The Wings of Ashtaroth

by Steve Hugh Westenra

The great city of Qemassen is at a crossroads. A powerful empire from beyond the ocean threatens to reignite a centuries-old feud. A slave rebellion brews in the tangled labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city streets. And Crown Prince Ashtaroth, the city's supposed saviour, is considered unfit to rule even by those closest to him.

When the high priest burns one of the royal children alive as a desperate offering to the city's absentee gods, it destroys the fragile peace within Qemassen's scheming first family. Seeking revenge for the death of her child, Ashtaroth's mother calls on a powerful demon named Lilit.

But Lilit cannot be trusted. Her cruel machinations pit brother against sister and father against daughter, laying waste to Ashtaroth's family. Then Lilit approaches Ashtaroth with a demonic pact of his own-one that could save his people and his home. But between war from without and a revolution erupting within, even a demon may not be enough to keep Qemassen standing.

Set in a secondary world based on the conflict between Ancient Carthage and Rome, The Wings of Ashtaroth is a sprawling, multi-POV epic fantasy, full of queerness, political intrigue, and demons.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Adult, Queer, LGBT

1005 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2023

About the author

Steve is a trans author of fantasy, science fiction, and horror (basically, if it’s weird he writes it).

He grew up on the eldritch shores of Newfoundland, Canada, and currently lives and works in (the slightly less eldritch) Montreal. He holds advanced degrees in Russian Literature, Medieval Studies, and Religious Studies. His current academic work focuses on marginalized reclamations of monstrous figures. He teaches the History of Satan and Religion and its Monsters.

In 2018, Steve’s lesbian Viking novel, Ash, Oak, and Thorn, was selected for the Pitch Wars mentoring program and agent showcase. During Pitch Wars, Steve was lucky to receive mentorship from fellow queer author, K. A. Doore.

His queer horror comedy, The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle, was mentored by Mary Ann Marlowe in the inugural #Queeryfest class.

He is a SPFBO9 entrant.

Steve is passionate about queer representation, Late Antiquity, and spiders.

Reviews

[Steve Westenra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author of this book, so obviously I'm supremely biased (though I admit, I was tempted to be a troll and give my book one star).

I hope anyone who reads enjoys, but even if you don't, please feel welcome to share your review as it can help other readers.

[K.E. Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew. This was a chonky book, but don't let that deter you from checking this book out. I'd put this on par with Game of Thrones set in an ancient Mediterranean-inspired world. While reading this book, it felt like I was watching a movie shot in a sepia/golden lighting. The prose, character, and the world were all stunning and interesting. I didn't know how the story was going to end until it did. Much like GOT, there are a lot of characters and terms, which can be hard to keep track of (there is a glossary in the back though). My main critique was just the pacing of the different character POVs. Sometimes there would be such a gap between the different characters that I struggled to remember what had happened before with certain characters. Kirin was my least favorite POV; I did try to care about him, but really didn't. I do think the trigger warnings could have been moved to the beginning of the story, but that's just a small nit-picky thing that doesn't affect the rating at all. This is another great SPFBO9 book!

[David]

Pace and character worked for me with this one in a way that many "fantasy/world" novels don't. Lots of openings left at the end to encourage a "Sands of Hazzan, #2".

[Shannon Knight]

The book begins with a curse, and for a while, I wondered if Wings would be a massive hate read. Don't misunderstand. The fascinating setting, very Punic Wars, means high crimes such as slavery and human sacrifice are implemented and accepted by characters, so I thought maybe we'd be experiencing the satisfaction of watching terrible people get their comeuppance via curse. Imagine my absolute shock when I developed a don't-die-yet! mentality for some of them!

Wings is incredibly ambitious in scope. Multiple cultures are represented, and within each, multiple classes of people. More than the overarching plot, I felt pulled in by the various character arcs, as characters changed and grew. Readers interested in epic-scale scheming with many point-of-view characters and a BCE setting inspired by early empires of Rome, Carthage, etc. will be the most satisfied. There are both genuine supernatural elements and people taking advantage of the gullibility connected with deities, demons, and magic. Also, if you like messy characters, Westenra delivers very believable mess! If you want a classic "good" character, you may be disappointed.

My personal interest was most strongly felt following the stories of characters who were not high ranking. Slavery is repulsive to me, so slave-owning characters are automatically horrifying, but also the contrast of these characters' petty concerns while people around them don't have basic autonomy made them even worse. We spend time with several royals and high-ranking individuals before we get our first perspective of an enslaved person. We also see what seems like an awful lot of shallow cruelty before we encounter earnest sincerity. That was a tad hard for me. While I was pulled into the characters various stories, I didn't find any of the characters particularly lovable.

The Wings of Ashtaroth, especially the characterization, is very memorable. I find myself thinking about the characters long after I've finished reading the book.

My biggest critique is that I feel the book would've been more satisfying if it were broken into three or four books. I like to read straight through, and I was ready for a breather, but the book unit didn't give me one. (My copy was about 1500 pages.) There are a lot of characters and plot-lines to pay attention to, and the book unit creates a story division or end point. However, the end did NOT wrap everything up. As part of a series, this doesn't matter. I can get more in the next installment. But as a 1500-page unit, I was pushing through to an end, expecting a very significant end pay-off that matched the length of the single-book unit, and the feeling I got was more that the single-book unit could've broken at many previous points to the same effect, as the overall story continued, and the point where it ended was rather arbitrary. I think the expectation of a big ending was created by the book length. The length, also, caused me to delay picking the book up for a while, and then it caused me to delay starting it for a while because I felt I needed to be ready for 1500 pages of one book. If, instead, it were viewed as a series in itself, I would've picked it up and started it sooner. I would've felt that triumphant satisfaction of completion at the end of each book unit within this series. Westenra would've also had the opportunity to leave me thinking longer and harder about each story point that happened at the end of each book unit.

[Kaat Verschueren · Rating 4 out of 5]

When i first heard about the premise of this story, i was interested right away. An epic fantasy inspired by the conflict between Cathage and Rome, yes please! The book starts promising with what might be the best prologue i've ever read. After that the story took a while to get going. I didn't mind that though as it gave us plenty of time to get to know the characters and the world first.

I absolutely loved the world building! It is so expansive and detailed. The world feels big and alive. There are other things going on in it than the story being told, which makes it feel very real. The writing style added to that vividness and made it so that i could see everything playing out in front of me. As a linguistics nerd, i had a blast with the fantasy words and names in here. I enjoyed figuring out what the different prefixes and suffixes mean and i very much appreciate that names of people and places have small variations depending on the country the pov character is from.

The character work in this is also very well-done. I felt like i knew these characters, like they are real people. They are complex and can't easily be divided up in the good guys and the bad guys. My favorite pov character was Vivaen, followed by Qwella. The two povs that were set outside of Qemassen (Iridescia and Kirin) hooked me the least. I was personally a lot more invested in what happened to this royal family.

I do have one issue with this book though: it's length. And i don't necessarily mean that the pacing should be tighter or something like that. On the contrary, when the story really started picking up near the end, it felt a little rushed to me as i had grown accustomed to the slowness of the first half. What i mean by saying that it was too long for me, is that around the 70% mark, i got a little burned out with these characters and this world. This is not the books fault. This can happen with any book for me and is a big part of the reason why i always leave a gap between installments of a series. But even though this is not this book's fault, it did have an impact on my enjoyment in the last third. In the couple of days between me finishing this book and writing this review, i've felt my overall feelings becoming more and more positive as i've had some time away from it and can look at the story as a whole again.

Overall, i think this is a pretty impressive novel. There's so much going on, but at the same time it doesn't feel overly complicated as the different components are connected so well. If you like epic fantasy and you don't mind a very very very chonky book, i definitely would recommend this.

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

Drought and famine grip the city. More is sacrificed, but the strife does not relent. A holy man haunted by the ghosts of the past instructs the King that he too must sacrifice to appease the gods.

This is an immersive opening with a strong sense of its MC and 3rd person close narration, as well as a grounded and detailed sense of setting. This is no generic fantasy world, nor ordinary elderly cleric.

We are thrust directly into the strife of the city, and the subtle machinations of our holy man to direct the king to take that action he has deemed necessary. Such are his duties to advise the crown. It feels to me like he is by and large the true hand of power in this city.

I wonder very much if that will continue. He is old now. His head aches. He is a morally gray character. Due to the challenges of power and, perhaps, the silence of the gods in the face of any supplications? We’ll see.

He has evidently made mistakes in the past. He has been unable to save those in his charge from an untimely demise. The voices of these children haunt him in the palace grounds. He is slipping, and I do not mean on the tiled path…

This teems with intrigue! But I do think this opening would have been more effective if it had been more focused on its purpose and divulging in its exposition.

It introduces our Holy man, the droughts and famine of the city, the sacrifices (were not told what they are) of the people, a letter our MC has written & his lies that have convinced the king to do something, the idea that our holy man only does things to benefit himself…

The ghosts of the past (royal children dead, our holy man’s failure), the King's children, tension in the royal house re: the religions the children are taught, the Queen’s religion, her being from a different people, question of inheritance, the talk and play of the children…

I am sure none of these things are unimportant. I am sure it all matters. It all feels real, and it is all interesting. But I also feel it is leading me away from what is essential to this opening: a city in turmoil, sacrifice (of some kind), our holy man, the king, and a lie.

The ghosts of the past are, I presume, not only failures in our holy man’s past but also somehow connected to the choices before him. Is he choosing better now? Is he making the same mistakes? I’m not sure. But I’m eager to find out.

This feels like a unique and mature story wrapped in the intrigues of power. I can little guess just what will happen next, but this opening nonetheless creates a great sense of anticipation. The writing and characters are strong and well crafted. I’m in!

[Torri Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 honestly one of the most difficult reads I’ve done. Started out so hard to follow but has become an absolute favourite with some of my most hated characters. Absolute incredible writing with so much detail I can’t wait for the second one

[Susan Maxwell]

This, oddly enough, was a DNF; oddly, because it is very well written, and also the setting—a low-fantasy world based on the Punic Wars—is an immediate attraction. The problem for the present reader is a book of this length where the narrative driver is not shaping up to be of pressing interest. It would take a lot to win a commitment to read a story of over 300,000 words, and the fate of a royal family—even with repercussions for everyone else—does not cut it for me. Though the writing is very good, it is not at the level of those writers (a list in single figures) whose writing alone would be sustenance enough.

That any book needs to be 300k words long is a difficult argument, even without attributing any validity to market-driven ‘rules’ about length; a novel is the map, not the territory. This one doesn’t drag exactly, but it is slow, and even if a reader is not insistent on a particular form of narrative arc (conflict, resolution, all the rest of it), reading a book that feels more like an experiential history lesson is quite a different thing to reading a story.

The point of view changes frequently, but this is a very effective approach, layering up a world. The narrative is sprawling (in terms of the cast of characters), far-reaching (in terms of the scale of the location being drawn into the action), and complex (in terms of the number of threads feeding into the story, and the complexity of the result). Nearly four hundred pages in, there is not a very strong sense of how, or even if, these stories and their protagonists are going to come together. On one hand, this is very realistic, in that most people living through interesting times are just tottering along trying to get by, and are not involved in, or have no influence in, the larger currents of political and economic life. On the other, if the reader is spending a lot of time in the head of a character who, however full of action their lived experience, is not appealing to them, then it is hard to sustain an interest if the interconnectedness of things is not discernible. The difficulty for the present reader of remaining engaged is exacerbated by the fact that the inner lives and lived experiences of the rich and powerful are just not that interesting.

On Kobo, this book is 2488 pages—it would have to be irresistible on every count to win that kind of investment; that it didn’t is not surprising, despite its many strengths. A DNF, but also a recommend: the aspects that left this reviewer behind will hit the sweet spot for many other readers.

