Armageddon is nigh... but instead of all-out war, it has been agreed at the Highest Levels to decide the issue by single combat between Champions chosen by each side. Not an unfamiliar idea, but here it's a tautly-written, fast-moving thriller plot which resists, mostly, the temptation to wander down metaphysical byways.

Given the author’s connections, it’s hardly surprising that the plot and approach have a pronounced Moorcockian feel. Thus there is something of the Eternal Champion about hero Simon Colvin, whose very name reflects Moorcock’s ‘James Colvin’ pseudonym.

This, too, the concept of Lucifer desperate for reconciliation with his old boss, albeit here not pursued, echoes Von Bek. And there are more specific parallels: the Satanic champion’s invocation "Blood and Souls for My Lord Lucifer" will strike a deja vu chord with all Elric fans.

Although a more conventional Christian ideological conflict of good vs evil replaces Moorcock’s morally neutral struggle between Law and Chaos, the whole enterprise is strongly reminiscent of Moorcock’s Golden Age, and definitely worth seeking out.