ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY: The Phoenix Chronicles by Lori Handeland

Publisher St. Martin's
Date published November 2008
ISBN 0-312-94919-7
Genre Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Tammy



The first book in Lori Handeland’s Phoenix Chronicles, a series of urban fantasy book, ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY is fast paced, engaging, engrossing and just plain great!

Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic ex-cop who grew up in a foster home. When her foster mother is viciously murdered and she is found unconscious at the scene with only disturbing nightmares for memories of the crime, Liz is determined to hunt down her killer. When the police point the finger at her childhood friend, foster mate and former lover Jimmy Sanducci, Liz begins on a journey of discovery that leads to a supernatural war that has been simmering since God threw Satan out of heaven. With the death of Liz and Jimmy’s foster mother, the battle has been renewed and only a few humans have the ability to fight the evil coming. But if Liz is going to save the world, she has a lot to learn fast and some of the things she discovers may not be things she wants to hear.

Lori Handeland’s ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY has a L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress book feel to it. Like Banks’ Vampire Huntress books, Handeland’s paranormal creatures evolve from the dawn of time when God closed the doors to heaven to Satan and his followers. The battle between good and evil and the need for a universal balance of the two is the basis for the Phoenix Chronicles. When the fallen angels mate with humans, the results are vampires, shapeshifters and a variety of other supernatural species, some of which have a choice of being good or evil and some without a choice in the matter. And since most of these species masquerade as humans, they are very difficult to detect until it is too late.

As Liz begins her journey of discovery, many things from her past become clear and she finds herself in a love triangle of sorts with two very different, and at times very scary and yes, sexy men. ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY sets up the series beautifully, leaving readers panting for more, dying to find out what is going to happen next. This book is urban fantasy at its best. The storyline is multifaceted; the characters are strong and draw readers into the book while the pace defies readers to put the book down. Fans of such authors as Laurell K. Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong, Stephen King, the aforementioned L.A. Banks and of course other Lori Handeland books are in for a real treat with the Phoenix Chronicles.

Lori Handeland’s ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY is a speeding bullet of supernatural thrills and chills and difficult discoveries that urban fantasy fans will not want to miss. This reviewer highly recommends this book and can’t wait to read the next book in this imaginative series.