Holy Warriors, Episode 1 of Werewolves of New Idria (A Novella) - by John E Chadwell

 


Description: 

A New Breed of Werewolf!

In the year 1063, a nineteen-year-old Spanish knight fought alongside the legendary El Cid against the Moors. After the battle near Graus, a Moorish village in Spain, El Cid blessed Roberto Aceves de Burgos and gave him a gift of the magical sword, Tizona, and told the boy that his father was dying and he must return home to Burgos.

On the journey home, the young knight was attacked by an infamous highwayman and werewolf. Aceves survived the attack, though badly wounded. He was convinced that he would eventually be transformed into a beast of evil. But a wondrous being appeared, healed his wounds and told him that his future was not ordained, that it was his choice to accept God’s grace and serve on the side of good rather than evil.

Aceves chose to fight evil and became an eternal Holy Warrior. He and his descendants fought for justice over the next nine centuries throughout Europe and into the Americas, always in secret, for they are still feared as werewolves.

One day, he and his clan were captured by a young army officer, George Patton, who offered them the chance to come out of the dark and serve in the open as the nation’s first Special Forces. They agreed and soon became known for their bravery and ferocity in battle during both World Wars and through Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Aceves clan eventually settled on a ranch in California’s Diablo Mountains, near the abandoned mining town of New Idria. In nearby Hollister, the annual motorcycle rally was taking place when a gang called The Devil’s Demons arrived. The gang’s leader was a demon, Satan’s own kin, seeking revenge and the destruction of the Werewolves of New Idria. When werewolves and demons came together in the toxic remains of New Idria, it was a battle to the death and the transformation of one to a divine creature.

Review: 

This novella is based on the graphic novel of the same name. Based on this, I am not sure if there will be further episodes in the series. There is no mention of this at the end of the book or anywhere I can find. 

This novel and the graphic novel lives up to its premise of a new breed of werewolf. 

After being bitten by Marcelino, a first generation werewolf, Roberto is fearful that he would be transformed into the same and therefore live a life of evil. However, having his wounds healed by Niniane, a fae, who she describes herself as a creation of God, encourages Roberto to accept God's grace as to use his transformation into a werewolf for good by being a warrior of God. The rest of the story follows Roberto over the next many hundreds of years as his family of werewolves grows and all become God's Holy Warriors. It culminates in the present age where one of the Nephilim who has possessed the body of Apollo Slayier, a fellow soldier who fought with Christian, Roberto's grandson in a previous war decades ago. Here the final fight ensues culminating in the defeat of this Nephilim and his band of human warriors.  

It was this premise that drew me to this novella. It shows a lot of promise for future episodes. However, I don't feel it converted well from graphic novel to written novel. The spiritual aspects are there and they are good, it is just that converting the story line from the graphic novel leaves the plot of this novella a bit thin and disjointed. This is evidenced by single chapters outlining the various historical ages that Roberto and his family have lived through since being transformed into werewolves and having their lives prolonged to hundreds of years instead of the mere double figures that we are used to. These chapters are not connected or flow into each other leading to this part of the plot being disjointed. This story then comes into its own when this history of Roberto's life over the centuries since becoming Holy Warrior catches up to the present age where the battle between Nephilim/demon possessed Apollo Slayier and Roberto and his family unfolds. 

The author has portrayed the fight scenes at the beginning of the plot where Roberto fights Marcelino very action packed and the especially the same at the end of the novella with the battle between the Nephilim and Roberto's family. This adds strength to the plot.

I would have liked to have had more inclusion and development of the elements of spiritual warfare of Roberto and his family and their faith in God, the history of the Nephilim and their origins. It would have also been better for the plot continuity if the chapters outlining the centuries of Roberto's life and family as Holy Warriors were connected showing further plot lines that showed the development of them as Holy Warriors.

As I have said, this series shows a lot of promise. I would love to see further episodes with the improvements I have mentioned. 

Recommended only if you like a Christian take on the werewolf genre.


My Rating: