A review by kazmx
Death's Heretic by James L. Sutter
4.0
The book is in a way one of the best display of what the planes in a fantasy setting are, that been said it was actually hard reading through them because it felt more like a guide to outer planes than a novel at the middle of the novel. Salim is one character who is intriguing from the beginning of the book. Some characters were marvelous and quite a handful of them deserve their own stories to be told.
Lets breakdown the book, the story is a mix of a police drama and a redemption in a sword and sorcery setting the main character, Salim, is called to investigate the theft of a soul in a desert nation called Thuvia. His assistance is originally recruited by an angel of Pharasma, the goddess that judge souls in the afterlife. Once he arrives in the city where the crime ocurred, he meets High Priest Khoyar and the deceased daughter, Niela. And the whole story revolves on Salim and Niela looking for the criminals that took her father's soul.
In the introduction of the book there were two characters that were treated poorly in the way the were introduced. It seemed that the whole potential of Neila and Khoyar was left to the rest of the book since their first impressions lacked of imagination. But then there was the "enemies of her father" and the book redeemed itself. The crime lord and the half elf make some interesting profiles for the theft, but are quickly dropped, which is sad to say the least. They would make perfect enemies or unlikely allies.
The middle of the book is lost in the outer planes. This is where the book goes sideways. First the amulet that Salim carried seemed more like a Deus ex machinima than a god plot hook. Then the tour through the Axis, the Boneyard and the maelestrom felt exactly like that a tour and not a crime scene. And finally the abyss was completely unnecessary. I have to admit that the way the First World was handled was done beautifully. And the goddess there grab my attention once again.
In the end the last chapters of the book were exciting and well written. But I think the author dropped the ball on some chapters since the through out the whole plot the investigation seemed forced and made look Salim a lot less experienced than he should be. Dismissing the suspects way too easily and never considering other ones.
Lets breakdown the book, the story is a mix of a police drama and a redemption in a sword and sorcery setting the main character, Salim, is called to investigate the theft of a soul in a desert nation called Thuvia. His assistance is originally recruited by an angel of Pharasma, the goddess that judge souls in the afterlife. Once he arrives in the city where the crime ocurred, he meets High Priest Khoyar and the deceased daughter, Niela. And the whole story revolves on Salim and Niela looking for the criminals that took her father's soul.
In the introduction of the book there were two characters that were treated poorly in the way the were introduced. It seemed that the whole potential of Neila and Khoyar was left to the rest of the book since their first impressions lacked of imagination. But then there was the "enemies of her father" and the book redeemed itself. The crime lord and the half elf make some interesting profiles for the theft, but are quickly dropped, which is sad to say the least. They would make perfect enemies or unlikely allies.
The middle of the book is lost in the outer planes. This is where the book goes sideways. First the amulet that Salim carried seemed more like a Deus ex machinima than a god plot hook. Then the tour through the Axis, the Boneyard and the maelestrom felt exactly like that a tour and not a crime scene. And finally the abyss was completely unnecessary. I have to admit that the way the First World was handled was done beautifully. And the goddess there grab my attention once again.
In the end the last chapters of the book were exciting and well written. But I think the author dropped the ball on some chapters since the through out the whole plot the investigation seemed forced and made look Salim a lot less experienced than he should be. Dismissing the suspects way too easily and never considering other ones.