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Creation's Bane #5
Divine Core
You can’t just go around draining the Ethereal Cores of the gods. Firstly, it kills them and they're supposed to be immortal, and secondly... Well... that’s Just not how things are done!
Unfortunately, no one told Clive that and now two gods are dead at his hand. Now he's imprisoned awaiting judgment, and no amount of brute strength or pure obstinance will be enough to wriggle out of this delicate dilemma.
It’s going to require Intelligence, Charisma, and tact in bundles. Or he could take a deal that nobody thinks he can live up to.
Especially not Clive…
Yet, with the fate of Falritas hanging in the balance, and the fated return of Hakan, the original god of Creation, Clive has no choice but to take the deal.
Unfortunately, no one told Clive that and now two gods are dead at his hand. Now he's imprisoned awaiting judgment, and no amount of brute strength or pure obstinance will be enough to wriggle out of this delicate dilemma.
It’s going to require Intelligence, Charisma, and tact in bundles. Or he could take a deal that nobody thinks he can live up to.
Especially not Clive…
Yet, with the fate of Falritas hanging in the balance, and the fated return of Hakan, the original god of Creation, Clive has no choice but to take the deal.
570 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2023
42 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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January 6, 2024Too much tantruming MC, I'm done. I won't star it, but I leave this here to remind myself of why I can't be bothered to continue with Clive. Mal is an unappealing character too, so that's another factor.
May 6, 2025
Writing reviews for this series is getting repetitive. Each book does enough that I want to award it five stars, but something always disappoints me. In the first few books, it was action for the sake of action. In the last book, it was hobbling the main character's progression and power status for a large chunk of the novel. In this book, it's a seriously backwards core premise that once again hobbles Clive's actions.
This book starts with Clive locked up in the admin headquarters for killing a god at the end of the last novel by draining his power. In one of the most backwards logical displays I have come across in years, the AI system is threatening to execute Clive to stop him posing a danger to others in response to him killing a god who, if left alive, would pose a danger to others.
For some reason, Clive never argues that he had to kill that demented god to stop him from trying to kill Clive, his friends, or the innocents Clive is protecting. He never once points out that he is literally doing the exact thing the AI is doing to him now, and therefore, it can not possibly claim the moral high ground.
Instead of arguing with logic, he accepts probation, a situation where he must wear a device that will kill him if he tries to kill someone rather than trying to find a peaceful solution. The only time he can use violence is in defence of his own life, and even then, the AI is strict about him not going all the way and killing the threat, despite the fact that when they heal up, they will just try and kill him again. He doesn't even try to argue that if they let these threats go, then the billions of innocent lives he protects will be in danger.
Throughout the novel, it felt like the author got confused about where he was going with this subplot. On the one hand, he wrote the story so that Clive sees that this is the correct path forward and that this bizarre logic is the proper way to act. However, on the other hand, the fallout from Clive not taking his enemies off the board when he has the chance is astronomical, proving exactly when there has to be a line at which taking a life is justified, something the AI knows very well because it has already decided to take that very action with Clive himself.
It's an entire novel based on the special pleading fallacy, but the book isn't aware enough of what is happening to recognise it as a fallacy and prove itself wrong at any point. Instead, this problem just goes away on its own at some point, and no one ever reaches the correct logical conclusion.
This is so frustrating because the other aspects of this novel are consistently good. The story moves forward nicely, the stakes continue to escalate, and the characters and their relationships continue to shine. Were it not for this underlying flaw that plagues this novel, this would have been an easy five stars.
Never mind, there's only one book left, and I have my fingers crossed that it will be the five-star novel that this series has had the potential for right from the start, but never quite delivered.
This book starts with Clive locked up in the admin headquarters for killing a god at the end of the last novel by draining his power. In one of the most backwards logical displays I have come across in years, the AI system is threatening to execute Clive to stop him posing a danger to others in response to him killing a god who, if left alive, would pose a danger to others.
For some reason, Clive never argues that he had to kill that demented god to stop him from trying to kill Clive, his friends, or the innocents Clive is protecting. He never once points out that he is literally doing the exact thing the AI is doing to him now, and therefore, it can not possibly claim the moral high ground.
