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Servant Of A Dark God (2009)

by John D. Brown(Favorite Author)

3.54 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0765322358 (ISBN13: 9780765322357)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Tor Books

review 1: I enjoyed reading this, more or less. The story follows a couple of families of sleth--humans capable of making themselves stronger or faster using their "fire," or their life-force. Not all the characters realise they are sleth, and since sleth are hated by normal people, there's some tension as some of the characters threaten to reveal the identities of the rest. The more important conflict, though, comes from a creature who consumes human souls and is trying to collect this group of sleth to enslave them and use them to harvest humans for her. It's a mad dash to see who is going to take out the protagonists first--their human neighbours or the creature who wants to eat those people.While it was an enjoyable read, I didn't inhabit the world of the book the way I like to.... more I know that world-building can be tiresome, I felt this book would have done well to do just a little more of it. This isn't your stereotypical fantasy setting with castles and knights and kings; it's got a different social structure that felt like it borrowed more heavily from Native American or sort of pre-feudal societies. I enjoyed the uniqueness, though I would have appreciated more details. I was never really sure who the bad guys were until the very end, which can be exciting to read, but here just felt confusing, like the author simply hadn't fleshed out the larger context of some conflicts.Still, this is an impressive first offering (at least, I think it's his first novel). I'm looking forward to books two and three and hoping Brown will fill in some of the gaps in this world that promises to be very interesting and unique.
review 2: Review: Servant of a Dark GodThe novel’s events take place in a world where the use of magic is strictly controlled by powerful magic wielders know as Divines. A rebel group, the Order, is secretly growing their organization in the hope they will one day overthrow the Divines. When one of the rebels is exposed, Talen, a young farm boy, finds himself caught in the middle of the ensuing conflict.CharactersThe novel does not have a single protagonist, nor does it have a single point of view. The main character is Talen, the son of a prosperous farmer. He is a well-written, but sometimes irritating character who steadfastly stays true to his beliefs. I didn’t always like his thoughts or actions, but they were realistic and believable actions for him to take. The reader also spends a good bit of the book in other characters’ POV’s--for most part those of Talen’s friends and family. I will not go through all of them, but will simply say that they were distinct characters with their own interesting story lines. One of my favorite POV’s was that of Hunger, a dreadful, powerful monster.World BuildingGood world building is extremely important for me as a reader. Without it I cannot build the willing suspension of disbelief required to become fully engaged in the novel. Having said that, John Brown has done an fabulous job at world building. The magic system is unique and interesting. There are no fireballs or spells of invisibility, instead magic-capable people steal Fire and Soul from others in an effort to multiply their own strength and longevity. The world building also includes a very realistic conflict between foreign overlords and the oppressed locals they have conquered. The cultures are creative and believable, with their own rules and rites. I’m also pleased by the fact that Brown knows his weapons and armor (as well as the tools of everyday living). Nobody tries to “load” a bow (is that longbow magazine fed, or bolt action?) and they draw their bows with a thumb-ring. Small details like these, well-placed, enhance the realism of Servants of a Dark God.Engagement/Willing suspension of disbeliefFor most of the novel I was completely engaged in the story. The process of discovery and the ever-growing threat to the protagonists had me reading the novel as fast as I could. As the novel reached its climax there were two elements that pulled me out of the story. One was the non-stop series of disasters that befell the protagonists. It was relentlessly grim--to the point I believed only a miracle could save the day. The problem is, miracles are really unbelievable. I want the protagonists to save the day. The story got to the point where I didn’t believe they could realistically do it. This left me expecting an unrealistic ending and not fully engaged. The other aspect that pulled me out was the incredible power some of the magic wielding humans and creatures possessed. Anyone on the next “level” above you in the hierarchy of magical power was completely out of your league. You had absolutely no hope of defeating them.These were not major flaws in the novel, but they did create some space between me and the story. They certainly did not slow the pace of my reading. I had the novel in my hands every moment I could spare.ImpactDespite the small complaints, I highly recommend this book. It was a great adventure in a wonderfully realized world. The richly textured world and unique magic system are still with me days after finishing the novel. I look forward to what the author will bring us in his next novel. less

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