BENEATH THE VEIL

A comatose 20-something finds himself in a purgatory-esque realm in this dark urban fantasy debut.

A bridge collapse drops David Dolan and numerous other upstate New York drivers into the ice-cold river below. David winds up in a coma at a local hospital. Though he’s very much alive, he awakens in a world seemingly between life and death. A ferryman takes him to Jacob, a kindhearted angel, who guides him to an unknown destination. According to Jacob, David is “important,” but the angel otherwise remains cryptic. This realm teems with lost souls and various entities, from chimeras to archangels and monsters. Some of these have made their ways to Earth, like the vicious demon that attacks and eats diners at the Hooters-style restaurant where David’s girlfriend, Rose, works. Such unexplained assaults overwhelm the state of New York, and Rose and David’s mother, Chelsea, take it upon themselves to investigate. They’re capable women who align with Chelsea’s romantic interest, Department of Homeland Security Det. Brendan Dodd, who looked into the bridge collapse. Back in “the macabre purgatory,” David’s meandering journey leads him to Valhalla, where he mingles with dead warriors from different countries and eras. Some train David in weapons and combat, as the young man harbors a “fighting spirit.” He joins others in battling monsters to make it past Valhalla, where David believes his destiny awaits. But if David dies on the battlefield, will he be “reborn” like the warrior souls of Valhalla? And will he ever return to his reality and see Rose and Chelsea again?

Kearns deftly introduces an epic and avoids cramming this engaging series opener with characters and plot. David’s odyssey, for example, consists of a relatively quiet hike with Jacob, and his time in Valhalla zeroes in on only the few warriors he befriends. Similarly, the author keeps the real-world action primarily in New York and, despite hordes of murderous beasts, ensures that one memorable, scheming baddie stands out. The narrative aptly fuses mythologies. Alongside Norse myths, there are Islamic jinns (spirits) as well as the ferocious, water-dwelling bunyip of Australian Aboriginal folklore. Theologies, too, share the spotlight. Jacob describes earthly religions as alternative versions of the same story. While the varied beliefs spark copious scenes of characters explaining things (courtesy of Jacob or a demonologist friend of Chelsea’s), action intermittently bursts in New York and Valhalla. These kinetic sequences feature Kearns’ tightly paced battles and training episodes: “Without thinking, David flipped his weapon to the other hand, stepped back from the snare of the spearhead, and ran down the length of its shaft. The pikeman’s head rolled through the sand before David could take the measure of his own actions.” Valhalla boasts a diverse batch of warriors, including a katana-wielding samurai and a Russian soldier who was killed by a Nazi sniper. Throughout the story, David questions why he’s in this ostensible purgatory, and the novel’s ambiguity may confuse readers as much as it does the hero. But the frenzied final act hints at David’s purpose and makes it clear where the sequel is headed.

This intriguing tale of mythological beings introduces what promises to be an exhilarating saga.