Instead of arguing with logic, he accepts probation, a situation where he must wear a device that will kill him if he tries to kill someone rather than trying to find a peaceful solution. The only time he can use violence is in defence of his own life, and even then, the AI is strict about him not going all the way and killing the threat, despite the fact that when they heal up, they will just try and kill him again. He doesn't even try to argue that if they let these threats go, then the billions of innocent lives he protects will be in danger.
Throughout the novel, it felt like the author got confused about where he was going with this subplot. On the one hand, he wrote the story so that Clive sees that this is the correct path forward and that this bizarre logic is the proper way to act. However, on the other hand, the fallout from Clive not taking his enemies off the board when he has the chance is astronomical, proving exactly when there has to be a line at which taking a life is justified, something the AI knows very well because it has already decided to take that very action with Clive himself.
It's an entire novel based on the special pleading fallacy, but the book isn't aware enough of what is happening to recognise it as a fallacy and prove itself wrong at any point. Instead, this problem just goes away on its own at some point, and no one ever reaches the correct logical conclusion.
This is so frustrating because the other aspects of this novel are consistently good. The story moves forward nicely, the stakes continue to escalate, and the characters and their relationships continue to shine. Were it not for this underlying flaw that plagues this novel, this would have been an easy five stars.
Never mind, there's only one book left, and I have my fingers crossed that it will be the five-star novel that this series has had the potential for right from the start, but never quite delivered.
June 25, 2024
Kevin Sinclair is the master of the ever escalating MC Escher staircase of keeping his protagonist up a tree. He layers a hard magic system on top of a soft magic system in a masterful way. I fear the mixed reaction in the reviews is the difference between readers and listeners. Listeners will get the voice actor's impression of the working class North England raw and (too) honest culture. Readers could be imagining something different. The voice acting makes the character's unpolished social skills feel less rude. Also, the series can be a beat down that gets you stuck at particularly brutal points, and the listener will let the narrator continue where readers would have to find the will to continue on their own. All of it is worth it. The setup for book 6 promises that it will be epic.
December 24, 2023
Spicy Reading
Well, the Chef is power levelling like mad, and the Gods are still in a tizz, but Clive is kicking ass and learning as he goes to my great enjoyment. What could be better is knowing when we see the last of the series as this one had me on the edge of my seat.
Now, if only Clive could really come to Earth with his powers as I love how the World building has drawn me into this series and, to a larger extent, other books from Kevin.
Well, the Chef is power levelling like mad, and the Gods are still in a tizz, but Clive is kicking ass and learning as he goes to my great enjoyment. What could be better is knowing when we see the last of the series as this one had me on the edge of my seat.
Now, if only Clive could really come to Earth with his powers as I love how the World building has drawn me into this series and, to a larger extent, other books from Kevin.
December 22, 2023
escalation of godlike proportions
The fifth book was a race to the finish. Great read and eagerly awaiting the sixth and final installation of Clive. Great series with riveting protagonists. Well developed story and characters that you will come to love and hate. Read the series.
The fifth book was a race to the finish. Great read and eagerly awaiting the sixth and final installation of Clive. Great series with riveting protagonists. Well developed story and characters that you will come to love and hate. Read the series.
December 29, 2023
Another hammer to the honeyed ham
Another good romp with Clive... Kevin bangs it out of the park and into space.... What's a chef got to do to get some peace and quiet with his wolfy wife? highly recommen
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers and the Dream
Another good romp with Clive... Kevin bangs it out of the park and into space.... What's a chef got to do to get some peace and quiet with his wolfy wife? highly recommen
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers and the Dream
December 19, 2023
I've read the book.
It's everything you want from this story.
It's everything you want from this story.
June 13, 2024
AGAIN?!?!?!?!?!?? Not another cliffhanger 😭😭😭😭😭😅😅😅
May 11, 2025
Good addition to the series.
4.5/5
4.5/5
October 18, 2025
This one picked up quite a bit. 4.2. It took a book to actually care about the god characters a little.
January 4, 2024
Another amazing book from a great author! Loved everything in the book! Clive is a great main character and can’t wait for what happens next!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews