THE GODLESS - James A. Moore


Just because a war has ended doesn't mean everyone (or anyone) suddenly knows peace.  The long war with the Sa'ba Taalor has ended, but in the land of Fellein there is restlessness due to the constant change. And what do those who've spent their lives fighting wars do? Andover Lashk of the Iron Hands, once revered for his power, now feels like a man without a country.

This has been a series of battles, supported by gods, but those who would now be considered the 'losers' have not only been driven from their lands, but they've been abandoned by their gods. They are now The Godless and they are gathering in the wastelands ready to follow a new master.

Just two days before I picked up this book I had looked up on my blog to see when I last read a James A. Moore book.  I really look forward to Moore's strong, adventure/fantasy.

The Godless doesn't have quite the excitement level that we were left with in book 4, The Silent Army, but what it lacks in sword-point action it makes up for with the intense anticipation that Moore gives us.

One of the many things I like about a James A. Moore book is that there are no wasted characters. Everyone we meet seems to be a real person and they have a purpose in the book. Our main cast of characters give us quite varied viewpoints and each chapters offers up multiple storylines. It's important for the reader to make careful note of whose story they are reading.

Sometimes it was hard not to be more interested in one story over another and in general I was really eager to read more when it was Whistler's story (not The Whistler). But even as I write that I think about Jeron, and Desh , and Andover, and how could I ever suggest their stories didn't hold as much interest as any other story, because that's not true. And then I want to start listing all the characters because, as I mentioned, there are no wasted characters in a Moore book. If every page isn't a nail-biter you can bet there will be moments for each character that will stand out.

One of the most intense moments in the book for me started with Nachia Krous' story. "Being the Empress might have many advantages, but holding court was not one of them," she states as she attends/hosts a soirée. which looks to be a rather dull time until ten Sa’ba Taalor show up, including King Swech Tothis Durwrae. Nachia remains calm and willing to listen. The next portion of the chapter is then the story from Swech's point of view. And although this happens late in the book, it's an important set-up moment.

But this is the one problem I have with this particular book... the entire novel feels like a set-up for the next chapter in the Seven Forges epic.

This isn't to say that there isn't great world-building and characters.  Nobody is writing this 'sword & sorcery' fantastic fantasy better than Moore. And there is a slow build of action within the book. But the primary purpose of the books appears to be setting the stage for the next installment.

That's okay. I'd still rather read Moore's set-up novel than most other books.

Looking for a good book? The Godless by James A. Moore is the fifth book in The Seven Forges series. The book doesn't have the same excitement level as the previous book in the series, but the good news is that it's pretty clear that there will be more books in the series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

* * * * * * 

The Godless

author: James A. Moore

series: The Seven Forges #5

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 9780857668424

paperback, 400 pages

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VINYL RESTING PLACE - Olivia Blacke

Image
 Juni Jessup and her two sister, Tansy and Maggie, have gone into business together in their hometown of Cedar River, Texas, opening a combination record store and coffee shop. Vinyl LPs are making a comeback after all, despite critics thinking the medium was dead.  But speaking of 'dead' ... finding a dead body in the supply closet just as they are looking to have a grand opening is not part of the plan.  Juni's life gets more complicated when their uncle, Calvin, already a suspect in the murder, disappears. And the police officer leading the investigation is Juni's EX-boyfriend (who passive-aggressively keeps putting himself back into her life). Convinced that her uncle would never murder anyone, Juni sets out to prove his innocence - which isn't easy since he's making himself look guilty - because Calvin is family and family is EVERYthing to Juni. As readers of my blog know, I'm not a big fan of most cozy mysteries, but the setting caught my eye and my in...
Read more

THE WALLED CITY - Ryan Graudin

Image
  Jin and her sister, Mei Yee, were taken and sold and then sent to the lawless Walled City to serve as prostitutes or slaves to anyone willing to pay. Jin managed to escape her captivity, but not the Walled City and she now lurks about, disguised as a boy and is trying to track down the brothel where her sister is still captive. Jin will work odd delivery jobs to earn a small bit of money and hopefully have a legitimate means of coming in contact with her sister's captors.  This is how she meets up with Dai, a mysterious boy who has somehow managed to avoid running with any of the gangs in the city but he seems to have his own unusual connections, which Jon could desperately use if she has any hope of finding Mei Yee. But Dai has his own desperate needs.  The story is told from the different perspectives of each character and we do bounce around quite a bit as the chapters are generally short. This never bothered me, which is slightly unusual as often I find this techni...
Read more

THE RAVEN THIEF - Gigi Pandian

Image
 With Tempest Raj now a member of the company, Secret Staircase Construction (a company who, as their title suggests, builds mystery-themed, secret rooms inside homes) has finished their first job. Their client now wants to celebrate to kick off her new beginning - new home and new life now that she's divorced from her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property, led by Tempest's friend, Sanjay.   But during that séance, while all those gathered sat in a dark room holding hands, Corbin's dead body crashes the party, falling across the table in front of everyone. There were eight people in the room, and they were all holding hands, but all the evidence points to one of them being the murderer.  Suspicions point to Ash, Tempest's grandfather, because he was the only one with Corbin's blood on him. Of course, as a doctor, he was also the only one who checked on the body - ...
Read more