Queen of Wands

Two books, The Shadow of Death and Old Time Religion are within this volume. They are about two women of faith. Barbara Everette is a chastely married, dedicated Christian who directly channels the power of Jehovah, which is a real pain, and who keeps an AR-10, a katana, vials of holy water, and stakes in her closet. Her associate in the Foundation for Love and Universal Faith, Janea, is a high priestess of Freya who regards sex as an act of worship and who prays a lot.

These ladies have a past history in John Ringo’s writings, obviously, which I’ll have to hunt down. Nonetheless, Ringo does a good job of sketching in backgrounds, so a reader stumbling on these dangerous dames for the first time is not left totally confused.

In the first book, Barbara deals with demons (she has the “gift” of seeing them, she discovers, to her great distress) and is engaged in seeking to free Janea from otherworldly bondage. In the second, Janea finds herself in attendance at a con that involves many oddly familiar and even evocative characters. Involving herself in con competitions segues into serious swordplay. And the con segues into something completely other.