I found Servant of a Dark God a good epic fantasy. The author has created an interesting world that I enjoyed learning more about. I didn't love any of the characters but I liked them well enough.
I enjoyed the start of the book. You are introduced to the character I guess could be called the main character, Talen, a farm boy destined for great things :)
The first thing you learn about the enemy of the book is through Talen. The 'Seth' as they are called, are 'soul-stealers'. Each person is made up of Soul and Fire (life source?), and these beings steal Soul to make themselves powerful. What they steal from becomes a part of themselves, i.e. stealing from a fish over time may cause the Seth to grow scales.
You learn immediately that this threat comes from a man of Talen's clan, and Talen is very negative towards the whole thing, as his kind of people are already looked down on.
The next step of the story, however, takes you back a day, to the point of view of the 'Seth' in question and his family. It's pretty dramatic and a good indication of the flow of the book.
My main problem is that the whole book seemed kind of like one long chase scene -- there were no breaks, no time to sit back. It kept me reading, on the edge of my seat, but it also made it seem to drag on. The characters were almost going around in circles, trying to get into the right arrangement with the right circumstances.
I thought this book stood well on its own. I can see why there are sequels, of course -- he built a cool world with lots of possibilities, and I would be interested to see how he develops the conflict and the characters. Book 3 isn't released yet, though, so there will be a wait....
I enjoyed the start of the book. You are introduced to the character I guess could be called the main character, Talen, a farm boy destined for great things :)
The first thing you learn about the enemy of the book is through Talen. The 'Seth' as they are called, are 'soul-stealers'. Each person is made up of Soul and Fire (life source?), and these beings steal Soul to make themselves powerful. What they steal from becomes a part of themselves, i.e. stealing from a fish over time may cause the Seth to grow scales.
You learn immediately that this threat comes from a man of Talen's clan, and Talen is very negative towards the whole thing, as his kind of people are already looked down on.
The next step of the story, however, takes you back a day, to the point of view of the 'Seth' in question and his family. It's pretty dramatic and a good indication of the flow of the book.
My main problem is that the whole book seemed kind of like one long chase scene -- there were no breaks, no time to sit back. It kept me reading, on the edge of my seat, but it also made it seem to drag on. The characters were almost going around in circles, trying to get into the right arrangement with the right circumstances.
I thought this book stood well on its own. I can see why there are sequels, of course -- he built a cool world with lots of possibilities, and I would be interested to see how he develops the conflict and the characters. Book 3 isn't released yet, though, so there will be a wait....
