Richard Oort / Edge series

The Edge of Reason (Edge -1) by Melinda M. Snodgrass — The Edge of Reason (Edge #1) by Melinda M. Snodgrass

Edge series, aka Richard Oort series by Melinda M. Snodgrass.

NEW Release upcoming: Edge of Dawn — Aug 4, 2015 by Tor

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Fantasy with just a little Urban Fantasy

Series Description or Overview[]

Since the dawn of consciousness, a secret war has been fought between the forces of magic and religious fanaticism, and the cause of reason, understanding, and technology. On one side are the Old Ones, malign entities that feed on the suffering of mankind. On the other are the Lumina, an ancient order dedicated the liberation of the human spirit. Officer Richard Oort of the Albuquerque Police Department is caught in the middle of this primal battle when he rescues a mysterious teenage girl from a trio of inhuman hunters. Recruited by the Lumina to serve as their latest paladin, Richard ends up fighting beside a handful of unlikely allies, including an adolescent sorceress, an enigmatic philanthropist, a sexy coroner, and a homeless god with multiple personalities. The Old Ones and their mortal pawns are determined to destroy Richard–or subvert him to their cause. And they have all powers of magic and organized religion at their disposal. As the gates between the universes shred apart, it may be up to Richard to save humanity from the endless horror of a new Dark Age. Provocative as The Golden Compass or the Illuminatus! trilogy, The Edge of Reason dramatizes the fundamental conflict behind the hot-button issues of today...and the future of the human race. ~ The Edge of Reason (Richard Oort #1) ~ Shelfari

Lead's Species[]

Paladin

Primary Supe[]

Sorceress

What Sets it Apart[]

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

Third person narrative from various perspectives—primarily from Richard Oort's POV.

Books in Series[]

Richard Oort / Edge series:

The Edge of Reason (2008)
The Edge of Ruin (2010)
Edge of Dawn (Aug 4, 2015 by Tor)

Shorts, Novellas, Anthologies and Guides[]

"A Token of a Better Age" (2009)
"No Mystery, No Miracle" Down These Strange Streets (2011)

Other Series by Author onsite[]

Linnet Ellery series

Themes[]

Rationalism is good and magic is evil

World Building[]

Setting:[]

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Other Places:

Buford, Oklahoma — "No Mystery, No Miracle"
Chicago — "No Mystery, No Miracle"

Supernatural Elements:[]

✥ Sorceress, homeless god, magic, Paladins, another dimension, Old Ones, Sword of Reason and Order, monsters, demons, fallen gods, paladin’s weapon, monsters, Golem-like creatures , , , , ,

Glossary: []

Cthulhu-esque: beings from another dimension who feed on humanity's fears and pain to break through to our world and use religion to gain power by spreading hatred and fear—enabling them to enter our dimension.
Old Ones: demonic creatures from another dimension that possess humans in order to carry out horrible deeds
Lumina: an ancient order dedicated the liberation of the human spirit—recruit Richard Oort to be their Paladin
Shadow of Ryzna: box that holds powerful secrets — "No Mystery, No Miracle"
Shadowspawn: vampire
Paladin’s weapon:
Empty one: human with no magic (null);

Organizations:[]

Lumina Enterprises: a mysterious, globe-girdling operation—Richard Oort is new Ceo, since Prometheus has been bound (bk2)
Unique Investigations:

WORLD:[]

✥ A secret war is being fought for the souls of humanity; on one side are the Old Ones, who feed on the energy generated by religious fanaticism and superstition, while the Lumina seek to liberate the human spirit through progress in science and technology.

Unreason (superstition, religion, magic, the bad guys) ~ vs ~

Reason (rationality, science, no magic, the good guys).

Chtulhu-esque beings use religion to generate emotions like fear and anger, enabling them to enter our dimension. It's an unusual and original concept that led to a fascinating novel. ~ SFF AUTHOR Melinda Snodgrass | Fantasy Literature

Protagonist[]

✥ Richard Oort is not only an Albuquerque beat cop he also happens to be a genetic anomaly in that he is one of only a few humans with no magic in him at all. This makes him extremely valuable to both the old ones and the Lumina and a chance encounter will draw him into the fray. Caught up in the middle of the struggle, Richard will encounter truths contrary to everything he has learnt. As he struggles with this (and the lengths that the Old Ones will go to in order to subvert him) it becomes very clear that the decisions Richard makes will have grave consequences for the rest of the world… ~ Graeme's Fantasy Book Review: ‘The Edge of Reason’ – Melinda Snodgrass (Tor Books)

✥ Richard Oort: an upper-class concert pianist turned Albuquerque cop. After rescuing a sorceress in distress, he's recruited by Kenntnis, a wealthy technology entrepreneur to be the paladin for the forces of rationality and science. Richard learns that Kenntnis is “the Serpent, and Prometheus, and Lucifer.” Richard is his latest weapon in the eons-old battle against the Old Ones. ~ PW Fiction Review: The Edge of Reason

He's to fight against the forces of evil: Cthulhu-esque beings from another dimension who feed on humanity's fears and pain to break through to our world and use religion to gain power by spreading hatred and fear. ~Shelfari

✥ After signing up with the Lumina, Richard undergoes a series of trials and experiences designed to push him to his limits and beyond, as he struggles with his faith, his sexuality, his past, and his future. His only allies in the matter are an unpredictable teenage sorceress, an attractive coroner who wants to be more than a friend, and a homeless god with multiple personalities, as well as the enigmatic Kenntis. Arrayed against him are a host of monsters, demons, and fallen gods. If Richard Oort wants to survive, he'll have to come to terms with the events that shaped him, and find his new place in the world. If it doesn't kill him, first. He'd better watch out, because betrayal is close at hand. ~ The Edge of Reason ~ Greenman

