Para (wanderer)'s Reviews > The Gods of Men

DNF 30%.

I picked up this book on sale after it got declared as a SPFBO finalist. Since the reviews were stellar and the concept "magic is forbidden but the MC is a mage" seemed good I was pretty sure I'll like it.

Ultimately, I couldn't get past the fact that one of the characters is one of the main supporters of genocide of a whole race of people, killing or dragging them off to be interrogated - men, women, children, everyone. The Sol Velorians, or Scabs as they're called, are commonly enslaved, brutally interrogated, or slaughtered because their mages destroyed a large part of the land...and Jeric is one of the main perpetuators of this.

Twenty-six Scabs.

It was the largest group Jeric had scouted yet. It still amazed him how many Scabs existed from a war that’d happened nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. He tried his best to hunt them, kill them, enslave them. They couldn’t be allowed freedom, not after what their people had done. Not after what their survivors did still. A supposed religion of peace, and their sorcery had nearly annihilated the continent. If one ever forgot how dangerous power of that magnitude could be, a quick glance at the Forgotten Wastes proved an effective reminder. An entire land… destroyed, at the hands of their Liagé. Their so-called blessed for the sorcery they wielded. Sorcery wasn’t a rutting blessing. It was a curse upon the land, and Jeric refused to let that peaceful culture thrive on his watch.

A protagonist who kills an entire race of people indiscriminately is not one I can cheer for, no matter what their mages did. I don't care. It disturbs the shit out of me. And for such a heavy topic, it doesn't seem to be dealt with...gravitas? He isn't treated like a villain, more of an antihero. Or perhaps it improves, it's obvious there is another side to the story, but either way. NOPE. Sable, the other protagonist is a mage - not Sol Velorian as far as I know, and her country of origin isn't mage-friendly either - and judging from other reviews, they eventually develop a romance as well.

There's also a lot of almost-rape scenes. As I said, grimdark.

The writing aside from that is not bad. Nothing flashy, but solid and readable. There's a whole lot of fantasy terminology dropped on the reader in the first few chapters, which was the first thing that bothered me, but that alone wouldn't have bad if everything else was fine. Sable is a good character too. But I simply couldn't get past my visceral reaction to Jeric and what he does. Every person has a line when it comes to what they are willing to tolerate in a MC and genocide is a step too far for me.

No split enjoyment/execution ratings because the low enjoyment score is obvious and I didn't get far enough to be able to judge the execution.

More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.