A review by ctgt
The Godless, by Ben Peek
5.0
You think you can give up what is inside you? What remains of the gods finds us. In wombs, in childhood, in the summers and winters of our lives. Once it has found us, only death can drive it out.
This is a book that benefited from the fact that I have been a complete slacker when it comes to writing my reviews. This was always going to be a high 4 stars but as I look over my notes and highlights(3 pages of google docs) I have to bump this to 5 stars, 10/10.
Great characters and unique, surprising worldbuilding=5 stars.
The driving moment of this story actually happened in the past, The War of the Gods.
Zaifyr had told her the Ger had sunk to his knees and began building the mountains, his cairn, after he had suffered a dying blow. Ger spoke for fifty-seven years as he built his burial mound. Priests gathered in tent cities around him and recorded every word he spoke. They wrote and rewrote and translated his words for hundreds of years, turning them into prophecies and morals.
After the gods killed each other, there were two reactions. The first was to create temples around the fallen bodies, believing that the gods had not died. There were seventy-eight gods and it was believed they would be back. The second was to look for new gods. Children, as it were. A century later, five had begun to establish themselves. Those we named Immortals.
Within this tomb there are twenty-three temples. That is what is recorded, at any rate, but I would not be surprised if there were more. Each of the buildings was built over a fissure directly over Ger’s body. It gave the priests access to the wounds that he had sustained against his brothers. For the centuries that they lived here the priests tended his wounds, attempting to heal him. It was their belief that he would rise again.
Those first men and women made the Five Kingdoms. It emerged two thousand years after the war of the Gods, a society of progression, restriction, and at times, genocide. The five who ruled did not believe they would one day be gods, but believed they were in fact gods. Any who rose with similar powers-like you or me-were given an ultimatum: to join or die.
Tensions are high in Mireea as incidents increase leading to suspicions that the kingdom of Leera may be preparing to attack. Lady Wagan of Mireea has hired on mercenary bands to help defend the city. Ayae, assistant to map maker Samuel Orlans is attacked in her workplace and her fire powers spring to life. This begins a complex tale of gods, kingdoms, cultures and religions. Some fantastic and horrific moments that at times reminded me of Malazan.
I borrowed this book from the library but have since bought a copy because if this series continues like this first book, it could rank up there with some my favorites.
10/10
This is a book that benefited from the fact that I have been a complete slacker when it comes to writing my reviews. This was always going to be a high 4 stars but as I look over my notes and highlights(3 pages of google docs) I have to bump this to 5 stars, 10/10.
Great characters and unique, surprising worldbuilding=5 stars.
The driving moment of this story actually happened in the past, The War of the Gods.
Zaifyr had told her the Ger had sunk to his knees and began building the mountains, his cairn, after he had suffered a dying blow. Ger spoke for fifty-seven years as he built his burial mound. Priests gathered in tent cities around him and recorded every word he spoke. They wrote and rewrote and translated his words for hundreds of years, turning them into prophecies and morals.
After the gods killed each other, there were two reactions. The first was to create temples around the fallen bodies, believing that the gods had not died. There were seventy-eight gods and it was believed they would be back. The second was to look for new gods. Children, as it were. A century later, five had begun to establish themselves. Those we named Immortals.
Within this tomb there are twenty-three temples. That is what is recorded, at any rate, but I would not be surprised if there were more. Each of the buildings was built over a fissure directly over Ger’s body. It gave the priests access to the wounds that he had sustained against his brothers. For the centuries that they lived here the priests tended his wounds, attempting to heal him. It was their belief that he would rise again.
Those first men and women made the Five Kingdoms. It emerged two thousand years after the war of the Gods, a society of progression, restriction, and at times, genocide. The five who ruled did not believe they would one day be gods, but believed they were in fact gods. Any who rose with similar powers-like you or me-were given an ultimatum: to join or die.
Tensions are high in Mireea as incidents increase leading to suspicions that the kingdom of Leera may be preparing to attack. Lady Wagan of Mireea has hired on mercenary bands to help defend the city. Ayae, assistant to map maker Samuel Orlans is attacked in her workplace and her fire powers spring to life. This begins a complex tale of gods, kingdoms, cultures and religions. Some fantastic and horrific moments that at times reminded me of Malazan.
I borrowed this book from the library but have since bought a copy because if this series continues like this first book, it could rank up there with some my favorites.
10/10