Sidekick[]

Name: / What: / Sidekick-to: / About: / Book First Seen:

Characters Chart[]

Characters	What	About
Richard Oort	police officer, Paladin, empty one	paladin for the forces of rationality and science;
Kenntnis	wealthy technology entrepreneur	recruits Richard for the Lumina
Rhiana Davinovitch	teen sorceress, Lumina team	Richard rescues her;
	coronoer, Lumina team	wants to be more than a friend to Richard;
	homeless god, Lumina team	multiple personalities;
Mosi #3	year old Navajo girl.	another unique human who can use the paladin’s weapon; Old Ones killed her parents, Richard becomes her guardian;
Cross		works for Kenntnis;
Grenier

To expand the table, right-press on a row of the table or (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add row.

Author[]

Melinda M. Snodgrass

Website: melindasnodgrass.com
Genres: UF, Fantasy, Sci-fi

Bio: Melinda Snodgrass was a story editor and executive script consultant on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her acclaimed episode, “The Measure of a Man,” was nominated for the Writer’s Guild Award for outstanding writing in a drama series. With George R.R. Martin, she co-created the popular WILD CARDS series of shared-world novels and anthologies. She lives in New Mexico. ~ SFF AUTHOR Melinda Snodgrass | Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews

Full Bio: About | melindasnodgrass.com

Cover Artist[]

Artist: Gustave Doré

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Tor Books
Author Page: The Edge of Reason | Melinda Snodgrass | Macmillan
Bk-1: Hardcover, 384 pages, Pub: May 13th 2008—ISBN: 0765315165
Bk-2: Hardcover, 368 pages, Pub: April 13th 2010—ISBN: 0765316463

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE BLURB—The Edge of Reason (2008): Since the dawn of consciousness, a secret war has been fought between the forces of magic and religious fanaticism, and the cause of reason, understanding, and technology. On one side are the Old Ones, malign entities that feed on the suffering of mankind. On the other are the Lumina, an ancient order dedicated the liberation of the human spirit. Officer Richard Oort of the Albuquerque Police Department is caught in the middle of this primal battle when he rescues a mysterious teenage girl from a trio of inhuman hunters. Recruited by the Lumina to serve as their latest paladin, Richard ends up fighting beside a handful of unlikely allies, including an adolescent sorceress, an enigmatic philanthropist, a sexy coroner, and a homeless god with multiple personalities. The Old Ones and their mortal pawns are determined to destroy Richard–or subvert him to their cause. And they have all powers of magic and organized religion at their disposal. As the gates between the universes shred apart, it may be up to Richard to save humanity from the endless horror of a new Dark Age. Provocative as The Golden Compass or the Illuminatus! trilogy, The Edge of Reason dramatizes the fundamental conflict behind the hot-button issues of today...and the future of the human race. ~ Goodreads ~ and~ FF

✤ BOOK TWO BLURB—The Edge of Ruin (2010): I'm Richard Oort. I'm a cop. Two months ago I had learned there were unseen worlds on the borders of our reality. Dimensions filled with horrific, nightmare creatures. Things that viewed humans as prey. Things that drove us to acts of unspeakable violence. I had to fight them. To defend the people I loved, and to find out who I was. And am. I'm still a cop. But now I'm also CEO of Lumina Enterprises, a mysterious, globe-girdling operation even I don't know the full extent of. Replacing the previous guy, who appears to have also been Prometheus, really and truly. Now Prometheus is bound, and the job of taking the fight to the next level is mine. Because the horrors aren't over. And they'll use any human weakness they can get hold of. This is a fight for the world. For keeps. ~ [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/melinda-m-snodgrass/edge-of-ruin.htm The Edge of Ruin (Edge , book 2) by Melinda M Snodgrass]

✤ BOOK THREE—Edge of Dawn (Aug 4, 2015): The final battle approaches for a band of modern paladins, fighting for the light of science and reason, and against an ancient supernatural army poised to destroy the world. What do you do when the Earth is under assault from monstrous creatures by alternate dimensions and you’re the only person who can wield the weapon that can destroy them? That’s the situation facing Richard Oort, hero of the Edge novels. Lonely and overwhelmed after a series of terrifying, catastrophic global and personal events, Richard is still determined to save the world from the horrific Old Ones. He goes undercover in a Christian fundamentalist compound, playing house with an attractive FBI agent. At first, this only serves to increase his loneliness, missing his real family, but against all odds discovers another unique human who can use the paladin’s weapon, one who might be able to join him and lighten the burden of responsibility. There’s only one problem — Mosi is a nine year old Navajo girl. Their enemies are trying to kill both Richard and Mosi—and have already killed Mosi's family. To keep her safe Richard becomes her guardian, but an error in judgement leads to disaster and betrayal, and now the odd pair will need to summon all their strength to survive the coming battle. From the American southwest to a secret society in Turkey, the paladin and his ward try to stay in front of their enemies, but the world is at stake—and time is running short. ~ Goodreads | Edge of Dawn (Edge #3) by Melinda M. Snodgrass

First Sentences[]

The Edge of Reason — In her misery, Rhiana Davinovitch decided she wanted to die.
The Edge of Ruin — The 911 operator kept his voice low and steady. "So where are you now, honey?" "I'm in the bedroom." A little girl's voice, shaking with terror.
Edge of Dawn (Aug 4, 2015) —