TOMORROW'S END - G.R. Morris

 Oof. This was a tough read.

Our story (as best as I can sum it up): Kevin Knight has been pre-destined to be the galaxy's savior - an actual knight, so to speak. But things go sideways when tragedy strikes, he winds up in jail and demonic forces embed themselves like a parasite inside of him. The galxay now is doomed!

But wait ... "Until a trench coat-wearing alien renegade shatters his understanding of reality" (from the Goodreads description of the book).

Now his role of galaxy savior is back on, but his understanding of what is real and what is imaginary has been challenged and changed. And who does he listen to ... the renegade alien who has rescued him, or the demonic voices in his head? The fate of the galaxy stands in the balance.

The problems here are .... well, numerous, but ultimately it boils down to some poor writing.

The first thing that stuck me was the main character saying things like:

"I was the family doctor for a while. The wounds my mom and I suffered were pretty severe. They forced me to learn martial arts, and I started sparring at five years old. I pretty much know them all."

and

"I don’t want to brag, but I pretty much know everything."

and a cabbie says to our hero:  “You must protect your queen by destroying hell’s armies and defeating pretty much every alien race in existence.” I guess I pretty much don't like the use of 'pretty much' in a book.

The dialog is cheap and poor and generally doesn't sound like people talking to one another.  It's 1930's pulp dialog (which, honestly I generally wouldn't mind as I like vintage pulp fiction, but this doesn't fit the bill).

Nearing the hour of Robert’s macabre massacre, the virgin whom Kevin had protected was moments away from giving birth to perfection.

“Did ya see that?” A man pointed down the dimly lit alley.

“Not this crap again. You need help.”

Two figures adorned in white hospital garb stood by a bus stop lighting cigarettes. As cars drove by, the faces of screaming, clawing demons were reflected in the windows.

-----------

Robert tapped a claw on his cigar, dropping ash. “There’s nothing I can do. Sorry. No one has ever successfully purged a minister without killing the host. Where we have failed, you will succeed.”

“We?” Kevin asked. “So there’s more than one of you things?”

Robert didn’t move.

Kevin stared at the green and red scales on the alien’s skin, which decreased farther up his face, although his arms and hands were covered in the layered platelets.

“That’s right, aliens exist. I’m what they call a Demonian.”

Kevin looked down at Robert’s hand as his crimson claws shifted gears.

Robert’s grin displayed his numerous fangs. “Frightened?” He aimed his reptilian eyes at Kevin.

“N-no, I talk to monsters every day,” Kevin said, leaning slightly away.

“You could call me that. One person’s alien is another’s monster.” Robert flattened the gas pedal. “I’m the last survivor of Demonia. Much like you, I was chosen.”

“Chosen? By who?”

Robert raised one of his red eyebrows. “That was faster than the others.”

“Others?”

“You aren’t the first being I’ve trained. But you are my first messiah. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?”

“I don’t believe in fate, but yeah.”

If any of what I've posted above sounds interesting to you, then considering picking this up and give it a read. I found this to be an unremarkable story with stock characters and poor writing.

Looking for a good book? Keep on looking.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

1-1/2 stars

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Tomorrow's End

author: G. R. Morris

series: The Path of a Savior #1

publisher: Dark Light Publishing

ISBN: 9780615852379

hardcover, 445 pages