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Theatre of the Gods
A space-opera, a philosophical quest, a steampunk adventure of epic proportions.
This is the story of M. Francisco Fabrigas, explorer, philosopher, heretical physicist, who took a shipful of children on a frightening voyage to the next dimension, assisted by a teenaged Captain, a brave deaf boy, a cunning blind girl, and a sultry botanist, all the while pursued by the Pope of the universe and a well-dressed mesmerist.
Dark plots, demonic cults, murderous jungles, quantum mayhem, the birth of creation, the death of time, and a creature called the Sweety: all this and more waits beyond the veil of reality.
This is the story of M. Francisco Fabrigas, explorer, philosopher, heretical physicist, who took a shipful of children on a frightening voyage to the next dimension, assisted by a teenaged Captain, a brave deaf boy, a cunning blind girl, and a sultry botanist, all the while pursued by the Pope of the universe and a well-dressed mesmerist.
Dark plots, demonic cults, murderous jungles, quantum mayhem, the birth of creation, the death of time, and a creature called the Sweety: all this and more waits beyond the veil of reality.
622 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2013
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June 7, 2016
I read this as part of the #tometopple readathon.
This book is truly quite mad and the various blurbs on the book definitely are true (Tor states it's a, 'Mad bastard of a book!') I had wanted to get to this for a fair while as I'd not heard anyone else talk about it, and I was fairly sure it would be something I would fall in love with. I wasn't wrong, this is witty, batty, funny and mad, all whilst blending adventures through various worlds, galaxies, dimensions and including steampunk elements too. Basically there's a LOT going on in this, and a lot of it is so imaginative, that I was hooked throughout.
In this book we follow the story via a writer telling us the tale. Immediately upon entering the story we find out that this tale is being written on an abandoned moon in the midst of nowhere that our author has traced our main character to. He's living there in loneliness, old age, and madness, but our wonderful author has managed to extract his story over his time spent with him, and this is the story we are reading.
This book is made up of various different sections of the adventure interspersed with illustrations of crazy inventions, asides from the author commenting on the scene he describes, or backstory to explain actions of the characters. One of the elements I most enjoyed was the 'Little Page of Calmness' which is the very last page of the book and is simply there for the reader to flick to if they are feeling stressed or worried by the course of the story.
To be honest I think you're better off going into this book no knowing too much about where it will take you, but some of the things I most liked were:
- M. Francisco Fabrigas' invention of headphones which ONLY let in 'nice' noises, nothing such as noisy neighbours or annoying builders etc gets thorough, but you can still have a conversation with a friend or listen to calm birdsong etc. I definitely want one.
- I love the fact that we have flesh-machine blend people - they are certainly different and interesting becuase of how they are made up, and seeing the difference within people made of more flesh and those made of more machine was certainly intriguing and raised some moral debates I liked to ponder.
- Finding a young girl who is trapped in a block of ice, defrosting her, and seeing she's still alive and she's quite incredible...
All of these things happen very early in the book and give little about the plot away, but you can get a feeling from these what this book may involve (madness) and how entertaining you may find it (very). I think this has echoes and similarities to Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Mark Hodder, so if you like any of them you'll probably like this too :)
I will say that I am very eager to check out M. Suddain's new book (although it's not in this same genre I believe) as he's a great writer and one I certainly want to follow more. I look forward to that, and this one gets a 4*s from me in the meantime!
(oh and also ... homunculus - this will make sense if you read the book)
This book is truly quite mad and the various blurbs on the book definitely are true (Tor states it's a, 'Mad bastard of a book!') I had wanted to get to this for a fair while as I'd not heard anyone else talk about it, and I was fairly sure it would be something I would fall in love with. I wasn't wrong, this is witty, batty, funny and mad, all whilst blending adventures through various worlds, galaxies, dimensions and including steampunk elements too. Basically there's a LOT going on in this, and a lot of it is so imaginative, that I was hooked throughout.
In this book we follow the story via a writer telling us the tale. Immediately upon entering the story we find out that this tale is being written on an abandoned moon in the midst of nowhere that our author has traced our main character to. He's living there in loneliness, old age, and madness, but our wonderful author has managed to extract his story over his time spent with him, and this is the story we are reading.
This book is made up of various different sections of the adventure interspersed with illustrations of crazy inventions, asides from the author commenting on the scene he describes, or backstory to explain actions of the characters. One of the elements I most enjoyed was the 'Little Page of Calmness' which is the very last page of the book and is simply there for the reader to flick to if they are feeling stressed or worried by the course of the story.
To be honest I think you're better off going into this book no knowing too much about where it will take you, but some of the things I most liked were:
- M. Francisco Fabrigas' invention of headphones which ONLY let in 'nice' noises, nothing such as noisy neighbours or annoying builders etc gets thorough, but you can still have a conversation with a friend or listen to calm birdsong etc. I definitely want one.
- I love the fact that we have flesh-machine blend people - they are certainly different and interesting becuase of how they are made up, and seeing the difference within people made of more flesh and those made of more machine was certainly intriguing and raised some moral debates I liked to ponder.
- Finding a young girl who is trapped in a block of ice, defrosting her, and seeing she's still alive and she's quite incredible...
All of these things happen very early in the book and give little about the plot away, but you can get a feeling from these what this book may involve (madness) and how entertaining you may find it (very). I think this has echoes and similarities to Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Mark Hodder, so if you like any of them you'll probably like this too :)
I will say that I am very eager to check out M. Suddain's new book (although it's not in this same genre I believe) as he's a great writer and one I certainly want to follow more. I look forward to that, and this one gets a 4*s from me in the meantime!
(oh and also ... homunculus - this will make sense if you read the book)
June 14, 2013
First of all, just to get it out of the way... homunculus. Now that's done with, we can get on with it.
The Theatre of the Gods tries to be so many things at once by employing a wizard's deck of literary tricks. I can't say they were all successful, but I was thoroughly entertained. The sheer inventiveness of Suddain's universe or, rather, universes, overcomes the sometimes lame dialogue and some redundant scenes.I know this can, and will be refined in subsequent contributions to the literary world. Just a recap the book description doesn't justify:
Fabrigas is propelled reluctantly (in fact he is outright against it) by a hideous Queen into a mission to enter the next universe in a pirate ship piloted by the most notorious ship captain, the Necronaut. There is a plot to summon an eldritch horror from another universe, and the childish Pope, the third greatest scourge of the universe is sent after the Necronaut! Their true target is not Fabrigas, but a top-secret file and a green skinned girl on the Necronaut's ship! To top it all off, mysterious starfishes find themselves all over the place.
They encounter horrors and joys alike that draw inspiration from so many popular culture sources that my brain can't get a handle on it. Possible influences, right off the top of my head, Douglas Adams, Mike Resnick, M John Harrison (the ending is resonant of his space opera, Light) mythology, real-life individuals, LOTR? It all ends suggestive of a sequel, and I truly look forward to immersing myself once more in M Suddain's marvelous work of imagination.
The Theatre of the Gods tries to be so many things at once by employing a wizard's deck of literary tricks. I can't say they were all successful, but I was thoroughly entertained. The sheer inventiveness of Suddain's universe or, rather, universes, overcomes the sometimes lame dialogue and some redundant scenes.I know this can, and will be refined in subsequent contributions to the literary world. Just a recap the book description doesn't justify:
Fabrigas is propelled reluctantly (in fact he is outright against it) by a hideous Queen into a mission to enter the next universe in a pirate ship piloted by the most notorious ship captain, the Necronaut. There is a plot to summon an eldritch horror from another universe, and the childish Pope, the third greatest scourge of the universe is sent after the Necronaut! Their true target is not Fabrigas, but a top-secret file and a green skinned girl on the Necronaut's ship! To top it all off, mysterious starfishes find themselves all over the place.
They encounter horrors and joys alike that draw inspiration from so many popular culture sources that my brain can't get a handle on it. Possible influences, right off the top of my head, Douglas Adams, Mike Resnick, M John Harrison (the ending is resonant of his space opera, Light) mythology, real-life individuals, LOTR? It all ends suggestive of a sequel, and I truly look forward to immersing myself once more in M Suddain's marvelous work of imagination.
