Age of Shiva (The Pantheon Series)

Praise for the
Pantheon
series:

“This is smooth, addictive and an amazing ride. If you scratch the surface of the writing, there is plenty of depth and subtext, but it’s the fun of having spies fighting monsters that will keep you enthralled throughout.”

–
Starburst Magazine
on
Age of Voodoo

“A fast-paced, thrill-filled ride... There’s dry humour, extreme gore, tension and large amounts of testosterone flooding off the page – and a final confrontation that leaves you with a wry smile.”

–
SciFi Bulletic
on
Age of Voodoo

“5 out of 5. I finished it in less than three hours, yet have pondered the revelations found within for days afterwards and plan to reread it soon.”

–
Geek Syndicate
on
Age of Aztec

“Higher on action and violence than Lovegrove’s previous books, the novel still manages to portray convincingly the psychology of its two antiheroes, and paint a vivid picture of Aztec lore.”

–
The Guardian
on
Age of Aztec

“Lovegrove is vigorously carving out a godpunk subgenre – rebellious underdog humans battling an outmoded belief system. Guns help a bit, but the real weapon is free will.”

–
Pornokitsch
on
The Age of Odin

“I can totally see why
The Age of Odin
made it onto the
New York Times
Bestseller’s List; I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw it on the big screen in a few years from now.”

–
Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
on
The Age of Odin

“A compulsive, breakneck read by a master of the craft, with stunning action sequences and acute character observations. This is the kind of complex, action-oriented SF Dan Brown would write if Dan Brown could write.”

– Eric Brown,
The Guardian
on
The Age of Zeus

“The action is just unbelievably good.”

–
The Fantasy Book Critic
on
The Age of Zeus

“Mr. Lovegrove is one of the best writers out there... Highly, highly recommended.”

–
The Fantasy Book Critic
on
The Age of Ra

“Lovegrove’s bluntness about the gods’ Jerry Springer-like repugnance refreshingly reflects the myths as they must appear to modern eyes.”

–
Strange Horizons Magazine
on
The Age of Ra

“One of the UK SF scene’s most interesting, challenging and adventurous authors.”

– Saxon Bullock
, SFX
on
The Age of Ra

Also by James Lovegrove

N
OVELS

The Hope
•
Days

The Foreigners
•
Untied Kingdom

Worldstorm
•
Provender Gleed

Co-writing with Peter Crowther

Escardy Gap

T
HE
P
ANTHEON
S
ERIES

The Age Of Ra
•
The Age Of Zeus

The Age Of Odin
•
Age Of Aztec

Age Of Voodoo
•
Age Of Godpunk

T
HE
R
EDLAW
S
ERIES

Redlaw
•
Redlaw: Red Eye

N
OVELLAS

How The Other Half Lives
•
Gig

Age Of Anansi
•
Age of Satan
•
Age of Gaia

S
HERLOCK
H
OLMES

The Stuff of Nightmares

C
OLLECTIONS OF
S
HORT
F
ICTION

Imagined Slights
•
Diversifications

F
OR
Y
OUNGER
R
EADERS

The Web: Computopia
•
Warsuit 1.0

The Black Phone

F
OR
R
ELUCTANT
R
EADERS

Wings
•
The House of Lazarus

Ant God
•
Cold Keep
•
Dead Brigade

Kill Swap
•
Free Runner

The 5 Lords Of Pain Series

The Lord Of The Mountain
•
The Lord Of The Void

The Lord Of Tears
•
The Lord Of The Typhoon

The Lord Of Fire

W
RITING AS
J
AY
A
MORY

The
Clouded World
series

The Fledging Of Az Gabrielson

Pirates Of The Relentless Desert

Darkening For A Fall
•
Empire Of Chaos

AGE OF SHIVA

JAMES LOVEGROVE

First published 2014 by Solaris

an imprint of Rebellion Publishing Ltd,

Riverside House, Osney Mead,

Oxford, OX2 0ES, UK

www.solarisbooks.com

ISBN: (epub) 978-1-84997-662-6

ISBN: (mobi) 978-1-84997-663-3

Copyright © James Lovegrove 2014

Cover Art by Jake Murray

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of he copyright owners.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

T
HIS IS A
confession.

This is an apology.

This is an origin story.

This is the tale of ordinary people who became extraordinary, became heroes, and the price we all paid.

It’s completely true.

I know.

I was there.

1. KIDNAP IN CROUCH END

I
STEPPED OUT
of my flat to get my lunchtime sandwich and cappuccino, and never went back.

There was a coffee place round the corner from my house. It styled itself like one of the big chains, calling itself Caffè Buono and boasting baristas and leather armchairs and a Gaggia machine, but it was the only one of its kind in existence and it never to my knowledge opened any other branches. The sandwiches were all right, though. The coffee too.

I didn’t notice the jet black Range Rover with tinted windows prowling after me as I sauntered along the street. It was spring. The sun was out, for a change. I’d been slaving away at my drawing board since breakfast. Daylight on my face felt sweet. To be among people – the usual milling midday Crouch End crowds – was pleasant. My work was a kind of solitary confinement. It was always good to get out.