Avenue of the Gods
Ed Morawski
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams
Edward Lektor is an unemployed security specialist in his fifties,
working to create his own private consulting company in response to the
fear of being permanently jobless. Work has been sparse and sporadic,
but when a company known as "General Reconnaissance" enlists Edward's
services in protecting the sensitive assets of their remote sites, his
situation brightens. Edward showcases his expertise, General
Reconnaissance keeps the business rolling in, and eventually the
company asks Edward to sign on as a permanent employee with an
admirable salary. The salary isn't the only thing enticing him to
accept the position. Ed is eager for the opportunity to work alongside
an attractive executive by the name of Evelyn Lin.
Just when Ed and Evelyn's relationship is starting to take off, a
strange spherical object lands off shore near the remote site in Hawaii
the two are analyzing. The sphere is obviously an alien craft, and when
two strange creatures emerge from its depths, any doubts of its origins
are squelched. Frighteningly, half of the people who are in the
vicinity of the craft begin exhibiting unusual, cult like behavior,
touting the visitors as "gods" and encouraging others to join in
"worship." Ed and Evelyn narrowly escape the throngs of people hell
bent on keeping them confined to the island and catch a flight home
just before more spheres start populating the globe. As disorder and
chaos break loose, the two struggle to survive, uncovering the
connection between General Reconnaissance and the alien visitors.
A typical alien invasion novel, Avenue of the Gods uses the author's
own security expertise to highlight an area of surveillance that the
general public normally isn't privy to. Unfortunately, where Morawski
loses the reader is his attempt to showcase his romantic talents in
every possible location throughout the story. The relationship of the
two main characters is based on long, drawn out sex scenes which aren't
always relevant and necessary to plot or character development. Even in
the midst of near anarchy, in a space that could have included more
action and suspense, the couple stops to have sex. Their amorous sex
life becomes redundant and distracting as the reader trudges through to
the meat of the plot. The characters themselves are fairly flat, so
it's difficult to be sympathetic to their situation or their whirlwind
romance.
The author's own fetish for Asian women, which is also evidenced in his
personal photography collection on his website, is constantly
reiterated throughout the novel, and at points seems almost degrading,
in addition to the persistence in pointing out the race of every
character that surfaces and is not Caucasion. Included are constant
flippant reminders of his extensive knowledge of the Asian culture,
written from the perspective of the protagonist Edward Lektor, rather
than being integrated into natural character qualities.
The story progression also seems a bit far-fetched. It is difficult to
imagine that in today's surveillance society, an alien spacecraft could
land anywhere in the world without being detected by countless sources.
But the initial alien siting is only detected by the independent
General Reconnaissance satellites. The American government remains
ignorant of its existence until GR executives announce its arrival.
An aspect of the writing style that actually makes the story flow and
enables the reader to continue despite the aforementioned flaws is that
Edward Lektor tells the story from a first person conversational
stance. It is almost as if Lektor is a friend relating a personal
anecdote via email or dinner conversation. However, as is typical of so
many books these days, each chapter opens with a quote. The first few
chapters of Avenue of the Gods open with excerpts of Edward Lektor's
dreams, which allude to an important connection to the events that will
transpire. Then the quotes shift to inspirational or foreboding
passages from prominent individuals. Theses particular quotes don't
really complement the story and aren't necessary to its progression.
Some novels are enhanced with quotes, Avenue of the Gods is not. Quotes
are not a necessary quality of good literature.
The science fiction genre today demands extraordinary plots that are
often intricate and multifaceted, even when lacking in literary
adeptness. Avenue of the Gods just doesn't have the innovative appeal
needed to pull its weight. It could also benefit from some light
editing and character development.