The God Eaters
2 journalers for this copy...
I think I encountered this book via one of Amazon's "you might also like this" suggestions - in any case, I found the concept interesting, and couldn't resist picking up a copy. It seems to be an alternate-history novel in which a totalitarian government with strong religious strictures is in place in what sounds like the American "Wild West", with fantasy elements. Bit of a grab-bag, eh? The cover-blurb says: "Imprisoned for 'inflammatory writings' by the totalitarian Theocracy, shy intellectual Ashleigh Trine figures his story's over. But when he meets Kieran Trevarde, a hard-hearted gunslinger with a dark magic lurking in his blood, Ash finds that necessity makes strange heroes... and love can change the world." So: a fantasy/Western/alternate-history/gay-romance novel? We shall see!
Later: yep, a fantasy/Western/alternate-history/gay-romance-novel, with touches of coming-of-age-story, spirit-quest, and a teensy flavor of fan-fiction here and there (or so it seemed to me, anyway). And I found it a very enjoyable read! The author doesn't waste any time setting the scene; even the prologue drops us directly into the time and place with no explanation, and we have to glean details of the type of society and the historical/political/theological background as we go along.
The surroundings feel a lot like the southwestern desert regions of the US during the late 1800s - definitely desert terrain, technology that includes guns and trains but no telephones or automobiles, that kind of thing. There is magic, though, and the main plot focuses around groups that are trying to corral all those with Talents and bend them to their own purposes - or destroy them. Oh, and there are gods, too, and some interesting theories as to where they came from and what their purpose might be...
Our heroes wind up meeting in a prison for those with a Talent; the prison sounds like a typical high-security prison from almost any era, with the kinds of grim surroundings and brutal treatment one would expect in such a place. (The author manages to convey all this without rubbing the reader's face in it, though, which this reader appreciated.) They are immediately intrigued by each other, though it takes a while before either of them dares to trust the other.
There are daring escapes, gun-and-magic fights, arduous treks, long-forgotten temples, dreams - lots of dreams, some prophetic and some clearly of the kind where one's own mind is trying to tell one's self something important. And secrets, which I wasn't all that surprised by, but which I enjoyed anyway.
The characters' speaking styles are a bit uneven, I think; once in a while one of them would say something like "he's being snarky" or use some other modern colloquialism that sounded out of place for this setting. (But since this isn't REALLY set in the American West in the 1800's, who's to say the people don't talk like that?) That's a minor quibble, though, and overall I liked the book very much. The story caught me right away and kept me interested, with just enough worry and not too much angst, and I was happy with the conclusion. Recommended.
Later: yep, a fantasy/Western/alternate-history/gay-romance-novel, with touches of coming-of-age-story, spirit-quest, and a teensy flavor of fan-fiction here and there (or so it seemed to me, anyway). And I found it a very enjoyable read! The author doesn't waste any time setting the scene; even the prologue drops us directly into the time and place with no explanation, and we have to glean details of the type of society and the historical/political/theological background as we go along.
The surroundings feel a lot like the southwestern desert regions of the US during the late 1800s - definitely desert terrain, technology that includes guns and trains but no telephones or automobiles, that kind of thing. There is magic, though, and the main plot focuses around groups that are trying to corral all those with Talents and bend them to their own purposes - or destroy them. Oh, and there are gods, too, and some interesting theories as to where they came from and what their purpose might be...
Our heroes wind up meeting in a prison for those with a Talent; the prison sounds like a typical high-security prison from almost any era, with the kinds of grim surroundings and brutal treatment one would expect in such a place. (The author manages to convey all this without rubbing the reader's face in it, though, which this reader appreciated.) They are immediately intrigued by each other, though it takes a while before either of them dares to trust the other.
There are daring escapes, gun-and-magic fights, arduous treks, long-forgotten temples, dreams - lots of dreams, some prophetic and some clearly of the kind where one's own mind is trying to tell one's self something important. And secrets, which I wasn't all that surprised by, but which I enjoyed anyway.
The characters' speaking styles are a bit uneven, I think; once in a while one of them would say something like "he's being snarky" or use some other modern colloquialism that sounded out of place for this setting. (But since this isn't REALLY set in the American West in the 1800's, who's to say the people don't talk like that?) That's a minor quibble, though, and overall I liked the book very much. The story caught me right away and kept me interested, with just enough worry and not too much angst, and I was happy with the conclusion. Recommended.
Controlled release: I'm adding this book to KateKintail's LGBT book box. Enjoy!
Ive been wanting to read this for a while. Taking it out of the LGBT bookbox.
I forgot to say how I liked this book.
Well, I love it. I recently finished reading it for the 9th time.
For those of you who are interested in the book (I am not giving up my copy) the entire story can actually be found online. He wrote in online first, then had it published. Just search "The god eaters" in google and it's right there under his pen name, Chartreuse.
Well, I love it. I recently finished reading it for the 9th time.
For those of you who are interested in the book (I am not giving up my copy) the entire story can actually be found online. He wrote in online first, then had it published. Just search "The god eaters" in google and it's right there under his pen name, Chartreuse.
