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A review by krayfuse
The Age of Ra by James Lovegrove
2.0
Age of Ra is a contemporary science-fiction story of a world where the Egyptian pantheon reigned supreme over Earth after having defeated all of the other gods. Each god has their country of followers wage war with one another in order to air out their own grievances in their godly world above. The story follows the POV of David, a paratrooper left the last survivor of his stick, and of Ra, the God of the Sun and King of Gods.
Conceptually, the story is strong. The world-building stands on it’s own two legs and whilst at times it’s uninspired, it manages to remain compelling and interesting enough from it’s petty politicking to the grander gestures of the gods. The author clearly has two areas of great interest and he writes them in brilliant detail- War and Gods. The characterization of the gods and everything to do with them is leagues beyond the rest of the story, and Ra comes across as a far more interesting character than David (who we’ll get onto soon). Likewise, his description of military tactics, warfare activities and the Lightbringer’s guerilla tactics as he wages war against the gods is captivating- I could read an entire series of a guerilla corp waging war against deities. For a brief moment, the story has a strong vibe of “Humans, fuck yeah!”, or to put it more poetically, it seems to go in the age-old direction of the indomitable human spirit against arrogant overlords. The classic underdog story that we all love, as we’re always depicted as the underdogs.
However, the story isn’t that. The themes are threadbare and the characterization is- Not great, to put it politely. The romance in the story is terrible, most of the characters are paper-thin and as deep as a puddle. The story develops intrigue only for it to choose the least exciting option, falling back on tropes rather than being willing to strike out and be bold in its narrative options.
Age of Ra is a story that limps along, only standing by its strong original concept. If you turn your brain off you might enjoy it- But its flaws are honestly so damning that they ruin the experience no matter what.
Conceptually, the story is strong. The world-building stands on it’s own two legs and whilst at times it’s uninspired, it manages to remain compelling and interesting enough from it’s petty politicking to the grander gestures of the gods. The author clearly has two areas of great interest and he writes them in brilliant detail- War and Gods. The characterization of the gods and everything to do with them is leagues beyond the rest of the story, and Ra comes across as a far more interesting character than David (who we’ll get onto soon). Likewise, his description of military tactics, warfare activities and the Lightbringer’s guerilla tactics as he wages war against the gods is captivating- I could read an entire series of a guerilla corp waging war against deities. For a brief moment, the story has a strong vibe of “Humans, fuck yeah!”, or to put it more poetically, it seems to go in the age-old direction of the indomitable human spirit against arrogant overlords. The classic underdog story that we all love, as we’re always depicted as the underdogs.
However, the story isn’t that. The themes are threadbare and the characterization is- Not great, to put it politely. The romance in the story is terrible, most of the characters are paper-thin and as deep as a puddle. The story develops intrigue only for it to choose the least exciting option, falling back on tropes rather than being willing to strike out and be bold in its narrative options.
Age of Ra is a story that limps along, only standing by its strong original concept. If you turn your brain off you might enjoy it- But its flaws are honestly so damning that they ruin the experience no matter what.