What if the best Saturday morning cartoons of the ‘80s had starred Toshiro Mifune? What if the enemies in The Seven Samurai had been demons summoned from the deepest, foulest pits of hell — and one of the Samurai was played by Bob Marley? What if in a future, post-technological earth, humankind’s last line of defense against an otherworldly invasion was the cast of a kung fu film?Echoes of a Shattered Age is the first novel in a series by R.J. Terrell about a brother-sister team (she’s a ninja, he’s a samurai) and a duo of foster brother martial artists (one Jamaican, one Filipino), all of whom hunt demons. Our protagonists find themselves aligned when a species of demons called Quentranzi is summoned and threaten the world. High octane adventure ensues.

Terrell cuts right to the heart of his story, which is fantastic action scenes. His wisecracking, swaggering, jostling characters add the right dash of levity, and Terrell’s themes of the peacefulness and beauty of a post-technological earth add a gentle, Tolkienesque layer of organic spirituality that is deeply satisfying.

For fans of action fantasy and kung fu movies — scratch both itches at once!