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The Tides Of War #1
The Last Sacrifice
Since time began, the Grakhul – immortal servants of the gods – have taken human sacrifices to keep the world in balance and the gods appeased. When the choose the family of warrior Brogan McTyre, everything changes.
Brogan begins the toughest battle of his life to free his family from their terrible fate. But when you challenge the gods, you challenge the very fabric of society. Declared an outcast, Brogan and his kin are hunted like criminals – but nothing will stand in his way.
Brogan begins the toughest battle of his life to free his family from their terrible fate. But when you challenge the gods, you challenge the very fabric of society. Declared an outcast, Brogan and his kin are hunted like criminals – but nothing will stand in his way.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2017
73 people are currently reading
1157 people want to read
About the author
James A. Moore
231 books764 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
December 24, 2017
Petty gods. Hungry gods. Angry gods.
For as long as the world can remember the Undying go from place to place town to town looking for sacrifices for their gods. Each month they select four who are ritually sacrificed. This time they selected all from one family, Brogan McTyre's entire family. Brogan and his friends rush off to try to save them only to arrive in time to see Brogan's wife die and realize his children were murdered first. The gods aren't pleased that Brogan and his men attempted to interfere with the sacrifices and now the gods have demanded their lives for atonement or they'll destroy the world.
The Last Sacrifice is such a hopeless story yet it centered itself around topics anyone could relate to in anger, love, and injustice. A man had his entire family stolen away to be sacrificed, but he loved his family so dearly he chose to defy the gods because of the injustice. When he failed and learned his family was slaughtered he reacted in anger like anyone would.
"Tell me you would have done differently! Tell me man to man, husband to husband, and father to father that you would do anything differently to save your family!
I called in every debt I had in this world, every favor owed, every coin owed, and asked that those who call me brother help me in my time of need. I still lost them. I saw them slaughtered. I failed!"
Would you let your family be killed if it meant saving the world? I could fool myself and say the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, but those who normally say that are among the many not the few. I'd probably doom the world to save my family or avenge them just like Brogan.
The ending to The Last Sacrifice was unsatisfying, but at least the series continues on. The beginning was strong and heart wrenching as Brogan loses his family and avenges them as best he can, but things quickly devolve into fleeing and planning. The gods want Brogan and his friends as their next sacrifice so Brogan plans to kill them all. It was a bit too drawn out for my tastes. It would have been more enjoyable to see the beginning increased for greater emotional effect and then condense what happened afterward.
I also feel as though the story has provided hints that the gods are far from all powerful. On more than one occasion someone recalled a story that the current gods killed the god's who created the world and stole it for themselves. Also if these gods were as powerful as everyone thinks then why would anyone be able to defy them and live. These gods are likely vulnerable.
The Last Sacrifice tells an emotional story in a bleak world and I look forward to the sequel.
3.5 out of 5 stars
January 30, 2018
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
As a huge fan of James A. Moore’s Seven Forges series, I was beyond excited to get my hands on an advanced reading copy of his new series. Now, I won’t lie: At first, every page, every new character, every new adventure I read in this new book made me wish I was reading another Seven Forges story. This wasn’t because The Last Sacrifice was boring or less compelling, but because I just love that other sword and sorcery series so much. As I continued on with the novel however, I soon grew to appreciate this tale just as much; the narrative fast paced, inventive, and infused with enough horrific elements to make this one wild ride!
Everything gets rolling when a tough-as-nails mercenary named Brogan returns home to his family. Killer he may be, but Brogan loves his wife and family more than anything. So when he dismounts at his abandoned house, he is immediately alarmed. When he is told by a neighbor that the Grakhul — immortal servants of the gods — took his loved ones away, he is terrified to the core, for the Grakhul only take people they intend to offer to the gods as human sacrifices!
In spite of his overwhelming fear and a life time of awe of the Grakhul, Brogan puts together a rescue party, determined to steal back his family from certain death. The whispered fears from his companions that an attack on the Grakhul is an act of defiance against the gods of no concern to our mercenary. What difference does it make to him if the whole world suffers if he is made to live without his loved ones.
Immediately, innumerable ripples spread across the world from Brogan’s actions. People and places unknown to our bereaved husband and father engulfed in the rising tide of divine wrath. The world itself beginning to teeter upon the edge of ruin, as the anger of the divine pours out upon it!
I hope that description peaks your interest, because The Last Sacrifice is a sword and sorcery tale not to be missed. Another genre blender from James A. Moore, this story pushes the normal limits of standard sword and sorcery, creating a unique and addictive concoction.
First, Mr. Moore provides a heaping dose of horror with his fantasy. Not gore or gloom like so many grimdark offerings, but true horror elements of brooding tension and suspense, terrifying creatures, and skin crawling scenes of good and bad people meeting their end. All of this so perfectly integrated into the mix that they never seem out of place.
Second, the characters are much more than cardboard cut out good guys and bad guys. Each person here is portrayed in their own shade of grey. Good guys do questionable deeds, while villains’ actions are not always evil. Each person given an opportunity to showcase (even if only briefly) the “why” of who and what they are.
Third, while there is action, combat, and supernatural elements galore, the real focus of the narrative is the plot itself. Sure, an author being concerned with the plot isn’t anything unusual, but, in my experience, too many sword and sorcery stories have suffered from the plot being subservient to the action, which might have been fine decades ago when fantasy was more along the lines of pulp fiction, but it does not work today. Readers today expect quality fantasy stories, demanding more from their reading experience than merely a muscle-bound hero with mighty sinews throwing a terrified maiden over his shoulder, as he fights off magical horrors. And Mr. Moore understands this, delivering compelling individual stories along with an epic, overarching adventure tale.
As for deficiencies in The Last Sacrifice, I would point to the over abundance of point of view characters. I personally found there to be too many of them. So many, in fact, I never felt as if they were getting enough page time from their creator. Sure, they all did get repeated turns in the spotlight, but the duration was too short for me to build a strong bond with any of them, which meant I found myself not as emotionally involved in their lives as I would have wished to be. Others might find this a minor issue however, but I felt I should, at least, mention it.
With The Last Sacrifice, James A. Moore has triumphed yet again, delivering a modern sword and sorcery tale to delight old and new fans of the genre. With its intriguing premise, stellar cast of characters, and flavorful horror elements, this is damn good stuff. So good in fact, any reader, whatever genre they prefer, can’t go wrong with picking this novel up and letting themselves be swept up in this epic struggle.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
As a huge fan of James A. Moore’s Seven Forges series, I was beyond excited to get my hands on an advanced reading copy of his new series. Now, I won’t lie: At first, every page, every new character, every new adventure I read in this new book made me wish I was reading another Seven Forges story. This wasn’t because The Last Sacrifice was boring or less compelling, but because I just love that other sword and sorcery series so much. As I continued on with the novel however, I soon grew to appreciate this tale just as much; the narrative fast paced, inventive, and infused with enough horrific elements to make this one wild ride!
Everything gets rolling when a tough-as-nails mercenary named Brogan returns home to his family. Killer he may be, but Brogan loves his wife and family more than anything. So when he dismounts at his abandoned house, he is immediately alarmed. When he is told by a neighbor that the Grakhul — immortal servants of the gods — took his loved ones away, he is terrified to the core, for the Grakhul only take people they intend to offer to the gods as human sacrifices!
In spite of his overwhelming fear and a life time of awe of the Grakhul, Brogan puts together a rescue party, determined to steal back his family from certain death. The whispered fears from his companions that an attack on the Grakhul is an act of defiance against the gods of no concern to our mercenary. What difference does it make to him if the whole world suffers if he is made to live without his loved ones.
