Rating: 
Summary: Why haven't you read this book yet?
Review: For all the books I've read, there are a lot of authors who write one really good book. Mark E. Rogers is the author who consistently writes great books.
The dialog in Blood + Pearls kept me riveted, the characters flowing in the pages became real, and the nightmare that is Khymir took life. Blood + Pearls is filled with intelligent characters, gruesome acts, erotic images, and more imagination than several authors put together. The illustrations provided by the author feed his vision directly to you. There's no quibbling about what he means.
This isn't new; he's written 5 books in this universe before, books I am delighted to have read (there are a couple I've even re-read). If you're not familiar with his books you only cheat yourself. I suggest you pick up a copy of Zorachus and start reading. You've got some catching up to do.
Rating:
Summary: Why haven't you read this book yet?
Review: For all the books I've read, there are a lot of authors who write one really good book. Mark E. Rogers is the author who consistently writes great books.
The dialog in Blood + Pearls kept me riveted, the characters flowing in the pages became real, and the nightmare that is Khymir took life. Blood + Pearls is filled with intelligent characters, gruesome acts, erotic images, and more imagination than several authors put together. The illustrations provided by the author feed his vision directly to you. There's no quibbling about what he means.
This isn't new; he's written 5 books in this universe before, books I am delighted to have read (there are a couple I've even re-read). If you're not familiar with his books you only cheat yourself. I suggest you pick up a copy of Zorachus and start reading. You've got some catching up to do.
Rating:
Summary: Go ahead...admit it.
Review: Forget about all those books those so-called Top Ten lists try to foist off on you. THIS is the book you want to read. THIS is the book that will make you re-examine human nature, and your own. Khymir is the place where all the subconscious bits of your psyche go to live, exercise their desires, and thrive in spite of you. It's humanity's collective unconscious thumbing its nose at you, and you can't escape the implications because you recognize yourself in it. In short, this book is fast, it's raw, and it's more honest than you are. If you can read this book and then try to admit that NOTHING in the heat, depravation, and self-indulgence of Khymir and it's inhabitants tugged at you somewhere in the deep parts of your soul... you're lying.
Rating:
Summary: My jaw just dropped---in a good way
Review: I was expecting something kind of ordinary from this book, but boy that was a mistake. This book really rattled my cage---there was plenty of sex, violence, magic and humor. It just delivered the works. The writing was real sharp, and the characters were cool. The only down side was too many typos, but I kind of got used to it. Pick this book up!
Rating:
Summary: no surprise that 23 out of 24 reviews gave this book 5 stars
Review: I'll admit it, I bought Blood + Pearls for the illustrations. It's well worth the cover price just to have those. Mark E. Rogers is an extremely skilled artist, and his illustrations pratically drip with gore, sex, and feeling. To find that he writes as well as he paints was a wonderful surprise. Once I started reading Blood + Pearls I ripped right through it, then immediately went online and ordered the next two books. The characters are fascinating, especially Torrisanna and Zancharthus- both are ruthless and arguably "evil" but their spirit and complexity make them impossible not to sympathize with. This is the kind of book that keeps you up at night- you try to sleep but the need to know what happens next drives you to turn on the light and keep reading. Monsters, magic, ultra-violence, sex of many varieties, complicated and true emotions, spiritual insights, and a badass lil Asian guy.
Rating:
Summary: no surprise that 23 out of 24 reviews gave this book 5 stars
Review: I'll admit it, I bought Blood + Pearls for the illustrations. It's well worth the cover price just to have those. Mark E. Rogers is an extremely skilled artist, and his illustrations pratically drip with gore, sex, and feeling. To find that he writes as well as he paints was a wonderful surprise. Once I started reading Blood + Pearls I ripped right through it, then immediately went online and ordered the next two books. The characters are fascinating, especially Torrisanna and Zancharthus- both are ruthless and arguably "evil" but their spirit and complexity make them impossible not to sympathize with. This is the kind of book that keeps you up at night- you try to sleep but the need to know what happens next drives you to turn on the light and keep reading. Monsters, magic, ultra-violence, sex of many varieties, complicated and true emotions, spiritual insights, and a badass lil Asian guy.
