Heather’s Bookshelf: The Call of Abaddon
Author: Colin Searle
Released: 07/29/25
Genre: Adult Sci-Fi
“The Abaddon Beacon’s words remained with him, but there was no cause for alarm. The Osmium was working, Abaddon couldn’t get to him through the wall of drugs protecting his mind.”
“The Call of Abaddon” introduces Jason in 2263 New Toronto, a scavenger in New Toronto whose mind is being attacked by an ancient alien obelisk- the Abaddon beacon.
Jason and his friends escaped once, but Abaddon’s found him again and is taking advantage of his psychic abilities. The Osmium, a neural suppressant, isn’t working like it used to and this time there’s no running away. Jason, his brother David, their friend Sam, and their loyal bird Budgie, must find the obelisk before it completely takes over.
An emperor is also after the obelisk, but with the desire to take over the solar system. Neither is aware that Abaddon is in a secret United Earth Federation research lab, but each is being called.
Will Jason and his friends figure out the truth and get to the obelisk in time? Will the emperor beat everyone there and take over the solar system? Or will Abaddon get what they want in the end?
Trigger Warning: violence, death, war-related death, adult language
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The book is told through multiple POVs divided by the different groups traversing the universe. The two main POVs are split into Jason’s and Zeke’s. Jason’s POV gives incredible incite into one part of the world (the scavenging and the post-apocalyptic world) while Zeke’s shows more of the war-torn universe. In both aspects, the character and world building is phenomenal. Jason’s vulnerability and Zeke’s determination were clear and permeated the pages. Every main character and many ancillary ones had clear voices and purposes. This book is on the long side and the pacing of the first half is much slower than the second. I’m not sure if all the scenes within the first half were necessary, but they did provide a good amount of backstory and character development. I can see why the author kept the length instead of separating them into 2, because the second half was much more fast paced and action-packed. There’s a big twist near the end that surprised me and also made a lot of sense in hindsight. Unfortunately, the last 10 pages lost me. It seemed to be a little disconnected and I didn’t feel resolution. For that long of a book, I wanted a little bit more finality, even if it is a book 1.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An adult sci-fi with a bunch of well-developed characters, action-packed scenes, and a great twist. It’s a bit long, but it allows for world and character building.
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Check out my interview with Colin Searle
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