Immediately, innumerable ripples spread across the world from Brogan’s actions. People and places unknown to our bereaved husband and father engulfed in the rising tide of divine wrath. The world itself beginning to teeter upon the edge of ruin, as the anger of the divine pours out upon it!
I hope that description peaks your interest, because The Last Sacrifice is a sword and sorcery tale not to be missed. Another genre blender from James A. Moore, this story pushes the normal limits of standard sword and sorcery, creating a unique and addictive concoction.
First, Mr. Moore provides a heaping dose of horror with his fantasy. Not gore or gloom like so many grimdark offerings, but true horror elements of brooding tension and suspense, terrifying creatures, and skin crawling scenes of good and bad people meeting their end. All of this so perfectly integrated into the mix that they never seem out of place.
Second, the characters are much more than cardboard cut out good guys and bad guys. Each person here is portrayed in their own shade of grey. Good guys do questionable deeds, while villains’ actions are not always evil. Each person given an opportunity to showcase (even if only briefly) the “why” of who and what they are.
Third, while there is action, combat, and supernatural elements galore, the real focus of the narrative is the plot itself. Sure, an author being concerned with the plot isn’t anything unusual, but, in my experience, too many sword and sorcery stories have suffered from the plot being subservient to the action, which might have been fine decades ago when fantasy was more along the lines of pulp fiction, but it does not work today. Readers today expect quality fantasy stories, demanding more from their reading experience than merely a muscle-bound hero with mighty sinews throwing a terrified maiden over his shoulder, as he fights off magical horrors. And Mr. Moore understands this, delivering compelling individual stories along with an epic, overarching adventure tale.
As for deficiencies in The Last Sacrifice, I would point to the over abundance of point of view characters. I personally found there to be too many of them. So many, in fact, I never felt as if they were getting enough page time from their creator. Sure, they all did get repeated turns in the spotlight, but the duration was too short for me to build a strong bond with any of them, which meant I found myself not as emotionally involved in their lives as I would have wished to be. Others might find this a minor issue however, but I felt I should, at least, mention it.
With The Last Sacrifice, James A. Moore has triumphed yet again, delivering a modern sword and sorcery tale to delight old and new fans of the genre. With its intriguing premise, stellar cast of characters, and flavorful horror elements, this is damn good stuff. So good in fact, any reader, whatever genre they prefer, can’t go wrong with picking this novel up and letting themselves be swept up in this epic struggle.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
May 30, 2017
Written with James A. Moore's familiar swagger, pitting mortals against undying, swords against axes, thieves and travelers and mysterious peoples against the backdrop of an ever changing world and massive cities of sin and death and towers and walls and combat that makes you feel every single blow and every single brutal second, The Last Sacrifice is truly a masterpiece of epic fantasy and horror and should be devoured by all fans of both genres. With a premise that's as universally relatable as it is terrifying, Moore sets hero Brogan McTyre to the wheel of pain and watches him grind and dig and claw and scrape with the knowledge that personal loss and personal conviction is the true key to changing the entire world. With a great cast of characters and POV's, The Last Sacrifice excites down to the last chapter and is an impressive start to a new series from this fantasy/horror master.
October 31, 2016
After reading the seven forges series which I really enjoyed i got the chance or a arc copy of this the first in a new series. I hate reviews with spoilers In it . This saga starts slowly but right to the business of laying the ground work of what is happening in this world and the rebellion of one character ( who could blame him) . His actions lead to a end of the world scenario , the other POV are interesting and again help build up the world and the chain of events going down . I couldn't take to some characters but that's me . Over all a good book with promise of better to come and I know the author has it in him as the last series showed
February 24, 2021
This should have been perfect for me, but sadly it wasn't.
In theory it's exactly my sort of book. On the dark side, new world, new races, different POVs, different sides to root for, grey characters, and a lot of action.
But for some reason I just couldn't really engage with the characters. I didn't dislike them, but I also didn't really care for any of them. Which made the story flow past me, instead of allowing me immersion.
It was by no means a bad book, or I wouldn't have finished it. But I'm pretty sure if you'll ask me in a month what this book was about, I'll not remember much, as I never really managed to actually dive into this new world, despite fascinating ideas for the world building...
In theory it's exactly my sort of book. On the dark side, new world, new races, different POVs, different sides to root for, grey characters, and a lot of action.
But for some reason I just couldn't really engage with the characters. I didn't dislike them, but I also didn't really care for any of them. Which made the story flow past me, instead of allowing me immersion.
It was by no means a bad book, or I wouldn't have finished it. But I'm pretty sure if you'll ask me in a month what this book was about, I'll not remember much, as I never really managed to actually dive into this new world, despite fascinating ideas for the world building...
March 7, 2017
Thrilling and incredibly enthralling. Moore weaves a wonderful tapestry with this book. Full review to come.
February 13, 2018
Brilliantly atmosperic, grim, and filled with brooding anger. 'The Last Sacrifice' is an excellent tale of tyrannical selfish gods, flawed and dubious characters, and revenge. James A. Moore has already sparked my interest with this tale brimming in suspense, blood, magic, and selfish vendettas.
This is a pretty short book with a tightly plotted story, plenty in action with a breakneck pace. It doesn't hamper the story, but fits snugly into the circumstances and situations that the author is trying to portray in the story. There isn't much worldbuilding, but, the landscape and mythology is as fascinating and unforgiving as the gods that demand sacrifices. There is also sufficient amount of killing, and a few brutal acts, but this shouldn't keep the ocassional fantasy reader shying away. It is done with an economy and a grace that could be found only in Abercrombie and Erickson.
I liked the concept of the terrible otherworldly abominable creatures called as the Undying, and also their relation with the Grakhul. The mythology is a little vague, but, is given in scrapes scattered across the story. I'm also interested in the backstory of the night-people which remains a mystery throughout the book. Also, the gods are yet to make their big-time appearance. The stormy and cataclysmic atmosphere is captured by Moore with a precise skill, which is praiseworthy.
The characters are also complex, with their own issues and flaws. Brogan the Mercenary and his friend Harper are a crazy badass duo fighting their way out with gore. Their camaraderie is strongly cemented with trust, and it is a delight to read about them. Beron the slaver is a despicable fucker, but, his cunningness is pretty impressive. Stanna is a woman-slaver, but a honest fighter as well. She is a strong female character with a lot potential, and I would love to see her role expand in the later novels. Niall is a modest and a meticulous boy who escapes from the Undying. He is a master herbalist, and is equally brave. Tully and Temma are another of the two strong female characters. Both are hardened by loss, and both are fighters. And, I'm also pretty interested to know about the Kings Bron and Parrish. Despite being on the verge of grimdark, it is these characters that keep the gloom of the novel away.
This was an extremely satisfying and enjoyable read. I'm already on to the next. James A. Moore writes very well. His prose is sharp and laced with ironic humour. The action is brilliant, and precisely executed. To the end Moore kept me glued to his story with a gripping thrill. At the end I would say that this book should gain more readership. So, grab it and read within a fortnight fantasy lovers!
This is a pretty short book with a tightly plotted story, plenty in action with a breakneck pace. It doesn't hamper the story, but fits snugly into the circumstances and situations that the author is trying to portray in the story. There isn't much worldbuilding, but, the landscape and mythology is as fascinating and unforgiving as the gods that demand sacrifices. There is also sufficient amount of killing, and a few brutal acts, but this shouldn't keep the ocassional fantasy reader shying away. It is done with an economy and a grace that could be found only in Abercrombie and Erickson.
