Demon Stalker: The Beginning, Volume 1 is a Christian fantasy novel written by Michael E. Fulkerson and Michael King. Rhavi Kumur lived for caving and adventure, and by the time she was a young woman, she had achieved both fame and notoriety as a treasure hunter. The Tennessee native had grown up exploring the caves that were a feature of her environment before she went to college to study archaeology and geology, but her studies failed to provide her with the excitement that hands-on spelunking did. When the exploration of an abandoned mine shaft resulted in real treasure trove, Rhavi dropped out of school in her senior year and pursued adventure full time. Her finds financed her world-wide adventures until she heard about some secret sites near Jerusalem. Lachish was a prize too tempting to pass up. Those tunnels that had been discovered could lead to antiquities she couldn’t even begin to imagine. She easily avoided notice as she entered the caves; what she discovered was something too awful to be imagined.

Michael E. Fulkerson and Michael King’s adventure fantasy novel for Christian readers, Demon Stalker: The Beginning, Volume 1, is a fast-paced and exciting story that introduces Captain Jake Steele, a US Army veteran, whose childhood friend asks him for a life-changing favor. The authors have created a series of challenges for Steele to pass in order for him to be judged worthy of entrance into heaven, and watching as he faces invincible Demon Kings is entertaining indeed. Their characters are well-constructed and credible, and the plot moves quite nicely. I’ll be watching for future volumes of this action and adventure fantasy series. Demon Stalker: The Beginning, Volume 1 is highly recommended.

While serving in the U.S. Army in his twelfth deployment, Jake Steele’s Special Forces group encounters heavy fire that results in the death of Jake’s friends. Back from Afghanistan, Jake is struggling to leave the war behind and focus on his current life. When his childhood friend comes calling for a favor, Jake, though hesitant, agrees to help Ben out. At least, the new mission will give him something to distract his mind and put his skills to use. Nothing goes as planned and Jake finds himself dead in Purgatory, a place of which he knew very little. As Michael E. Fulkerson’s story, Demon Stalker, progresses, Jake comes to learn of his new mission in life; to hunt and kill Demon-Kings. Will he succeed?

Demon Stalker contains many surprising descriptions and details. The Demon-Kings are adeptly described to give the image of menacing and forbidding monsters. This heightens the suspense in the book as I was curious to learn how a normal human would defeat these monsters. I also liked that the plot is unusual and hence unpredictable. What starts as a usual plot later turns into a story about demons and monsters. The opening scene also provides an explanation of Jake’s decisions that lead him to Purgatory. The prologue is thrilling and provides a suspenseful foreshadowing of what will follow. In some places, the plot slows down to provide explanations and details while in other places it picks up pace. The action in the book is hair-raising. Demon Stalker is definitely a book worth reading for fans of fantasy books.