The God Spear

The Triempery Revelations #4

by L.L. Stephens

It will take a god to awaken a god.The Heir to Essera’s throne, Handurin Stauberg-Randolph, has escaped from Sordan and sought out the Kheld people of Amallar. He hopes to gain them as allies, particularly against the murderous sorceror Nammuor.

Dorilian Sordaneon has also left the safety of Sordan—and stopped the Rill god-machine. Handurin doesn’t know it yet, but Dorilian is hot on his heels. Which means Dorilian is in Amallar too, living in secret among Khelds who believe he killed, well, just about everyone.

But Amallar isn’t as welcoming as Hans thinks, or as backward as Dorilian believes.

Genres: Fantasy

529 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2024

Reviews

[Janny]

The God Spear resumes the story of the Triempery, throwing two main characters and a handful of side players square into the stew of political intrigue and deadly machinations against contending powers, all bent on seizing their own ends and triumphs.

Here, Dorilian's youthful, impetuous mistakes will catch up with his mature aspirations. He is faced with the ruin of a grand plan left to an inept son by his brilliant, statesman grandfather, and deep seated hatreds inflicted by the Kheld King when the younger brother falls out of his orbit and returns to the land and the people his dead brother tried to elevate to equal status in a divided society

Hans, brought up outside of the world's woes, and able enough to think critically, must stand in the shadow of his sibling's mistakes, where the people he must rule are convinced that the ally he needs to win over is their inveterate enemy. The going belief that the dead king was their hero, stands hard set against the question Hans must answer himself: is Dorilian friend, or enemy, and could be become the trustworthy ally needed to bring about a return of the hope of a unified society. And will the ingrained impression of hatred held by the people he must lead throw its long shadow into the future. Can he make his young voice heard in time to make a difference, before disaster overtakes aspiration?

Told with heart and passion in a world setting that is both original and strange, with godlike magic and deadly intrigues played from behind the scenes by a notable and terrifying enemy, the mix of human characters and lofty aristocrats and the god like Highborn - this story continues to develop all of what came before, in ways that both thrilled and satisfied.

Too few fantasy series explore characters who have the ability and the scope to grow and change from the impacts of their deeds, nor do most tales carry the vision to depict prejudice and opinions that are not easily uprooted. I found the human complexity of the characters captivating and the story exceptionally well executed. Recommended.

[C.M. Debell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I inhaled this book it was so good.

[Dr Sayuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this is the best one since Sordaneon which is still for me the best book in the series so far, tho they all are very good. This one felt like the second half of what the the second stone was the first half to, and as such has a much bigger pathos. A 4.5 ⭐ for me overall.

[Chidiebere Ama · Rating 5 out of 5]

A better installment to The Second Stone. Dorilian secretly follows Hans and arrives at Amallar with a hidden identity — a move no one in the Triempery could have predicted.

I love how this book delves into the culture of the Khelds and the nuances of perspectives it brings considering the highly patriarchal state of the Staubaun society. Here amongst the Kheld, women possess a lot of agency, not just individually but systematically. And this is something rarely pulled off in most stories I've read

It also introduces a new character that has become one of my favorites in the series in the person of Aubrey Amundda.

This entry is pretty much a Hans book, and it focuses on the weight of responsibility he bears in trying to simultaneously appease Stefan's horde loyalists with his own vision for the Kheld people

It's such a beautiful book especially the ending sequence. Such a scene would be an all timer if it's captured on television

[Ioannis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-ordered with Forest Paths Books and received a copy a bit earlier.

The story continues exactly where the events in the Second Stone left us. In this book, the readers follow the path of Dorilian in Amallar and Hans path to leadership with the Kheld people. Dorilian experiences the Kheld culture firsthand and becomes more familiar with the Kheld people's traditions. We even see an intimate relationship taking form. In terms of politics, the book is very rich, mostly within the Amallar thread. The antagonists are scheming behind the backs of our main characters but are not necessarily brought to the fore in this book. We see some developments in terms of Dorilian's powers and some additional plots are beginning to take shape. The hints about Hans' background are becoming more pronounced and I think I like where this might be going forward.

Anyway, this is a nice sequel to the Triempery Revelations series that begun with the stunning Sordaneon. I am already looking forward to the Walled City where I am sure more action is expected.

[Adam Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing this review after having read the first 5, I think this book challenges for the best one yet. I've thought hard about why that is, and I think it's because of what the author does best - the relationship between characters. While the third book deals with Dorillan in his native Sordan, this one has him undercover with the Khelds who (most) would like nothing else but to see him dead. The way he deals with this proves him to be a competent protagonist even when out of his element. The friendship that grows between him and Hans - and others - drives everything forward and it's all these elements together that create another page-turner that I just couldn't put down.

[Chyfgp · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best series I've ever read, it's crazy how few have read it.