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barry_x's review
5.0
*I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
MINOR SPOILERS IN REVIEW
Wow, this was good! I'm discovering that I have a real liking for dark fantasy as some of my most recent reads attest. Godblind took a while to get going for me but when it did I really took to it and by the end of the novel I was itching for more and this is a mid-year front runner for my favourite book of the year.
The novel is set in 'generic fantasy land with a map and everything' but one of the first things to say about the location is that the region the book is set in is relatively small in focus. There are no great continents taking months to traverse, the setting is quite self contained. I like this, it's quite easy to place all the action and it makes the later events of the book seem more threatening because everything is 'close'.
So, in this book we've got a barbarian / Viking type race that long ago were banished to the icy mountains where it is cold and snows all the time. These are the Mireces. They are led by King Liris and worship the evil 'Red Gods' known as the Dark Lady and her brother Gospar - the Blood God. They live in longhouses, drink, fight and fuck, keep slaves etc. On the green rolling valleys of abundant farmland we have the land of Rilpor - who have towns and cities, standing armies and a degree of sophistication. They follow the 'Gods of Light' - the Dancer and her son the Fox God.
The Mireces have had enough of being cold and decide to invade Rilpor. End of review, well, sort of...
Although that is the story in a nutshell there is absolutely loads going on in this book. The first chapter is sufficiently bonkers to set the stall for the rest of the book. We have human sacrifice, attempted rape and regicide in the first couple of pages and that sets the tone for the rest of the book. One should note that there could be plenty of triggers in this book for readers - rape, and the threat of rape as a weapon occurs regularly in the book. That said, although the book is violent it isn't gore throughout and whilst this isn't YA it's perhaps not as strong as others may have led you to believe (although there is one scene in particular that is quite eye watering in it's depiction.)
'That' scene is effective because it's a really important part of the plot, it is exquisitely written and is so completely barbaric compared to the rest of the novel it is exceptionally effective! It's a tough one to get through and I loved it!
There is a third group in the novel. They are Rilporians but they live on the border near Mireces lands. They are known as the Watchers or the Wolves. They are considered a little uncivilised by most Rilporians but are the vanguard against Mireces invasion. The Watchers have their own unique culture and are the most interesting group in the novel. This is where Stephens' novel excels in its treatment. The Watchers are a relatively egalitarian people. Men and women fight and are treated as equals, men do the housework and cook as much as women. It's such a simple thing to put in a novel and it's a crying shame that even in 2017 this seems an interesting point in a book rather than the norm.
The Watchers are much more open about sexuality also, we have openly gay characters (despite homosexuality being illegal in Rilpor proper) and the treatment of one romance is wonderful, it surprised me because it wasn't the obvious pairing I saw coming.
I have seen reviews criticising the book in regard to the treatment of women and how men do things for them. Whilst there is an element of this in the book I think there are many strong powerful women in the book. It is true that Rillirin starts off as a bed-slave and needs a lot of help early on but she becomes a strong, powerful woman in her own right and is recovering from significant trauma. We've got the elderly bad ass spiritual leader of the Watchers Gilda - her scenes with Lanta the Red God priestess are awesome. Gilda is strong and has agency. Let's not forget Lanta - although she is an 'evil' character she shows strength, and at times vulnerability which gives her depth past a villain. In a male dominated society where violence determines who is in charge she holds her own to push her agenda. Then there is Tara, a soldier who works her way through the ranks in Rilpor - it is true that the Rilpor army is full of sexist men and Tara is unique in that she is a woman but again, she rises above military sexism.
Another element of the book I really enjoyed where the battle scenes of which there are quite a few. Stephens has a gift in writing a good fight! The action is vivid, fast paced and you can feel the frenzied terror of the combatants in an up close and personal blood bath. It isn't sugar coated, the close quarters combat is brilliant! It's ugly and bloody - but effectively describes what these pre-gunpowder battles must have been like!
The treatment of the Gods is interesting in that they are real in the world and not just a plot device. One of the Watchers is a seer type figure who can commune with the Gods. I quite liked the notion of the Fox God - inherently good but a god of luck and tricks. The Dark Lady is much more interesting though - she is like a Succubus - erotic and dangerous and a temptress.
The structure of the book is in small chapters each from the point of view of a different character. I'm not normally a fan of short chapters but here it works. It's not quite a cast of thousands but there are plenty of characters to follow. Again, normally one finds themselves looking back at an index or checking back to see who is who but in this case the book is really easy to follow. The format works really well.
The book has a wide enough scope to cover political intrigue, religious and nations at war, sweeping armies and the fate of nations being decided. At the same time it is a personal novel, the characters matter and their individual growth, their hopes and dreams, as well as their sadness and horror all have space.