I liked the concept of the terrible otherworldly abominable creatures called as the Undying, and also their relation with the Grakhul. The mythology is a little vague, but, is given in scrapes scattered across the story. I'm also interested in the backstory of the night-people which remains a mystery throughout the book. Also, the gods are yet to make their big-time appearance. The stormy and cataclysmic atmosphere is captured by Moore with a precise skill, which is praiseworthy.
The characters are also complex, with their own issues and flaws. Brogan the Mercenary and his friend Harper are a crazy badass duo fighting their way out with gore. Their camaraderie is strongly cemented with trust, and it is a delight to read about them. Beron the slaver is a despicable fucker, but, his cunningness is pretty impressive. Stanna is a woman-slaver, but a honest fighter as well. She is a strong female character with a lot potential, and I would love to see her role expand in the later novels. Niall is a modest and a meticulous boy who escapes from the Undying. He is a master herbalist, and is equally brave. Tully and Temma are another of the two strong female characters. Both are hardened by loss, and both are fighters. And, I'm also pretty interested to know about the Kings Bron and Parrish. Despite being on the verge of grimdark, it is these characters that keep the gloom of the novel away.
This was an extremely satisfying and enjoyable read. I'm already on to the next. James A. Moore writes very well. His prose is sharp and laced with ironic humour. The action is brilliant, and precisely executed. To the end Moore kept me glued to his story with a gripping thrill. At the end I would say that this book should gain more readership. So, grab it and read within a fortnight fantasy lovers!
January 11, 2017
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book having never read anything from James A. Moore but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Right from the beginning I was pulled into this world of harsh realities where human sacrifice is an honoured and expected occurrence.
When we first meet Brogan McTyre he is on his way home from a job to be with his wife and three children. He's filled with the peace and love that only comes from the knowledge that you'll soon be home in your bed, surrounded by your loved ones and not a care in the world. Unfortunately, once he reaches there he discovers that they have all been taken as sacrifices to the unrelenting Grakhul (or as we learn later, The He-Kisshi). What happens after this sets in motion a cataclysmic chain of events from which the whole world is in danger.
It's exciting, adventurous and damn near terrifying when we discover what The He-Kisshi really look like under their robes (no spoilers). In The He-Kisshi is a foe to be truly scared of. They don't die for starters, they're even referred to as the undying by the people in the land so the legend of them is well established. Honestly, they're hideous. This makes for an engaging read.
This being a high fantasy novel, there are of course a large set of characters and in this first installment we are introduced to quite a few. Brogan and his men, the mysterious servants of The He-Kisshi, the monarchs of the lands, the soldiers sent to hunt Brogan crew - the list goes on. As this is the case I do feel this book set the second one up really well and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with everyone involved.
The world building is solid, feeling like a cross between medieval and a touch of roman/Greek influence, where talk of the gods and the ramifications of said gods comes into it. This I really enjoy as it wasn't really what I was expecting. The added feature of there being slavers adds to this aspect for myself.
If you're looking for a solid, enjoyable start to a fantasy book, then this doesn't disappoint. If you want to be suitably horrified by the creatures inhabiting this world, then this is definitely for you. They stood out so much for me. I loved them and can't wait to see them inflicting more havoc on these characters. By gum, they're awful.
When we first meet Brogan McTyre he is on his way home from a job to be with his wife and three children. He's filled with the peace and love that only comes from the knowledge that you'll soon be home in your bed, surrounded by your loved ones and not a care in the world. Unfortunately, once he reaches there he discovers that they have all been taken as sacrifices to the unrelenting Grakhul (or as we learn later, The He-Kisshi). What happens after this sets in motion a cataclysmic chain of events from which the whole world is in danger.
It's exciting, adventurous and damn near terrifying when we discover what The He-Kisshi really look like under their robes (no spoilers). In The He-Kisshi is a foe to be truly scared of. They don't die for starters, they're even referred to as the undying by the people in the land so the legend of them is well established. Honestly, they're hideous. This makes for an engaging read.
This being a high fantasy novel, there are of course a large set of characters and in this first installment we are introduced to quite a few. Brogan and his men, the mysterious servants of The He-Kisshi, the monarchs of the lands, the soldiers sent to hunt Brogan crew - the list goes on. As this is the case I do feel this book set the second one up really well and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with everyone involved.
The world building is solid, feeling like a cross between medieval and a touch of roman/Greek influence, where talk of the gods and the ramifications of said gods comes into it. This I really enjoy as it wasn't really what I was expecting. The added feature of there being slavers adds to this aspect for myself.
If you're looking for a solid, enjoyable start to a fantasy book, then this doesn't disappoint. If you want to be suitably horrified by the creatures inhabiting this world, then this is definitely for you. They stood out so much for me. I loved them and can't wait to see them inflicting more havoc on these characters. By gum, they're awful.
February 12, 2017
A rousing tale of sword and sorcery , phenomenal world building, the grit and action is relentless and the pacing is absolutely headlong. I didn't finish James Moore's last series but this one, he's got me hooked on.
James A Moore is one of the three, in the Three Guys with Beards Podcast. Christopher Golden and Jonathan Maberry being the other two. Now I've read ONE book of each of these three guys. If I were to rank them, I would say I loved Jonathan Maberry best, Tin Men by Christopher Golden next and the open act of the Seven Forges series is the one I liked the least. Sadly, I didn't get back to finish the Seven Forges.
But then, I happened to come across the premise for The Last Sacrifice. Brogan McTyre, a warrior whose family gets sacrificed to appease the Gods, now decides to take the battle to entirely new level. He defies the Gods and challenges them. And this act has catastrophic consequences on the entire world, the angry Gods raining down hellfire and damnation on everybody. This sounded like one hell of a plot-line. Angry gods, their pets called Undying and some stubborn fool of a warrior, who doesn't know where to draw the line.
But when I actually started reading The Last Sacrifice, the first few chapters were a headlong rush of blood to the head. Brogan and his battle-scarred group of war mercenaries, on their way back home discover that his entire family has been taken away by the 'Grakhul' - messengers of the Gods in the mortal realm - to be sacrificed. Brogan, crazy with grief and anxious to save them, sets out to the very end of the world, to save them, aided by this group of loyal warriors, all of whom have fought and survived together, led by his best friend, a quiet and enigmatic man called Harper who has been the only mortal to have 'interacted' with this group called Grakhul. You would expect this quest to last over at least a hundred pages, in the traditional form of any 'fantasy' book. But the pace of the book takes you by the scruff of your neck and pushes your nose to the grind-wheel as things take flight.
The quest ends in a disaster in just over a few pages but Brogan's act of defiance in having stopped this sacrifice to the Gods ( and hence, the name The Last Sacrifice) angers the Gods and sets out a violent cataclysmic chain reaction that sees cities and empires being destroyed through floods, torrential rains, earthquakes and landslides. Brogan further defies them by kidnapping the entire race of 'Grakhul', pale-skinned northerners who are responsible for the sacrifices - and selling them off in slavery. The Undying or He-Kisshi, servants of these Gods, winged creatures of horror that defy explanations, are set out to retrieve the Grakhul. Bringing into the conflict, Slavers who had bought the 'goods'. And to make things complex, two of the intended 'sacrifices' escape from the Undying, grievously wounding one of the He-Kisshi that sets off a track for a personal vendetta.
