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The God Hunters #1
The God Hunters
The God Book One
David Ruger has always been curious. That's how he landed his charming on-again, off-again boyfriend, Wyler, and how they started in St. Louis and ended up in the Expanse, an alien universe where humans take on supernatural abilities and demons munch on Chinese takeout.
Thirty thousand years earlier, the Expanse was devastated by a gruesome war. The old gods and a group of shifters known as The God Hunters fought and failed to restore order. Little does David know that they’ve been waiting for the perfect time to try again—and they've set their eyes on him as the one with the power to restore the Expanse to its former splendor.
Strolling along cobblestone streets in a technologically advanced city floating above the clouds is fascinating, and David and his companions venture ever deeper, where strange beings welcome David as an old friend. But what should have been a brief exploration becomes a race against time to save David's life.
David Ruger has always been curious. That's how he landed his charming on-again, off-again boyfriend, Wyler, and how they started in St. Louis and ended up in the Expanse, an alien universe where humans take on supernatural abilities and demons munch on Chinese takeout.
Thirty thousand years earlier, the Expanse was devastated by a gruesome war. The old gods and a group of shifters known as The God Hunters fought and failed to restore order. Little does David know that they’ve been waiting for the perfect time to try again—and they've set their eyes on him as the one with the power to restore the Expanse to its former splendor.
Strolling along cobblestone streets in a technologically advanced city floating above the clouds is fascinating, and David and his companions venture ever deeper, where strange beings welcome David as an old friend. But what should have been a brief exploration becomes a race against time to save David's life.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2010
4 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Mark Reed
5 books4 followersMark Reed is an award-winning visual artist in the category of figure drawing and design. Experienced in both traditional and digital media, he has produced numerous works of art that have sold to collectors in the United States, Europe, and Australia. His literary work wonderfully brings to life many of the characters and exciting places seen throughout his artwork.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 2, 2015
Puh ... I always feel bad rating a book with 1 star, I try to find something good in every book, but this just isn't possible for this one! The plot was completely ridiculous, the characters were super annoying and not credible at all. The writing style was very akward, the author kept repeating utturly stupid expressions such as my big guy, my big defender and little buddy. Not for dogs, for human beings! It made my roll my eyes so hard! 1 star for this book, it even made me aggressive at some times! Happy that I'm done with it!
March 8, 2017
3.75 STARS but HARD TO RATE
This started off as an excellent adventure but did lag in the middle, but redeemed itself in the end. Even thought it's syfy and fantasy, I'd classify it more of a fantasy at this point. The books are on sale at DSP so I bought them all as I was really enjoying book one. I hope they don't end up on my very rare DNF pile which is less than 5 books. The potential to make them excellent is there so I'll read on.
This started off as an excellent adventure but did lag in the middle, but redeemed itself in the end. Even thought it's syfy and fantasy, I'd classify it more of a fantasy at this point. The books are on sale at DSP so I bought them all as I was really enjoying book one. I hope they don't end up on my very rare DNF pile which is less than 5 books. The potential to make them excellent is there so I'll read on.
February 25, 2013
The plot was OK, but dear lords, I got sick of the narration really fast, especially the size thing
If anyone should be in doubt, Doug and Bryan are BIG GUYS...
You know, in case you missed the 200 times we were told this
I don't think I'll get book two
If anyone should be in doubt, Doug and Bryan are BIG GUYS...
You know, in case you missed the 200 times we were told this
I don't think I'll get book two
February 5, 2013
Great sci-fi and I will read the rest of the series as it comes out but it feels like "a first novel." (Though it is a re-release.) I'm rating it a little higher at 4 because it was a fun sci-fi read.
When you read this -- make sure you check out the artwork. Beautiful, imaginative stuff and probably is part of why I inflate the rating on this. Tho' the author clearly has a thing for brunet beary men. Makes me miss gaming.
http://www.thegodhunters.net/book1_ar...
Basically, the MC gets stranded in an alternate universe called the Expanse (hello Trek Enterprise fans out there.) Adventure ensues that is a little bit Matrix themed.
Some of the writing is downright lyrical -- the preface for instance. The colorful description of other worlds is another example. There's a lot of potential here.
Now -- why I feel it reads like a first novel... the main reason is the romance arc between the characters isn't developed. The MC goes from acquaintance to love-of-my-life in the blink of an eye with very little description about the emotional journey involved. This aspect of their relationship is way too under developed. We don't even get sex scenes! Fades right to black when any interesting parts come out but we get the unfortunate gory details of an evisceration. Most of the relationships are kind of one dimensional. We see the plot unfolding but we don't see the relationships unfolding -- they get lost in the adventure, which only serves to dull the adventure. It also makes a relationship with the MC and his love confusing when you set that relationship against the ones with his brothers.
I also spent the better part of the book worried about the mc's dogs. In fact, I am still a little bit concerned about them.