What is rather frustrating is at the end of the novel there is a sense of unfinished business. I'm aware there is a sequel planned which I know I absolutely have to read. So many characters have their life in balance at the end. It is an exciting ending but I wish I had the second book in my hand...
MINOR SPOILERS IN REVIEW
Wow, this was good! I'm discovering that I have a real liking for dark fantasy as some of my most recent reads attest. Godblind took a while to get going for me but when it did I really took to it and by the end of the novel I was itching for more and this is a mid-year front runner for my favourite book of the year.
The novel is set in 'generic fantasy land with a map and everything' but one of the first things to say about the location is that the region the book is set in is relatively small in focus. There are no great continents taking months to traverse, the setting is quite self contained. I like this, it's quite easy to place all the action and it makes the later events of the book seem more threatening because everything is 'close'.
So, in this book we've got a barbarian / Viking type race that long ago were banished to the icy mountains where it is cold and snows all the time. These are the Mireces. They are led by King Liris and worship the evil 'Red Gods' known as the Dark Lady and her brother Gospar - the Blood God. They live in longhouses, drink, fight and fuck, keep slaves etc. On the green rolling valleys of abundant farmland we have the land of Rilpor - who have towns and cities, standing armies and a degree of sophistication. They follow the 'Gods of Light' - the Dancer and her son the Fox God.
The Mireces have had enough of being cold and decide to invade Rilpor. End of review, well, sort of...
Although that is the story in a nutshell there is absolutely loads going on in this book. The first chapter is sufficiently bonkers to set the stall for the rest of the book. We have human sacrifice, attempted rape and regicide in the first couple of pages and that sets the tone for the rest of the book. One should note that there could be plenty of triggers in this book for readers - rape, and the threat of rape as a weapon occurs regularly in the book. That said, although the book is violent it isn't gore throughout and whilst this isn't YA it's perhaps not as strong as others may have led you to believe (although there is one scene in particular that is quite eye watering in it's depiction.)
'That' scene is effective because it's a really important part of the plot, it is exquisitely written and is so completely barbaric compared to the rest of the novel it is exceptionally effective! It's a tough one to get through and I loved it!
There is a third group in the novel. They are Rilporians but they live on the border near Mireces lands. They are known as the Watchers or the Wolves. They are considered a little uncivilised by most Rilporians but are the vanguard against Mireces invasion. The Watchers have their own unique culture and are the most interesting group in the novel. This is where Stephens' novel excels in its treatment. The Watchers are a relatively egalitarian people. Men and women fight and are treated as equals, men do the housework and cook as much as women. It's such a simple thing to put in a novel and it's a crying shame that even in 2017 this seems an interesting point in a book rather than the norm.
The Watchers are much more open about sexuality also, we have openly gay characters (despite homosexuality being illegal in Rilpor proper) and the treatment of one romance is wonderful, it surprised me because it wasn't the obvious pairing I saw coming.
I have seen reviews criticising the book in regard to the treatment of women and how men do things for them. Whilst there is an element of this in the book I think there are many strong powerful women in the book. It is true that Rillirin starts off as a bed-slave and needs a lot of help early on but she becomes a strong, powerful woman in her own right and is recovering from significant trauma. We've got the elderly bad ass spiritual leader of the Watchers Gilda - her scenes with Lanta the Red God priestess are awesome. Gilda is strong and has agency. Let's not forget Lanta - although she is an 'evil' character she shows strength, and at times vulnerability which gives her depth past a villain. In a male dominated society where violence determines who is in charge she holds her own to push her agenda. Then there is Tara, a soldier who works her way through the ranks in Rilpor - it is true that the Rilpor army is full of sexist men and Tara is unique in that she is a woman but again, she rises above military sexism.
Another element of the book I really enjoyed where the battle scenes of which there are quite a few. Stephens has a gift in writing a good fight! The action is vivid, fast paced and you can feel the frenzied terror of the combatants in an up close and personal blood bath. It isn't sugar coated, the close quarters combat is brilliant! It's ugly and bloody - but effectively describes what these pre-gunpowder battles must have been like!
The treatment of the Gods is interesting in that they are real in the world and not just a plot device. One of the Watchers is a seer type figure who can commune with the Gods. I quite liked the notion of the Fox God - inherently good but a god of luck and tricks. The Dark Lady is much more interesting though - she is like a Succubus - erotic and dangerous and a temptress.
The structure of the book is in small chapters each from the point of view of a different character. I'm not normally a fan of short chapters but here it works. It's not quite a cast of thousands but there are plenty of characters to follow. Again, normally one finds themselves looking back at an index or checking back to see who is who but in this case the book is really easy to follow. The format works really well.
The book has a wide enough scope to cover political intrigue, religious and nations at war, sweeping armies and the fate of nations being decided. At the same time it is a personal novel, the characters matter and their individual growth, their hopes and dreams, as well as their sadness and horror all have space.
