Review: Nephilim: Corruption by Ann Lewis

Ever speculate on what exactly the Nephilim in Genesis were? There have been a lot of ideas on that but Ann Lewis gives us one of the most interesting takes on the subject I’ve ever seen in Nephilim: Corruption.

Deal alert: On the date of this review, Nephilim: Corruption is only $0.99 on Kindle!

The story

Before history was written, there were the Nephilim of the bible--half human, half demon. There were also the Emunim, half-human, half-angel. The Emunim were taken off planet for their safety and that of humans. The Nephilim also went to another planet.

Taking place in the current day, the Emunim Princess Tasia has been kidnapped. Dakhar, the greatest warrior of Emunim rushes to her rescue, following her kidnappers  through space... to their lost homeworld of Earth. A number of humans are involved when Dakhar quickly catches up with the captors’ ship, boarding it in an attempt to rescue the princess. She is sent off ship in an escape pod and found by some local humans (of New Jersey) who care for the strange girl who appeared out of nowhere.

The action moves swiftly as the humans try to figure out how to help Tasia while Dakhar and the villainous Nephilim race to find her. In the major conflict between the two forces, the depths of depravity that had been planned create a sense of urgency for her escape.

Throughout the entire story, Lewis does a masterful job of weaving in many subplots, from Dakhar’s secrets, to the Emunim King and his struggles with anger, to betrayal among the royal court, Lewis provides more than enough meat to keep the reader turning pages.

If someone wanted to show genuine fantasy intrigue, read this, not that other series that just wrapped on HBO.

The characters

There are a lot of characters in this book. Normally when a story has more than a handful of important, named characters, they tend to be very one dimensional and forgettable, then murdered by George RR Martin. Lewis, though, has managed to craft many multidimensional characters, most with their own arcs and struggles to overcome. She pulled it off for the protagonists and antagonists alike. A lesser author would also make the Emunim the perfectly holy counterpoint to the perfect corrupt Nephilim. Fortunately, Lewis is not a lesser author. While the Nephilim are indeed perfectly corrupt, the Emunim are more complicated. King Marish, in the wake of his daughter’s kidnapping struggles with anger, going so far as to use his power to rip a tree out of the ground. Even the humans struggle to believe when confronted with a literal angel.

Dakhar has the most complicated and essential arc of all though. While he is a dedicated warrior, and a loyal servant of the crown, he also harbors a secret, one that threatens to destroy him and even the royal family. The best part of the arc is the way it wraps up. Let’s just say Christian readers will be very pleased.

Saul, the son of the primary antagonist Jahir also has some solid character development. He knows what his father is doing is evil, yet also wants to please him. That leads to him participating both in the plot to kidnap Tasia and the effort to rescue her.

The world

Again, the attention to the worlds created here is second to none. Lewis crafts a believable culture that is both alien and familiar for the Emunim. Their society is highly hierarchical and bound by a great many rules and traditions. Anyone who remembers a hint of history will draw parallels with medieval Europe. Yet, there is a distinctly Middle Eastern influence in the way they dress, reflecting that it’s the region of the world they first came from.

Their technology, while highly advanced doesn’t quite cross the realm into magic. What is interesting is that their tech is biologically based. Components of plants perform similar functions as various aspects of our mechanical technology.

The interactions between the various humans and the Emunim are handled in a believable way, with Rick and others being so skeptical of the very human looking Tasia that she has to telepathically share her memories with them in order to convince them that she is a stranded space princess.

The politics

There aren’t a lot of explicit politics in this book. Religion on the other hand plays a major role. Among the humans: Rick is a fairly run of the mill Catholic, Lynn is a typical atheist, not quite willing to believe her own eyes even when she sees a literal angel, an angel that regularly communicates the ruler of the Emunim.

There is a great deal in Nephilim: Corruption about the dangers of doing evil that good might come of it. It’s the idea that such a thing is possible that leads Jahir astray and almost leads to Dahkar’s destruction as well.

Content warning

There is a fair amount of violence, some it graphic. Towards the end of the book there is one scene of a narrowly averted rape.

Who is it for?

Anyone mid-teen and above so long as they enjoy a good story with heavy sci-fi and fantasy elements. Ann Lewis has crafted a story the blends Genesis, Dune and Star Wars into one highly entertaining novel.

Why read it?

I'm not the first to describe Nephilim: Corruption as Dune meets Stars Wars. It has the sense of swashbuckling adventure of the latter with all the intricate detail and intrigue of the former. With high class world building, an unusually well-developed list of main and even secondary characters, it would be hard to recommend Lewis’ work more strongly.