River God

Book of Never #3

by Ashley Capes

Never's quest for a name grows more deadly...

Armed with disturbing news about Snow, his unpredictable brother, Never picks up a cold trail on the rivers of Hanik. There he must face both new dangers and demons from his past, all the while doing his best to avoid becoming entangled in a brewing civil war.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

119 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2016

About the author

Ashley is a poet, novelist and ex-teacher living in Australia.

He taught English, Media and Music Production, played in a metal band, worked in an art gallery and slaved away at music retail. Aside from reading and writing, Ashley loves volleyball and Studio Ghibli – and Magnum PI, easily one of the greatest television shows ever made.

See poetry and fiction at http://ashleycapes.com/

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

After leaving the Bleak Man, the four of them set off in two boats on the river Carene. Luis and Karlaf up ahead with Never and Elina following. They were heading for City-Sedrin which was quite some distance away. Never was on the trail of his elusive brother Snow – what he had heard left him feeling distinctly uneasy; the sooner he located him the better.

When they stopped at the little village of Lonig on the river’s edge, Elina was horrified to discover rumours of King Noak being desperately ill. And his son, Prince Jenisan was missing. As Karlaf left in one of the vessels to try to locate the prince, Never, Elina and Luis headed off in the other. But there was a sense they were being followed – a sense of being watched. Their journey was fraught with danger and not just from the waterfall they traversed. There was more trouble brewing and the Vadiya army were involved.

Would the trio make it to the city in safety? Would Never’s search for answers be found in Sedrin or would he need to go further afield? And who would be waiting for them? Friend or foe?

River God by Aussie author Ashley Capes is #3 in the Book of Never series and another thoroughly enjoyable addition! I’m finding the journey with Never and his friends a fun and entertaining one, filled with suspense and mystery, fantasy and magic. Highly recommended for fans of the genre – it’s important to read from #1 though to gain the benefit of character development and Never’s story.

With thanks to the author for this copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that this book was a disappointment and only somewhere between and okay and a like. I feel that the series has moved far from its roots. Never is no longer the cunning thief and adventurer. Many times during the book he passes out and/or must be rescued by others. His usual wry comments and humorous quips have become much more childish and sometimes (like with his traveling companions) I found them irritating instead of amusing. In place of the fast pace of the Amber Isle we have an interminable journey down a river. I can't tell you how many times the leaves on the water are described! The story has become wrapped up in fantastical mysticism with spirit guides and godlike beings in men--getting way out there for me. Meeting his brother only intensifies things. Now there were things that I liked. I always appreciate Luis's good humor and steadfastness as a lighter note to the stories, he adds joie de vivre to the tales. Elina is a great example of a strong female character. She fights, rows, takes watch, etc. as well as any man. While much of the mystery about Never's past is revealed with his reunion with Snow, there are still comments and hints to tantalize the reader, something I enjoy. Even though I found this entry slow-moving and more "woo-woo" than I cared for, I still plan to follow the series. I just hope it returns more to its original feel.

[Ben Mariner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this pretty quickly which should say something about how good the story is. It's not technically a full length novel, but I would have read it just as fast if it was. A little more about the world in which Never and his compatriots are adventuring in is revealed in this book, but again, it's done in such a way as to keep you interested and still a little bit in the dark. This is fantasy writing at it's best.

[Lorellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“His best chance was to win the battle - and battle tended to be one of those things he preferred to avoid, since there was an abnormally high chance of dying in them”.

Never’s delightful sarcasm continues to meld perfectly with magic and mayhem.

[Nick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is building!!! Really good, cannot wait to read the next books

[Maddalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Never’s adventures have reached their third installment, in an intriguing series of short novellas linked by the main character’s quest for his origins as he travels around a world that appears on the brink of a catastrophic war – one that for the moment is composed by many single, and worrisome, skirmishes and political schemes.

In the last chapter, A Forest of Eyes, Never learned more about his link with the mysterious Amouni – god-like people from a far past, probably a more advanced one – but for every answer he finds, more questions appear on his path and to delve deeper into the mystery, he departs with friends Luis and Elina in search of his brother Snow.

This journey affords the reader a wider view of the world, a place where remnants of previous civilizations are scattered all over: what’s interesting here is the unspoken question about the nature of those long-gone people, because their good or evil disposition seems to be more a matter of point of view than hard fact, which adds to the huge amount of mysteries the reader has to wade through.

I enjoyed enormously the long boat ride of the three travelers, and the glimpses of the different kinds of terrain and homesteads they encounter on the way – not to speak of the attempts on their lives or the dangers, like the killer dragonflies (yes, your read that correctly!) that appear at some point.

