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The Last Fang of God
When gods refuse to die, it's humans that suffer.
Safely hidden deep within the endless fields of his late wife's people, Kalen's only dream is to live the rest of his days in peace. He paid for his dream in blood, but neither his sword nor service are demanded any longer.
Chaos erupts when his daughter, Sascha, is called by Kalen's old master. Father and daughter have no choice but to leave the home they've created for the land of Kalen's birth.
But the sins of the past cast long shadows. After years of a tenuous peace, gods and humans alike resume their quest for dominance. Kalen and Sascha find themselves in the midst of a struggle that will reshape the boundaries of their world.
The warrior who wants nothing but peace will be forced to draw his sword once again.
Will it be enough to protect his daughter from the whims of the gods?
Safely hidden deep within the endless fields of his late wife's people, Kalen's only dream is to live the rest of his days in peace. He paid for his dream in blood, but neither his sword nor service are demanded any longer.
Chaos erupts when his daughter, Sascha, is called by Kalen's old master. Father and daughter have no choice but to leave the home they've created for the land of Kalen's birth.
But the sins of the past cast long shadows. After years of a tenuous peace, gods and humans alike resume their quest for dominance. Kalen and Sascha find themselves in the midst of a struggle that will reshape the boundaries of their world.
The warrior who wants nothing but peace will be forced to draw his sword once again.
Will it be enough to protect his daughter from the whims of the gods?
268 pages, Hardcover
Published May 12, 2023
15 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
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April 15, 2024
My SPFBO9 finalist review of The Last Fang of God is published at Before We Go Blog.
“I haven’t told you because, as far as I know, I’m the last true-blooded Wolf of Vilkas.”
The Last Fang of God, the SPFBO9 finalist by Ryan Kirk, begins with a well-worn fantasy trope: a hero with a hidden past seeks only to live a peaceful life in the country. But Ryan Kirk elevates this trope to great emotional heights as he builds the story around a widower, Kalen, and his sixteen-year-old daughter, Sascha.
As the novel opens, the past comes back to haunt Kalen when he discovers the life being drained from his beloved daughter:
“He gently pulled apart her eyelids. Her dark brown eyes weren’t dilated, but the light that animated them was gone.”
Kalen must confront his buried past and escape with Sascha to save her life. But Sascha has a fierce independent streak with other ideas of how she would like to live her life.
The loving but fraught relationship between Kalen and Sascha forms the heart of The Last Fang of God. Both characters are beautifully characterized, especially as they learn more about each other:
“It forced him to consider Sascha in a new light. Mostly, he’d not tried to teach her Vilka’s runes because he was prepared for the secrets of the old wolf to die with him. But a small part of his reason was a doubt she had the patience and will necessary to make anything of his teachings. It was dangerous to dabble with the power of runes…”
Sascha is still scarred by the loss of her mother and struggles with resentment toward her father:
“She hated that sword, more than she’d hated the sickness that had taken Mom’s life too soon. It was a monster that had no place in this world, and Dad was a monster for wielding it.”
Ryan Kirk also packs a fair amount of worldbuilding in this slim novel, including rune magic and gods who walk amongst humans. Still, I wish The Last Fang of God had been expanded so that we could learn more about the world and its lore.
The Last Fang of God is a touching read, especially with respect to the father-daughter relationship at its core. But this short novel also left me wanting more from its story and worldbuilding.
“I haven’t told you because, as far as I know, I’m the last true-blooded Wolf of Vilkas.”
The Last Fang of God, the SPFBO9 finalist by Ryan Kirk, begins with a well-worn fantasy trope: a hero with a hidden past seeks only to live a peaceful life in the country. But Ryan Kirk elevates this trope to great emotional heights as he builds the story around a widower, Kalen, and his sixteen-year-old daughter, Sascha.
As the novel opens, the past comes back to haunt Kalen when he discovers the life being drained from his beloved daughter:
“He gently pulled apart her eyelids. Her dark brown eyes weren’t dilated, but the light that animated them was gone.”
Kalen must confront his buried past and escape with Sascha to save her life. But Sascha has a fierce independent streak with other ideas of how she would like to live her life.
The loving but fraught relationship between Kalen and Sascha forms the heart of The Last Fang of God. Both characters are beautifully characterized, especially as they learn more about each other:
“It forced him to consider Sascha in a new light. Mostly, he’d not tried to teach her Vilka’s runes because he was prepared for the secrets of the old wolf to die with him. But a small part of his reason was a doubt she had the patience and will necessary to make anything of his teachings. It was dangerous to dabble with the power of runes…”
Sascha is still scarred by the loss of her mother and struggles with resentment toward her father:
“She hated that sword, more than she’d hated the sickness that had taken Mom’s life too soon. It was a monster that had no place in this world, and Dad was a monster for wielding it.”
Ryan Kirk also packs a fair amount of worldbuilding in this slim novel, including rune magic and gods who walk amongst humans. Still, I wish The Last Fang of God had been expanded so that we could learn more about the world and its lore.
The Last Fang of God is a touching read, especially with respect to the father-daughter relationship at its core. But this short novel also left me wanting more from its story and worldbuilding.
Read
October 19, 2023I've not read this yet, but it's the sixth finalist for SPFBO 9, one of 10 finalists to be chosen from the 300 entries this year.
That's got to mean it's good - so give it a go.
Also, what a cover! Might be my favourite in the contest.
Check out this year's contest here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
See this year's finalist table here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Read up on the SPFBO in general here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
..
That's got to mean it's good - so give it a go.
Also, what a cover! Might be my favourite in the contest.
Check out this year's contest here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
See this year's finalist table here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Read up on the SPFBO in general here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
..
October 18, 2023
I read this for SPFBO. To find out more about the SPFBO contest and to see the participating bloggers/authors and reviews follow the links below
One of the first things I do with my group in spfbo is sort my books by page count. I can usually tell a lot about what to expect from a story just by how much time the author thinks they need to tell their story- except when it come to these 250-300 pagers. They fool me every time. Sometimes they’re too bare bones and other times they’re perfect. In this case I knew within a few chapters we had a possible contender for the semi-finalist- as long as it could hold onto its promising start for two-hundred and twenty more pages.