When you read this -- make sure you check out the artwork. Beautiful, imaginative stuff and probably is part of why I inflate the rating on this. Tho' the author clearly has a thing for brunet beary men. Makes me miss gaming.
http://www.thegodhunters.net/book1_ar...
Basically, the MC gets stranded in an alternate universe called the Expanse (hello Trek Enterprise fans out there.) Adventure ensues that is a little bit Matrix themed.
Some of the writing is downright lyrical -- the preface for instance. The colorful description of other worlds is another example. There's a lot of potential here.
Now -- why I feel it reads like a first novel... the main reason is the romance arc between the characters isn't developed. The MC goes from acquaintance to love-of-my-life in the blink of an eye with very little description about the emotional journey involved. This aspect of their relationship is way too under developed. We don't even get sex scenes! Fades right to black when any interesting parts come out but we get the unfortunate gory details of an evisceration. Most of the relationships are kind of one dimensional. We see the plot unfolding but we don't see the relationships unfolding -- they get lost in the adventure, which only serves to dull the adventure. It also makes a relationship with the MC and his love confusing when you set that relationship against the ones with his brothers.
I also spent the better part of the book worried about the mc's dogs. In fact, I am still a little bit concerned about them.
June 5, 2013
The God Hunters is a beautifully written story. I'm not sure if this is a debut novel for this author, but his narration felt very seasoned. Using very active phrasing, he seemed to fastidiously avoid the passive sentence. He also used few adverbs and instead crafted his sentences in a way the verbs carried the reader along. Honestly, the writing style was far more lyrical than prosaic.
In light of these wordsmithing skills, I'm reluctant to offer criticism of the book--certainly not of the writing itself. But a debate I've often had with myself is whether the beauty of the writing itself is more important to me than the actual story.
And it's the story, the plot, that I struggled with. In the beginning I was frustrated by the sluggish pacing. The descriptive sections of scenery were impressively written but non-essential to the story, and I just wanted to skim through them. I wanted more action and less description.
I'd have been pleased to see more about the relationship of David and Doug. I think the story was far more about David's journey than about his romance, and to me that was disappointing.
But all of this is merely personal opinion. As I step back and consider this story more objectively, I have to admit that it is a work of art. I can only hope to one day acquire such amazing word-crafting skills as this author possesses. I hope he writes more stories, and I hope they contain a little more romance. I'm not sorry I took the time to read this one.
In light of these wordsmithing skills, I'm reluctant to offer criticism of the book--certainly not of the writing itself. But a debate I've often had with myself is whether the beauty of the writing itself is more important to me than the actual story.
And it's the story, the plot, that I struggled with. In the beginning I was frustrated by the sluggish pacing. The descriptive sections of scenery were impressively written but non-essential to the story, and I just wanted to skim through them. I wanted more action and less description.
I'd have been pleased to see more about the relationship of David and Doug. I think the story was far more about David's journey than about his romance, and to me that was disappointing.
But all of this is merely personal opinion. As I step back and consider this story more objectively, I have to admit that it is a work of art. I can only hope to one day acquire such amazing word-crafting skills as this author possesses. I hope he writes more stories, and I hope they contain a little more romance. I'm not sorry I took the time to read this one.
September 16, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all very well developed. The plot was pretty good. The book could have used some editing though. I thought some of the author's phrasing was a bit much at times. It was an easy and enjoyable read. It didn't take me very long to finish it. I had to force myself to put it down last night.
It would have been easy for the author to make the characters two dimensional but he did a great job at fleshing them out. I felt like I knew them.
The best thing for me, at least, was that he did not include any sex scenes. It would have been so easy for him to toss those in but he didn't. I think it made the story more romantic and I have to say sweet.
I look forward to reading the sequel.
It would have been easy for the author to make the characters two dimensional but he did a great job at fleshing them out. I felt like I knew them.
The best thing for me, at least, was that he did not include any sex scenes. It would have been so easy for him to toss those in but he didn't. I think it made the story more romantic and I have to say sweet.
I look forward to reading the sequel.
February 13, 2013
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
This book was quite a rife for me and took me through time and space not only with the very much livid words and vivid images it produces, but with the dream-like narration that makes you think even the most gruesome scene was just another color in the beautiful palette of this author.
This story starts on Earth, with David being in a strange and vague relationship with Wyler. Wyler is a very elusive man and every time David has questions for him, he manages to move along without ever answering… Until one day when Wyler tells David all about the wonderful universe of Expanse.
It is more than natural that David doesn’t believe Wyler or that he’s even a bit afraid. All this time he had been dating a… well is more safe for David to believe that his boyfriend is fairly nuts. However, seeing is believing and Wyler shows him that all the things he said were all true and David find himself on one of many floating islands of Expanse. And thus the story begins.
