hear is 'God' talking to you through a backwards playing piece of music; you see visions of fires rising through the city; seeing zombies crucify good Christians with construction nails against a ceiling becomes commonplace.

This is where a group of bums and a lonely Father come together to attempt to save the world from the evils of the chalice of doom. Wielding only a holy relic, a measly string of wooden beads with a dangling old cross, this team seems only doomed to fail against a massive collection of power tools held by strong tattooed arms of construction workers.

I found the story slow going at first but once it got started I could not put it down. I admit to getting goose bumps while reading it and of course, dreaming of it. Dreaming of fire and brimstone with churches being lit on fire makes for interesting conversation. All I have to say is read it, chalice lovers enjoy!

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Publisher: Leisure Books (February 26, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0843960647
ISBN-13: 978-0843960648