*
In The Last Fang of God, Ryan Kirk weaves a tale of a Kalen, and his daughter Sascha, caught up in the fall-out of a life he tried to leave behind nearly two decades ago.
You see, Kalen was originally from a clan known as the Wolves of Vilkas- he is the last true blood, and in his daughter that blood runs very strong. Kalen’s God, Vilkas’ is calling her back to the Tree, and Sascha can choose to ignore that calling- living out the remainder of her year in peace, or answer the call and the challenges that come with it.
*
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book, starting with the relationship between Kalen and Sascha- which is rocky at times, because of the lies Sacha perceives he has told by hiding his past and because Kalen is having a hard time seeing her as an adult.
The story allows for mutual growth between these two, not only with each other but in facing up to their own mistakes.
Sascha has all the conceit of a 16-year who thinks she knows everything, and who is coming into some pretty awesome powers. So needless to say, she could be pretty bratty at times and tried my patience on more than one occasion with her attitude.
But their relationship is not just about Sascha growing-up and seeing her father as a fallible person, it’s also of Kalen loosening the parenting reigns and allowing her to become an adult. I saw glimpses of my husband and daughter here – especially in the moments where as a dad, Kalen, got to appreciate how well she had learned the things that he had taught her.
All in all, I loved that there was some great father/daughter relationship stuff going on, which is not something I run across often.
*
Kirk writes in that clear, no words are wasted, fast-paced style that is a favourite of mine. Information is sprinkled through the story in an easy way that you don’t even realize your picking up the tidbits of character work or the world-building as your speeding along (Mike Shackle, is the closest I can think of who writes in this style).
I find this style of writing to be very visual, even though there is little in the way of stopping to smell the roses (so to speak) unless it’s contributing to what’s happening around the characters and story. I guess its the most ‘movie-like’ for me because there are fewer distractions that cause the story to stall-out in my head.
Other stuff I enjoyed- Rune magic. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read anything with runes or where the God’s walk the earth and interact and/or influence the people and their lives. I liked the way it was done here- not too much and just letting the bulk of the story be about Kalen and Sascha and their part in the game. I won’t go into that part of the story, as the God’s have their own chess game going on and I don’t want to spoil anything.
I will say that I liked how the story unfolded- it’s a tightly written and plotted book, everything that happened pushed the plot forward whether it was to help with the character growth, the relationship, or to move events to their conclusion. And agreeing with my teammate Olivia, I always felt this story knew where it was going.
*
I loved the style, the story, and especially the relationships.
spfbo score 8.5 or 5 stars
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
One of the first things I do with my group in spfbo is sort my books by page count. I can usually tell a lot about what to expect from a story just by how much time the author thinks they need to tell their story- except when it come to these 250-300 pagers. They fool me every time. Sometimes they’re too bare bones and other times they’re perfect. In this case I knew within a few chapters we had a possible contender for the semi-finalist- as long as it could hold onto its promising start for two-hundred and twenty more pages.
*
In The Last Fang of God, Ryan Kirk weaves a tale of a Kalen, and his daughter Sascha, caught up in the fall-out of a life he tried to leave behind nearly two decades ago.
You see, Kalen was originally from a clan known as the Wolves of Vilkas- he is the last true blood, and in his daughter that blood runs very strong. Kalen’s God, Vilkas’ is calling her back to the Tree, and Sascha can choose to ignore that calling- living out the remainder of her year in peace, or answer the call and the challenges that come with it.
*
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book, starting with the relationship between Kalen and Sascha- which is rocky at times, because of the lies Sacha perceives he has told by hiding his past and because Kalen is having a hard time seeing her as an adult.
The story allows for mutual growth between these two, not only with each other but in facing up to their own mistakes.
Sascha has all the conceit of a 16-year who thinks she knows everything, and who is coming into some pretty awesome powers. So needless to say, she could be pretty bratty at times and tried my patience on more than one occasion with her attitude.
But their relationship is not just about Sascha growing-up and seeing her father as a fallible person, it’s also of Kalen loosening the parenting reigns and allowing her to become an adult. I saw glimpses of my husband and daughter here – especially in the moments where as a dad, Kalen, got to appreciate how well she had learned the things that he had taught her.
All in all, I loved that there was some great father/daughter relationship stuff going on, which is not something I run across often.
*
Kirk writes in that clear, no words are wasted, fast-paced style that is a favourite of mine. Information is sprinkled through the story in an easy way that you don’t even realize your picking up the tidbits of character work or the world-building as your speeding along (Mike Shackle, is the closest I can think of who writes in this style).
I find this style of writing to be very visual, even though there is little in the way of stopping to smell the roses (so to speak) unless it’s contributing to what’s happening around the characters and story. I guess its the most ‘movie-like’ for me because there are fewer distractions that cause the story to stall-out in my head.
Other stuff I enjoyed- Rune magic. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read anything with runes or where the God’s walk the earth and interact and/or influence the people and their lives. I liked the way it was done here- not too much and just letting the bulk of the story be about Kalen and Sascha and their part in the game. I won’t go into that part of the story, as the God’s have their own chess game going on and I don’t want to spoil anything.
I will say that I liked how the story unfolded- it’s a tightly written and plotted book, everything that happened pushed the plot forward whether it was to help with the character growth, the relationship, or to move events to their conclusion. And agreeing with my teammate Olivia, I always felt this story knew where it was going.
*
I loved the style, the story, and especially the relationships.
spfbo score 8.5 or 5 stars
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
January 23, 2024
Read for SPFBO9 as part of team Fantasy Book Critic. This is just my personal opinion, group verdict may differ widely.
6/10
The Last Fang of God might be short for a fantasy novel, but it certainly doesn’t forget to pack a punch. Filled with meddling gods, warring tribes, complex father/daughter dynamics, powerful rune magic, and visits to mystical realms, this standalone epic fantasy is a wild ride from start to finish.