What is rather frustrating is at the end of the novel there is a sense of unfinished business. I'm aware there is a sequel planned which I know I absolutely have to read. So many characters have their life in balance at the end. It is an exciting ending but I wish I had the second book in my hand...
schez's review against another edition
4.0
A fast paced, gritty, dark fantasy... This book was much better than I anticipated.
Characters that you love to hate - the betrayal was jaw dropping.
With the first book the war is only just beginning...
Characters that you love to hate - the betrayal was jaw dropping.
With the first book the war is only just beginning...
secre's review against another edition
1.0
EDIT; downgraded my rating from two stars to one because this made me so disappointed it put me into a week long reading slump and that takes a lot. It therefore deserves its rightful bashing.
This is really just never ending violence and action with little actual narrative or motives or, for that matter, characterisation. On top of this the writing is done in two to five page chapters, constantly, making it choppy and difficult to engage with. This is particularly noticeable because each chapter changes character view point; some in the same battle or area, some on other sides, some in different areas of the world. Few of which I could bring myself to care about.
The world building is thin; the Dark Gods love torture and want to take over from the Light Gods. The Dark Gods are bad - obviously - and yet there are traitors from the Light side left, right and centre. There aren't any real motives at all for characters being evil, even the most torture porn style scene I've read in a long while, merely makes these traitors to the Light pale. Rape seems frequent, bad things happen and there isn't much hope in sight but again, actually I don't care.
There were perhaps three characters in quite a large line up that I gave half a damn for, two of them spunky females. The authors most talented writing is the spunky fighting female... just about every other character pales poorly in contrast and that isn't because our heroines are excellent. It is simply because everyone else is flat and two dimensional.
I don't know why this is being likened to Abercrombie and Scott Lynch; the author may well be able to convey the same level of violence, but both of the above also convey humour, narrative, world building and characters that jump off the page. Anna Stephens does none of this and the short, choppy chapters with non stop violence quickly became boring leaving me skipping ahead to see if anything emotively interesting happens next. I was frequently disappointed.
The war may have only just begun but I can say for absolute certain that I'm done with the author and the series.
This is really just never ending violence and action with little actual narrative or motives or, for that matter, characterisation. On top of this the writing is done in two to five page chapters, constantly, making it choppy and difficult to engage with. This is particularly noticeable because each chapter changes character view point; some in the same battle or area, some on other sides, some in different areas of the world. Few of which I could bring myself to care about.
The world building is thin; the Dark Gods love torture and want to take over from the Light Gods. The Dark Gods are bad - obviously - and yet there are traitors from the Light side left, right and centre. There aren't any real motives at all for characters being evil, even the most torture porn style scene I've read in a long while, merely makes these traitors to the Light pale. Rape seems frequent, bad things happen and there isn't much hope in sight but again, actually I don't care.
There were perhaps three characters in quite a large line up that I gave half a damn for, two of them spunky females. The authors most talented writing is the spunky fighting female... just about every other character pales poorly in contrast and that isn't because our heroines are excellent. It is simply because everyone else is flat and two dimensional.
I don't know why this is being likened to Abercrombie and Scott Lynch; the author may well be able to convey the same level of violence, but both of the above also convey humour, narrative, world building and characters that jump off the page. Anna Stephens does none of this and the short, choppy chapters with non stop violence quickly became boring leaving me skipping ahead to see if anything emotively interesting happens next. I was frequently disappointed.
The war may have only just begun but I can say for absolute certain that I'm done with the author and the series.
bookishislaura's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
clendorie's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Godblind était la "révélation fantasy" de Bragelonne en 2017, à une époque où chaque nouvel auteur était plus époustouflant que le précédent. Dans le cas de Godblind, la révélation a fait pshittt puisque la suite n'a jamais été traduite en français.
De quoi ça parle ?
Dans un univers de fantasy, les méchantsPictes barbares qui vénèrent les Dieux du Sang ont été repoussés dans les montagnes dont ils ne descendent que pour quelques raids meurtriers. Sous l'impulsion d'une prêtresse plus ambitieuse que les autres, les tribus s'unissent pour attaquer le royaume voisin et verser suffisamment de sang pour pouvoir libérer leurs dieux, exilés loin derrière le voile.
Ce roman est classé dans la catégorie grimdark et j'ai beaucoup de mal à comprendre pourquoi. On a certes notre dose d'hémoglobine et de torture (la scène du marteau) mais la trame est manichéenne à souhait avec ses méchants sans nuance et ses protagonistes qui ont bien du mal à dépasser le stade de l'archétype. On a même une histoire d'élu(s) avecKrys alias l'incarnation du Dieu-Renard qui semble traité de façon très premier degré. Sauf qu'à mon sens, le grimdark ce n'est pas uniquement du torture porn et de la vulgarité mais un univers tout en nuance de gris dans lequel la solution la plus noble n'est pas toujours la plus simple ou la plus efficace.
