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A review by songwind
Aching God by Mike Shel
5.0
This is the best quest-fantasy book I've read in a long time.
It's not about political maneuvering, or an existential threat to the universe. There's a problem, and Auric Manteo is the guy they chose to solve it.
This book has many of the hallmarks of low-effort pulp fantasy. Adventuring guild. Divine magic/intervention. Dungeon delving.
But Shel turns those on their head and presents them back to you in a fresh way that keeps the pages turning. The rationale for the "guild" and its operations is believable and doesn't feel contrived. The fact that the "adventurers" have more in common with Indian Jones than with Generic Fantasy Dungeoneer #6 just adds to the feeling. Similar facts surrounding magic, religion and history keep things engaging.
On top of that, the main character is not the standard fare, either. He's middle aged, retired, and suffering severe PTSD from his last mission for the Syraeic League. He's an elevated commoner with impostor syndrome. But he's also steady, smart, experienced and a natural leader.
The other Syraeic agents he joins with on his mission are equally complex. As the story proceeds we learn more and more about each of them, making them quite human and believable.
The "dungeon crawl" part of the narrative is tense, spooky and uncertain.
The ending of the story, plus the background elements about the history and society of Halifax leave plenty of hooks for Shel to carry on any of the characters stories, or to jump to something else.
The only real complaint I have about the whole thing would be that the first 15-20% is pretty slow. However, the facts and characters established during that time are very relevant later, so I'm not sure how much it could be sped up. Once the team of agents is assembled and the quest begins, it's pretty rollicking in one way or another.
A very solid book, 4.5 stars/5
It's not about political maneuvering, or an existential threat to the universe. There's a problem, and Auric Manteo is the guy they chose to solve it.
This book has many of the hallmarks of low-effort pulp fantasy. Adventuring guild. Divine magic/intervention. Dungeon delving.
But Shel turns those on their head and presents them back to you in a fresh way that keeps the pages turning. The rationale for the "guild" and its operations is believable and doesn't feel contrived. The fact that the "adventurers" have more in common with Indian Jones than with Generic Fantasy Dungeoneer #6 just adds to the feeling. Similar facts surrounding magic, religion and history keep things engaging.
On top of that, the main character is not the standard fare, either. He's middle aged, retired, and suffering severe PTSD from his last mission for the Syraeic League. He's an elevated commoner with impostor syndrome. But he's also steady, smart, experienced and a natural leader.
The other Syraeic agents he joins with on his mission are equally complex. As the story proceeds we learn more and more about each of them, making them quite human and believable.
The "dungeon crawl" part of the narrative is tense, spooky and uncertain.
The ending of the story, plus the background elements about the history and society of Halifax leave plenty of hooks for Shel to carry on any of the characters stories, or to jump to something else.
The only real complaint I have about the whole thing would be that the first 15-20% is pretty slow. However, the facts and characters established during that time are very relevant later, so I'm not sure how much it could be sped up. Once the team of agents is assembled and the quest begins, it's pretty rollicking in one way or another.
A very solid book, 4.5 stars/5