Joanna Archer has come a very long way from her life as a
young woman sheltered from the knowledge of the forces for
good and evil. She lost that life long ago, as well as the
sister she loved.
She gained a family of sorts when she became a soldier for
the Light and more, the prophesied savior who would decide
the final outcome of the battle against the forces of the
Dark. A decision she made when following her heart closed
her off from them as well, and made her truly mortal.
She no longer can fight at the side of the Light but has
found sanctuary within the Shadow forces, those who defend
against attacks from the Light but who continue to fight to
destroy the evils of the Dark.
Her situation is dire. She was born of a union between Dark
and Light and is hunted by both sides. She also carries the
child of a man held captive by an insane demon Goddess who
inhabits a world set apart from the one Joanna is forced to
live in. Before losing her immortality Joanna could travel
at will to that domain but now she needs to find another
door as she refuses to abandon the man she loves no matter
the cost to herself.
THE NEON GRAVEYARD is book six in, and the conclusion to,
the Sign of the Zodiac Series. Vicki Pettersson does a fine
job of answering all the questions raised in the previous five
books and gives satisfying resolution to Joanna's story in
all its intricate facets.
I will miss the world Pettersson has created, where the
belief of preteens and fellow geeks in the characters drawn
into underground comics feed power to the true forces
fighting between the Dark and the Light. It is a world where
the story written in those comics can foreshadow the fate of
real-world warriors if they can only get their hands on a
copy. Astrology is more than a hokey method of foretelling
the future in Pettersson's creation, it is a source of
magic, sigils which create keys to another world and
outlines a firm set of roles fulfilled by the Warriors in
their fight. Set in the gritty underbelly of Las Vegas and
the surrounding desert I believe this series will stand the
test of time, and will be one I can return to over and over
again.
Once she was a soldier for the Light, the prophesied savior
who would decide the outcome of the eternal conflict raging
unseen in the dark corners of her glittering hometown. Now
Joanna Archer is just another mortal -- still born of an
impossible union of Shadow and Light . . . still hunted by
both -- and carrying the unborn child of a lover held
captive by a depraved demon goddess.
Joining forces with a
band of rogue Shadow agents, Joanna's ready to storm the
stronghold of her demonic foe, risking everything to enter
this ghastly, godforsaken realm where the price of admission
is her eternal soul. Because in a world that has stripped
her of her power, identity, and fortune, Joanna has nothing
left to lose -- except her baby, her future, and the epic
war poised to consume the city.