All in all, it's certainly a combustible explosive mix of things that go around here, in this bleak, grim but gloriously realized world (Think of the Highlands of Scotland being ruled by dark violent whimsical Gods!) that James has created for the Tides of War. The pacing is just relentless Well, with a wide array of characters and the whole bloody world heading off the cliff you wouldn't expect less. While not preachy or heavy-handed, James touches upon thought-provoking stuff throughout this violent and darkly fantastic sword-and-sorcery drama - Like good men forced to do evil stuff in a world that's coming to an end. There are side-stories here that may well spin off another heavy tome of dark fantasy but James keeps it reined in, focusing on, chiefly - yes Brogan and his quest to kill Gods that took away his family but also on the other sub-plots that round off the apocalypse coming to a head.
If I had to pick some faults, then it would have to be with the wide array of characters, While we focus on Brogan's struggle, there are countless other plot-lines that seemed to distract. And not all of them tying in with the major story-arc. There are character names that seem too similar to each other and leading to fair amounts of confusion. The POV's switch around randomly and we don't get to spend enough time with each, except perhaps Brogan. Like for example, I would have loved to get inside Harper's head, a man given to smiles and a supernatural sense of calm in the middle of chaos. The slavers' angle really didn't gel so with me but comes with a gut-wrenching twist by the end that sets up for some amazing things in the series to come. And so with Myridia and the Grakhuls, making their way to the prophesied destination. But this is a tale where there are no 'heroes'. They are all 'humans', flawed to a fault and with well realized motives for all their actions. Even so, with the Undying!
To sum up, James throws in elements of horror, dark fantasy, low magic and some amazing world-building into this boiling mix that somehow seems to work. Spinning off the staid old genre story-lines into a new direction with this epic take on God versus Man, The Last Sacrifice is a solid start to the sordid grim-dark tale documenting the end of a bleak violent world. The lines between heroes and villains blur as Gods seek to end the world.
James A Moore is one of the three, in the Three Guys with Beards Podcast. Christopher Golden and Jonathan Maberry being the other two. Now I've read ONE book of each of these three guys. If I were to rank them, I would say I loved Jonathan Maberry best, Tin Men by Christopher Golden next and the open act of the Seven Forges series is the one I liked the least. Sadly, I didn't get back to finish the Seven Forges.
But then, I happened to come across the premise for The Last Sacrifice. Brogan McTyre, a warrior whose family gets sacrificed to appease the Gods, now decides to take the battle to entirely new level. He defies the Gods and challenges them. And this act has catastrophic consequences on the entire world, the angry Gods raining down hellfire and damnation on everybody. This sounded like one hell of a plot-line. Angry gods, their pets called Undying and some stubborn fool of a warrior, who doesn't know where to draw the line.
But when I actually started reading The Last Sacrifice, the first few chapters were a headlong rush of blood to the head. Brogan and his battle-scarred group of war mercenaries, on their way back home discover that his entire family has been taken away by the 'Grakhul' - messengers of the Gods in the mortal realm - to be sacrificed. Brogan, crazy with grief and anxious to save them, sets out to the very end of the world, to save them, aided by this group of loyal warriors, all of whom have fought and survived together, led by his best friend, a quiet and enigmatic man called Harper who has been the only mortal to have 'interacted' with this group called Grakhul. You would expect this quest to last over at least a hundred pages, in the traditional form of any 'fantasy' book. But the pace of the book takes you by the scruff of your neck and pushes your nose to the grind-wheel as things take flight.
The quest ends in a disaster in just over a few pages but Brogan's act of defiance in having stopped this sacrifice to the Gods ( and hence, the name The Last Sacrifice) angers the Gods and sets out a violent cataclysmic chain reaction that sees cities and empires being destroyed through floods, torrential rains, earthquakes and landslides. Brogan further defies them by kidnapping the entire race of 'Grakhul', pale-skinned northerners who are responsible for the sacrifices - and selling them off in slavery. The Undying or He-Kisshi, servants of these Gods, winged creatures of horror that defy explanations, are set out to retrieve the Grakhul. Bringing into the conflict, Slavers who had bought the 'goods'. And to make things complex, two of the intended 'sacrifices' escape from the Undying, grievously wounding one of the He-Kisshi that sets off a track for a personal vendetta.
All in all, it's certainly a combustible explosive mix of things that go around here, in this bleak, grim but gloriously realized world (Think of the Highlands of Scotland being ruled by dark violent whimsical Gods!) that James has created for the Tides of War. The pacing is just relentless Well, with a wide array of characters and the whole bloody world heading off the cliff you wouldn't expect less. While not preachy or heavy-handed, James touches upon thought-provoking stuff throughout this violent and darkly fantastic sword-and-sorcery drama - Like good men forced to do evil stuff in a world that's coming to an end. There are side-stories here that may well spin off another heavy tome of dark fantasy but James keeps it reined in, focusing on, chiefly - yes Brogan and his quest to kill Gods that took away his family but also on the other sub-plots that round off the apocalypse coming to a head.
If I had to pick some faults, then it would have to be with the wide array of characters, While we focus on Brogan's struggle, there are countless other plot-lines that seemed to distract. And not all of them tying in with the major story-arc. There are character names that seem too similar to each other and leading to fair amounts of confusion. The POV's switch around randomly and we don't get to spend enough time with each, except perhaps Brogan. Like for example, I would have loved to get inside Harper's head, a man given to smiles and a supernatural sense of calm in the middle of chaos. The slavers' angle really didn't gel so with me but comes with a gut-wrenching twist by the end that sets up for some amazing things in the series to come. And so with Myridia and the Grakhuls, making their way to the prophesied destination. But this is a tale where there are no 'heroes'. They are all 'humans', flawed to a fault and with well realized motives for all their actions. Even so, with the Undying!
To sum up, James throws in elements of horror, dark fantasy, low magic and some amazing world-building into this boiling mix that somehow seems to work. Spinning off the staid old genre story-lines into a new direction with this epic take on God versus Man, The Last Sacrifice is a solid start to the sordid grim-dark tale documenting the end of a bleak violent world. The lines between heroes and villains blur as Gods seek to end the world.
October 30, 2017
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.25 of 5
The publishing trend in trilogies has pushed authors to think in terms of a three-act story, rather than writing three individual books, and that is quite apparent with James A. Moore's The Last Sacrifice, the first book in a new trilogy.
A race of people, known as the Grakhul, are immortal servants to ancient gods. In order to keep the gods content the Grakhul will often provide for human sacrifices. But the Grakhul may have made a mistake when they chose the family of Brogan McTyre - one of the toughest warrior families ever. Brogan won't take this lying down and his fight to protect his family has him re-thinking the purpose of the gods. But the gods have been ingrained in the culture and it's not easy to convince the population to challenge everything they've known.
The story is at once a tight, immediate story about Brogan and his family as they are pursued and they try to make sense of the order of the gods, and it's also a grand story with the gods keeping a balance between order and chaos. I really appreciate this sort of book that can be about something personal and have epic complications.
Moore's writing is smooth and the book is full of action and it moves swiftly from moment to moment, keeping the reader entranced.
But once the book is done and the reader reflects on the story we realize that there isn't much here except the action. The basic plot, as defined above, is laid out for the reader about two-thirds of the way through the book. That's right ... the plot of the book is finally revealed just when it should be reaching its peak. It does this because this isn't really a self-contained book. This is the set-up for the next book, which will hopefully actually give us more of a story.
Given Moore's ability to pull the reader in, this should be a fun, exciting series, but if you want to read an exciting book (singular) then you might want to look elsewhere. This will be a commitment to a trilogy at least.
Looking for a good book? The Last Sacrifice by James A. Moore is an exciting beginning to a series, but you will need to commit to the entire run in order to get the actual story.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
The publishing trend in trilogies has pushed authors to think in terms of a three-act story, rather than writing three individual books, and that is quite apparent with James A. Moore's The Last Sacrifice, the first book in a new trilogy.
A race of people, known as the Grakhul, are immortal servants to ancient gods. In order to keep the gods content the Grakhul will often provide for human sacrifices. But the Grakhul may have made a mistake when they chose the family of Brogan McTyre - one of the toughest warrior families ever. Brogan won't take this lying down and his fight to protect his family has him re-thinking the purpose of the gods. But the gods have been ingrained in the culture and it's not easy to convince the population to challenge everything they've known.
The story is at once a tight, immediate story about Brogan and his family as they are pursued and they try to make sense of the order of the gods, and it's also a grand story with the gods keeping a balance between order and chaos. I really appreciate this sort of book that can be about something personal and have epic complications.
Moore's writing is smooth and the book is full of action and it moves swiftly from moment to moment, keeping the reader entranced.
But once the book is done and the reader reflects on the story we realize that there isn't much here except the action. The basic plot, as defined above, is laid out for the reader about two-thirds of the way through the book. That's right ... the plot of the book is finally revealed just when it should be reaching its peak. It does this because this isn't really a self-contained book. This is the set-up for the next book, which will hopefully actually give us more of a story.
Given Moore's ability to pull the reader in, this should be a fun, exciting series, but if you want to read an exciting book (singular) then you might want to look elsewhere. This will be a commitment to a trilogy at least.
Looking for a good book? The Last Sacrifice by James A. Moore is an exciting beginning to a series, but you will need to commit to the entire run in order to get the actual story.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2017
"The gods would be appeased, or there would be nothing left of the world."
THE LAST SACRIFICE is smooth, dark fantasy. What I mean when I say "smooth" is that the tale just flows. There is just enough meat in the descriptions to not bog down the narrative, or slow the pace. Moore doesn't waste words, and keeps it simple and . . . smooth. I was just turning pages as fast as my eyes could devour the words.
Brogan McTyre is returning home with his men, and is anxious to see his wife and three children. When riders greet Brogan on the path, a knot twists in his gut. He doesn't realize what is wrong until he reaches the door to his home and sees the feared four coins on the front step.
The Undying collect four people a month from across the Five Kingdoms. Those chosen are sacrificed to the gods by the Grakhul people. Never have the Undying taken a man's entire family before. The Undying do the will of the gods, but just this one time may have made the biggest mistake of their evil existence.
With a band of loyal friends, and followers, Brogan sets out with hopes of saving his family from the gods before it is too late! The situation quickly goes from dangerous to detrimental, and Brogan and his men take unlawful matters into their own hands.
The end of the world may be coming, but who can fight gods and expect to win in order to save the Five Kingdoms? A new sacrifice might be the only way to end the war, but it may already be too late for even that!
I am embarrassed admitting THE LAST SACRIFICE is the first James A. Moore novel I've read. The man has a list of publications a a page long. Blame falls directly on my shoulders. The only way to rectify a wrong, is to make it right. As a new fan of Moore's work I will be doing my best to read the rest of his works. He's a gifted storyteller, so why wouldn't I?
Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy
THE LAST SACRIFICE is smooth, dark fantasy. What I mean when I say "smooth" is that the tale just flows. There is just enough meat in the descriptions to not bog down the narrative, or slow the pace. Moore doesn't waste words, and keeps it simple and . . . smooth. I was just turning pages as fast as my eyes could devour the words.
Brogan McTyre is returning home with his men, and is anxious to see his wife and three children. When riders greet Brogan on the path, a knot twists in his gut. He doesn't realize what is wrong until he reaches the door to his home and sees the feared four coins on the front step.
The Undying collect four people a month from across the Five Kingdoms. Those chosen are sacrificed to the gods by the Grakhul people. Never have the Undying taken a man's entire family before. The Undying do the will of the gods, but just this one time may have made the biggest mistake of their evil existence.
With a band of loyal friends, and followers, Brogan sets out with hopes of saving his family from the gods before it is too late! The situation quickly goes from dangerous to detrimental, and Brogan and his men take unlawful matters into their own hands.
The end of the world may be coming, but who can fight gods and expect to win in order to save the Five Kingdoms? A new sacrifice might be the only way to end the war, but it may already be too late for even that!
I am embarrassed admitting THE LAST SACRIFICE is the first James A. Moore novel I've read. The man has a list of publications a a page long. Blame falls directly on my shoulders. The only way to rectify a wrong, is to make it right. As a new fan of Moore's work I will be doing my best to read the rest of his works. He's a gifted storyteller, so why wouldn't I?
Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy
February 2, 2018
THE LAST SACRIFICE is the first novel of a (new) grimdark trilogy from James A. Moore. Moore again displays the chops that make his writing a standout. Dripping with blood, horror, and an array of moral gray, we are plunged into a world where dark gods demand human sacrifice. When mercenary Brogan McTyre decides the price of losing his entire family is too high, the world is plunged into Armageddon as Brogan battles the monstrous servants of the gods and sets his sights on killing the gods themselves, if no other options are available.
Not any easy mission. Certainly not any easier when Five Kingdoms have put a price on your head to stop the end of the world.
This series, The Tides of War, is apart from Moore's previous Seven Forges series. Once again, Moore's creativity shines through with a new world, new pantheon, new monsters, new nations and continents. The characters live and breathe and pop from the page - often with swords swinging.
The sequel, FALLEN GODS, was just recently released and I cannot wait to dive into the dark - again.
Not any easy mission. Certainly not any easier when Five Kingdoms have put a price on your head to stop the end of the world.
This series, The Tides of War, is apart from Moore's previous Seven Forges series. Once again, Moore's creativity shines through with a new world, new pantheon, new monsters, new nations and continents. The characters live and breathe and pop from the page - often with swords swinging.
The sequel, FALLEN GODS, was just recently released and I cannot wait to dive into the dark - again.
December 22, 2017
Full review to come!
May 15, 2021
I have no clue what Goodreads is doing here, but it kept updating this book as if I had read it more than once. Then I had to delete it completely and start over.
This is an amazing book, I am giving it 4 stars (instead of the 5 the first time around) because I am reading the second one right now and it is even better. I am not sure how it got better, but it did and it keeps getting better.
The story is everything you'd want in a fantasy and more. I connected to all the characters and I loved every page of it.
Some people will not like me, but this is exactly what I would have wanted The Faithful and the Fallen series to be. It is not a long book, but it packs every punch and I could not put it down. Amazing.
This is an amazing book, I am giving it 4 stars (instead of the 5 the first time around) because I am reading the second one right now and it is even better. I am not sure how it got better, but it did and it keeps getting better.
The story is everything you'd want in a fantasy and more. I connected to all the characters and I loved every page of it.
Some people will not like me, but this is exactly what I would have wanted The Faithful and the Fallen series to be. It is not a long book, but it packs every punch and I could not put it down. Amazing.
May 31, 2017
What happens when the great antagonist, the villainous figure bent on destroying the world, is the divine? The Last Sacrifice, the first book in James A. Moore’s Tides of War series, places that conflict at its core. And while it’s an interesting question—what if the gods themselves are the enemy—the book invests a great deal of time in worldbuilding and stage setting, leaving the “meat” of the plot on the back burner while hopping between points of view.