Losing his love, companion and only way to go back to Earth from a terrible demon named T, David tries to cope with his grief. His life as he knew it is over. In this new life he is being hunted down for whatever changes the Universe might bestow on him. A new love is born from the depths of his despair and now his only family in an alien environment faces death too in order to protect him. Appearances are not what they seem and friends turn to foe and foe to friends… Gods with ulterior motives manipulate and use the mortals to their will and this is only the beginning of the story…
I liked this book, I liked it a lot. The Expanse and it’s world made me think of my favorite game, World of Warcraft, with Outland right there in front of my mind’s eye. And for those who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me just say that this author’s livid imagination painted a very beautiful world, where all things are sentient, stars, planets, environment… Everything has a life of its own and the beauty they produce is majestic. I loved this world; I want to live there, even if it comes with the demons and different very scary species that inhabit it.
The characters we meet were too very interesting and fun and intriguing.
Wyler is a cute little demon; I loved him and actually mourned him when he died.
T was interesting at least, he truly had me there for a moment, I thought he would be the character that would help David through his transition.
Oh and the brothers… They were perfection in every sense with James being my favorite. Yes I know, if you read this book, most of you might find Bryan the cool one, but I just have something about the dark side.
And finally the Goddess who puts all this adventure in motion, what can I say, she was divine. I loved her ways, after all she is a Goddess!
But David, David had me wondering there. I don’t really liked him that much. I kept thinking what the heck are people seeing in him? Really? What was it about him that hat an entire universe in motion..? And that brings me the biggest question ever since this book started. Why didn’t T kill him on sight? Ah, I guess that question will remain unanswered.
So at this point you might very well wonder what was it that I didn’t like? I don’t know how to say this. It was the very fact that this whole read seemed so dream-like. Emotions were lost and suspense was face calmly. The whole book had this sedate feeling about it, like you were on high drugs and even the most gruesome, brutal event you faced it with serenity and a smile on your face. Too many were lost due to this and I just wished something would happen to make my heart beat faster.
In anyway though this was definitely a very nice read and one I recommend to every Sci-Fi fan out there. This world is not to be missed.
Thommie!
This book was quite a rife for me and took me through time and space not only with the very much livid words and vivid images it produces, but with the dream-like narration that makes you think even the most gruesome scene was just another color in the beautiful palette of this author.
This story starts on Earth, with David being in a strange and vague relationship with Wyler. Wyler is a very elusive man and every time David has questions for him, he manages to move along without ever answering… Until one day when Wyler tells David all about the wonderful universe of Expanse.
It is more than natural that David doesn’t believe Wyler or that he’s even a bit afraid. All this time he had been dating a… well is more safe for David to believe that his boyfriend is fairly nuts. However, seeing is believing and Wyler shows him that all the things he said were all true and David find himself on one of many floating islands of Expanse. And thus the story begins.
Losing his love, companion and only way to go back to Earth from a terrible demon named T, David tries to cope with his grief. His life as he knew it is over. In this new life he is being hunted down for whatever changes the Universe might bestow on him. A new love is born from the depths of his despair and now his only family in an alien environment faces death too in order to protect him. Appearances are not what they seem and friends turn to foe and foe to friends… Gods with ulterior motives manipulate and use the mortals to their will and this is only the beginning of the story…
I liked this book, I liked it a lot. The Expanse and it’s world made me think of my favorite game, World of Warcraft, with Outland right there in front of my mind’s eye. And for those who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me just say that this author’s livid imagination painted a very beautiful world, where all things are sentient, stars, planets, environment… Everything has a life of its own and the beauty they produce is majestic. I loved this world; I want to live there, even if it comes with the demons and different very scary species that inhabit it.
The characters we meet were too very interesting and fun and intriguing.
Wyler is a cute little demon; I loved him and actually mourned him when he died.
T was interesting at least, he truly had me there for a moment, I thought he would be the character that would help David through his transition.
Oh and the brothers… They were perfection in every sense with James being my favorite. Yes I know, if you read this book, most of you might find Bryan the cool one, but I just have something about the dark side.
And finally the Goddess who puts all this adventure in motion, what can I say, she was divine. I loved her ways, after all she is a Goddess!
But David, David had me wondering there. I don’t really liked him that much. I kept thinking what the heck are people seeing in him? Really? What was it about him that hat an entire universe in motion..? And that brings me the biggest question ever since this book started. Why didn’t T kill him on sight? Ah, I guess that question will remain unanswered.
So at this point you might very well wonder what was it that I didn’t like? I don’t know how to say this. It was the very fact that this whole read seemed so dream-like. Emotions were lost and suspense was face calmly. The whole book had this sedate feeling about it, like you were on high drugs and even the most gruesome, brutal event you faced it with serenity and a smile on your face. Too many were lost due to this and I just wished something would happen to make my heart beat faster.
In anyway though this was definitely a very nice read and one I recommend to every Sci-Fi fan out there. This world is not to be missed.
Thommie!
October 10, 2013
Interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews