Viila and the doomsday affair
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Reviews
Viila and the Doomsday Affair is one of the oddest, funniest, and, to be honest, fabulous books I have read in a very long time. I simply adored it because, in the middle of all of the humor, strange characters, and ridiculous circumstances the characters find themselves in, is a story that teaches us so much about friendship, loyalty, and the need to do something and become someone important.
This is the story of a mission that is undertaken by a very interesting group to attempt to save the universe. We have a rabbi, his completely oblivious son, a vampire, a teraphim, a cat, a demon, and a man who cannot walk and instead crawls everywhere on his stomach. Honestly, it sounds a bit like a really bad joke but it is far from that. Our group of misfits embarks on a quest to save the world, even with all of its faults, so that a new and better one can begin. To do this they must reach the expected Hidden Room inside, you guessed it, the Sacred Mount. In order to get there they will have to survive three tasks that are basically hopeless ones.
As this very odd mix of heroes blunders along the reader is treated to some other groups, like the Sect of the Holy Nose Bashers (don’t you just love that name?), who decide to follow along as they have been waiting for their own chances to find this room and be the heroes that have been foretold. Only by living through this long trek can the heroes accomplish their goal and bring about a new world. Throughout the journey the reader is treated to wonderful stories told by the Rabbi, daring feats of bravery from Viila our new favorite vampire-like creature, fun and sometimes explicit suggestions from a teraphim, and a lovely budding romance. The climax of the book is so much fun to read and I know that this is a book meant to be enjoyed by so many.
Mixed into the novel, among the strange people, places, and situations, are some actual facts and some wonderful examples of developing friendships, developing romances, and simple respect and loyalty that should not be missed. Mr. Danchik has put together a novel that is really wonderful. The characters, be they human or something else, are very well-developed and interesting. The humor of the situations is absolutely not to be missed. It was so much fun to read and I can only imagine how much fun the author had in writing the book. I highly recommend Viila and the Doomsday Affair to anyone who wants to learn and laugh at the same time.
Quill says: The perfect book is one that is full of humor, great characters, and can help to teach you something at the same time. There is no doubt that this is just such a book and one that everyone should take the time to enjoy.
Danchik’s debut is a rollicking ride into the unknown as an unlikely group of allies set out to save the universe. With the new eternity approaching fast, rabbi Benjamin and his son must unite with an unlikely group of strangers, including a vampire, a teraphim, a demon, a cat, and a belly crawler, and save the universe. But to achieve their goal, they must reach the Hidden Room in the Sacred Mount and pass three impossible hurdles. The world Danchik has created is exceedingly immersive, filled with wry humor, weird situations, amazing romances, and endearing friendships. From the oblivious rabbi Benjamin, to the sinisterly beautiful Viila, Barnabas the demon, Queen Pharaoh the original cat, and Jasper the belly crawler, each member of the misfit group of heroes is a skillfully crafted outcast seeking human connection. With a large cast of characters and several mini plots, the storyline becomes confusing in the beginning, but the action ratchets up exponentially in the surprising middle part. The multiple subplots all come together in surprising ways, making for a thoroughly satisfying culmination worthy of the tale that preceded it. This deliciously readable tale about courage, perseverance, friendship, and human connection makes for a must-read.
Viila and the Doomsday Affair offers a save-the-world scenario powered by an unusual cast of characters who are charged not only with an impossible mission, but a series of supernatural and philosophical traps that also attract other denizens who would reach the Hidden Room in the Sacred Mount for their own nefarious purposes.
The rabbi and his clueless son, a lovely vampire, a sex-obsessed teraphim, Barnabas the demon, cat Queen Pharaoh, and Jasper the belly crawler at first seem to have little in common other than their new task. Turns out they each harbor strengths and perspectives that join them in more ways than in achieving this seemingly-impossible goal.
The progression of events also embraces a strange blend of sexual encounters and erotic fun from the opening lines of the story, which portend the sense of pleasure and puzzles that will link not just disparate characters, but the audience that chooses Viila and the Doomsday Affair: “Rabbi Benjamin was having a mild sexual fantasy caused by his evening’s dinner. He sat at his dinner table eyeing the two lovely, rounded dumplings that his wife, with all the erotic innocence of women, has put in front of him. He thinks she thinks that a dumpling is just a dumpling. After a moment, he thanked his God for the endless wonder of women.”
Spiritual audiences who choose this book will find religious stories turned upside down in a whimsical manner that could offend those deeply religious, but will delight those who acknowledge possible inconsistencies in Biblical history and those who interpret it.
At the heart of this foray into ironic adventure is the lovely and centuries-old vampire Viila, who is on the prowl for a “good, good man.” She’s been searching for centuries and her latest incarnation seems to be moving her no closer to her goal: “This was something she had been doing since almost the very beginning of this eternity. She has many names and has had many careers. Lately, she considered herself a street cleaner. It satisfied her two most basic needs: suicide and survival.”
As each character faces the possibilities and impossibilities of their lives and quests both individually and as a group, readers are brought into a milieu which is ripe with sexual discovery, ironic twists, fun encounters, and the spicy side dish of those who face a “long infinity.”
Roger Danchik’s foray into the impossible assumes the countenance of an adventure, the ironic inspection of men, women, and creatures who never quite achieve their hearts’ desires, and the element of surprise that keeps the novel’s possibilities and twists completely unpredictable and zany.
Libraries looking for a walk on the wilder side of fantasy and sex amongst demons and men will find Viila and the Doomsday Affair a vivid story hard to define and attractive to readers seeking something refreshingly different and hard to put down.
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