The Last Sacrifice is Grimdark, which is to say it’s brutal and gory, and deals with some of the darker aspects of human behavior. The inciting incident of the story, which pits the protagonist against the gods, asks about the lengths to which anyone would go to get revenge for losing their entire family for nebulous reasons. It’s a familiar concept—man loses wife and children, becomes enraged, goes on a rampage to avenge his family’s killers. Rinse, repeat. But the execution in The Last Sacrifice breaks that trope open, making the revenge itself a secondary incident which ignites the entire world. The scope of consequences changes, and the man’s blind rage doesn’t get quenched in a vacuum. I really appreciated that exploration, because oftentimes our media that glorifies righteous violence and revenge doesn’t address the fallout of those actions—it lets the protagonist win, and washes its hands of the brutal reality that such violence visits on the world around it. But it’s revenge atop revenge in The Last Sacrifice. In getting his revenge, Brogan McTyre enrages the gods, who want to punish the entire world in revenge for their monthly sacrifices being interrupted by Brogan’s actions. Predictably, chaos ensues.
Structurally, The Last Sacrifice jumps between characters and locations, building a large secondary world complete with features that are to be expected in this kind of fantasy: slavers, wretched towns, groups of kingdoms, mysterious geological phenomena, strange humanoid creatures that represent the gods, kilts, guilds, etcetera. It’s no more or less inventive than other fantasy in the same vein, but it’s well executed and feels complete.
I liked The Last Sacrifice, especially as an audiobook (as always, many thanks to Audible for providing the review copy), but I became so hung up on one detail that I couldn’t get really into the book. Let me set the scene.
The world in which Brogan McTyre lives has been sacrificing four humans every season to appease the gods. The sacrifices are (seemingly) arbitrarily chosen, and exchanged for valuable coins that act as reparations for the humans who lost loved ones. This sacrifice has been taking place multiple times every year since time began. Presumably, people would be used to the idea, wouldn’t they? Granted, the Grakhul (the humanoid divine servants who make the sacrifices) took Brogan’s entire family, an unusual event to be sure, but this has been happening literally forever. Brogan and everyone he knows have been raised to accept this sacrifice as part of life, yet when his own family is taken he goes ballistic, rounds up his mercenary friends, and exacts bloody revenge on the messengers of the gods. Throughout the book, characters flout the conventions that the world’s been accepting for its entire existence. Though there are mentions of past lapses in appeasement of the gods on the humans’ part, I kept getting hung up on the idea that so many people would be somewhat blaze about disregarding deeply-held beliefs regarding a global phenomenon that is as old as the world itself.
So when Brogan confronted the king of his country and asked what the King would do in his shoes, I’d expect the king to say he’d tow the line. When Brogan ropes his sellsword friends into the revenge, I’d expect a little less enthusiastic following of the rash actions that lead to the impending destruction of the world. Instead, everyone’s pretty much on board with the revenge plan. And when Brogan decides to sell the remaining Grakhul he hasn’t killed, the women and children, into slavery—a thing they all despise—the group goes along with that too. There’s some recalcitrance, but I always expected some internal conflict among the sellswords, which never fully coalesced. I expected more pushback from those who feel that “this is just how the world works” is a sufficient explanation for Brogan’s loss. There wasn’t much of that, though.
Those issues aren’t digs at the book, per se. Maybe it’s just me inserting my own writing voice into the story. Decisions I’d have made if I were telling the story. The Last Sacrifice will tickle the fancy of any fans of Grimdark fantasy, with its large cast of characters and earth-shattering consequences. The narrator, Adam Sims, does a great job of bringing intensity to the story, and at just under 10 hours, the book is easy to consume in a week of here-and-there listening sessions. Grimdark isn’t for everyone, but if you like it, pick up The Last Sacrifice. You’ll enjoy it.
The Last Sacrifice is Grimdark, which is to say it’s brutal and gory, and deals with some of the darker aspects of human behavior. The inciting incident of the story, which pits the protagonist against the gods, asks about the lengths to which anyone would go to get revenge for losing their entire family for nebulous reasons. It’s a familiar concept—man loses wife and children, becomes enraged, goes on a rampage to avenge his family’s killers. Rinse, repeat. But the execution in The Last Sacrifice breaks that trope open, making the revenge itself a secondary incident which ignites the entire world. The scope of consequences changes, and the man’s blind rage doesn’t get quenched in a vacuum. I really appreciated that exploration, because oftentimes our media that glorifies righteous violence and revenge doesn’t address the fallout of those actions—it lets the protagonist win, and washes its hands of the brutal reality that such violence visits on the world around it. But it’s revenge atop revenge in The Last Sacrifice. In getting his revenge, Brogan McTyre enrages the gods, who want to punish the entire world in revenge for their monthly sacrifices being interrupted by Brogan’s actions. Predictably, chaos ensues.
Structurally, The Last Sacrifice jumps between characters and locations, building a large secondary world complete with features that are to be expected in this kind of fantasy: slavers, wretched towns, groups of kingdoms, mysterious geological phenomena, strange humanoid creatures that represent the gods, kilts, guilds, etcetera. It’s no more or less inventive than other fantasy in the same vein, but it’s well executed and feels complete.
I liked The Last Sacrifice, especially as an audiobook (as always, many thanks to Audible for providing the review copy), but I became so hung up on one detail that I couldn’t get really into the book. Let me set the scene.
The world in which Brogan McTyre lives has been sacrificing four humans every season to appease the gods. The sacrifices are (seemingly) arbitrarily chosen, and exchanged for valuable coins that act as reparations for the humans who lost loved ones. This sacrifice has been taking place multiple times every year since time began. Presumably, people would be used to the idea, wouldn’t they? Granted, the Grakhul (the humanoid divine servants who make the sacrifices) took Brogan’s entire family, an unusual event to be sure, but this has been happening literally forever. Brogan and everyone he knows have been raised to accept this sacrifice as part of life, yet when his own family is taken he goes ballistic, rounds up his mercenary friends, and exacts bloody revenge on the messengers of the gods. Throughout the book, characters flout the conventions that the world’s been accepting for its entire existence. Though there are mentions of past lapses in appeasement of the gods on the humans’ part, I kept getting hung up on the idea that so many people would be somewhat blaze about disregarding deeply-held beliefs regarding a global phenomenon that is as old as the world itself.
So when Brogan confronted the king of his country and asked what the King would do in his shoes, I’d expect the king to say he’d tow the line. When Brogan ropes his sellsword friends into the revenge, I’d expect a little less enthusiastic following of the rash actions that lead to the impending destruction of the world. Instead, everyone’s pretty much on board with the revenge plan. And when Brogan decides to sell the remaining Grakhul he hasn’t killed, the women and children, into slavery—a thing they all despise—the group goes along with that too. There’s some recalcitrance, but I always expected some internal conflict among the sellswords, which never fully coalesced. I expected more pushback from those who feel that “this is just how the world works” is a sufficient explanation for Brogan’s loss. There wasn’t much of that, though.
Those issues aren’t digs at the book, per se. Maybe it’s just me inserting my own writing voice into the story. Decisions I’d have made if I were telling the story. The Last Sacrifice will tickle the fancy of any fans of Grimdark fantasy, with its large cast of characters and earth-shattering consequences. The narrator, Adam Sims, does a great job of bringing intensity to the story, and at just under 10 hours, the book is easy to consume in a week of here-and-there listening sessions. Grimdark isn’t for everyone, but if you like it, pick up The Last Sacrifice. You’ll enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2017
Grim dark as a genre has become quite predictable now a days. There is some quality writing by quality authors yet it is becoming more and more difficult to find original works. We all love some gore and name calling and graphic sex yet it does get tiring at times as the storyline keeps getting similar. But ‘James A Moore’ did dive into the new series with his unique sense of characters & built up the story to achieve new concepts while taking elements from some other subgenres to enrich the experience for his readers.
‘The Last Sacrifice’ begins with the aforementioned sacrifice as the protagonist Brogan McTyre starts his journey attempting to free his family from the sacrificial altar of the gods who only demand sacrifices. He gets everything that matters to him taken from him and it is only the beginning of his turmoil. At first I was wondering what could be the motivating factor for this character to keep him interested enough to take on the gods. But as the story progressed, I did get to understand the guilt he was unwilling to accept molding into the force driving him into action. Quite slowly and skillfully Moore started his story and took us into his harsh & cruel world where surviving is a quite a gigantic task in itself. There are forces willing to destroy everything, forces attempting to save the world in their own methods and also people who try to take advantage of the approaching apocalypse to achieve their agenda.
The author used his background and experience in horror to create some truly horrifying antagonists both human and otherwise. And then he skillfully tried to show us the point of view of even these loathsome beings. He took us into the minds of slavers & monsters even, enabling the reader to appreciate their ambitions and desires. To be able to portray negative characters in a way that makes them human is always a bonus point in my book and Moore did these characters justice by giving them voices.
As I mentioned before, the first third of the book seemed a bit slow in pace and I, as a reader, I kept wondering what the writer is actually trying to achieve. Then slowly but surely he kept throwing new characters at readers and kept diving into new points of views & minds and through these characters kept his unique style of world building going forward. We get glimpses into the world through the eyes of the characters amid their struggles. There is no overly friendly maps (which is not something I always appreciate to be honest) or holding hands of the readers through the landscape to make them understand. Which in my opinion is the right way to go for this type of a story where the lack of time is a point that Moore is trying to make.
The world in itself is unforgiving and a dog eat dog type of affair. There is no peace being hampered just the unreasonable gods lashing out once again at the people who disobeys them. Yet it is quite easy to identify with the various characters through their struggle for survival. Everyone has their own agenda and all are attempting their own journey on a world that is slowly being destroyed by its vengeful gods. The mystery the gods is something that seems quite interesting as well and leaves room for the author to maneuver in the future.
Brogan is a character whose anguish and despair is quite palpable throughout the pages. While various factions are being formed due to his impulsive and vengeful actions. Niall is a peaceful man who gets thrown into the path of the angry gods and their servants, yet despite his physical weakness, he desperately attempts to save everyone around him. Tully is a girl with a mysterious past who is not going to lie down, but will keep fighting no matter what is thrown at her. Beron is a nasty person, but the author gave us some insight into his past which lets us understand why he is what he is. Even Grakhul are a race which Moore tried to give some representations in his prose to make readers understand about their motives.
Despite liking the book a lot I would like to mention that the author’s use of similar names was a bit confusing and made me go back to identify who he was talking about. Also the sudden change of point-of-views was a bit of a bother at times as well. I kept wanting to learn more about some side characters which was a bit distracting as well, yet it is also one of the reasons that readers might come back for the next installment in the series.
All in all the last half of the book did a great deal of interesting build up to make me want to read the next book in the series, as the author did make me feel for these flawed and human characters & their doomed world. And last of all I do hope for more action and would love to get into the minds of some of the interesting side characters in the future installments (hint Harper, Anna, Meerhan etc.).
I'll give this one 4 out of 5 stars.
For more reviews and stuff check out my blog -
http://ihate00critics.blogspot.com/
‘The Last Sacrifice’ begins with the aforementioned sacrifice as the protagonist Brogan McTyre starts his journey attempting to free his family from the sacrificial altar of the gods who only demand sacrifices. He gets everything that matters to him taken from him and it is only the beginning of his turmoil. At first I was wondering what could be the motivating factor for this character to keep him interested enough to take on the gods. But as the story progressed, I did get to understand the guilt he was unwilling to accept molding into the force driving him into action. Quite slowly and skillfully Moore started his story and took us into his harsh & cruel world where surviving is a quite a gigantic task in itself. There are forces willing to destroy everything, forces attempting to save the world in their own methods and also people who try to take advantage of the approaching apocalypse to achieve their agenda.
The author used his background and experience in horror to create some truly horrifying antagonists both human and otherwise. And then he skillfully tried to show us the point of view of even these loathsome beings. He took us into the minds of slavers & monsters even, enabling the reader to appreciate their ambitions and desires. To be able to portray negative characters in a way that makes them human is always a bonus point in my book and Moore did these characters justice by giving them voices.
As I mentioned before, the first third of the book seemed a bit slow in pace and I, as a reader, I kept wondering what the writer is actually trying to achieve. Then slowly but surely he kept throwing new characters at readers and kept diving into new points of views & minds and through these characters kept his unique style of world building going forward. We get glimpses into the world through the eyes of the characters amid their struggles. There is no overly friendly maps (which is not something I always appreciate to be honest) or holding hands of the readers through the landscape to make them understand. Which in my opinion is the right way to go for this type of a story where the lack of time is a point that Moore is trying to make.
The world in itself is unforgiving and a dog eat dog type of affair. There is no peace being hampered just the unreasonable gods lashing out once again at the people who disobeys them. Yet it is quite easy to identify with the various characters through their struggle for survival. Everyone has their own agenda and all are attempting their own journey on a world that is slowly being destroyed by its vengeful gods. The mystery the gods is something that seems quite interesting as well and leaves room for the author to maneuver in the future.
Brogan is a character whose anguish and despair is quite palpable throughout the pages. While various factions are being formed due to his impulsive and vengeful actions. Niall is a peaceful man who gets thrown into the path of the angry gods and their servants, yet despite his physical weakness, he desperately attempts to save everyone around him. Tully is a girl with a mysterious past who is not going to lie down, but will keep fighting no matter what is thrown at her. Beron is a nasty person, but the author gave us some insight into his past which lets us understand why he is what he is. Even Grakhul are a race which Moore tried to give some representations in his prose to make readers understand about their motives.
Despite liking the book a lot I would like to mention that the author’s use of similar names was a bit confusing and made me go back to identify who he was talking about. Also the sudden change of point-of-views was a bit of a bother at times as well. I kept wanting to learn more about some side characters which was a bit distracting as well, yet it is also one of the reasons that readers might come back for the next installment in the series.
All in all the last half of the book did a great deal of interesting build up to make me want to read the next book in the series, as the author did make me feel for these flawed and human characters & their doomed world. And last of all I do hope for more action and would love to get into the minds of some of the interesting side characters in the future installments (hint Harper, Anna, Meerhan etc.).
I'll give this one 4 out of 5 stars.
For more reviews and stuff check out my blog -
http://ihate00critics.blogspot.com/
June 8, 2024
Hhhhmmmm I think the problem is in the weeks preceding my reading of this book, I read books by RF Kuang, Joe Abercrombie and Steven Erikson, 3 of if not the best authors in modern fantasy. So giving this one 2 stars seems unfair. It wasnt terrible, there is some good interesting stuff here but the dialogue is clunky, the pacing is uneven, hard to find a plot at times. So idk, I think 3 stars is more than fair. Not sure I’ll read the rest of the trilogy. I’ll have to give it time.
March 16, 2017
The Last Sacrifice is a splendid tale of vengeance and defying the gods. Just like the author's epic tale of Seven Forges, The Last Sacrifice is an enthralling fast-paced book with ass-kicking characters who could only grow stronger as the series progresses. With that, I'm waiting for the day the characters will truly shine and I bet the character development will be awesome for I know the author will not fail me, for he didn't in my now beloved Seven Forges series.
Review posted on: Zirev.com
Women are strong in this series. They are fighters and they could make their own decisions. The servants of the gods, the Grakhul for instance, maybe different from humans (they're partly monsters) but the warriors among them are the female ones. I can't help but think of them as looking like the Nether-Thralls of the game, Torchlight II.
