A Crucible of Order

Sentinels of Creation, Book 5

By: Robert W. Ross

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Kellan Thorne labors beneath the burden of Chaos he accepted in order to both save Shannon and destroy the previous Sentinel of Chaos. Now he is trapped in the brutal life of a slave and gladiator within Claudius’ Rome.

Meanwhile, in 2020, Shannon McLeod Thorne struggles with both the loss of her husband and the responsibilities of being Creation’s new Sentinel of Order. Almost six months have passed since she pushed Kellan through the portal in Fingal’s Cavern, and she has begun to lose hope. However, like many times before, strange events conspire to cast light in dark places.

The first glimmer comes from James Clinton and his AI friend Jarvis who believe they can break the code surrounding Kellan’s mysterious disappearance. Shannon, Meghan, and the Council of Havilah use this new found information to try and summon an enigmatic Mantle of unimaginable power. However, in doing so, they risk bringing down upon themselves the very Incarnation of Destruction.

Even if they succeed in avoiding this Incarnation’s grasp and enlisting the Mantle’s help to retrieve Kellan from ancient Rome, how will his friends save the new Sentinel of Chaos from himself.

©2020 Robert W. Ross (P)2020 Robert W. Ross

Worse Than Lucifer

A Crucible of Order is another creative and thoroughly enjoyable book in the Sentinels of Creation series. One the one hand, it is more of the same. On the other hand, "the same" is a totally unpredictable story line that is pure pleasure to ride along with the creative minds of Robert W. Ross.

If you are on book 5 of the series, you know the characters and the type of clever storylines Robert creates. The characters are a pure joy to come back to. In the end, what you want to know is does it deliver? It does, while not being boring or predictable. New characters are introduced. The story continues to grow and develop. When the last page is read, you are left totally satisfied with the time you were able to spend with this strange gang of unique characters, while eagerly looking forward to the next book.

If you have not read previous books, read them now. The highest praise I can give a book is to take time to write up a review (I tend to be lazy and not like to write reviews). When a bookmark earns five stars, it seems only fair to take a little time to explain why this book is so good. I have tried to do that. In the end, just enjoy the series. Sentinels of Creation will not disappoint. As for my title, what is worse then Lucifer? You will need to read the book to find out.

Great Listen/Read but Something Left Out!?!?

Overall another great listen/read! This installment delivers another strong story line to the series and leaves you wanting more! However, the author has the lead character/hero/protagonist making a promise that the reader/listener never gets closure on! I hope this loop gets closed in the next book! -No Spoilers!- Give it listen... the performance is outstanding! The characters are brought to life in a way that is engaging and highly entertaining. I have recommended this series to every friend and colleague and will continue to do so!

Yay! It's here...it's here...it's here!!

So, I read all the books before finding the audiobooks, but had run out of books after Book 4, which ended on a cliffhanger. The print version of this book only came out a couple weeks ago and I devoured it in two days because I didn't know how long it would be until the audiobook came out.

It's HERE!! The book 4, cliffhanger is so deftly handled. It doesn't completely resolve itself until the first of two climaxes about 2/3 of the way through the book, which is great. I hate it when the whole conflict of a pervious book is solved in the first chapter...not here folks...we have to work for it. But what do we get for that work...another amazing character. Pullo Longinus, Kellan's gladiator sherpa friend. I love how Ross uses ancient Rome as a way to show how gender interactions have changed in 2,000 years. It's just part of the story and he doesn't feel the need to bonk us on the head, but wow it makes you think.

So in Book 4, Shannon is in need of saving though she would argue that point. In this Book, Kellan has no hope of escape except for Shannon and Meghan. Speaking for those two women...God does the author get that interaction spot on. He mentioned in his Author's notes that he does alpha and beta reads with folks and that they are ruthless. It shows because I just love how Meghan and Shannon interact. They are competitive yet loving. They will give each other a tough time, but no one else better do it.

Finally, we end up with the second climax of the book which sets the stage for what looks to be the final two books of the series. I actually hope the author changes his mind and goes for an even ten books instead of seven. We now know the stakes Kellan and Shannon are playing for. It's not just Order and Chaos...it's for the whole universe as Creation and Destruction vie for dominance. Can't wait!!

What other series has both Roman gladiators and hyper-advanced AI?

Ross goes places where others fear to tread. Most SF authors seem to embrace the idea that religious people are dead stupid. Ross writes intelligently in the vacuum that this prevailing bias creates. I have read one (1) other SF series that includes Angelic and Satanic elements, and it wasn't as good as this one. I think it's because he also includes everything else that happens in real life. Like AI and pizza.

Another great sentinel installment.

More witty banter, and a great deal of furthering of plot. honestly, I was kind of thrown towards the end, it seemed like a wrap up spot, then I looked and there was 4-5 more chapters.
I suppose that last part left it on a lighter note? So there is that. I wanted to give it 5 stars but just something about the execution, or something along the journey this time rubbed me weirdly. I can't put my finger on it entirely, but overall it's seriously worth a listen. If you've loved the story to this point you should still enjoy where it's leading.