April 5, 2018
I'm a sucker for some good meta-fiction in a book, so I was immediately hooked by the wonderful framing. This book, the paper copy in your hand, is supposedly a new edition of a previously suppressed hyper-dimensional text. Sadly the illustrations have been lost, but the user manual can still be found on the back page, and the original advertisements are also displayed. The story of mad scientist, M Francisco Fabrigas, is recounted by poet-in-exile and unwilling adventure-novelist Vulcannon, and recovered by Blacklist Publishing editor M. Suddain, saviour of obscure and orphaned books.
How could I not be charmed?
This massive door-stopper is a fantastically tangled snarl of a story. The bones are an adventure story in the best steampunk style: a future or alternate universe highly reminiscent of Victorian England filled to the brim with whimsical unexplained contraptions (the space ship has anti-crash bats in the nose; the scientist invents earplugs that only block annoying sounds), with mad-scientists, boy pilots, mysterious girls, lady botanists, assassins, sailors, man-eating plants, underground tunnels, pocket universes, space-battles, space-monsters, and space-pirates!
I think if it had stuck to being just a straight-up steampunk adventure story I might've liked it better, but this book is wildly ambitious and much, much more than just a madcap space adventure. Half the time it's utterly plotless, with the heroes tumbling out of the frying pan and into the fire in every chapter with new and unexpected horrors to distract them from their goals, and in the next moment some clever little piece of foreshadowing or callback knits it all neatly together. It's crammed full of neat little twists and turns and curios for the observant reader. But there is so much wild inventiveness, so often just for the sake of it, that I began to get a little whimsy-fatigue. Most of all with regards to the characters, who were such stylised eccentrics that I had a hard time caring about them as if they were real people, especially once it became clear that, like in super-hero comic books, nobody is necessarily really dead.
As well as a constant waterfall of mad ideas, the book was crammed full of references. Some of these were excellent fun, like our heroes discovering some very disappointing unicorns on an abandoned planet which are fat, insolent-looking creatures with wide, flat feet, grey, leathery skin folded over in places and studded with wiry hairs. Certainly the beats had horns upon their snouts, but the were black and stumpy, curved like an assassin's dagger.' And you realise that, like Marco Polo before them, our heroes have discovered rhinoceroses, and assumed it's a unicorn because of the horn!
But most of the references seemed rather pointless, for example: a dinner party conversation that turns to the finding of scientist Hammond May-Clarkson, who has released a paper claiming eating meat is good for you. So, yes, that's a reference to Top Gear, and I suppose the Top Gear lads are the sort who are pro-eating-meat for its manly qualities, but that's about it. There doesn't seem to be much point in referencing Top Gear here. It doesn't seem to mean anything.
And then some references were frankly off-putting, like this:
But why rework the opening of Lolita for the introduction of the Pope? What link is there between them? The mood of Lolita is so very different from the mood of this book, and indeed this chapter, that it's unnerving and jarring to have my attention diverted from one to the other.
On and on it goes, the sailors sea-shanties are reworking of modern pop songs, the chapter headings are riffs on popular TV episode headings, but what's the point, what does it mean, what does it add to the story? I can't help but feel that either I'm too stupid to understand, or this book is just too clever by half. In the end, the constant referencing detracted more than it added to the story by really destroying my sense of immersion. Often when I wasn't puzzling over why a particular reference had been made, I was puzzling over whether a particular turn of phrase was a reference to something I didn't know or whether I was just imagining a slight awkwardness.
But I don't want to do it down, the writing is wonderful. Aside from the crazy framing within framing, the language itself is gloriously luxurious, with sentences running all over the place and mad vocabulary raining from the sky. The author (that's the author Volcannon, not the author Suddain or Fabrigas, ok?) occasionally breaks off the story to chat directly to the reader, and regularly reminds you that every level of the narration is utterly unreliable. The prose seems like a living thing, a great plant that keeps throwing out stalks and tendrils of meandering observations and amusing asides. The verbal gymnastics are jolly fun: the heroes meet aliens who live in a marsh and so are called marshians. Get it? Marshians.
And just when it's all got a bit too bogged down in it's own cleverness then there will be a moment of sincerity in the ocean of artifice. I was genuinely touched by the thought of Fabrigas travelling out of his universe, only to arrive in another universe that was identical in every way, with no way to prove that he was a different Fabrigas he was left to struggle alone with the uncanny.
And the show was entirely stolen by The Well Dressed Man, who was a genuinely chilling and unpleasant adversary. It's worth reading the book just for him.
How could I not be charmed?
This massive door-stopper is a fantastically tangled snarl of a story. The bones are an adventure story in the best steampunk style: a future or alternate universe highly reminiscent of Victorian England filled to the brim with whimsical unexplained contraptions (the space ship has anti-crash bats in the nose; the scientist invents earplugs that only block annoying sounds), with mad-scientists, boy pilots, mysterious girls, lady botanists, assassins, sailors, man-eating plants, underground tunnels, pocket universes, space-battles, space-monsters, and space-pirates!
I think if it had stuck to being just a straight-up steampunk adventure story I might've liked it better, but this book is wildly ambitious and much, much more than just a madcap space adventure. Half the time it's utterly plotless, with the heroes tumbling out of the frying pan and into the fire in every chapter with new and unexpected horrors to distract them from their goals, and in the next moment some clever little piece of foreshadowing or callback knits it all neatly together. It's crammed full of neat little twists and turns and curios for the observant reader. But there is so much wild inventiveness, so often just for the sake of it, that I began to get a little whimsy-fatigue. Most of all with regards to the characters, who were such stylised eccentrics that I had a hard time caring about them as if they were real people, especially once it became clear that, like in super-hero comic books, nobody is necessarily really dead.
As well as a constant waterfall of mad ideas, the book was crammed full of references. Some of these were excellent fun, like our heroes discovering some very disappointing unicorns on an abandoned planet which are fat, insolent-looking creatures with wide, flat feet, grey, leathery skin folded over in places and studded with wiry hairs. Certainly the beats had horns upon their snouts, but the were black and stumpy, curved like an assassin's dagger.' And you realise that, like Marco Polo before them, our heroes have discovered rhinoceroses, and assumed it's a unicorn because of the horn!
But most of the references seemed rather pointless, for example: a dinner party conversation that turns to the finding of scientist Hammond May-Clarkson, who has released a paper claiming eating meat is good for you. So, yes, that's a reference to Top Gear, and I suppose the Top Gear lads are the sort who are pro-eating-meat for its manly qualities, but that's about it. There doesn't seem to be much point in referencing Top Gear here. It doesn't seem to mean anything.
And then some references were frankly off-putting, like this:
The pope. His holiness the Pope. Light of the universe, fire of our sins. He stood four foot ten in papal slippers, with a round face, pretty eyes and sandy-side-parted hair. He was Pope to most creatures. The Colonel in the services. The Devil in the conquered lands. 'His Craziness' in the learned taverns. But in earshot he was always His Holiness.
But why rework the opening of Lolita for the introduction of the Pope? What link is there between them? The mood of Lolita is so very different from the mood of this book, and indeed this chapter, that it's unnerving and jarring to have my attention diverted from one to the other.
On and on it goes, the sailors sea-shanties are reworking of modern pop songs, the chapter headings are riffs on popular TV episode headings, but what's the point, what does it mean, what does it add to the story? I can't help but feel that either I'm too stupid to understand, or this book is just too clever by half. In the end, the constant referencing detracted more than it added to the story by really destroying my sense of immersion. Often when I wasn't puzzling over why a particular reference had been made, I was puzzling over whether a particular turn of phrase was a reference to something I didn't know or whether I was just imagining a slight awkwardness.
But I don't want to do it down, the writing is wonderful. Aside from the crazy framing within framing, the language itself is gloriously luxurious, with sentences running all over the place and mad vocabulary raining from the sky. The author (that's the author Volcannon, not the author Suddain or Fabrigas, ok?) occasionally breaks off the story to chat directly to the reader, and regularly reminds you that every level of the narration is utterly unreliable. The prose seems like a living thing, a great plant that keeps throwing out stalks and tendrils of meandering observations and amusing asides. The verbal gymnastics are jolly fun: the heroes meet aliens who live in a marsh and so are called marshians. Get it? Marshians.
And just when it's all got a bit too bogged down in it's own cleverness then there will be a moment of sincerity in the ocean of artifice. I was genuinely touched by the thought of Fabrigas travelling out of his universe, only to arrive in another universe that was identical in every way, with no way to prove that he was a different Fabrigas he was left to struggle alone with the uncanny.
And the show was entirely stolen by The Well Dressed Man, who was a genuinely chilling and unpleasant adversary. It's worth reading the book just for him.
June 20, 2013
It’s the eternal question isn’t it, should we judge a book by its cover? Well, the book blurb for Theatre of the Gods does make some outrageous claims. I’m paraphrasing, but essentially we’re talking a surreal, mind-bending journey to the furthest reaches of the known universe and beyond. Sounds like a winner to me…oh go on then, let’s give it a shot.
This novel features quite a large cast of characters, all revolving around the quiet island of calm that is M. Fransisco Fabrigas. What can I say about Mr Fabrigas that hasn’t already been said? Joining other such curiously monikered luminaries as Zaphod Beeblebrox and Baron Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Munchausen, he is a gentleman shrouded in mystery. A platinum intergalactic rogue who never fully knows reveals what it is he is actually planning. There is a wonderfully anarchic air to the man that’s infectious. Above all that, and most importantly, he also enjoys a good soup which I can entirely respect.
"He is bearded. Never trust the beardy. They cast their beardy spells and listen to their beardy music and are profoundly insolent."*
Fabrigas does not travel alone in his adventures; there are a plethora of oddball characters to relish. The Necronaut, captain of the modestly named good ship Necronaut, is a dashing adventurer without equal. It’s probably worthwhile pointing out he is also a first class liar and womanising cad. Then there is Miss Maria Fritzacopple, space botanist with more than a few secrets up her sleeve. My personal favourites however were the ship’s bosun, Jacob Quickhatch and Lenore. Jacob is a man-mountain who’s not adverse to a good fight. I suppose it’s Lenore who really stands out though, she’s a strange one alright. Even now I’m not entirely sure who or what she was? Just a normal little girl, or possibly a slightly creepy homunculus. The jury is still out. Maybe we’ll never know?
I could try and explain the labyrinthine plot but things veer off on so many delightfully surreal tangents it would be utterly pointless. I wouldn’t wish to spoil the surprise for any potential reader. This is a book where the less you know going in the better. Think of yourself as an explorer and you’ll be fine. You just have to experience it, let it wash over you as it were. If you’re willing to take that chance then you can rest assured you’ll be in for a real treat. There is so much chaotic fun to be discovered. I fully expect readers will revisit this text again and again.
I’ve long considered the skill of writing genuinely amusing fiction, the darkest of alchemies. I’ve read a lot of fiction that raises a smile, much less which makes me laugh out loud. I can count on one hand the amount of novels that make me want to share a joke or witty one liner immediately. I’m so very pleased to report that Theatre of the Gods falls squarely into this last category. Some of the humour is in your face while other more subtle bon mots sneak up on you unexpectedly like a literary ninja. On more than one occasion my other half was prompted to ask the question “What’s making you titter like a schoolboy?” My advice, look out for the the sea shanties.
With an undeniably silly premise, but an absurd sense of joy, the author takes us on a journey across his slightly skewed vision of the cosmos. I do so love it when any writer wholly embraces the ludicrous. I was reminded of vintage Douglas Adams on more than one occasion.
"Everybody try to stay limp!"
Is it possible that the universal powers have finally seen fit to provide a natural successor to one of my favourite authors? Maybe, I shall certainly be watching what Matt Suddain does next with great interest. (Obviously, I mean his literary output. Anything else would be verging on stalking and probably be considered illegal and quite creepy).
Theatre of the Gods is published by Blacklist Publishing and is available from 27th June. I recommend strongly that you seek it out.
*Being somewhat beardy myself I can confirm this statement to be one hundred percent accurate.
This novel features quite a large cast of characters, all revolving around the quiet island of calm that is M. Fransisco Fabrigas. What can I say about Mr Fabrigas that hasn’t already been said? Joining other such curiously monikered luminaries as Zaphod Beeblebrox and Baron Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Munchausen, he is a gentleman shrouded in mystery. A platinum intergalactic rogue who never fully knows reveals what it is he is actually planning. There is a wonderfully anarchic air to the man that’s infectious. Above all that, and most importantly, he also enjoys a good soup which I can entirely respect.
"He is bearded. Never trust the beardy. They cast their beardy spells and listen to their beardy music and are profoundly insolent."*
Fabrigas does not travel alone in his adventures; there are a plethora of oddball characters to relish. The Necronaut, captain of the modestly named good ship Necronaut, is a dashing adventurer without equal. It’s probably worthwhile pointing out he is also a first class liar and womanising cad. Then there is Miss Maria Fritzacopple, space botanist with more than a few secrets up her sleeve. My personal favourites however were the ship’s bosun, Jacob Quickhatch and Lenore. Jacob is a man-mountain who’s not adverse to a good fight. I suppose it’s Lenore who really stands out though, she’s a strange one alright. Even now I’m not entirely sure who or what she was? Just a normal little girl, or possibly a slightly creepy homunculus. The jury is still out. Maybe we’ll never know?
I could try and explain the labyrinthine plot but things veer off on so many delightfully surreal tangents it would be utterly pointless. I wouldn’t wish to spoil the surprise for any potential reader. This is a book where the less you know going in the better. Think of yourself as an explorer and you’ll be fine. You just have to experience it, let it wash over you as it were. If you’re willing to take that chance then you can rest assured you’ll be in for a real treat. There is so much chaotic fun to be discovered. I fully expect readers will revisit this text again and again.
I’ve long considered the skill of writing genuinely amusing fiction, the darkest of alchemies. I’ve read a lot of fiction that raises a smile, much less which makes me laugh out loud. I can count on one hand the amount of novels that make me want to share a joke or witty one liner immediately. I’m so very pleased to report that Theatre of the Gods falls squarely into this last category. Some of the humour is in your face while other more subtle bon mots sneak up on you unexpectedly like a literary ninja. On more than one occasion my other half was prompted to ask the question “What’s making you titter like a schoolboy?” My advice, look out for the the sea shanties.
With an undeniably silly premise, but an absurd sense of joy, the author takes us on a journey across his slightly skewed vision of the cosmos. I do so love it when any writer wholly embraces the ludicrous. I was reminded of vintage Douglas Adams on more than one occasion.
"Everybody try to stay limp!"
Is it possible that the universal powers have finally seen fit to provide a natural successor to one of my favourite authors? Maybe, I shall certainly be watching what Matt Suddain does next with great interest. (Obviously, I mean his literary output. Anything else would be verging on stalking and probably be considered illegal and quite creepy).
Theatre of the Gods is published by Blacklist Publishing and is available from 27th June. I recommend strongly that you seek it out.
*Being somewhat beardy myself I can confirm this statement to be one hundred percent accurate.
September 16, 2020
Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.
Theatre of the Gods is yet another book that I would not buy for myself and only got to reading because I borrowed it from someone. It reaffirmed my previous belief that I'm just not into space stuff (be it books or movies). So, in a way, this is one of those "It's not you, it's me" scenarios.
The book was well written, with interesting tidbits of ads, songs, Easter eggs etc. It also tried to be funny, without making very outward ha-ha jokes, and while it succeeded in some places, in others it was more like "Oh, okay, I see what you tried to do there". I've noticed that the satirical humor is a trend among the sci-fi books I tend to pick up. Another example is Stanislaw Lem's The Star Diaries, which I found much funnier and original.
What I dislike about sci-fi, though, is how focused it becomes on making space fun and misses out on character development. Theatre of the Gods was not the worst in this aspect, it had interesting backstories for the characters, and at least attempted to have nice relationships between them, although they rang a bit hollow to me. It does seem to be the trend though - 70% space and explaining of the futuristic concept of the book, 20% adventures, 10% trying to build characters one cares for.
And when it comes to the adventures, this was what I liked the most. After I got through the immensely boring first part where a lot of space nonsense is happening, the rest of the parts were more adventure-driven, with some character-focus, and those read more like a fairytale/fantasy book, so I read them much more quickly and with more interest.
If you're into sci-fi, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to you, though. I think that for real fans it could be a great gem. Just not my personal thing.
Before I forget, homunuculus.
Theatre of the Gods is yet another book that I would not buy for myself and only got to reading because I borrowed it from someone. It reaffirmed my previous belief that I'm just not into space stuff (be it books or movies). So, in a way, this is one of those "It's not you, it's me" scenarios.
