Book Review: Apocalypse by James A. DeVita

Reviewed by Warren Maxwell

A compelling epic about good, evil, and the insanities of modern life

“And so, it finally came. The day that everyone had dreaded for so long. The day when the world was finally going to come to an end.”

As Apocalypse opens, problems on Earth are mounting: Famines are ravaging Africa, water levels are rising and flooding the world’s most famous cities, deadly viruses are spreading globally, pollution is out of control, and pests are destroying precious crops. All this, as it turns out, is part of the plan of “Heaven’s original rock star,” Armando Seytan, who is still raging against a God no less egotistical, paternalistic, and arrogant than himself. 

Having marshaled a band of sinister humans as well as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Antichrist himself (who’s been promised the White House), Seytan is set on proving his power once and for all by destroying the world. 

“‘You’re going to go to Hell!’ said the man.

‘Believe me,’ said Gabe. ‘I’ve already been there. It’s not what you think.’

‘You think you’re funny,’ said the man.

‘I know I’m funny,” said Gabe.’”

All that stands between Seytan and the end of existence is a motley group of angels—Gabriel Angelu, a provocative standup comedian/angel, Raphael Malek, an infectious disease expert/angel, and Michael Angelos, a career soldier/angel who may or may not share ancestry with Alexander the Great—and their mortal compatriots that include zoologists, scientists obsessed with immortality, and the creator of the “first fully conscious, self-aware, sentient, artificial intelligence.” 

“‘But people need heroes,’ said Boz. ‘They need fantasy.’

‘And so, you’d choose fantasy over reality?’ said Rachel.

‘Every day and twice on Sunday,’ said Boz.”

This chaotic group swerves from pessimistic denunciations of God to cinematic battles with the forces of Seytan, not so much defending Earth as attesting to the beauty of humanity, flaws and all. They mock one another, stumble into successes and failures, make detours to Venice to get cannoli, and find endless room for humor and levity. 

Much of this humor is inherent to the writing itself. The book is written with an irreverent voice that makes room to mock vaccine skepticism, Donald Trump, and a host of other contemporary hot button issues. As the book opens, a mother decides to secretly enlist an unconscionably expensive human-like AI program in order to ween her son off online porn. Such exaggerated, almost surreally comic setups are part and parcel of Apocalypse’s narrative style.

“Byoki Shikken was a very special individual. He knew that he was Jesus Christ. And once he had grasped this fundamental truth, he decided to make it his mission in life to take upon himself all of the sins of the world.”

In its inventiveness and willingness to push boundaries, the broad strokes of the novel’s madcap universe are hilarious and exhilarating. However, at the more nuanced level of sentences and structuring, the book sometimes falls short. The large cast of characters is unevenly realized and makes the book feel sprawling. Themes and ideas are tossed in without being fully developed sometimes, and in rare instances, the provocative style stumbles into poor taste, particularly when poking fun at the rise of chronic obesity and weight loss treatments. 

Some repetitive introductions and the tendency for long, expositional dialogues dampen the flurry of ideas and jokes that are packed into Apocalypse. That said, the quixotic, thoroughly unique take on religion, modern life, and human existence makes for a compelling reading experience.

A madcap battle for the future of humanity and the Earth itself, Apocalypse gathers the absurdities of modern life and the enduring beauty of human existence into one crazy story of angels, demons, and the mortals who follow them.

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