The sensation of many plots at work, together with the many-layered riddles centered on Never, adds to the need to grasp some answers, that is not confined to the protagonist alone. It can be a frustrating journey, sometimes, because you're given a glimpse of light, only to be thrown in renewed darkness just a moment later, but it's an intriguing one and after all, to quote Never himself:

“Life would be boring without trouble. Trouble keeps you alive, stops you taking things for granted. Makes you savour every moment."

I couldn't agree more…




Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG

[Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

There are several reasons I rated this book 2 stars instead of the 3 I have been giving the rest of the series, but the biggest one is because I think it suffers from what I call 'middle book syndrome' A.K.A. NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. It's basically just a way to get Never from point A [where he ended book 2] to point B [where he needs to go for the next book] and in between there's just a whole lot of rowing and not much else.

Also "River God" ??? I mean I guess it's the giant fish he kind of meets once, but literally none of the 'plot' revolves around the river god so why is that the name of the book? I guess because "Lots of Rowing" is not a very enticing book title. I'm hoping the ending of the series makes this all worth it because I'm starting to feel like I'm wasting my time and I probably wouldn't even continue if I didn't have an ARC of all five books. Also it's revealed that Never's mother died because she got raped and murdered, can't have a great high fantasy book without women getting raped and murdered, amirite? [loud sighing] Why can't she just have been murdered, why do you always have to bring rape into it?

[Ulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

After he is cured of his illness Never and his friends embark to new adventures in the two boats which the Bleak Man gave to them at the end of book #2 (A forest of eyes).

Never keeps looking for answers about his curse and his heritage and is going to meet his brother Snow in City-Sedrin. The trip across the river is eventful. When they learn about the King being very ill the friends separate. Karlaf takes one of the boats and rows ahead to find the Prince. For the other three it gets close in the other boat. Someone seems to follow them and they are attacked by dangerous dragonflies.

The book is beautifully written. I especially love the awesome nature descriptions. The characters and their relationships to each other are well thought-out and lifelike. It is always exciting and there are a lot of mysterious & magical, sometimes creepy moments. And tons of humor. Never's often sarcastic comments are always a highlight.

"The Book of Never" is my favorite fantasy series and I am anxiously waiting for the last book #5 "Imperial towers", which will be released on March 1st 2017.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first one was free so maybe permafree, the others are NOT kindle unlimited. The prequel/0 starts with background to the following stories {see below for list to date} and the 5 'complete' set does NOT include the prequel though it can be gotten on amazon for free. I received the 5 set from the writer via LibraryThing, yes another of my here's a free book/set, we really would like you to review it, we aren't paying anything but hey free book/s and not even on KU. THIS ONE ALSO LISTED AS THE COMPLETE BOOK OF NEVER as ebook

Adventures, magic, rogues and rakes and relics, blood curses, and a map to a sunken city, and sarcasm. That is just the start to the following fantasy books. Follow if you can....

Never {prequel]: The Ember Isle
The Amber Isle 1 - A Forest of Eyes 2 - River God 3
Book of Never: Volumes 1-3
The Peaks of Autumn 4 - Imperial Towers 5
Book of Never: Volumes 4-5 (Book of Never, #4-5)
The Book of Never: Volumes 1-5
Also available individually of course.

I got the 5 book set, which says complete but you can get the 0/prequel free from amazon. Spoiler free book tidbits for each book below.
#0 .. follow if you can
#1 .. White Wing, and the boy doesn't swim well
#2.. chased to port can he make travel further, find more treasures and artifacts, whose luck?
#3..rolling the dice, runes, secret chambers, The Master, underground rooms, kings and princes

This one is even longer the the one before it, and the next will be longer still.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing right where we left off in book 2, we find that the King is gravely ill, Prince Jenisan nowhere to be found, according to rumour, and Lady Elina eager to get to the palace. Kerlaf left the group in search of the Prince in order to bring him home. Never feared that more secrets where on the way apart from suspecting that his brother Snow had a hand in the poisoning of the King, after all he had poisoned the Birch Tree and nearly killed the Watcher. Never planned to travel with Elina to the palace in order to get some more answers regarding his blood and his curse and leave as soon as possible but where Never is concerned nothing is plain sailing. He was being hunted once again and once he met up with the Prince, even though he had saved his life, the Prince made it pretty clear that he hated the Amouni and that Never was not welcome in the city. So when the King died, Never was blamed and he had to escape for his life yet again. Who were the grey-face? It seems that the more he gets to know the more questions arise, and so our adventures with Never continue in Book 4. I am really into this series now and want to get to the bottom of this mystery as much as Never himself does.

[Alan Behan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still bloody awesomely good, but while not as fast paced and as action packed as the first two books, but we still have a cracking time with our humorous character Never, a tense and gripping read, the author really made you feel Never's sickness, a fever that burns and chills him, it grows worse and worse as his journey continues, his companions are trying keep him going until they reach the River God, the story is barometrical with a dangerous adventure across new territory, especially the creepy and spooky lethal swamp, Never stumbles and sweats along, barely able to keep going, he is finally captured by his enemy the Harstas, can he escape, you will have to find out, In this 3rd in installment, Never's journey is more mystical, as always the worldbuilding is good and vast, the plot, setting and details of some of the new characters culture, history, and religion in these new lands Never has ended up in, also we are treated to little snippets of Never's past, always enough to keep us intrigued and wanting more, but we never get quite enough, the author has really sucked me into cracking series so, now on to book four, the narrator Joshua Macrea continues to give us a brilliant preformence, highly recommended...😁

[Lisa Maughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finding the Red Clover and finding out that his brother Snow had caused trouble for the Bleak Man and almost killing him and taking two amulets, Never helps him. In return, Never and company are given boats and provisions to go to City-Sedrin to meet Elina's grandfather. Their trip down the river is full of adventure, Never even meets up with prince Jenisan and helps him remove some traitors. They make their way to the city. We get to read a snippet about Never's and Snow's past after their mother died. From there the book explodes into more action.
Wow, this series is really heating up now. The questions of what is happening, what will happen is and what happened in the past is mounting up. With each situation, the character meet more challenges.

[Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never just keeps at it. Succumbing ever so quickly to the illness he's been infected with, he fights to find a cure before it's too late. This continues to be a drag you by your shirt fantasy-adventure. Not a wasted page of downtime anywhere.

Who is he? What is his real name? And what does his brother Snow have to do with all this? Stay tuned...

[Andrea Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excitement and intrigue.

Never's adventures continue. Danger follows his every step. Still searching for answers Never does not hesitate to put his life on the line to aid others. Despite the challenges, his courage and determination impels him onward. Interesting, unusual characters and perilous obstacles keep the reader engrossed.

[Anne Kinslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Kinslow.
I am enjoying this journey with Never and this book has been as adventurous as the previous books, keeping the interest piqued to see where it goes from here as there is still a lot to come before Never’s journey ends.

[MGB · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story gets stranger as Never descends the rivers to reach the capital city. There is clearly a lot of mystery surrounding the Amouni. Then to discover for sure that his brother has turned evil is just a horrible event.

[William Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get some good developments in this installment of Never's journey, but I felt it was missing some of the higher stakes of the first two. It goes directly into the fourth novella, as the others have, but this one was a bit more sudden of an ending. Looking forward to the next one!

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable story from Ashley Capes and the third in the Book of Never series, I found it intriguing and am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Christine Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never really does alway seem to find trouble.. or trouble always seem to find him. But with a bit of luck and a lot of quick thinking he seems to find Himself in and out of tight spots

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have done with a bit of a recap from first couple books and wasn't as amusing but was still enjoyable

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I really love about this series is how very descriptive the books are, including this one. I feel that I'm there, experiencing and seeing everything with stunning clarity, almost like watching a show on television. One such encounter is with the gold and black dragonflies. I can't say much as I don't want to spoil it, but they were so vivid, I almost felt like staring at their beauty and ducking out of the way at the same time. The main character Never, whose name I still have a hard with because every once in a while it pulls me out of the story, is having his backstory revealed a little bit at a time, one novella at a time. This addition to the series revels a little more about his family's past, and how Never still has a ways to go before he can find out what he wants to know. I enjoyed finally meeting Snow and can't wait to see what is coming up next. The only snag is I don't know what happened to one character. I'll have to go back and see if it was mentioned. Again, can't say too much or I'll give something away. I urge everyone to pick up this book. You don't have to have read the others in the series, but I do think you would lose a lot if you didn't read the others first. This book is a thoroughly entertaining, well-written, and engrossing installment in a very unique series. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to the author for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review. This exact review will be posted on both Amazon and Goodreads.

[Connie Willett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

I enjoy this author's work very much. I felt like it was a little to much going in a circle with the traveling and fighting.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never, Luis and Elina go down the river.

Elina hears bad news about the King, she's in a hurry to get to City-Sedrin and the King. They have many strange things happen on this journey.

Read and enjoy.