The book was well written, with interesting tidbits of ads, songs, Easter eggs etc. It also tried to be funny, without making very outward ha-ha jokes, and while it succeeded in some places, in others it was more like "Oh, okay, I see what you tried to do there". I've noticed that the satirical humor is a trend among the sci-fi books I tend to pick up. Another example is Stanislaw Lem's The Star Diaries, which I found much funnier and original.
What I dislike about sci-fi, though, is how focused it becomes on making space fun and misses out on character development. Theatre of the Gods was not the worst in this aspect, it had interesting backstories for the characters, and at least attempted to have nice relationships between them, although they rang a bit hollow to me. It does seem to be the trend though - 70% space and explaining of the futuristic concept of the book, 20% adventures, 10% trying to build characters one cares for.
And when it comes to the adventures, this was what I liked the most. After I got through the immensely boring first part where a lot of space nonsense is happening, the rest of the parts were more adventure-driven, with some character-focus, and those read more like a fairytale/fantasy book, so I read them much more quickly and with more interest.
If you're into sci-fi, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to you, though. I think that for real fans it could be a great gem. Just not my personal thing.
Before I forget, homunuculus.
December 24, 2016
„Студио Арт Лайн” отдавна се е превърнало в едно от любимите издателства на родния фендъм. От комикси и манга, през подбран Young Adult, до епично фентъзи и... хиляди страници стиймпънк! „Арена на боговете” на Мат Съдейн попада в тази категория, но далеч не само. Всъщност, май за този роман е нужна нова категория. Нещо, което се получава, когато сипеш в блендера Дъглас Адамс, Феликс Палма, Леиджи Матсумото, Алехандро Ходоровски... и после включиш на максимална скорост! Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
August 24, 2015
For starters homunculus, now let us continue.
This book is ethereal, elegant and inspiring. Honestly one of the greatest books I have ever had the pleasure to read. The writing is stunning and eloquent. the characters are detailed but also very relatable and human. The humour is one point forcing me to read out passages to my family and friends. The symbolism is just brilliant paired with a awesome fantasy world making it a fantastic read.
This book is ethereal, elegant and inspiring. Honestly one of the greatest books I have ever had the pleasure to read. The writing is stunning and eloquent. the characters are detailed but also very relatable and human. The humour is one point forcing me to read out passages to my family and friends. The symbolism is just brilliant paired with a awesome fantasy world making it a fantastic read.
hiatus
July 24, 2013This was an impulse purchase, and as of p. 87 I'm really thinking it was a bad one. I might go back and finish it someday, but I don't feel like it now.
This is a sci-fi comedy set in a far-future universe bursting with absurd details, where almost every paragraph shows you a new and massively improbable element of the setting. Suddain clearly wants to be something like Douglas Adams with much less restraint. That sounds like a fun enough pitch to me. The problem is simple: he isn't funny.
Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that. It's not that Suddain makes bad jokes -- it's more that he doesn't really make fully-formed jokes at all. It's as if he had written a comedy and then removed all the actual humor, leaving only a vaguely comedic atmosphere behind. I can't tell whether Suddain thinks he's funnier than he is, or whether that comedic-without-being-funny thing is what he's actually going for, but either way his book isn't very enjoyable.
You know that feeling when you're halfway to coming up with a joke, where you know there's a funny joke waiting to be constructed in a given area of conceptual territory, but you haven't actually constructed it yet? "Yes, let's see . . . it's a space opera . . . and people quote the Talking Heads . . . I know there's something here . . . hmmmmmm . . . " Theatre of the Gods is a book that reads like it was written entirely while in that mental state. The material's all good, but Suddain doesn't do anything with it.
That Talking Heads example is actually from the book. Sometimes characters will make statements of the form "This is not my beautiful [X]! This is not my beautiful [Y]!" Is this really supposed to be funny? That's not a rhetorical question -- I literally can't tell. On the one hand, I have a hard time imagining a person who would actually laugh just because an author quoted the lyrics to Once In A Lifetime. On the other hand, I can't see what other purpose the reference serves.
As I said, it's not that the territory is bad. It'd be funny if, say, Talking Lyrics had been adopted in the future as religious proverbs, and that's why people recite them in emotional moments. (I actually kind of hope there is an explanation like that, and I just didn't get far enough in the book to encounter it.) But no, there's just that naked reference. At the beginning of the book there's a scene with two spaceships named the "MOS-DEF" and the "Vangelis." Why?
Or here's another example: the main character, M. Francisco Fabrigas, is a brilliant scientist who everyone keeps mistaking for a wizard, because he's such a great scientist that he can perform feats of engineering that look like magic, and also because he looks like a wizard, with a long beard and robes and all. Is this a funny concept? Potentially! But all that comes from it is Fabrigas yelling a lot of stuff like "I . . . am not . . . a WIZARD!" Is that a funny line? Could it be, to someone? Maybe because of, like . . . the capital letters? I'm grasping at straws here! The whole book's like this!
(Now I'm really hoping someone who's finished this book will come along and tell me it gets better so I can feel better about the money I spent on it.)
This is a sci-fi comedy set in a far-future universe bursting with absurd details, where almost every paragraph shows you a new and massively improbable element of the setting. Suddain clearly wants to be something like Douglas Adams with much less restraint. That sounds like a fun enough pitch to me. The problem is simple: he isn't funny.
Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that. It's not that Suddain makes bad jokes -- it's more that he doesn't really make fully-formed jokes at all. It's as if he had written a comedy and then removed all the actual humor, leaving only a vaguely comedic atmosphere behind. I can't tell whether Suddain thinks he's funnier than he is, or whether that comedic-without-being-funny thing is what he's actually going for, but either way his book isn't very enjoyable.
You know that feeling when you're halfway to coming up with a joke, where you know there's a funny joke waiting to be constructed in a given area of conceptual territory, but you haven't actually constructed it yet? "Yes, let's see . . . it's a space opera . . . and people quote the Talking Heads . . . I know there's something here . . . hmmmmmm . . . " Theatre of the Gods is a book that reads like it was written entirely while in that mental state. The material's all good, but Suddain doesn't do anything with it.
That Talking Heads example is actually from the book. Sometimes characters will make statements of the form "This is not my beautiful [X]! This is not my beautiful [Y]!" Is this really supposed to be funny? That's not a rhetorical question -- I literally can't tell. On the one hand, I have a hard time imagining a person who would actually laugh just because an author quoted the lyrics to Once In A Lifetime. On the other hand, I can't see what other purpose the reference serves.
As I said, it's not that the territory is bad. It'd be funny if, say, Talking Lyrics had been adopted in the future as religious proverbs, and that's why people recite them in emotional moments. (I actually kind of hope there is an explanation like that, and I just didn't get far enough in the book to encounter it.) But no, there's just that naked reference. At the beginning of the book there's a scene with two spaceships named the "MOS-DEF" and the "Vangelis." Why?
Or here's another example: the main character, M. Francisco Fabrigas, is a brilliant scientist who everyone keeps mistaking for a wizard, because he's such a great scientist that he can perform feats of engineering that look like magic, and also because he looks like a wizard, with a long beard and robes and all. Is this a funny concept? Potentially! But all that comes from it is Fabrigas yelling a lot of stuff like "I . . . am not . . . a WIZARD!" Is that a funny line? Could it be, to someone? Maybe because of, like . . . the capital letters? I'm grasping at straws here! The whole book's like this!
(Now I'm really hoping someone who's finished this book will come along and tell me it gets better so I can feel better about the money I spent on it.)
September 28, 2019
Oh, I know, I know, I know, this is all hellishly confusing. A man arrives in a space-saucer and claims to have travelled from another universe - a universe identical to this one - except that he has already left to travel to the next universe. He is thrown into prison for cosmic heresy, later freed on a trumped-up exoneration based largely on a dream about a starfish and a giant clam. Ah! It is infinitely confounding.
Ļoti episks, asprātīgs un filozofisks piedzīvojums kosmosā, pilns ar visādiem absurdiem notikumiem un neticamiem pavērsiniem.
Stāsts tiešām spēj apmulsināt lasītāju ar savu neierasto stilu, bet tas pilnīgi noteikti ir lasīšanas vērts.
