Night God: The Gods of Chaos Book 2

by Rick Waugh

The Goddess of Night has crushed the day, and eternal darkness shrouds the city.

Cantor and Robin are minstrels, working the boisterous taverns of the Medials, enhancing their income by slipping into the homes of the wealthy and relieving them of valuable knickknacks. But this straightforward life is complicated by a personal question; are they family, or something more? On top of this, Robin is struggling with being a dragon shifter, and whether she wants to be a thief. Cantor bumbles along, hoping it all works out, but clueless as to how that should look.

Their contemplative anguish is interrupted by Nyx, Goddess of the Night, who takes over an Elvish city, shielding it in darkness. The old gods, repulsed by the magical barrier, turn to Cantor and Robin, asking them to sneak into Nyx’s fortress and break her spell.

How do you penetrate a citadel shrouded in sorcerous darkness, protected by fanatical acolytes, overseen by a powerful, deathly cold queen? How do you pull off the heist of the millennium under the nose of such a guardian, when your own gods are powerless against her?

Sword and sorcery action and adventure, found family, a trickster goddess and her dragon shifter, tied up with splashes of (very) slow burn romance and humor.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 11, 2024

About the author

I believe that the power of creativity is magic; it influences the emotions of readers, listeners, and viewers. I promise to weave that magic into everything I create. Accompanied of course by some adventure, a bit of romance, and a touch of humor.

I live in the Greater Vancouver area on Canada’s west coast, and I’m happily married with three wonderful daughters. After spending many years working in Information Technology, I retired into my creative pursuits, writing fantasy novels, playing guitar and composing music.

For all the news, and to get my free short story, "Passion and Fear," sign up for my newsletter: https://rickwaughauthor.com/contact

Reviews

[Beba Andric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cantor and Robin have settled into a routine...sort of. Robin has joined Cantor as a minstrel and they travel from place to place, delighting the crowd....sort of. They have fallen into a comfortable alliance...sort of. Ok, let me clarify that, their routine has them playing at venues but in their 'spare time' they rob the wealthy, a 'profession' Robin isn't thrilled about. They DO delight the crowds they perform for but there are some challenging situations, you know, unruly patrons. And the comfort they feel in each others company is marred by the fact that they aren't sure if they're friends, found family or something more. So yeah, sort of describes the situation. But there's nothing sort of about the plot or the storytelling, THAT is on point! Cantor and Robin sure have lots to deal with, and that's before they run into another thief, who actually saves their skin! Parson, the thief, is trying to avoid Jamison. Seeing as how he actually stole a deck of tarot cards from Jamison, who's got weird magic, who obviously wants them back, reason enough to avoid him! Except, these cards decided Cantor is the 'new recipient' and attach to him. Now he has two decks and no idea what to do with either. I do love Cantor and Robin, I do love how they're traipsed into a heist that is very perilous and I do love their approach to it. There is nothing simple about either of them, they are complexed up so well, their inhabitions, their fears, their

Gods and deities, each with their own agendas, I mean, All families have... issues at times but THIS family takes it to the next level! The repercussions of Mischief's, ummm, deed, are still being felt, even she admits to have gone too far but how to fix it is another thing altogether! Nyx is really hard core! Intolerant, unforgiving, extremely powerful and dark, very dark. As the Goddess of the Night, she revells in darkness, and power, shrouding a city in darkness, she thinks she's invincible but.... And goodness, the gods are concerned now too, they can't confront her, the barrier she placed is impregnable by them, so plan B it is! Plan B is Cantor and Robin... they have to try get in, try find Parson, try retrieve, ok, steal the magical item that's keeping the barrier up, all while trying to avoid Nyx or her acolytes, who won't look too kindly on them! And all of this was started by Mischief, out of, yep, mischief because she wanted to shake things up a bit!

The nuances to this story are vast, there are subtleties within these nuances that has me guessing. The characters themselves are nuanced, there is no definitive 'goodie' or 'baddie', they are coloured in various shades, like Wensley, a real 'mad' scientist, who's need to discover a solution to the current situation, will do the most despicable experiments to achieve his goal, even if it is his god. Or Jamison, who really has me sympathising with him, he's just in a rather untenable situation with Nyx. And Ellis, a Pixie, a double agent I was never sure which way he was leaning. Although, to me, this book didn't have the same impact as the previous one, I still found it wonderfully unique and highly enjoyable. The author has a flair for understated humour, sliding it in in the most effective way, eliciting a giggle each time I come across such prose. In fact, his prose is compelling, his storytelling easy to read and follow and his take on gods and supernatural creatures is different to say the least! Another enjoyable installment by a very enjoyable author.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, Mischief and her friends are back! And yep, chaos ensues. New enemies, more betrayals, miscommunications and other fraught situations. Dysfunctional families on an epic scale with plenty of humor to go along with all the drama. Lots of characters to keep track of but I found it easy enough to follow. The only part I wasn't crazy about was the romance part of Cantor and Robin's story line but it doesn't really interfere with the story - and its me, I'm just not a big romance gal. But I do love the dragons. The more dragons, the better!

Looking forward to the next chronicle!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cantor and Robin are back and doing what they do best. So of course things must be shaken up. Entertaining and fun to watch it all play as these two are both entertaining and clueless at times. And of course they are roped into trouble. Fun times had by all. Made me laugh and groan at times. Interesting story and characters too to add to all the fun.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night God is book 2 in the Gods of Chaos by Rick Waugh. The Nyx, goddess of night, has crushed the dawn/day. I found book 2 to be multilayered. Canto and Robin along with Ellis are trying to break the dark spell. Nyx high priest, Jamison, must recover her stolen cards. Throw in a dash of romance and Night God is a nighttime hit! I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Night God. It was great seeing what else Cantor and Robin get involved in, and I especially liked the relationship development we get to see with them. The storyline was just as deeply engrossing as the first book of the trilogy. The author has done a really good job of world building so far, which combines with the other aspects of the book to really transport you into the story. I highly recommend Night God, and the Gods of Chaos trilogy. Just be sure to start with the first book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.