[Noel Heartstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly engrossing and detailed fantasy book on par with some of the greats in the genre. I read it as it was serialized before its formal publication and I am so glad I did. The world is very deep and rich, and it feels like you've really walked into Qemassen. The characters, locations and events jump off the page and grab you, and refuse to let you go from start to finish. The book is long but it's one of those books where you're grateful that it's so long, because it means there's so much of it to read and immerse yourselves in.

Steve Hugh Westenra is a particularly skilled character writer. The characters in the book, be they the main group of Qemassen's royal family and the people around them, or the more far flung characters with their own relationships, motivations, and cultural baggage, feel like real people with real problems, and that makes you want to cheer them on or boo them, depending on what they're doing. They're all flawed, interesting characters where even the ones you like will sometimes say or do things you wish they hadn't, but it always feels in character and realistic. Their relationships with each other are informed by a complex web of history and culture that Westenra is profoundly adept at showcasing without there being too much information on the page. So much of the story is told in what is hinted at and implied, and I think that's a very powerful talent.

The settings are based in real historical cultures with a fantasy twist and they feel very grounded. You can tell the author has done his research and really put together the most compelling world possible, and the magical elements throughout the book really pack a punch because they're sparse. I think a lot of fantasy writers prefer for it to be all magic all the time, but the way the unreal elements in this book are framed is so powerful and engrossing.

There's so much more to say about this book but I'd rather not spoil anything. I highly recommend spending some time in Qemassen for anyone who's looking for a book they can really disappear into for days!

[Ayrton Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another tough book to talk about, so I'll deviate from my usual and do a pros and cons list!

TLDR: It's a good book, very well written, but I didn't vibe with it as much.

Pros:
- The worldbuilding is incredible. Seriously. This book oozes it from every pore, and you can tell the author devoted a lot of time and effort into it. Simply amazing, chef's kiss.
- The characters. They're very diverse and most of them get amazing development, and there are lots of twists involving them.
- The vibes. I described this one to a friend as "Game of Thrones but toning down the sex and violence" and that description still holds true.

Cons:
- Again, the characters. A common pitfall for multi-POV stories is that sometimes some characters outshine others, and this is one such instance.
- The plot and pacing. Note: I do not say this to mean the plot is bad. It isn't, the premise is great and the plot is good, and I definitely do recommend it. But it has caveats. The problem is more like... some of the different POVs feel disjointed from each other for most of the book, in plot, setting and pacing, which sometimes made me feel like the book was grinding to a full halt. I understand that not every book should be fast-paced, but no book should ever feel slow, and this one felt slow at a few points. Which is a big problem when the book is also this long.

That being said, I did finish this chonker, so I think you should believe me when I tell you that it is a good book. Who knows, you probably might like it even more than I did and disagree with me on every level. Like I said, it has excellent worldbuilding, well-developed characters and LOTS of interesting intrigue, all wrapped up in Steve's superb prose, so it's still a solid 8/10.

[Mary Ann Marlowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wings of Ashtaroth is an absolutely stunning epic fantasy. Its scope is ambitious, spanning across multiple countries on the brink of a war that simmers as backdrop to the problems large and small of individual characters scattered across the landscape. Though this is a doorstopper of a book, it breezes by thanks to tight (but gorgeous) prose and chapters that read like short stories with compelling characters and captivating plots. I'm convinced Steve Westenra is a genius the way he builds this unique and detailed world, filled with disparate nationalities, religious structures, and competing power structures, both internal (chess game, vying for the throne/senate) and external (military maneuvering, fighting for land dominance). Add to this a bunch of gods, demons, ghosts, witches, and revenants with their own motivations, and it gets pretty wild. And yet, what I found so brilliant about this book was the importance of mundane, everyday goals. Yes, the crown prince is either mad or plagued by a demon, but he also just wants to be loved. Even though I might have said, "argh!" a time or two when a POV chapter ended on a shocking twist (a frequent occurrence), there wasn't a POV character I wasn't sympathetic to. Each revealed fascinating information (about a past family secret or a planned bit of treachery) that kept me enthralled. Honestly, this is the best fantasy I've read in a very long time, and I'm looking forward to more from this world.

[Maria Dong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equal parts beautiful, heart-breaking, and horrifying, the Wings of Ashtaroth takes all the good bits of the epic doorstopper fantasy novels from the late 90's/early 2000's and updates them with complex characters, an incredibly developed and expansive world, and some *heavy* political intrigue.

It's hard to explain what an absolute behemoth this book is--not just in actual size (talk about bang for the buck), but in both plot complexity and some very multilayered, raw themes that encourage us to dig deep and see issues from every side. You can really see Westenra's pedigree as a historian, linguist, and academic shining through on every page of this ambitious undertaking, and I totally recommend this book for any epic fantasy lovers that are finding themselves restless after so many repetitive sword and sorcery and generic quasi-pan-European settings.

(Also, the book is gloriously queer.)

[Catherine Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. It is full of well-drawn and psychologically believable characters. I really felt for all of them even when I didn't particularly like them, and when I did like them I felt really invested in what happened to them. You will be drawn into an ancient mediterranean-like world with fantasy elements. I am not a great reader of fantasy but this is great stuff anyway - it has lots to offer besides the fantasy element. There is politics, relationships, horror, fighting, loving and everything under the sun. It also makes you think about serious aspects of what it is to be human and humane.
If you liked Game of Thrones you will love this. It is better!

[Andre Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when a lengthier book grabs my attention from start to finish. The Wings of Ashtaroth, which weighs in at 400,000+ words, did exactly that with its superb blend of interesting characters, unpredictable plot turns, and well-crafted settings. If you're looking for an addictive fantasy read, this story's for you!

[C_menasian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much potential, I loved the writing style and the first half built up such an interesting story. However I feel like the ending fell flat for me, most of the war seemed to be off page and for how much plotting and build up we got it left me feeling a little disappointed. Overall I enjoyed my time and the world the author created was unique and immersive.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic fantasy with next level world building and interesting characters. It hooks you from the very beginning and only gets better.

[Mika Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic masterpiece - review to come

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had a nickel for every time there was a mute character who spoke in sign and controlled shadows, I’s have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it happened twice.

[A Night Bird]

My feelings about this book are both VERY good, and not quite so high. I really liked a handful of things about the characters. Some of them are really idealistic, with a firm grasp of their values, and not swayed from them at all but a consequentialist thinking (though others are definitely afflicted by that). I so rarely see characters so simple and committed in their values, who just do and FIGHT for what they see as good or what matters to them, no matter what they expect to happen or what they're told about duty, etc. that I REALLY loved this. Even in far less dark, "noblebright" books, I rarely see these sort of lovely characters - and I don't mean by this that the characters have no flaws. They do have their flaws, but I really loved that ferocity to fight and keep fighting no matter what, and the values, the way they see their world in good and evil, and some things are just evil no matter what.

At the same time, I think the book suffered greatly from being FAR gorier than it needed to be at times, and having a number of horror elements in several of the PoVs, forcing me to skim large portions of it. I thought at least one of the PoVs added little to the book except for a horror-fest. But that may be in part be because I couldn't read it very well due to the horror.

Full review here: https://enthralledbylove.com/2023/07/...

[S.A. Tholin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read!

People sometimes say they avoid big books because of the time commitment. I've never understood that - when something is as brilliant as The Wings of Ashtaroth, why would you ever want it to end? I loved every moment of my time in Qemassen (and beyond).

It's an uncompromising, sprawling epic, an absolute masterclass in worldbuilding, equally powerful both in its many beautiful subtle moments and its emotional gut punches. The plot never ceases to intrigue and the characters are incredibly alive, but in a way that doesn't even matter - the prose is so strong, Westenra's voice so unique, that I felt swept along from beginning to end.

Very much look forward to more books from this writer!