Nabaga vecajam zinātniekam M. F. Fabrigas ir jādodas ceļojumā uz citu visumu, lai gan patiesībā viņš vēlas tikai un vienīgi atdusēties mierā (vai vismaz dzīvot mierā, jo nāve nenāk pat saukta), bet Imperatores pavēle ir Imperatores pavēle. Tad nu vecajam, nogurušajam vīram ir jāgādā sev komanda un kuģis, lai dotos ceļā kā likts (vai arī vismaz jāliek tam tā izskatīties).
Protams, ne visi ir sajūsmā par šo misiju. Tā apdraud visādas politiskas intrigas, nemaz nerunājot par tiem dieviem, kas neatbalsta vairāk kā viena visuma eksistenci, tāpēc šo piedzīvojumu ir jāaptur pēc iespējas ātrāk, pat tad ja Pāvestam pašam jādodas uz citu visumu krusta karā, lai novērstu šīs ķecerīgās iedomas par citu visumu eksistenci! Nemaz nerunāsim par pakaļ sūtītajām pasūtījumu slepkavām, jo tā nu ir sagadījies, ka šī Imperatores misija ir tikusi pie dažiem ļoti vērtīgiem bezbiļetniekiem.
Tā nu vecais ļoti neparastā kompānijā šķērso visumu, cīnās ar milzīgiem gaļēdāj augiem, veic (zinātniski izskaidrotu) eksorcismu milzīga briesmoņa vēderā, mēģina parūpēties par diviem ļoti neparastiem bērniem un dara vēl daudz visādu mazāk vai vairāk absurdu lietu, kas kopā veido ļoti aizraujošu un vēl neredzētu piedzīvojumu. Un tas viss tikai viena Imperatores sapņa dēļ! [Homunculus.]
Ļoti episks, asprātīgs un filozofisks piedzīvojums kosmosā, pilns ar visādiem absurdiem notikumiem un neticamiem pavērsiniem.
Stāsts tiešām spēj apmulsināt lasītāju ar savu neierasto stilu, bet tas pilnīgi noteikti ir lasīšanas vērts.
Nabaga vecajam zinātniekam M. F. Fabrigas ir jādodas ceļojumā uz citu visumu, lai gan patiesībā viņš vēlas tikai un vienīgi atdusēties mierā (vai vismaz dzīvot mierā, jo nāve nenāk pat saukta), bet Imperatores pavēle ir Imperatores pavēle. Tad nu vecajam, nogurušajam vīram ir jāgādā sev komanda un kuģis, lai dotos ceļā kā likts (vai arī vismaz jāliek tam tā izskatīties).
Protams, ne visi ir sajūsmā par šo misiju. Tā apdraud visādas politiskas intrigas, nemaz nerunājot par tiem dieviem, kas neatbalsta vairāk kā viena visuma eksistenci, tāpēc šo piedzīvojumu ir jāaptur pēc iespējas ātrāk, pat tad ja Pāvestam pašam jādodas uz citu visumu krusta karā, lai novērstu šīs ķecerīgās iedomas par citu visumu eksistenci! Nemaz nerunāsim par pakaļ sūtītajām pasūtījumu slepkavām, jo tā nu ir sagadījies, ka šī Imperatores misija ir tikusi pie dažiem ļoti vērtīgiem bezbiļetniekiem.
Tā nu vecais ļoti neparastā kompānijā šķērso visumu, cīnās ar milzīgiem gaļēdāj augiem, veic (zinātniski izskaidrotu) eksorcismu milzīga briesmoņa vēderā, mēģina parūpēties par diviem ļoti neparastiem bērniem un dara vēl daudz visādu mazāk vai vairāk absurdu lietu, kas kopā veido ļoti aizraujošu un vēl neredzētu piedzīvojumu. Un tas viss tikai viena Imperatores sapņa dēļ! [Homunculus.]
June 10, 2016
A review of 'Theatre of the Gods' describes it as being 'A mad bastard of a book' and after having read it I can not help but agree with that. If you like science fiction with a touch of random humour, a little like Douglas Adam's 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' or Ray Bradbury's 'The Martian Chronicles' but with an elaborate plot line like Sheri S. Tepper's 'The Margarets' with a vast array of colourful characters, then this book is definitely up your street.
'Theatre of Gods' tends to revolve primarily around the explorer, scientist and possibly the most intelligent man in the entire universe, M. Francisco Fabrigas and his voyage to another universe. With him is a spirited, gloomy teenage Captain Lambestyo (aka. The Necronaut), a young deaf boy Roberto who is essentially a high functioning smart computer, an all-seeing blind girl Lenore who is destined to be the most powerful being in the entire universe, a stealthy botanist who has a tendency to wander off frequently as well as a host of many more vibrant and interesting characters.
The actual plot is much too difficult to explain or describe clearly but essentially dark forces are at work and want Lenore and Roberto dead. They manage to escape being captive and thus wind up accompanying Fabrigas on his voyage to another universe, which he constantly keeps telling the crew will not work even though he himself has successfully jumped across universes before! This is only the beginning, the very start of an adventure across space and time to strange moons and planets, all of which tend to have the same goal-to kill Fabrigas and his crew mercilessly. Much of the story revolves around their constant haphazard escapades from one world to another with the plot thickening, chapter by chapter.
Although the book took me a while to read, it is simply because I found it so ridiculously entertaining that I had to pause every once in a while to really process the events which had taken place! There's a constant feeling of 'Really? That happened?! What?!' all the time but the way the story is so barmy yet intricately woven is seamless. Much credit to the author for creating such a book because it is a true rarity. Can not wait to read the sequel to this!
'Theatre of Gods' tends to revolve primarily around the explorer, scientist and possibly the most intelligent man in the entire universe, M. Francisco Fabrigas and his voyage to another universe. With him is a spirited, gloomy teenage Captain Lambestyo (aka. The Necronaut), a young deaf boy Roberto who is essentially a high functioning smart computer, an all-seeing blind girl Lenore who is destined to be the most powerful being in the entire universe, a stealthy botanist who has a tendency to wander off frequently as well as a host of many more vibrant and interesting characters.
The actual plot is much too difficult to explain or describe clearly but essentially dark forces are at work and want Lenore and Roberto dead. They manage to escape being captive and thus wind up accompanying Fabrigas on his voyage to another universe, which he constantly keeps telling the crew will not work even though he himself has successfully jumped across universes before! This is only the beginning, the very start of an adventure across space and time to strange moons and planets, all of which tend to have the same goal-to kill Fabrigas and his crew mercilessly. Much of the story revolves around their constant haphazard escapades from one world to another with the plot thickening, chapter by chapter.
Although the book took me a while to read, it is simply because I found it so ridiculously entertaining that I had to pause every once in a while to really process the events which had taken place! There's a constant feeling of 'Really? That happened?! What?!' all the time but the way the story is so barmy yet intricately woven is seamless. Much credit to the author for creating such a book because it is a true rarity. Can not wait to read the sequel to this!
July 10, 2016
A beautifully flawed work of near-genius, Theatre of the Gods is spectacularly ambitious and at times delivers on that promise with gusto. A sort of steampunk sci fi space opera with roots in Douglas Adams but very much its own beast, this thing thunders along dragging the hapless reader in its wake. Often baffling, frequently amusing, unexpectedly poignant and particularly, almost offensively, original and inventive.
Want to read
December 28, 2015I'm salivating at the sound of this book! I think I just shoved all of my other to-read books out of the way for this baby right here. Must read, ASAP.
November 13, 2018
What a weird and wonderful book! It does veer of-target somewhere in the middle, and really there are several sections which don't add anything, but as a Swiftian adventure, with a cast of strange characters, and a wonderful and amusing style, it is great.
I should probably add a homunculus to that, but I'm as rebel, so i won't.
And yes, that's exactly how much of a mad bastard this book is. You won't regret it.
Until you do.
I should probably add a homunculus to that, but I'm as rebel, so i won't.
And yes, that's exactly how much of a mad bastard this book is. You won't regret it.
Until you do.
September 12, 2017
See my other reviews at Never Enough Books
This is the tale of an explorer, a philosopher, and a heretic; who all happen to be the same person.
M. Francisco Fabrigas leads a ship in a daring voyage to the next dimension with a seventeen year old Captain, a young boy who is a walking computer, a blind girl who knows more than she lets on, and a botanist who has more than a few secrets of her own. All this while being chased by the Pope of the Universe and a Well Dressed Man.
Several reviewers have compared Theatre of the Gods to the series Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and I could not agree more. Epic in scope with a wry sense of humor, Theatre of the Gods is an enjoyable read.
If I had any issues with Theatre of the Gods, it would be with how long the book is. At just over 600 pages, even in paperback form it is a thick book to carry around. It could have easily been split in to two (or even three) books to make for easier reading. I have seen other long books given such treatment and believe Theatre of the Gods could use it as well.
Personally, I would like to see more from this author as Theatre of the Gods is the kind of book that is perfect for a sequel or two.
Fans of dry, British humor will likely enjoy Suddain’s novel. Those who enjoyed Hitchhiker’s Guide should try to find this one and give it a read.
This is the tale of an explorer, a philosopher, and a heretic; who all happen to be the same person.
M. Francisco Fabrigas leads a ship in a daring voyage to the next dimension with a seventeen year old Captain, a young boy who is a walking computer, a blind girl who knows more than she lets on, and a botanist who has more than a few secrets of her own. All this while being chased by the Pope of the Universe and a Well Dressed Man.
Several reviewers have compared Theatre of the Gods to the series Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and I could not agree more. Epic in scope with a wry sense of humor, Theatre of the Gods is an enjoyable read.
If I had any issues with Theatre of the Gods, it would be with how long the book is. At just over 600 pages, even in paperback form it is a thick book to carry around. It could have easily been split in to two (or even three) books to make for easier reading. I have seen other long books given such treatment and believe Theatre of the Gods could use it as well.
Personally, I would like to see more from this author as Theatre of the Gods is the kind of book that is perfect for a sequel or two.
Fans of dry, British humor will likely enjoy Suddain’s novel. Those who enjoyed Hitchhiker’s Guide should try to find this one and give it a read.
July 2, 2016
“Арена на боговете” е предизвикателство за всеки читател: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/a...
Нямам идея как да започна тоя текст. Не знам как да го продължа, а как ще завърши пък изобщо не ми увира главата. “Арена на боговете” на Мат Съдейн е една от най-странните и чалнати книги, които съм чел някога, а не са хич малко тоя тип, които съм разгръщал с невярващ поглед. Четох я около седмица, определено не е от книгите, които можеш да погълнеш на един дъх, вместо това налага собствен ритъм, с който трябва да се съобразиш. И сега, след като минаха няколко дни и поулегна в главата ми, продължавам да се чудя как точно да ви я представя. Да речем, че може да погледнем на нея и на автора ѝ по три начина:
Първият.
Книгата е 734 страници, солидна тухла с твърди корици. Но докато четеш, имаш чувството, че е била поне 1200, а сетне напосоки са били изрязани 500 страници, които биха дообяснили какво, по дяволите, се случва. Защото объркването е неминуемо.
Вторият.
Ето така изглежда една чернова от голям талант, която е имала щастието да не бъде жестоко орязана от всичко по-сложно и интересно в името по-лесната смилаемост от масовата публика.
Третият.
Мат Съдейн е още един извънземен, закъсал на Земята (след Д. А.).
Студио Арт Лайн
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/a...
Нямам идея как да започна тоя текст. Не знам как да го продължа, а как ще завърши пък изобщо не ми увира главата. “Арена на боговете” на Мат Съдейн е една от най-странните и чалнати книги, които съм чел някога, а не са хич малко тоя тип, които съм разгръщал с невярващ поглед. Четох я около седмица, определено не е от книгите, които можеш да погълнеш на един дъх, вместо това налага собствен ритъм, с който трябва да се съобразиш. И сега, след като минаха няколко дни и поулегна в главата ми, продължавам да се чудя как точно да ви я представя. Да речем, че може да погледнем на нея и на автора ѝ по три начина:
Първият.
Книгата е 734 страници, солидна тухла с твърди корици. Но докато четеш, имаш чувството, че е била поне 1200, а сетне напосоки са били изрязани 500 страници, които биха дообяснили какво, по дяволите, се случва. Защото объркването е неминуемо.
Вторият.
Ето така изглежда една чернова от голям талант, която е имала щастието да не бъде жестоко орязана от всичко по-сложно и интересно в името по-лесната смилаемост от масовата публика.
Третият.
Мат Съдейн е още един извънземен, закъсал на Земята (след Д. А.).
Студио Арт Лайн
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/a...
August 8, 2013
Great rip-roaring read! Very accomplished, plot zips along- a real page-turner. I loved the humour and the digressive style and there were some deft touches to the story writing that was quite surprising given this is a first novel. I'll definitely be looking out for this guy's work in the future.
January 20, 2018
Any ideas what is worse than dead fav character? A dead fav character who turns out to be alive only to die again. 👍🏻
June 9, 2025
Started and finished date - 03.06.25 to 05.06.25.
My rating - Three Stars.
I enjoyed is book but I didn't love it and I think people who like the Martian by Andy Weir may like is book also the cover of book was fine. The writing was okay but it was bit hard to follow and it took time to get used to also the ending of was fine. The world building was well done and The atmosphere was pretty good. The paced of plot was too slow for liking and the book had unsteady paced. The characters was okay but I mixed feeling about them and they need flash out bit more
My rating - Three Stars.
I enjoyed is book but I didn't love it and I think people who like the Martian by Andy Weir may like is book also the cover of book was fine. The writing was okay but it was bit hard to follow and it took time to get used to also the ending of was fine. The world building was well done and The atmosphere was pretty good. The paced of plot was too slow for liking and the book had unsteady paced. The characters was okay but I mixed feeling about them and they need flash out bit more
May 27, 2013
An outlandish otherworldly adventure that’s exciting, eccentric and brilliantly bold.
A Sci-fi, steampunk space Opera that transports you to far-away galaxies, overflowing with both the peculiar and the extraordinary. Suddain blends satirical clichés with dry-wit akin to that of Terry Pratchett, amidst an exquisitely told tale through space and time. Refreshingly original and ambitious this supremely singular novel is like nothing I have encountered before, as when I opened the first page I instantly knew that this was something very special. Besides containing inspired vision and cleverness, the author’s use of language reminded me of literary masterworks; such as TITUS GROAN (Mervyn Peake). The fluidity of the narrative is simply beautiful, with Suddain’s remarkable imaginings pushing the boundaries of fantasy.
This is the story of M. Fancisco Fabrigas who travels across the Universe and beyond the stars to discover the astonishing, bizarre and curious. Great armadas of Ships sail across the galaxy under orders from Queen Habitas X, whilst sinister mesmerists seek out those impressionable beings to corrupt. All the while scientist and day-dreamer Fabrigas looks on in wonder…
This exhilarating expedition into the mind of one of the most incomparable writer’s is an explosive edition to bookshops all over the country, which I would strongly urge to look out for. Intricately multi-layered and clever, within this delicately woven tapestry of interlinking events and innumerable characters dwells such ingenuity and flair as to rival many leading authors. Standing-out like a twinkling star this tale shines so brightly as to dazzle and delight, with the delicate illustrations within bringing the story to life. I am incredibly impressed by such an undeniably astounding accomplishment!
*I was sent an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of M. Suddain’s ‘Theatre of the Gods’ to read and review, for New books magazine*
www.newbooksmag.com
A Sci-fi, steampunk space Opera that transports you to far-away galaxies, overflowing with both the peculiar and the extraordinary. Suddain blends satirical clichés with dry-wit akin to that of Terry Pratchett, amidst an exquisitely told tale through space and time. Refreshingly original and ambitious this supremely singular novel is like nothing I have encountered before, as when I opened the first page I instantly knew that this was something very special. Besides containing inspired vision and cleverness, the author’s use of language reminded me of literary masterworks; such as TITUS GROAN (Mervyn Peake). The fluidity of the narrative is simply beautiful, with Suddain’s remarkable imaginings pushing the boundaries of fantasy.
This is the story of M. Fancisco Fabrigas who travels across the Universe and beyond the stars to discover the astonishing, bizarre and curious. Great armadas of Ships sail across the galaxy under orders from Queen Habitas X, whilst sinister mesmerists seek out those impressionable beings to corrupt. All the while scientist and day-dreamer Fabrigas looks on in wonder…
This exhilarating expedition into the mind of one of the most incomparable writer’s is an explosive edition to bookshops all over the country, which I would strongly urge to look out for. Intricately multi-layered and clever, within this delicately woven tapestry of interlinking events and innumerable characters dwells such ingenuity and flair as to rival many leading authors. Standing-out like a twinkling star this tale shines so brightly as to dazzle and delight, with the delicate illustrations within bringing the story to life. I am incredibly impressed by such an undeniably astounding accomplishment!
*I was sent an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of M. Suddain’s ‘Theatre of the Gods’ to read and review, for New books magazine*
www.newbooksmag.com
May 26, 2016
Author Matt Suddain shows writing prowess and certainly has stamina. This lengthy tome is thick with historical references and verbal showmanship. On the other hand, it lacks a sense of direction, which makes it hard to complete. There is comedy and humor throughout, a sense of delight in anachronisms and magical possibility. You could declare it to be steampunk, although there is not a steam engine to be heard, or you could call it space opera, but you could also call it an exercise in vocabulary and mood - one that almost works. The problem is that the artifice is too evident, and the characters too simplistic. We understand there is a prophecy, and that gives us the sense that we already know the novel's completion. We understand there are villains, but their motivation seems fanciful and far-fetched. It's even harder to understand the motivations of our colorful heroes and heroines, other than that powers from above the stage have predetermined their fates. Their fanciful cartoon personalities never completely come to life.
That being said, there is a lot of action, a lot of creativity, a multitude of adventures and some great premises in this novel. This author has the chops to be major player in sci-fi, possibly along the lines of Douglas Adams, but he needs to get us more involved with his characters and their personalities, rather than emphasizing their eccentricities for effect.
That being said, there is a lot of action, a lot of creativity, a multitude of adventures and some great premises in this novel. This author has the chops to be major player in sci-fi, possibly along the lines of Douglas Adams, but he needs to get us more involved with his characters and their personalities, rather than emphasizing their eccentricities for effect.
March 25, 2016
Author's a lunatic. Editor is missing in action, and that's good, because surely no editor would have allowed this rambling shambles to develop as well as it did - and that's no slight on editors.
Look, here's a sample: "The Black Widow had stolen a set of rocket wings from a papal guardsman and was now flying over the city towards the royal launch bays where she hoped to find her former friend ... and give him the box containing a universe containing a world containing the captain of a ship from the next universe - all before the poison she had inhaled killed her."
There are at least a dozen excellent characters here, a plot that hangs together even if it is beyond outlandish, and, amazingly, a resolution that accounts for all the loose ends. I think.
Mind-blowing. I await this author's next book.
But ... some of you won't like it. If this were food it would be a strong aged cheese.
And ... Homunculus. (And if you ask why everyone's saying that, "Read the book.")
Look, here's a sample: "The Black Widow had stolen a set of rocket wings from a papal guardsman and was now flying over the city towards the royal launch bays where she hoped to find her former friend ... and give him the box containing a universe containing a world containing the captain of a ship from the next universe - all before the poison she had inhaled killed her."
There are at least a dozen excellent characters here, a plot that hangs together even if it is beyond outlandish, and, amazingly, a resolution that accounts for all the loose ends. I think.
Mind-blowing. I await this author's next book.
But ... some of you won't like it. If this were food it would be a strong aged cheese.
And ... Homunculus. (And if you ask why everyone's saying that, "Read the book.")
September 13, 2014
This took me a month to read. I decided very quickly at the beginning not to try and understand what was going on but just hold on and enjoy the ride, and I think this strategy kept me going through the serpiginous first section where i might otherwise have given up. Really loved the characters and the comedy. Reminded me very much of Douglas Adams. My 18 year old daughter is very keen to read it after me, as she thinks it looks like a really cool book. Looking forward to the sequels. (Hope I've spell 'homunculus' correctly.) I recommend this book to all sci-fi fiends and those who enjoy comedy and wit (and astrophysics).
Read
July 25, 2018The bastard child of Douglas Adams, 40K and Talking Heads' 'Once in a Lifetime'. Before the book proper even began, the List of Illustrations (Missing From This Edition) had me in stitches on the train, and the other forematter continued in similar vein, which should be a good thing - but wasn't this going to be a bit much over 600+ pages? Fortunately, the tone does vary. Yes, spaceships called MOS-DEF and Vangelis soon turn up, followed by a world so baroque even the 41st millennium might think it was slightly over-egging the pudding. And yes, nearly every page had something I wanted to note for quotation...but there's just enough modulation to stop it feeling a chore. Admittedly, as with Suddain's other novel, Hunters and Collectors (with which this may or may not share a universe, or a multiverse - but once you start mucking around with multiverses, who's really counting?) it is perhaps a bit too long, and I did feel a lull setting in around halfway, and needed to take a break for something else. But try editing it into neatness and you'd lose the whole point of the exercise. And even after that there's plenty to enjoy – like the giant bees, and a particularly chilling crimewave, not to mention the homunculus. And of course the bears, just to keep things interesting. Gloriously, if unevenly, OTT.
February 27, 2022
Hmm. Struggling if I round down or up, to be honest. It's a solid 7/10 from my enjoyment, but Goodreads doesn't allow for that level of nuance (hah).
As a whole, it's vaguely enjoyable (it must be said my attention span is rather dire atm, so that may reflect my opinions). A universe spanning story in the style of Douglas, but perhaps with slightly too many asides for you to really bond with the characters.
It was interesting to read one of the other reviews and it's mention of references. When reading i accept anything and everything. So anything half referential tends to go over my head and accepted as world building of a sort.
The end is a curious thing. I'm not entirely sure I understand the choices made. At any rate, it's fun and absurd and quite light hearted, which I appreciated.
As a whole, it's vaguely enjoyable (it must be said my attention span is rather dire atm, so that may reflect my opinions). A universe spanning story in the style of Douglas, but perhaps with slightly too many asides for you to really bond with the characters.
It was interesting to read one of the other reviews and it's mention of references. When reading i accept anything and everything. So anything half referential tends to go over my head and accepted as world building of a sort.
The end is a curious thing. I'm not entirely sure I understand the choices made. At any rate, it's fun and absurd and quite light hearted, which I appreciated.
May 22, 2020
What a weird and wild ride.
There is very little that I can say to do the plot justice, honestly. It's about universe-hopping, space traveling, futurepunk/steampunk/neonpunk pirates. I mean, come on, what more do you need?
I will say, there were definitely moments that could have been trimmed. It was a bit on the long side for its contents but some of my favorite moments were actually the tangent, non-plot related chapters. And there were some completely gorgeous sentences peppered throughout.
Also - homunculus ✌️ ✌️ ✌️
There is very little that I can say to do the plot justice, honestly. It's about universe-hopping, space traveling, futurepunk/steampunk/neonpunk pirates. I mean, come on, what more do you need?
I will say, there were definitely moments that could have been trimmed. It was a bit on the long side for its contents but some of my favorite moments were actually the tangent, non-plot related chapters. And there were some completely gorgeous sentences peppered throughout.
Also - homunculus ✌️ ✌️ ✌️
August 29, 2018
While reading I had the thought that this book was both incredibly interesting and thought provoking as well as incredibly boring.
I liked parts of it, but Suddain's second book is a more worth while read.
Homunculus... just cause.
I liked parts of it, but Suddain's second book is a more worth while read.
Homunculus... just cause.
July 25, 2017
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14649798
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14649798
June 8, 2013
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/06/... - Read the Review Here.
“A wonderful, weird tale that stands in contention with The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher for being one of the most fun reads of 2013. A delight to read.” ~The Founding Fields
It was a bit of a surprise when this book turned up for me in the mail to review, because I’d never heard of the author nor the book itself before. But, the cover looked pretty awesome and the concept had me sold – I mean, I’ve never read a bad steampunk book yet (even if I haven’t read a lot of them) and when you combine steampunk with space opera you have the perfect setting for an entertaining book, my only fear being that it wouldn’t deliver on the premise. But deliver it did, and I really enjoyed what Suddain managed to produce, with the spectacular Theatre of the Gods keeping the author under my radar for any future novels that are released from him.
"Steampunk space opera? Damn right.
The fight begins! The Armadas of the universe set sail for the next dimension!
Who will succeed?
M. Francisco Fabrigas — scientist, explorer, ‘dreamer’ (fool), and perhaps the greatest human of all ages (fool) — with his shipful of slave children and mysterious stowaways?
The Pope of the Universe and the dastardly Fleet of the Nine Churches?
Her Majesty Queen Habitas X? (Glory Be To Her, Our Queen, For She Will Live Forever!)
Or a sinister well-dressed mesmerist, who is telling you what to think even now?
All we can promise is this — 170,000 ships depart for the Interior, and not one of them, not a single one of them, will return."
The concept is the most intriguing thing about the novel as well, but the characters themselves are also quite interesting. However, one alarming element that scores a point for Theatre of the Gods - is that it’s unlike any novel that I’ve ever read before. Seriously. Original, fresh and fun - Theatre of the Gods blends the two genres that you’d think could never be connected, steampunk and space-opera, along the same lines of Joss Whedon blending Western and Space Opera together to create Firefly. You’d think you’d never see a day when these two genres were combined – but that day has come. And it couldn’t ask for a better writer at the helm than Matt Suddain, who writes as though this is his 5th book as opposed to his first.
The book itself is incredibly complex. The prose is strong and the writing captivating, allowing for a very fun read. The book itself is – if the message already isn’t told by now – unique, full of wild concepts, great characters, a different way of storytelling and above all – fun. Seriously. If I hadn’t have already read The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher I’d be labelling Theatre of the Gods as my most fun reads of the year, but I think at the moment they’re both tied. I just love the way Suddain has crafted this book, with illustrations included – if you’re looking for something different from your average fantasy novel, then Matt Suddain is your go-to-guy. The writer is confidently impressing and manages to create a strong read with an excellent narrative style that some writers struggle to manage in their second or third go, let alone their first.
Universe exploration stories are always fun, and Theatre of the Gods is no different. Matt Suddain’s writing is compelling, the characters – particularly it’s lead, the explorer Francisco Fabrigas, are strong and the journey that the reader, as well as the character goes on – is an exploration indeed. There aren’t moments where the storytelling feels clumsy or awkward, and the pacing structure manages to keep you going, and this bold début manages to deliver with great confidence. Certainly, if I make a list for most surprising novel of 2013, Theatre of the Gods will be up there for sure. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be this good.
The Characterization is strong, vivid – Francisco Fabrigas certainly feels like the most developed, and the dialogue is fun and it never feels unrealistic, allowing for the book to be strong in several aspects. The cover art is also spectacular as well – it was one of the things that sold me on this book. I mean, how often do you see a ship that is decidedly not your typical spaceship, floating through space? It certainly beats the traditional man-with-a-hood covers that seem to be a common staple in fantasy these days, and was also one of the things that had me sold on the book.
And therefore, in conclusion – there’s only one thing left to say. Upon the release of Theatre of the Gods, buy it, read it and enjoy it. Matt Suddain is an incredibly gifted author and I’m really looking forward to what he can throw at the reader next.
VERDICT: 4/5
“A wonderful, weird tale that stands in contention with The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher for being one of the most fun reads of 2013. A delight to read.” ~The Founding Fields
It was a bit of a surprise when this book turned up for me in the mail to review, because I’d never heard of the author nor the book itself before. But, the cover looked pretty awesome and the concept had me sold – I mean, I’ve never read a bad steampunk book yet (even if I haven’t read a lot of them) and when you combine steampunk with space opera you have the perfect setting for an entertaining book, my only fear being that it wouldn’t deliver on the premise. But deliver it did, and I really enjoyed what Suddain managed to produce, with the spectacular Theatre of the Gods keeping the author under my radar for any future novels that are released from him.
"Steampunk space opera? Damn right.
The fight begins! The Armadas of the universe set sail for the next dimension!
Who will succeed?
M. Francisco Fabrigas — scientist, explorer, ‘dreamer’ (fool), and perhaps the greatest human of all ages (fool) — with his shipful of slave children and mysterious stowaways?
The Pope of the Universe and the dastardly Fleet of the Nine Churches?
Her Majesty Queen Habitas X? (Glory Be To Her, Our Queen, For She Will Live Forever!)
Or a sinister well-dressed mesmerist, who is telling you what to think even now?
All we can promise is this — 170,000 ships depart for the Interior, and not one of them, not a single one of them, will return."
The concept is the most intriguing thing about the novel as well, but the characters themselves are also quite interesting. However, one alarming element that scores a point for Theatre of the Gods - is that it’s unlike any novel that I’ve ever read before. Seriously. Original, fresh and fun - Theatre of the Gods blends the two genres that you’d think could never be connected, steampunk and space-opera, along the same lines of Joss Whedon blending Western and Space Opera together to create Firefly. You’d think you’d never see a day when these two genres were combined – but that day has come. And it couldn’t ask for a better writer at the helm than Matt Suddain, who writes as though this is his 5th book as opposed to his first.
The book itself is incredibly complex. The prose is strong and the writing captivating, allowing for a very fun read. The book itself is – if the message already isn’t told by now – unique, full of wild concepts, great characters, a different way of storytelling and above all – fun. Seriously. If I hadn’t have already read The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher I’d be labelling Theatre of the Gods as my most fun reads of the year, but I think at the moment they’re both tied. I just love the way Suddain has crafted this book, with illustrations included – if you’re looking for something different from your average fantasy novel, then Matt Suddain is your go-to-guy. The writer is confidently impressing and manages to create a strong read with an excellent narrative style that some writers struggle to manage in their second or third go, let alone their first.
Universe exploration stories are always fun, and Theatre of the Gods is no different. Matt Suddain’s writing is compelling, the characters – particularly it’s lead, the explorer Francisco Fabrigas, are strong and the journey that the reader, as well as the character goes on – is an exploration indeed. There aren’t moments where the storytelling feels clumsy or awkward, and the pacing structure manages to keep you going, and this bold début manages to deliver with great confidence. Certainly, if I make a list for most surprising novel of 2013, Theatre of the Gods will be up there for sure. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be this good.
The Characterization is strong, vivid – Francisco Fabrigas certainly feels like the most developed, and the dialogue is fun and it never feels unrealistic, allowing for the book to be strong in several aspects. The cover art is also spectacular as well – it was one of the things that sold me on this book. I mean, how often do you see a ship that is decidedly not your typical spaceship, floating through space? It certainly beats the traditional man-with-a-hood covers that seem to be a common staple in fantasy these days, and was also one of the things that had me sold on the book.
And therefore, in conclusion – there’s only one thing left to say. Upon the release of Theatre of the Gods, buy it, read it and enjoy it. Matt Suddain is an incredibly gifted author and I’m really looking forward to what he can throw at the reader next.
VERDICT: 4/5
December 26, 2024
I enjoyed the first few chapters of this book, but the zaniness gets wearing after a while. I've read a lot of books that were written in a deliberately confusing way, and it's a tough trick to pull off. You need to keep the reader amused while convincing them that there is a deeper meaning that you'll reveal in time. Suddain does a passable job of both, though I have to confess I was flagging a bit by the end.
This isn't a book you're going to read for the plot. Most of it makes no sense, and most of what does make sense is a bit silly - sometimes in an entertaining way and sometimes not. There are amusing references to pop songs slipped in here and there, though these had faded out by the end.
I felt the book was too long and too slow moving. With books like these you need to be entertained by the scenery as you travel through the book since there is not plot to keep you focussed, but the scenery had become a bit repetitive by the end. Overall I quite enjoyed the book, though especially in the slower parts in the middle I did have to work at it. However I can't recommend this to everyone. You'll only enjoy it if you have a taste for the absurd and if you have considerable determination.
This isn't a book you're going to read for the plot. Most of it makes no sense, and most of what does make sense is a bit silly - sometimes in an entertaining way and sometimes not. There are amusing references to pop songs slipped in here and there, though these had faded out by the end.
I felt the book was too long and too slow moving. With books like these you need to be entertained by the scenery as you travel through the book since there is not plot to keep you focussed, but the scenery had become a bit repetitive by the end. Overall I quite enjoyed the book, though especially in the slower parts in the middle I did have to work at it. However I can't recommend this to everyone. You'll only enjoy it if you have a taste for the absurd and if you have considerable determination.
August 8, 2024
Maybe my new favorite book, I wish this author had written more. Fun that they’re a kiwi and their style reminds me of all my favorites: Vonnegut, Adams, Vinge.. fun and wacky and time travelly - loved it! Oops! I almost forgot: humunculus!
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