Book Review: The Godsblood Tragedy
I started this book knowing it would be a grand journey that would never end, and I embraced every moment. Bill Adams, author of The Godsblood Tragedy, spent years spinning and twisting a unique world into a tale of family and hope in a time of crushing impression. Each page of his brick of a novel—five hundred plus pages—is brimming with exquisite details and fully fleshed characters living and barely breathing in a world slowly killing everyone due to a poison fog.
The book focuses on Ashe, a young woman attempting to find herself and learn of her past. Cadrianna is an assassin bound by a dark god with a talking dagger, and yes, it is everything you want in a bloodthirsty soul-sucking weapon that talks. I’m just saying a prequel of this dagger and Cadrianna might be in order. There is also Lojen, a drake, a think lizard human who wishes to restore his family’s honor. In the background of the main characters lurks a series of darker gods that are attempting to return to power, bringing a shadow to each of the character’s lives as this entity’s power grows into more visible pain, capped with the oppressive giant floating city called Gargantua attempting to maintain governance over the slums below it. The plot twists and turns in a multi-pov 3rd person read as the reader jumps in and out of each of the characters’ lives as they dash through the crumbling cyberpunk/steampunk-like city of Drenth or the mega-city-like fortress that floats above it called Gargantua. This lovely beast of a supercity is held down (cause it floats) by giant chains like a hovering death star.
“You try to fight what you cannot withstand. Death comes for everyone.”
This world, called the Mistlands, is wild, and the reader touches maybe two or three places in the first book. Did I mention the city is cursed with a poison fog that is slowly killing everyone, reminding me of a visible cloud of cancer? You know it’s there; you try to avoid it, but it will get you eventually. Although slightly modern, the world’s technology is powered by magic and steam, reminding me of a fantasy version of 1970s rustbelt cities that always had that odd post-apocalyptic feel to them, but with magic embracing the gloom.
Mr. Adam’s world-building is expansive, and his book is filled with diagrams, maps, charter guides, race, and magic guides, so for fantasy and science fiction readers, you can really dig into this world he’s creating and will be expanding on in future novels, I want to make note, that I called this book science fiction but it holds elements of fantasy that I love and hold dear. Some characters use traditional weapons like daggers ( it talks more on that later) and swords, but there are also flintlock repeating rifles and TV monitors, and I think even drones used by the oppressing mega city forces to “keep the peace.”
“Serve, and you shall be rewarded when the time of my return draws nigh.”
I took my time reading Mr. Adam’s book, relishing in the details and understanding the fine plot points and the twists and turns. The beginning of The Godsbloody Tragedy is like any good fantasy book: an explanation and exploration of the new world you, the reader, fall into; there is a heist gone astray, various explanations of life and understanding, and when the book starts cooking, and the plot threads come together the stew really simmers. The last fourth of the book’s climax is a page-turner that pushes the poison fog away, where Mr. Adams’ prose really hums to life.
“In the end, it didn’t matter; this was his tithe for his betrayal of his family.”
The Godsbloody Tragedy by Bill Adams is fit for readers who enjoy The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan and readers of Brandon Sanderson. The book, when read, needs your full attention, so turn off the TV, put your phone down, and dive into it. The book deserves a reread before I jump into the sequel, Lady Drakeslayer if only to catch some of the details I missed as I read through it the first time and pay more attention to Strix ( the dagger that eats souls).
I read a hardback version of The Godsbloody Tragedy, which was over a hundred and ninety pages long and sprayed green to match the cover created by the immensely talented Felix Ortiz. Dewy Conway created the internal diagrams and pictures. Interesting note: I received additional content, including a personally signed card, bookmark, and artfully crafted character cards Mr. Conway drew. As this book is independently published, it shows the effort and support indie writers give to early readers of their work.
Bill Adams
The Divine Godsqueen Coda
The Godsblood Tragedy, Book One.
Hardback 600+ pages
