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A review by thickthighs_no_lies
No Gods, Only Monsters: A New Novel in the Hellequin Chronicles Universe by Steve McHugh
4.0
Thank you to Publicist Graeme and the author Steve McHugh for my #gifted copy and for having me along on the tour.
Thank you again to Steve for his piece on his Top 5 Fantasy Novels which you will find in the comments but also in the last few slides.
This books dives right in, and for a relatively short book, if filled with many mythological creatures that I love!
This book is about Diana, Goddess of The Hunt who comes out of her seclusion to help her friend Artemis.
I understand that this series is set in the same world as the authors previous series, The Hellequin Chronicles which may be why the world building did not seem as fluid as one would expect but it wasn’t a major issue with the book.
This book is an easy humour filled read that I could have read in one sitting but chose to prolong it because it was a fantastic read!
Steve's top 5 fantasy novels
Picking only 5 fantasy novels is probably impossible. I don't think my top 5 remains
the same day by day, and anyone asking for these tomorrow are going to get different answers than todav.
So, while these would change on a regular basis, and they're in no particular order, here are my top 5 fantasy novels today.
1. Men At Arms - Terry Pratchett
One of 3 books that made me want to be a writer at the age of 13. Terry was the
best writer I've ever read at mixing humour with serious and topical issues, and the guards
story arc is probably my favourite of his stories. I have an old paperback copy of this that
think I read twenty times as a teenager. Funnv. clever, and poignant. Terry's books are
unlike anyone else's.
2. Legend - David Gemmell
The second of the 3 I read that made me want to be a writer (the last was Stephen
King's It), and a gateway book that started me off reading more traditional fantasy as a
genre. It's a wonderful story, with a memorable lead and some superb battle scenes,
including one of the best siege battles I've ever read.
3. The Fifth Season -N.K. Jemisin
The Broken Earth books won all of the awards and deserved every one of them. The
Fifth Season is a wonderful story of magic and mystery that will keep you gripped from
beginning to end. I can't say enough good things about this series and if you have even the
slightest interest in fantasy as a genre, they're must reads.
4. The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie.
One of the all-time great fantasy stories by one of the all-time great fantasy writers.
Action, memorable characters, a gripping storyline, utterly despicable bad guys, utterly
despicable good guys, it's got everything. Glokta is one of the great fantasy characters and if
the story was just about him, it would have been great, but there's so much more to these
books.
5. Godblind - Anna Stephens
The Godblind Trilogy as a whole is quite the storyline, and is certainly unforgettable,
but Godblind by itself is the kind of book that you find yourself saying, "What the hell is
going to happen next?" on a regular basis. It's dark, mysterious, and has more than a few
memorable scenes (including one involving a hammer and... well...it still makes me wince),
but more importantly it has characters that you care about, and while not all of them will
make it to the end, when you've finished you'll definitely need to take a moment to catch
your breath
I could have put another 5 on this list easily, but rules are rules. I hope if anyone
picks any of these fabulous books up, they enjoy them as much as I did.
Thank you again to Steve for his piece on his Top 5 Fantasy Novels which you will find in the comments but also in the last few slides.
This books dives right in, and for a relatively short book, if filled with many mythological creatures that I love!
This book is about Diana, Goddess of The Hunt who comes out of her seclusion to help her friend Artemis.
I understand that this series is set in the same world as the authors previous series, The Hellequin Chronicles which may be why the world building did not seem as fluid as one would expect but it wasn’t a major issue with the book.
This book is an easy humour filled read that I could have read in one sitting but chose to prolong it because it was a fantastic read!
Steve's top 5 fantasy novels
Picking only 5 fantasy novels is probably impossible. I don't think my top 5 remains
the same day by day, and anyone asking for these tomorrow are going to get different answers than todav.
So, while these would change on a regular basis, and they're in no particular order, here are my top 5 fantasy novels today.
1. Men At Arms - Terry Pratchett
One of 3 books that made me want to be a writer at the age of 13. Terry was the
best writer I've ever read at mixing humour with serious and topical issues, and the guards
story arc is probably my favourite of his stories. I have an old paperback copy of this that
think I read twenty times as a teenager. Funnv. clever, and poignant. Terry's books are
unlike anyone else's.
2. Legend - David Gemmell
The second of the 3 I read that made me want to be a writer (the last was Stephen
King's It), and a gateway book that started me off reading more traditional fantasy as a
genre. It's a wonderful story, with a memorable lead and some superb battle scenes,
including one of the best siege battles I've ever read.
3. The Fifth Season -N.K. Jemisin
The Broken Earth books won all of the awards and deserved every one of them. The
Fifth Season is a wonderful story of magic and mystery that will keep you gripped from
beginning to end. I can't say enough good things about this series and if you have even the
slightest interest in fantasy as a genre, they're must reads.
4. The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie.
One of the all-time great fantasy stories by one of the all-time great fantasy writers.
Action, memorable characters, a gripping storyline, utterly despicable bad guys, utterly
despicable good guys, it's got everything. Glokta is one of the great fantasy characters and if
the story was just about him, it would have been great, but there's so much more to these
books.
5. Godblind - Anna Stephens
The Godblind Trilogy as a whole is quite the storyline, and is certainly unforgettable,
but Godblind by itself is the kind of book that you find yourself saying, "What the hell is
going to happen next?" on a regular basis. It's dark, mysterious, and has more than a few
memorable scenes (including one involving a hammer and... well...it still makes me wince),
but more importantly it has characters that you care about, and while not all of them will
make it to the end, when you've finished you'll definitely need to take a moment to catch
your breath
I could have put another 5 on this list easily, but rules are rules. I hope if anyone
picks any of these fabulous books up, they enjoy them as much as I did.