God Ascended

by Jeffrey Speight

Even gods can die.

God Ascended is the stunning and powerful conclusion to Jeffrey Speight's acclaimed Archives of Evelium trilogy.

Umhra the Peacebreaker has ascended to the heavens of Kalmindon. He follows the wake of destruction Spara leaves as she pursues the annihilation of Vaila's pantheon in her bid to become the One God. To thwart Spara’s ambitions, Umhra must travel the planes of existence to consolidate untold celestial powers.


In Evelium, there are whispered hopes of the Peacebreaker’s inevitable return as future queen Turin Forene struggles to lead the remnants of mankind against the Grey Queen, whose army of blights has wreaked havoc across the continent for the last two decades. Turin hatches a daring plan to bring her enemies to their knees with the support of the Barrow’s Pact. But they face impossible odds.

With nothing left to lose, an epic final battle rages, with the futures of both Kalmindon and Evelium at stake.

Genres: Fantasy

401 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review - God Ascended by Jeffrey Speight, An Archives of Evelium Tale. This is the final part of the trilogy of the adventures of Umhra Peacebreaker.

I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC of this book from the author.

The Paladin Umhra Peacebreaker has ascended to the heavens of Kalmindon where he must stop the Mystic Spara from becoming the One God. Meanwhile back in the mortal realm of Evelium, where decades have passed, Umhra’s old Adventuring companions in the Barrow’s Pact under the future Queen Turin Forene have been leading a fighting retreat from the Grey Queen and her army of Blights.

I loved the first two books in this series and was very excited for the opportunity to read the last book in the series and God Ascended did not disappoint. The story kept me properly hooked as we followed the various plots throughout, from Umhra’s challenges and those faced by Turin as they in their own ways and planes try to save Evelium from the world-ending threats lingering over them. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down

The characters in the book were well done and I enjoyed the process Umhra went through as his character developed from where he was in the previous two books and managed to keep his core values despite the challenges he faced. It was also great to get a new pov with Turin Forene and see her challenges as she tries to lead the last redoubt of humanity and other races to survive against the Grey Queen and the stresses she is under. The characters of the Barrow Pact were great to see in action again as they have not given up on Umhra and continue to hope and fight for a better future. I also enjoyed the pov of the Grey Queen and seeing her take on how the world should be and how she has been affected.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to any fans of fantasy and D&D, and I would heartily recommend the whole trilogy for a good fun read.

[WS_BOOKCLUB]

I was given the opportunity to Beta read this book, and I am enormously grateful to the author for that chance.

Every now and then, a book comes along that I just know is going to be a new favorite. This is
what happened with Paladin Unbound, book one of The Archives of Evelium. The sequel, Mystic
Reborn, took everything that I loved about Paladin Unbound and elevated it. I didn’t see how it
would be possible for God Ascended to be better, yet it was.

From humble beginnings to a showdown of celestial proportions, Umhra must be willing to sacrifice everything in his quest to save both Evelium and Kalmindon from a wanna-be deity. His fight will take him in and out of multiple planes of existence while, after the events of Mystic Reborn, the remains of a resistance fight against the evil Grey Queen and her minions. The identity of the Grey Queen was a huge “Wow” moment for me during Mystic Reborn, and the repercussions are far-reaching and shocking in the most satisfying of ways. Each character in the book adds to the feeling of desperation, as they all give everything they can to help in every way possible.

Umhra is one of the best characters I have ever read. Character growth is a huge part of what
makes a series enjoyable for me. Watching him develop has been amazing. He is on a very
different path than the other characters in the book. He is trying to stop a god killer and what
he has to do to succeed is surprising, to say the least. As much as I loved the fight scenes with
Umhra (and I really loved them), it was the quiet moments that will stay with me, his reckoning
with his past, his decisions regarding mercy and justice, and the realization that those two
things are not always synonymous.

I can’t neglect the other characters, who are quite literally fighting their own war. They each
had an important part to play. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the price paid was also steep.
I loved seeing how each of them stepped up to the occasion and how what they experienced
changed them. The way the author has split the characters, with Umhra fighting a different side to the same desperate battle. At the same time, the members of Barrow’s Pact struggle with their mission, adding a level of nuance and humanness that showcases how all-encompassing war really is. Despite the scale of one seeming much grander than the other, there were no unimportant or small battles. Each moment, each choice, counted.

And the battles! The foe was intimidating, to say the least, and just flat-out cool. A hero needs a good villain and the villains in the Archives of Evelium are more than up to the task. They are cunning, merciless, and have their own motivations. There are no one-dimensional baddies; these practically leap (or fly) off the page. I loved to root against them.

I think that what with the magic, battles, and terrifying creatures that often show up in fantasy,
it can be easy to forget that there are bigger themes that can be discussed as well. God
Ascended brilliantly focused on questions of faith, how the past can shape us, and the choices
we make. These are heavy subjects, but the book never feels heavy. It is a fantastical adventure
that also brims with importance. I am reminded of the way Tolkien also dealt with difficult
themes in his books.

I think at this point it is obvious that I loved this book. Things like sleep became unimportant
compared to reading one more chapter, turning one more page. God Ascended is a heart-pounding ending to a truly fantastic trilogy. If you like epic fantasy, don’t skip this series. If you don’t like fantasy, this trilogy will win you over. I can’t recommend it enough.

[Charles Cavendish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheating a bit as I was an Alpha Reader for this beauty.

I detailed review will follow but in the meantime, I highly recommend getting on the pre-order for this amazing conclusion to the trilogy.

[Tom Bookbeard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to be a beta reader for God Ascended and have been catching up on the ARC now. All I can say is this a satisfying and suitably epic conclusion to the arc of Umhra the Peacebreaker.

Speight holds nothing back in this blockbuster indie fantasy finale. Dragons. Divine duels. The final battle between man and an ancient treant army. It's so, so good.

An absolute must if you've read the previous two books. Also an absolute must if you're a fan of orcish protagonists.

So ends a firm favourite trilogy. Now what the hell do I do?

[Wolfmantula · Rating 5 out of 5]

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MY ⭐️ RATING: 4.5/5
FORMAT: Advanced Reader Copy

🚨 I received an advanced reader copy, provided by the author for an honest review. 🚨
This did not impact my rating in any way.

I fell in love with this story back in 2021 when I first read it and even more when I got to ARC read for book 2 and now book 3, so I was thrilled that God Ascended was the perfect ending to such a wonderful story filled with everything a Dungeons and Dragons inspired novel should be, and the final send off was very movie-like which made me smile from ear to ear.

I will admit that I did struggle to get into this story in the beginning because it’s been almost two years since the sequel came out and there was no “story so far” section to kinda catch me back up on events that took place, on top of that my reviews being a bit vague on details didn’t really help either. With that said, once I was able to get settled back into the worlds of Evelium & Tyveriel, it took off and sucked me right back in to it like I never left.

“How insignificant a thing— a single life. To so many, it goes unnoticed. To so few, it is cherished. I tell you, having seen this in a new light, there is nothing more valuable.”

Mr. Speight has always done a fantastic job of fleshing out his characters and giving them such a phenomenal dynamic of banter. With such a large roster of characters of antagonists, protagonists and creatures, there was so much to enjoy between everything that happened, but of all the characters I have to say that I love Uhmra and Talus the most. Though Uhmra is the main character, I started liking Talus a bit more in the sequel, but Uhmra definitely became the favorite once again in God Ascended. Speight knows how to make interesting characters, making them likable, and hoping they succeed.

There’s nothing more exciting than a great sword & sorcery epic adventure about a half-orc ascending to be god- like, as I mentioned in my last review that the mythology was very Greek-like inspired and that same feeling carried on even more, and even something a bit evangelical about it as well. As always, Jeff does such a fantastic job of building a well written fast-paced story that’s filled with action from the very beginning to the final line of the page. I’ll miss Uhmra and all of his wonderful companions as they go off into the sunset.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book of 2025 set the bar pretty high. Let's hope the rest of the year is this good. Did Mr. Speight listen to a lot of Slayer while writing this? Because this book was absolutely heavy metal \m/, I hope there is more to come in this setting. Bloodbound and early Barrows Pact prequel anyone? Cheers, dude, you kicked a lot of ass on this one.

[FantasyBookNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

God Ascended is the third and final part of the Archives of Elevium trilogy that was begun in Paladin Unbound.

When we originally met our hero in the first book, he was a half orc trying to find his path in life, to becoming a mystic, and finally to where we find him in this book.

After the events of the last book, we find Umhra in the home of the gods attempting to stop the mystic Spara who is trying to slay the gods with her new weapon, the Godkiller.

Meanwhile, back in Elevium, Turin is gathering the rag tag band of humans that are left as the Grey Queen and the Blights have taken control of the land.

Set twenty years after the events of Mystic Ascended, we are thrown back into the world, and my goodness how things have changed.

In God Ascended, we follow the tales of both Umhra and Turin as they each undertake their own respective battles to defeat enemies that will change, the course of history on both Heaven and earth.

I have loved this series on the whole and have been excited to read this conclusion to the series and goodness me. I was not disappointed as Jeff Speight concludes the series really well.

As usual, Jeff Speight keeps the action and suspense going throughout the book and manages to satisfyingly close the series.

It has been a joy to follow Umhra’s journey from being basically a half orc with no path, to where he is now. The book is full of action scenes that keep you gripped, and as the story progresses, Jeff Speight keeps you engaged till the very end. One of the things that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading is the fact that there is a wealth of diverse races throughout this story and the tale doesn’t rely solely on human protagonists.

Ultimately, God Ascending is a fantastic ending to a series that has been enjoyable from the very start.

[Jonathan Nevair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of God Ascended. This final installment in the series closes out Umhra’s journey in an explosive and exciting series finale. Evelium is a world rich in legend, history, and lore and God Ascended takes Umhra’s story, and readers, to new heights. What I really enjoyed about this book is the way the world expands around the main character, growing with him - some of the settings were really visual for me. Easy reading, and yet rich in the kind of classic fantasy characters and storylines I've come to expect from Paladin Unbound and Mystic Reborn (books 1 & 2 in the Evelium series). If you are looking for a fantasy read that gives you Dragonlance feels with unique and fascinating links between character and world, and an ascendency hero tale that touches the divine, check this out!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!!! this series just keeps getting better and better. Great "world" great characters... tremendously well thought out story arc....can't get enough!!! highly recommend