What starts out as a familiar and comfortable epic fantasy story quickly takes a darker and more chaotic turn as the past comes calling. Kalen’s daughter, Sascha, has been called by Kalen’s old master. And not just any master, but none other than the God of his old clan himself. Father and daughter will have to leave their peaceful life behind, whether they like it or not, and before long they find themselves at the centre of a catastrophic war led by the whims of the gods.
The complex yet strong father/daughter dynamic is without a doubt the highlight of the story here, and I really loved getting to read from both of their perspectives. The contrast between the way they view themselves versus how the other perceives them and their actions was extremely fascinating to see and added so much nuance and depth to the story. The themes of parenthood and familial love are so incredibly strong, which is exactly what gives this story so much heart.
I also really enjoyed that Kalen’s past is so shrouded in mystery, with the layers slowly being peeled back throughout the story as old acquaintances make him reminisce about his life. There's quite a bit of intro- and retrospection woven into his storyline, and the high levels of intrigue just kept me turning the pages.
The young Sascha also really gets her time to shine, though at times I felt like the author almost did too good of a job in writing a frustratingly realistic 16-year-old girl. Though, as much as I wanted to smack her over the head sometimes, I really enjoyed her character arc and was blown away by her resilience and strength in the end.
Now, for such a short novel, there is quite an astonishing amount of world building jam packed into these pages. I am always a sucker for the ‘gods walking among us’ trope, and it was executed brilliantly here. Fickle gods are meddling in human lives without remorse, steering the feuding clans they lord over back into war; safe to say, the stakes are high. And then there are also some very mystical and entrancing displays of the powerful rune magic, which only added to the sense of wonder.
All that said, I personally think this story could have benefited from some extra pages to give it all a bit more ‘oomph’, if that makes sense. The story moves along at breakneck speed, with some major life-changing events happening within the blink of an eye and lacking emotional impact. To me, everything felt a bit surface level and all the quick changes in setting due to the frequent travelling made it hard for me to really get settled into the story.
Still, the approachable yet eloquent prose helped me breeze through this book, and I was ultimately quite pleasantly surprised by how much the ending touched me.
If you are looking for a fast-paced story that contains all the best elements of epic fantasy without it being a complete door stopper, then The Last Fang of God is the perfect book to pick up.
6/10
The Last Fang of God might be short for a fantasy novel, but it certainly doesn’t forget to pack a punch. Filled with meddling gods, warring tribes, complex father/daughter dynamics, powerful rune magic, and visits to mystical realms, this standalone epic fantasy is a wild ride from start to finish.
What starts out as a familiar and comfortable epic fantasy story quickly takes a darker and more chaotic turn as the past comes calling. Kalen’s daughter, Sascha, has been called by Kalen’s old master. And not just any master, but none other than the God of his old clan himself. Father and daughter will have to leave their peaceful life behind, whether they like it or not, and before long they find themselves at the centre of a catastrophic war led by the whims of the gods.
The complex yet strong father/daughter dynamic is without a doubt the highlight of the story here, and I really loved getting to read from both of their perspectives. The contrast between the way they view themselves versus how the other perceives them and their actions was extremely fascinating to see and added so much nuance and depth to the story. The themes of parenthood and familial love are so incredibly strong, which is exactly what gives this story so much heart.
I also really enjoyed that Kalen’s past is so shrouded in mystery, with the layers slowly being peeled back throughout the story as old acquaintances make him reminisce about his life. There's quite a bit of intro- and retrospection woven into his storyline, and the high levels of intrigue just kept me turning the pages.
The young Sascha also really gets her time to shine, though at times I felt like the author almost did too good of a job in writing a frustratingly realistic 16-year-old girl. Though, as much as I wanted to smack her over the head sometimes, I really enjoyed her character arc and was blown away by her resilience and strength in the end.
Now, for such a short novel, there is quite an astonishing amount of world building jam packed into these pages. I am always a sucker for the ‘gods walking among us’ trope, and it was executed brilliantly here. Fickle gods are meddling in human lives without remorse, steering the feuding clans they lord over back into war; safe to say, the stakes are high. And then there are also some very mystical and entrancing displays of the powerful rune magic, which only added to the sense of wonder.
All that said, I personally think this story could have benefited from some extra pages to give it all a bit more ‘oomph’, if that makes sense. The story moves along at breakneck speed, with some major life-changing events happening within the blink of an eye and lacking emotional impact. To me, everything felt a bit surface level and all the quick changes in setting due to the frequent travelling made it hard for me to really get settled into the story.
Still, the approachable yet eloquent prose helped me breeze through this book, and I was ultimately quite pleasantly surprised by how much the ending touched me.
If you are looking for a fast-paced story that contains all the best elements of epic fantasy without it being a complete door stopper, then The Last Fang of God is the perfect book to pick up.
February 1, 2024
"The Last Fang of God" follows Kalen, a former warrior, and his daughter Sascha. Their once-simple life takes a tumultuous turn as Kalen’s past resurfaces. Kalen decides to save Sascha’s life from the meddling of his old god. The catch? Kalen can’t communicate. Ugh. Parents. Sascha, being young and inexperienced, experiences lots of emotional turmoil. And emotional turmoil leads to BAD THINGS. We all know this trope.
Ryan Kirk finds a balance between the father's determination to protect his daughter and the challenges posed by Sascha's angst. That said, a simple act of communication could have made things easier for them and alleviated their struggles.
The narrative propels the duo through hostile lands, pitting them against Kalen's former adversaries, allies, and even gods. Yet, even if they get to their destination, Sascha's fate remains uncertain and potentially short.
While I appreciated the dynamics of the father-daughter relationship, the recurrent lack of communication became an inexplicable plot device for me. I found the explanations provided for Kalen's behavior and choices unconvincing. Although I enjoyed concise writing, the journeying part felt repetitive for me. And rather tiring.
In summary, it’s a solid read, but not the one I connected with in any meaningful way.
Ryan Kirk finds a balance between the father's determination to protect his daughter and the challenges posed by Sascha's angst. That said, a simple act of communication could have made things easier for them and alleviated their struggles.
The narrative propels the duo through hostile lands, pitting them against Kalen's former adversaries, allies, and even gods. Yet, even if they get to their destination, Sascha's fate remains uncertain and potentially short.
While I appreciated the dynamics of the father-daughter relationship, the recurrent lack of communication became an inexplicable plot device for me. I found the explanations provided for Kalen's behavior and choices unconvincing. Although I enjoyed concise writing, the journeying part felt repetitive for me. And rather tiring.
In summary, it’s a solid read, but not the one I connected with in any meaningful way.
November 1, 2023
The Last Fang of God is one of Team Queen's Book Asylum's SPFBO 9 semi-finalists, and the one we choose to become our finalist! Our group review can be read on Queen's Book Asylum. Our overall rating was 7.5/10, my personal rating is 8/10.
The Last Fang of God was our shortest semi-finalist, although that’s not why I left it for last. The cover caught my interest early on (it was in our top 3 for a reason), and I hoped to keep the best for the last. I can’t say my expectations were super high though, but apart from Fae Gods: Maze, I was looking forward to reading this one the most.
The book starts off with your usual epic fantasy twist – our protagonist lives in peace far away from their bloody past and sins, but one day the past comes kicking in the door, leaving no choice but to follow the siren call of adventure/revenge/whatever. In this case, it’s Kalen’s old god, Vilkas who’s at the door, calling his daughter, Sascha to his service. Or else she’ll die before the year ends. So Kalen packs their life up and does what any other parent would do – does his utmost to keep his daughter alive, whether she likes it or not. Sascha, at sixteen, has very different ideas about what life she wants to lead and is not afraid to show her displeasure at the turn of these events. Especially as she realizes that she knows almost nothing about her father. That’s not easy to process, even for adults, let alone for teenagers.
The most interesting thing about The Last Fang of God is the father-daughter dynamics portrayed within the pages. I don’t think I come across something like this very often, but it’s very welcome. I liked that the book was as much about parent-child relationships as old grievances and the journey itself. We get to see both sides of the coin – a father, who slowly realizes that his daughter is becoming a young adult with her own feelings, thoughts, choices, and mistakes. And a daughter, who is on the way to adulthood learns that her father is not necessarily the idol she puts on a pedestal – as every child tends to do with their parents – but a man with flaws, with hurts, with a past that’s not at all rosy. And even though I found Sascha annoying at times and a bit rough around the edges when it comes to characterization, I could sympathize with her.
I also liked the setting with the different gods and how the clans belonging to them represent an animal, which lends them characteristics. Plus, it’s always fun when gods interact with their people directly and fuck things up for them more times than not. However, I would have liked a bit more depth to these gods’ history, especially in regards to each other. I wanted more about their myths and their origins, and how they divided the land to begin with, etc. With The Last Fang of the God being just about 250 pages, there is not much room for extensive worldbuilding, which is a shame. The same goes for the initial conflict between Kalen and Jolon. We learn some details as the story goes on, but again, I wanted more depth there too.
I usually don’t like books where the main event is traveling from one place to the next, but I wasn’t bothered that much with it here. This book is fast-paced, and there are barely any boring moments. Sometimes maybe too fast, especially in the first third of the book. On the other hand, with The Last Fang of God being a standalone, we get a clear conclusion and a neat arc for our main characters.
If you like epic fantasy, but don’t fancy big books, The Last Fang of God is a good choice for a nice weekend of reading. Well written, intriguing, has some cool rune magic, gods roaming, just enough violence and fighting, and a lot of thought-provoking. It’s not perfect, but definitely entertaining.
The Last Fang of God was our shortest semi-finalist, although that’s not why I left it for last. The cover caught my interest early on (it was in our top 3 for a reason), and I hoped to keep the best for the last. I can’t say my expectations were super high though, but apart from Fae Gods: Maze, I was looking forward to reading this one the most.
The book starts off with your usual epic fantasy twist – our protagonist lives in peace far away from their bloody past and sins, but one day the past comes kicking in the door, leaving no choice but to follow the siren call of adventure/revenge/whatever. In this case, it’s Kalen’s old god, Vilkas who’s at the door, calling his daughter, Sascha to his service. Or else she’ll die before the year ends. So Kalen packs their life up and does what any other parent would do – does his utmost to keep his daughter alive, whether she likes it or not. Sascha, at sixteen, has very different ideas about what life she wants to lead and is not afraid to show her displeasure at the turn of these events. Especially as she realizes that she knows almost nothing about her father. That’s not easy to process, even for adults, let alone for teenagers.
The most interesting thing about The Last Fang of God is the father-daughter dynamics portrayed within the pages. I don’t think I come across something like this very often, but it’s very welcome. I liked that the book was as much about parent-child relationships as old grievances and the journey itself. We get to see both sides of the coin – a father, who slowly realizes that his daughter is becoming a young adult with her own feelings, thoughts, choices, and mistakes. And a daughter, who is on the way to adulthood learns that her father is not necessarily the idol she puts on a pedestal – as every child tends to do with their parents – but a man with flaws, with hurts, with a past that’s not at all rosy. And even though I found Sascha annoying at times and a bit rough around the edges when it comes to characterization, I could sympathize with her.
I also liked the setting with the different gods and how the clans belonging to them represent an animal, which lends them characteristics. Plus, it’s always fun when gods interact with their people directly and fuck things up for them more times than not. However, I would have liked a bit more depth to these gods’ history, especially in regards to each other. I wanted more about their myths and their origins, and how they divided the land to begin with, etc. With The Last Fang of the God being just about 250 pages, there is not much room for extensive worldbuilding, which is a shame. The same goes for the initial conflict between Kalen and Jolon. We learn some details as the story goes on, but again, I wanted more depth there too.
I usually don’t like books where the main event is traveling from one place to the next, but I wasn’t bothered that much with it here. This book is fast-paced, and there are barely any boring moments. Sometimes maybe too fast, especially in the first third of the book. On the other hand, with The Last Fang of God being a standalone, we get a clear conclusion and a neat arc for our main characters.
If you like epic fantasy, but don’t fancy big books, The Last Fang of God is a good choice for a nice weekend of reading. Well written, intriguing, has some cool rune magic, gods roaming, just enough violence and fighting, and a lot of thought-provoking. It’s not perfect, but definitely entertaining.
October 29, 2023
Read for SPFBO 💥 this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely 💥
The Last Fang of God by Ryan Kirk was a quick and easy read, if not a "light" one.
I mostly enjoyed our two main characters Sascha a girl who has been brought up in a peaceful village, and her dad Kalen who has a rather mysterious past.
At times I found little bits a bit shallow though, like her getting very angry at her father for not knowing what clothes she owns. Would be fine, if they didn't have much bigger problems to care about at that moment. There were a few moments like this, when I just felt the characters motivations and agency weren't as fleshed out as I'd have liked.
The world was interesting, but at times I would have liked it just a tad deeper and more three dimensional. To me it felt like I was walking past a pretty backdrop instead of being fully immersed into the world. I did like the different clans and religions / gods though.
The plot was interesting enough to keep me going all the way, but again, there's a bit much ambling around, and reacting to things that are happening, instead of actively shaping the story.
Overall the quick pace and easy prose made it an entertaining and fast read, which I devoured just two settings.
The Last Fang of God by Ryan Kirk was a quick and easy read, if not a "light" one.
I mostly enjoyed our two main characters Sascha a girl who has been brought up in a peaceful village, and her dad Kalen who has a rather mysterious past.
At times I found little bits a bit shallow though, like her getting very angry at her father for not knowing what clothes she owns. Would be fine, if they didn't have much bigger problems to care about at that moment. There were a few moments like this, when I just felt the characters motivations and agency weren't as fleshed out as I'd have liked.
The world was interesting, but at times I would have liked it just a tad deeper and more three dimensional. To me it felt like I was walking past a pretty backdrop instead of being fully immersed into the world. I did like the different clans and religions / gods though.
The plot was interesting enough to keep me going all the way, but again, there's a bit much ambling around, and reacting to things that are happening, instead of actively shaping the story.
Overall the quick pace and easy prose made it an entertaining and fast read, which I devoured just two settings.
March 12, 2024
Technically 3.65 ⭐️ based on how it breaks down for SPFBO scores! Can we be more hyper specific than that?
I’ll have a video review of this coming in the next few weeks :)
I’ll have a video review of this coming in the next few weeks :)
Want to read
October 18, 2023How have I never heard of this book before? Look at that cover! Review to come once I receive a copy:)
September 10, 2023
Loved this. Really really good. (sold you yet?)
Where clans battle at the whims of the gods. Rune magics channel strength & will. Past sins remembered. A father will attempt to protect his daughter in a land fraught with violence.
Wow. Spellbound. Packed with heart & mysticism. Rich wondrous storytelling. One of the best you’ll read this year.
Where clans battle at the whims of the gods. Rune magics channel strength & will. Past sins remembered. A father will attempt to protect his daughter in a land fraught with violence.
Wow. Spellbound. Packed with heart & mysticism. Rich wondrous storytelling. One of the best you’ll read this year.
April 14, 2024
I really enjoyed the relationship and the dynamic between the father and daughter throughout the book. But I really struggled with the pacing of this book. For such a short book, I feel like we focused too much on the wrong things? There were too many fighting scenes and too much travel, and we didn't get enough of the world building, the magic system and the religion and gods. I think that if this was a series, and we could've set up more before diving into the action of this book, it would've been stronger
January 12, 2024
In The Last Fang of God, we're following Kalen and his 16 year-old daughter Sascha. All Kalen wants is to live a life of peace in their village, but his daughter is called by his old master, a god that used to control his life and his people. While they go on the journey to answer the god's calling, we switch between Kalen's and Sascha's POVs, and we see their relationship through ups and downs, and she is learning more about his past, and he is learning what his grown up daughter needs from him.
I loved this book! I loved to see their relationship progress and to have both of the POVs to really understand what they were feeling in each situation. I also loved that we see multiple gods in the story and those parts sounded mysterious and weird in a way that I can't explain but it just immersed me even more in this story.
There's not enough pages for the rune-based magic system to be as explained as I wanted it to be, but it still worked as a standalone fantasy (I wish it was a series) and I'll definitely check out more books by this author.
I loved this book! I loved to see their relationship progress and to have both of the POVs to really understand what they were feeling in each situation. I also loved that we see multiple gods in the story and those parts sounded mysterious and weird in a way that I can't explain but it just immersed me even more in this story.
There's not enough pages for the rune-based magic system to be as explained as I wanted it to be, but it still worked as a standalone fantasy (I wish it was a series) and I'll definitely check out more books by this author.
December 13, 2023
3.5⭐️’s
This book has two main characters. One is the father Kalen and one is the Daughter Sascha!
One night the father catches the daughter, in a Spirit walk !!
Peel the onion a little more and you get to the backstory of who the father was where they came from and what abilities the daughter has that the daughter doesn’t realize that she has .
The father daughter relationship unravels in many chapters of the daughter just whining .. much of which because she was left out of the loop and that the father full of guilt because he wasn’t honest with her right off the bat years earlier.
There’s Runes Magic
a well known sword called Fang
This was a sword crafted by a runemaster. She pulled it out farther, reading the runes as they emerged from the sheath.
I found it interesting enough to finish it.
This book has two main characters. One is the father Kalen and one is the Daughter Sascha!
One night the father catches the daughter, in a Spirit walk !!
Peel the onion a little more and you get to the backstory of who the father was where they came from and what abilities the daughter has that the daughter doesn’t realize that she has .
The father daughter relationship unravels in many chapters of the daughter just whining .. much of which because she was left out of the loop and that the father full of guilt because he wasn’t honest with her right off the bat years earlier.
There’s Runes Magic
a well known sword called Fang
This was a sword crafted by a runemaster. She pulled it out farther, reading the runes as they emerged from the sheath.
I found it interesting enough to finish it.
October 31, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this standalone fantasy novel – it presented some elements that were unique to me so finding something fresh in a book is always a good thing.
It focuses on a father/daughter relationship that is certain to stir some emotions in the reader. I think I have a lot of respect for the Dad in this story. It is a classic example of wanting to do better but then finding out you cannot escape who you were or truly are, or from the decisions you’ve made. And when the mysterious past catches up with Dad, well, there’s no escaping it, and Sascha, the realistically presented teenager will end up having to choose between the scary and the worst.
Underneath there is a lot of heart and soul in this story. At the focus of it is a parent’s attempt to protect their child and a parent’s worry about their worst fears coming to fruition. I could feel it, it resonated – I was immediately on Dad’s side with the decisions he made because they make sense from a parent’s perspective. And relatability is one of the things that makes a story stick.
I appreciated that the book explained the various runes and the rune-abilities throughout the story when appropriate. A bit at a time and each time, demonstrated through action. In addition, Dad’s past was revealed a glimpse at a time, all the while suggesting that there is something bigger at play. It inserted some fear in me about potentially being wrong as to who he really is? This worked really well, coupled with the fact that Ryan Kirk has a natural smooth ability for storytelling.
There are a few grim scenes of quite the graphic nature. But they never felt out of place, they weren’t over stretched just to keep the grim for grim’s sake. They had a purpose, and in this case, when I think of Sascha, the contrast between the life she had had up to that point and what she now faced, was made clear through these darker scenes and it made it feel real. The Last Fang of God is a perfect standalone where you’re not left with unanswered questions or an open ending. It has a touch of meddling gods and with meddling gods, you can be sure you’re left wondering until the last sentence how everything will truly play out. I would certainly recommend this, and I would readily sample more of Kirk’s writing.
It focuses on a father/daughter relationship that is certain to stir some emotions in the reader. I think I have a lot of respect for the Dad in this story. It is a classic example of wanting to do better but then finding out you cannot escape who you were or truly are, or from the decisions you’ve made. And when the mysterious past catches up with Dad, well, there’s no escaping it, and Sascha, the realistically presented teenager will end up having to choose between the scary and the worst.
Underneath there is a lot of heart and soul in this story. At the focus of it is a parent’s attempt to protect their child and a parent’s worry about their worst fears coming to fruition. I could feel it, it resonated – I was immediately on Dad’s side with the decisions he made because they make sense from a parent’s perspective. And relatability is one of the things that makes a story stick.
I appreciated that the book explained the various runes and the rune-abilities throughout the story when appropriate. A bit at a time and each time, demonstrated through action. In addition, Dad’s past was revealed a glimpse at a time, all the while suggesting that there is something bigger at play. It inserted some fear in me about potentially being wrong as to who he really is? This worked really well, coupled with the fact that Ryan Kirk has a natural smooth ability for storytelling.
There are a few grim scenes of quite the graphic nature. But they never felt out of place, they weren’t over stretched just to keep the grim for grim’s sake. They had a purpose, and in this case, when I think of Sascha, the contrast between the life she had had up to that point and what she now faced, was made clear through these darker scenes and it made it feel real. The Last Fang of God is a perfect standalone where you’re not left with unanswered questions or an open ending. It has a touch of meddling gods and with meddling gods, you can be sure you’re left wondering until the last sentence how everything will truly play out. I would certainly recommend this, and I would readily sample more of Kirk’s writing.
August 7, 2024
DNF at 54%
Sadly, this one didn't work for me. It was the type of "coming of age" trope that didn't appeal to me.
Sadly, this one didn't work for me. It was the type of "coming of age" trope that didn't appeal to me.
January 3, 2024
Our buddy read group selection for December was The Last Fang of God by Ryan Kirk as busy as this time of year has been I was happy to end up with a shorter read this month. I know this one had some mixed feedback within our group by I enjoyed it. I have had several reads under 300 pages in 2023 and have ended up having fun with the majority of them. I think this may have helped temper my expectations going into this one. It seemed like some of the feedback was leaning toward either things were progressing too fast, or just didn't seem to have much depth. I'll touch on these shortly.
The pacing was on the quicker side as mentioned. I think having shorter books this has to happen on some level just to try and tell your story within fewer pages than many other books. I would even agree that there didn't seem to be a lot of depth in the first half of the book but I thought the second half finished very strong. This was certainly a light and easy read without much trouble from names or other verbiage used so I'm very thankful for that as well.
The world building was very interesting to me. Having a world with gods present is almost always going to be intriguing if they are engaging with the characters. Between that aspect, the magic and martial skills along with the different cultures from the different tribes provided plenty to sink my teeth into in such a short read. I found the magical trip with the sanctuaries very interesting!
The character development took some time but I felt it came together by the end. I will just say if you're getting a bit bored or frustrated with the relationship between our father and daughter protagonists, try to stick it out as things to come around. Beyond that constant theme there are some really good relationships between the father and side characters from his past as well as some new relationships his daughter is forging along this journey.
All in all I did enjoy this read and would certainly be interested in reading more from this magical and brutal world. I don't believe this was a series currently but who knows what the future holds. I'll be checking out other works from Ryan Kirk in the near future. I know he has a lot of titles under his belt.
The pacing was on the quicker side as mentioned. I think having shorter books this has to happen on some level just to try and tell your story within fewer pages than many other books. I would even agree that there didn't seem to be a lot of depth in the first half of the book but I thought the second half finished very strong. This was certainly a light and easy read without much trouble from names or other verbiage used so I'm very thankful for that as well.
The world building was very interesting to me. Having a world with gods present is almost always going to be intriguing if they are engaging with the characters. Between that aspect, the magic and martial skills along with the different cultures from the different tribes provided plenty to sink my teeth into in such a short read. I found the magical trip with the sanctuaries very interesting!
The character development took some time but I felt it came together by the end. I will just say if you're getting a bit bored or frustrated with the relationship between our father and daughter protagonists, try to stick it out as things to come around. Beyond that constant theme there are some really good relationships between the father and side characters from his past as well as some new relationships his daughter is forging along this journey.
All in all I did enjoy this read and would certainly be interested in reading more from this magical and brutal world. I don't believe this was a series currently but who knows what the future holds. I'll be checking out other works from Ryan Kirk in the near future. I know he has a lot of titles under his belt.
December 20, 2023
Father/ Daughter adventure
Another great Spfbo9 book. The writing was clean and easy to read. I like father/daughter adventures. The world Kirk created was really interesting. I wanted a little bit more about the deities and the rune magic. For a while I thought the "scorpions" were giant scorpions rather than people. I would have liked to know why the people who served the gods were referred to by animal names too. Sascha felt like a teenager with her moodiness and sometimes poor choices. She was still harder to like at times compared to Kalen. There was a lot of action for me and I think the story wrapped up well.
Another great Spfbo9 book. The writing was clean and easy to read. I like father/daughter adventures. The world Kirk created was really interesting. I wanted a little bit more about the deities and the rune magic. For a while I thought the "scorpions" were giant scorpions rather than people. I would have liked to know why the people who served the gods were referred to by animal names too. Sascha felt like a teenager with her moodiness and sometimes poor choices. She was still harder to like at times compared to Kalen. There was a lot of action for me and I think the story wrapped up well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 8, 2024SPFBO9 reviews here: https://youtu.be/c5SBlsRYU4Y
I liked the relationship between father and daughter, but I personally don't love "viking-settings". Also felt the finale part of the book was a bit lackluster and did not really care much in the end. But had some fun ideas and was well written!
I liked the relationship between father and daughter, but I personally don't love "viking-settings". Also felt the finale part of the book was a bit lackluster and did not really care much in the end. But had some fun ideas and was well written!
May 30, 2024
And done! A great fast paced story regarding Gods, runes, family, and vengeance in a standalone novel. My only grip is that I wish it were a longer book as there are many areas left to be explored. A deserving SPFBO #9 finalist.
Read
December 13, 2023DNF'd, not for me.
Read
September 5, 2023Another excellent Ryan Kirk book - highly recommended
The Last Fang of God is a stand-alone novel, rather than an episode in one of Ryan's series, and he has indicated that he has no plans to revisit the characters or the world he has created for the book so as you would imagine it is entirely self-contained. To be fair, if his plans were ever to change he has not completely written out all possibility of a return, but it is very much a tale with a beginning, a middle and an end.
As always with Ryan's work, this extremely well written fantasy. Ryan does a lot with swords and sorcery and this is broadly in that vein, but with significant differences to his other work. There is something of the feel of a classic western in it too - the tribes remind me of native americans in some ways - but a western it most definitely is not!
The Fang in the title is a sword with magical powers granted by its decoration with Runes provided to Kalen by the God of his tribe. Once the most feared warrior and Rune Master you can imagine, at the start of the book Kalen is in a different country living a quiet life as a simple farmer in order to raise his daughter Sascha in safety.
Unfortunately the God calls her to him, and if she does not answer she will die. Kalen has no choice but to retrieve Fang and try to get Sascha back to the old country crossing areas and countries filled with other tribes whose competing Gods want to destroy him, his daughter, and his God.
The book tells the tale of the journey, of how Kalen came to be with his daughter in a different country in the first place, and of the Gods, the tribes, and their wars. It is really gripping stuff, and I found myself reading it in shopping queues, in the smallest room, even in bed when I should be sleeping, so really hard for me to put down.
I recommend you read it yourself, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you only enjoy it half as much, it will still be well worth the investment!!
The Last Fang of God is a stand-alone novel, rather than an episode in one of Ryan's series, and he has indicated that he has no plans to revisit the characters or the world he has created for the book so as you would imagine it is entirely self-contained. To be fair, if his plans were ever to change he has not completely written out all possibility of a return, but it is very much a tale with a beginning, a middle and an end.
As always with Ryan's work, this extremely well written fantasy. Ryan does a lot with swords and sorcery and this is broadly in that vein, but with significant differences to his other work. There is something of the feel of a classic western in it too - the tribes remind me of native americans in some ways - but a western it most definitely is not!
The Fang in the title is a sword with magical powers granted by its decoration with Runes provided to Kalen by the God of his tribe. Once the most feared warrior and Rune Master you can imagine, at the start of the book Kalen is in a different country living a quiet life as a simple farmer in order to raise his daughter Sascha in safety.
Unfortunately the God calls her to him, and if she does not answer she will die. Kalen has no choice but to retrieve Fang and try to get Sascha back to the old country crossing areas and countries filled with other tribes whose competing Gods want to destroy him, his daughter, and his God.
The book tells the tale of the journey, of how Kalen came to be with his daughter in a different country in the first place, and of the Gods, the tribes, and their wars. It is really gripping stuff, and I found myself reading it in shopping queues, in the smallest room, even in bed when I should be sleeping, so really hard for me to put down.
I recommend you read it yourself, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you only enjoy it half as much, it will still be well worth the investment!!
April 30, 2023
Fang
So revered and then feared, this story was incredible! Awesome enjoyed the family, the travel and the fearsome fights that helped bring this story together. Sorry that it was a stand alone novel, but pleased with ending.
So revered and then feared, this story was incredible! Awesome enjoyed the family, the travel and the fearsome fights that helped bring this story together. Sorry that it was a stand alone novel, but pleased with ending.
November 30, 2023
A quick read with some nice lore but not greatly developed due to the short length of the book.
I found it just ok. Unfortunately I didn't connect as much as I would 've wanted with the characters. The daughter especially was kinda annoying and even for her young age, some of her issues with her father didn't make much sense.
The prose was quite simple, and the pacing ok.
An ok and short read but don't expect anything new and original.
5,7/10
I found it just ok. Unfortunately I didn't connect as much as I would 've wanted with the characters. The daughter especially was kinda annoying and even for her young age, some of her issues with her father didn't make much sense.
The prose was quite simple, and the pacing ok.
An ok and short read but don't expect anything new and original.
5,7/10
January 26, 2024
Love me a good story of the gods interfering with everyday life. I could have done with this being a bit longer because the pacing was so rapid-fire and after the final conflict the book just kind of . . . ends, but it was a really cool concept and I'd be down for more stories in this world.
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December 4, 2023DNFing this at 40%
Some thoughts to follow...
Some thoughts to follow...
December 7, 2023
Awwwh I am sadly far less than satisfied with anything about this book, although it was quick and kind of fun at times and had a message at the end that I can appreciate.
Going to wait until the rest of the buddy read group finishes to publish full thoughts
Going to wait until the rest of the buddy read group finishes to publish full thoughts
November 3, 2023
3.5 stars or 7/10
Disclaimer - read as a Judge for SPFBO9/Fantasy Faction team.
Review and rating is MY personal opinion only, other Judges opinions will vary.
RTC - life outside SPFBO taking precedent at this time.
Disclaimer - read as a Judge for SPFBO9/Fantasy Faction team.
Review and rating is MY personal opinion only, other Judges opinions will vary.
RTC - life outside SPFBO taking precedent at this time.
April 28, 2024
3,5 stars (rounded up)
Having put his violent past behind him, Kalen leads a quiet life with his deceased wife's people and raises his daughter Sascha as a single father. This life comes to an end when Sascha, who has now grown into a teenager of sixteen, is summoned by Kalen's former ‘boss’, the god Vilkas. Sascha learns that her father, the “last true-blooded Wolf of Vilkas”, is not only a feared warrior who is almost invincible with his sword Fang but also a master of the rune magic.
Not answering Vilkas’s call would mean Sascha’s death within a year, so the two have no choice but to embark on a perilous journey to the lands of Vilkas. A journey on which father and daughter see each other more and more in a new light, meet Kalen’s former friends and foes alike and find themselves as pawns in the battle between the gods, with Sascha meant to make the decisive move.
Even though this book was far too short for my taste and I would have loved to see the story fleshed out in a broader scope, I found it an easy-to-read, well-paced and entertaining novel.
It is told in third person, alternating between Kalen’s and Sascha’s point of view.
The portrayal of the relationship between Kalen and Sascha is the heart of this book and what I appreciated most, the more so since father-daughter relationships in fantasy books don’t come in droves. I like that the love and care they feel for each other is just as palpable as the frustration and resentment. On their journey, they both go through a learning process: Kalen must learn that his daughter is grown up enough to make her own decisions and must trust her in her choices and accept those, and Sascha must forgive Kalen for keeping secrets from her all these years and accept that he can be both a loving father and a fearsome warrior.
I liked that the gods in this world are related to certain animals, so much that their worshippers bear the name of the respective animal.
The gods’ strength depends on the number of followers and their faith, as Vilkas himself lets us know: “Because I’m weak. The last true surviving blood of my clan is a man who would just as soon see me dead. Where there is no belief, there is no strength.”
I loved the appearances of the gods in this world and their interactions with our characters. I thought they were very well done and wouldn't have minded if there had been more of them. Sascha's first encounter with Vilkas was one of my favourite scenes; I had to smile when it took her some time to realise that there was something distinctly odd about the old man😉. Not to forget the scene
The prose is easy to read, interspersed with the occasional nice imagery (“Dad’s temper was a fierce beast, a monster always lurking beneath the surface.”) and snippets of wisdom (“We’ll never know where to go if we don’t know where we’ve been.”, “Someday, you’ll realize there is no perfect world. There’s only this moment, and it’s as good as you make it.”, “I see little point in living if it’s all about killing.”)
The ending, even though a bit abrupt, was fitting, and I liked it.
As already mentioned, I felt that the story would have benefitted from a larger scope. Still, I recommend it for those who look for a quick, fast-paced and entertaining read containing rune magic and walking gods, travelling and fighting, framed by the portrayal of a father-daughter relationship.
One final thought:
There is an execution scene that is superbly done in that it really hurts a lot in its cruelty and perfidy.
Having put his violent past behind him, Kalen leads a quiet life with his deceased wife's people and raises his daughter Sascha as a single father. This life comes to an end when Sascha, who has now grown into a teenager of sixteen, is summoned by Kalen's former ‘boss’, the god Vilkas. Sascha learns that her father, the “last true-blooded Wolf of Vilkas”, is not only a feared warrior who is almost invincible with his sword Fang but also a master of the rune magic.
Not answering Vilkas’s call would mean Sascha’s death within a year, so the two have no choice but to embark on a perilous journey to the lands of Vilkas. A journey on which father and daughter see each other more and more in a new light, meet Kalen’s former friends and foes alike and find themselves as pawns in the battle between the gods, with Sascha meant to make the decisive move.
Even though this book was far too short for my taste and I would have loved to see the story fleshed out in a broader scope, I found it an easy-to-read, well-paced and entertaining novel.
It is told in third person, alternating between Kalen’s and Sascha’s point of view.
The portrayal of the relationship between Kalen and Sascha is the heart of this book and what I appreciated most, the more so since father-daughter relationships in fantasy books don’t come in droves. I like that the love and care they feel for each other is just as palpable as the frustration and resentment. On their journey, they both go through a learning process: Kalen must learn that his daughter is grown up enough to make her own decisions and must trust her in her choices and accept those, and Sascha must forgive Kalen for keeping secrets from her all these years and accept that he can be both a loving father and a fearsome warrior.
I liked that the gods in this world are related to certain animals, so much that their worshippers bear the name of the respective animal.
The gods’ strength depends on the number of followers and their faith, as Vilkas himself lets us know: “Because I’m weak. The last true surviving blood of my clan is a man who would just as soon see me dead. Where there is no belief, there is no strength.”
I loved the appearances of the gods in this world and their interactions with our characters. I thought they were very well done and wouldn't have minded if there had been more of them. Sascha's first encounter with Vilkas was one of my favourite scenes; I had to smile when it took her some time to realise that there was something distinctly odd about the old man😉. Not to forget the scene
The prose is easy to read, interspersed with the occasional nice imagery (“Dad’s temper was a fierce beast, a monster always lurking beneath the surface.”) and snippets of wisdom (“We’ll never know where to go if we don’t know where we’ve been.”, “Someday, you’ll realize there is no perfect world. There’s only this moment, and it’s as good as you make it.”, “I see little point in living if it’s all about killing.”)
The ending, even though a bit abrupt, was fitting, and I liked it.
As already mentioned, I felt that the story would have benefitted from a larger scope. Still, I recommend it for those who look for a quick, fast-paced and entertaining read containing rune magic and walking gods, travelling and fighting, framed by the portrayal of a father-daughter relationship.
One final thought:
There is an execution scene that is superbly done in that it really hurts a lot in its cruelty and perfidy.
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