Mon gros souci avec le roman reste la multiplication des points de vue (une dizaine au total) qui n'aide pas à s'attacher aux personnages. Les chapitres sont trop courts (5-6 pages en moyenne) et les voix des personnages trop semblables pour parvenir à les distinguer sans se référer aux en-têtes des chapitres. Je peux prendre n'importe quel dialogue de Rilirin post-arrivée à la citadelle des loups et je défie quiconque de faire la différence avec un dialogue de Dalli ou de Tara (deux archétypes de 'la femme guerrière qui ne s'en laisse pas compter').
Un point sur lequel Anna Stephens est très douée, c'est la description des scènes de bataille. Les combats sont assez variés dans leur mise en scène et on ressent bien le côté chaotique d'un affrontement au corps à corps, ce qui rend le dernier tiers du livre beaucoup plus agréable.
Au final, un premier roman très perfectible qui brille plus par ses scènes de bataille que par son histoire et ses personnages. Je ne suis pas sûre de lire la suite car, exception faite de Tara, Ashe et Sarillaqui est probablement morte à la fin du tome 1 et était de toute façon un personnage très secondaire , les autres personnages m'indiffèrent au plus haut point.
De quoi ça parle ?
Dans un univers de fantasy, les méchants
Ce roman est classé dans la catégorie grimdark et j'ai beaucoup de mal à comprendre pourquoi. On a certes notre dose d'hémoglobine et de torture (la scène du marteau) mais la trame est manichéenne à souhait avec ses méchants sans nuance et ses protagonistes qui ont bien du mal à dépasser le stade de l'archétype. On a même une histoire d'élu(s) avec
Mon gros souci avec le roman reste la multiplication des points de vue (une dizaine au total) qui n'aide pas à s'attacher aux personnages. Les chapitres sont trop courts (5-6 pages en moyenne) et les voix des personnages trop semblables pour parvenir à les distinguer sans se référer aux en-têtes des chapitres. Je peux prendre n'importe quel dialogue de Rilirin post-arrivée à la citadelle des loups et je défie quiconque de faire la différence avec un dialogue de Dalli ou de Tara (deux archétypes de 'la femme guerrière qui ne s'en laisse pas compter').
Un point sur lequel Anna Stephens est très douée, c'est la description des scènes de bataille. Les combats sont assez variés dans leur mise en scène et on ressent bien le côté chaotique d'un affrontement au corps à corps, ce qui rend le dernier tiers du livre beaucoup plus agréable.
Au final, un premier roman très perfectible qui brille plus par ses scènes de bataille que par son histoire et ses personnages. Je ne suis pas sûre de lire la suite car, exception faite de Tara, Ashe et Sarilla
vervain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
elementchaos's review
2.0
I am fairly neutral about this book.
The Plot was very predictable - I guessed everything up to and including the ending, the chosen one trope and various romantic things thrown in there. However, being predictable does not make it bad. In fact, there is a bit of comfort in a classic plot. I think I was just wishing from something being touted as a grimdark fantasy to have some character deaths somewhere.
The characters were all very likable. Except the ones you were not supposed to like. Then they were very very baad... They were a bit 1D, no conflict of morals, no inner doubt However Crys is by far my favorite, for all his classic hero persona. Ril can die and I wouldn't notice.
The writing was nothing to write home about. The author seemed to use the constant POV switching as a crutch and actually made me feel super distant from the characters. We never had a good look into their psyche. It felt like this story was told in snapshots and some of the good parts, or parts that could lend depth were skipped over because they were too hard to write. And there frigg'n 10 POV's... way too many for so short a book.
Overall I enjoyed it, but don't think it is bringing anything new to the genre.
The Plot was very predictable - I guessed everything up to and including the ending, the chosen one trope and various romantic things thrown in there. However, being predictable does not make it bad. In fact, there is a bit of comfort in a classic plot. I think I was just wishing from something being touted as a grimdark fantasy to have some character deaths somewhere.
Spoiler
In fact Dom's ending (while totally cliche) is what kept this from dropping to a 1 starThe characters were all very likable. Except the ones you were not supposed to like. Then they were very very baad... They were a bit 1D, no conflict of morals, no inner doubt
Spoiler
again except Dom who saved the story from just being a classic hero's quest. However I am pissed that Crys is somehow some sort of God or something. Probably Rill too. It is too cheesy - unless you kill one of them off!The writing was nothing to write home about. The author seemed to use the constant POV switching as a crutch and actually made me feel super distant from the characters. We never had a good look into their psyche. It felt like this story was told in snapshots and some of the good parts, or parts that could lend depth were skipped over because they were too hard to write. And there frigg'n 10 POV's... way too many for so short a book.
Overall I enjoyed it, but don't think it is bringing anything new to the genre.
oldman_je's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No