Rating:
Summary: twistedly interesting
Review: I've read the rest of Rogers' books set in the same world. Blood + Pearls has a somewhat different tone from them, rather whimsical and ironic I guess, which suits the characters and, honestly, is easier on the eyes--the action keeps moving along at a strong pace and there are some moments of levity. But just because it's got a bit of humor, don't let that make you think that the book doesn't dig into some pretty dark and indeed profound cracks. For instance, Khymir is a complete and utter hole and its inhabitants illustrate aspects of the "nature vs. nurture" debate quite nicely. Would Zancharthus be such an utter [jerk] if he hadn't been raised in Khymir? He seems to improve morally a bit over the course of the book by interacting with Jagutai, but at the same time Jagutai seems to be a bit tarnished by Khymir. Indeed, Zancharthus almost seems to have no moral convictions at all except that he wants power. The love between Zancharthus and Torrisanna is also fairly creepy, illustrating "how those evil types" do it. I agree with another reviewer that the theology is quite interesting. The illos are a nice touch to help visualize what's going on. They were a bit dark in the printing, though and there were a few more minor typos than I'd expect from a large press publication, but the book seems fairly sound in construction. One last point: This book is definitely NOT for the kids.
Rating:
Summary: twistedly interesting
Review: I've read the rest of Rogers' books set in the same world. Blood + Pearls has a somewhat different tone from them, rather whimsical and ironic I guess, which suits the characters and, honestly, is easier on the eyes--the action keeps moving along at a strong pace and there are some moments of levity. But just because it's got a bit of humor, don't let that make you think that the book doesn't dig into some pretty dark and indeed profound cracks. For instance, Khymir is a complete and utter hole and its inhabitants illustrate aspects of the "nature vs. nurture" debate quite nicely. Would Zancharthus be such an utter [jerk] if he hadn't been raised in Khymir? He seems to improve morally a bit over the course of the book by interacting with Jagutai, but at the same time Jagutai seems to be a bit tarnished by Khymir. Indeed, Zancharthus almost seems to have no moral convictions at all except that he wants power. The love between Zancharthus and Torrisanna is also fairly creepy, illustrating "how those evil types" do it. I agree with another reviewer that the theology is quite interesting. The illos are a nice touch to help visualize what's going on. They were a bit dark in the printing, though and there were a few more minor typos than I'd expect from a large press publication, but the book seems fairly sound in construction. One last point: This book is definitely NOT for the kids.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy + Maturity
Review: If you are tired of reading fantasy for children and Hobbit clones this is the book for you. This book is grown up and unique. Instead of plowing through thousands of pages of flowery pretense you'll dive right into a world full of sex, magic, and intrigue. You can expect sex when there's a temple full of priestess-prostitutes devoted to a bisexual goddess of love and debauchery. Magic is sure to follow when the main character belongs to an occult black priesthood in the service of the Devil himself, and in this case it is extreme magic. We're talking about demons, exploding skulls, evisceration, and human torches writing in the agony of their fiery death throes. One of the particularly amazing debacles of sex and violence ranks as one of my favorite scenes of all time in a fantasy book. Another thing that deserves mention is the illustration. There are dozens of pictures interspersed throughout the book, from stark, arresting images of insanity and violence to warm, compelling images of lithe, limber women. All this can really help spark one's imagination. For now try to imagine how the "Pearls" fit into it all...
Rating: 
Summary: Father of Zorachus, a Hero?
Review: If you loved Zorachus and the Enemy of God, you'll love this entry, a prequel which tells the story of the rise of Zorachus' father. Although he appears briefly in Zorachus, long enough to pass on the fabulous magic rings and then die spectacularly, Zorachus's father is something of a mystery. He is a high priest of the evil God Tchernobog, but seemingly is not evil, or as evil as the rest of the decadent city he rules. In this tale we are introduced to Zancarthus, a young priest and powerful wizard who serves the current high priest. He is an enigma, and obviously playing his own game. Throw in the bi-sexual high priestess of the "goddess of love", the representative of the local conquering barbarian and Zancharthus' pack of loyal "hounds" and one has the ingredients for a stirring book. If you like swordplay, dark sorcery, and experiencing the darker side of humanity than this is the book for you. A bit of a warning though, this book is for adults, dealing with sorcery and situations definitly not for the kiddies. So if this sounds like your kind of ride, strap yourself in for the duration and enjoy.
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