In this book, we follow into the rage mode story of Brogan McTyre. The gods have always asked for four human sacrifices, usually one from each kingdom. This time, the Grakhul have chosen to take all members of Brogan McTyre's family. In his fitful rage, Brogan McTyre has gone above and beyond to rescue his family, calling upon his friends, mostly those indebted to him, to attack the Grakhul. This spurred him later on on a decision to defeat the Gods and survive.
I initially wrote this review on November 2016. I wasn't able to finish this before the publishing date because the bulleted list for my review contains more negative things than positive ones. I definitely love this book but I got nothing more positive to say other than of it being impressive. I'm afraid I might say the same things I said about the books from the Seven Forges series and the reasons being... you will find below.
Things I find in good/bad in this book:
1. It's just quite amazing. Brogan's crew, just out of the blue, find him magically.
2. As usual, everyone gets to have an ace up their sleeve: a magician.
3. The tone and mood are so similar with that of Seven Forges.
4. The book has a really strong voice, a voice that's flat: angry.
5. There's a setting there that I can only imagine as the pit where Gerard Butler screamed in the film, 300, "This is Sparta."
I'm terribly sorry for this because I can't help myself in musing. I feel that the characters just drown in sameness with that of the characters from Seven Forges and I don't like it. I don't know if it's just the author's writing style (I only read one of his series) but I've read multiple books from other authors and each of the books (or series) feel different. This one is just the same with that of Seven Forges. I usually have a clean slate of mind when I read a new book but I just can't help but to compare this one with that of another series.
There's this character in The Last Sacrifice named Niall Leraby who has this uncanny likeness to Andover in Seven Forges. They're not much alike in circumstances but they're the same in character: courageous but gentle in manner, naive but willing to learn, eager to prove himself strong and has an unrequited love. That's not really disturbing. Other readers might not detect it. What's really uncanny to me is that the main character, Brogan McTyre, has a Merros Dulver feel to him. Merros was the first introduced among the main characters in The Seven Forges series. Both Brogan and Merros have entirely different backgrounds and motivations but they feel the same to me. I don't know if the fault is entirely my own but I've never felt such likeness even in contemporary romance novelettes (that you can read in two hours). It's like reading a reincarnation of Merros in an alternate universe.
Speaking of the universe, I think that the setting for The Tides of War series is just the other side of the world in Seven Forges . Perhaps, the author has mentioned it somewhere (not in the books) that the world of Seven Forges lives on in another ongoing series but I don't know about that. For readers out there, if this is your introduction to the works of James A. Moore and you happen to love The Last Sacrifice, I highly recommend for you to read Seven Forges. This book is a good read. It has an intriguing story but it doesn't have such strong pull that Seven Forges had with me. I would like to say that the reason I'm quite taken with the similarities among characters in The Tides of War and Seven Forges is because the narration is the same for both series. So yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with it and fortunately, my love wins.
I don't know if the similarity in the narration was intended by the author to suggest the two series happen in the same universe because other authors have different voices in their books (like Neil Gaiman with American Gods, Neverwhere, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and his collaborative work with Terry Prachett, Good Omens). I can't tell yet if using the same voice for both series works or it's just James A. Moore's writing style in specifically writing a medieval fantasy series.
So why do I think Seven Forges and The Tides of War are in the same universe? Aside from the narration, this book mentions Louron. They're dark-skinned people who have magical powers concerning the dead. In Seven Forges, it was implied that Louron is one of the most distant places from the Fellein empire. Moreover, in this book, the gods are entirely involved with the affairs of men. And most men hate the gods.
The reason one has to have a clean slate of mind when reading fantasy books is because more often than not, readers would compare a book with another. Yes, clichés and tropes exist, and they shouldn't be bad. With millions of books existing in this world, it's hard to come up with something so original. As Michael J. Sullivan said, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter has broken the unwritten rule (since the 60s, a decade after Tolkien's time) that one should no longer use clichés (hence the birth of modern mystery and thriller, apt for the cold war then and the new digital age). The thing about this book is that there really is nothing for me to compare it to but the author's previous works. I was a bit disturbed with the likeness of the voice with that of Seven Forges until I had my aha moment when Louron was mentioned. With that, the author was redeemed in my eyes.
At this point, I'm no longer stirred up with the likeness of Tides of War and Seven Forges in a bad way. I definitely love this book and will read the next one of the series.
Review posted on: Zirev.com
Women are strong in this series. They are fighters and they could make their own decisions. The servants of the gods, the Grakhul for instance, maybe different from humans (they're partly monsters) but the warriors among them are the female ones. I can't help but think of them as looking like the Nether-Thralls of the game, Torchlight II.
In this book, we follow into the rage mode story of Brogan McTyre. The gods have always asked for four human sacrifices, usually one from each kingdom. This time, the Grakhul have chosen to take all members of Brogan McTyre's family. In his fitful rage, Brogan McTyre has gone above and beyond to rescue his family, calling upon his friends, mostly those indebted to him, to attack the Grakhul. This spurred him later on on a decision to defeat the Gods and survive.
I initially wrote this review on November 2016. I wasn't able to finish this before the publishing date because the bulleted list for my review contains more negative things than positive ones. I definitely love this book but I got nothing more positive to say other than of it being impressive. I'm afraid I might say the same things I said about the books from the Seven Forges series and the reasons being... you will find below.
Things I find in good/bad in this book:
1. It's just quite amazing. Brogan's crew, just out of the blue, find him magically.
2. As usual, everyone gets to have an ace up their sleeve: a magician.
3. The tone and mood are so similar with that of Seven Forges.
4. The book has a really strong voice, a voice that's flat: angry.
5. There's a setting there that I can only imagine as the pit where Gerard Butler screamed in the film, 300, "This is Sparta."
I'm terribly sorry for this because I can't help myself in musing. I feel that the characters just drown in sameness with that of the characters from Seven Forges and I don't like it. I don't know if it's just the author's writing style (I only read one of his series) but I've read multiple books from other authors and each of the books (or series) feel different. This one is just the same with that of Seven Forges. I usually have a clean slate of mind when I read a new book but I just can't help but to compare this one with that of another series.
There's this character in The Last Sacrifice named Niall Leraby who has this uncanny likeness to Andover in Seven Forges. They're not much alike in circumstances but they're the same in character: courageous but gentle in manner, naive but willing to learn, eager to prove himself strong and has an unrequited love. That's not really disturbing. Other readers might not detect it. What's really uncanny to me is that the main character, Brogan McTyre, has a Merros Dulver feel to him. Merros was the first introduced among the main characters in The Seven Forges series. Both Brogan and Merros have entirely different backgrounds and motivations but they feel the same to me. I don't know if the fault is entirely my own but I've never felt such likeness even in contemporary romance novelettes (that you can read in two hours). It's like reading a reincarnation of Merros in an alternate universe.
Speaking of the universe, I think that the setting for The Tides of War series is just the other side of the world in Seven Forges . Perhaps, the author has mentioned it somewhere (not in the books) that the world of Seven Forges lives on in another ongoing series but I don't know about that. For readers out there, if this is your introduction to the works of James A. Moore and you happen to love The Last Sacrifice, I highly recommend for you to read Seven Forges. This book is a good read. It has an intriguing story but it doesn't have such strong pull that Seven Forges had with me. I would like to say that the reason I'm quite taken with the similarities among characters in The Tides of War and Seven Forges is because the narration is the same for both series. So yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with it and fortunately, my love wins.
I don't know if the similarity in the narration was intended by the author to suggest the two series happen in the same universe because other authors have different voices in their books (like Neil Gaiman with American Gods, Neverwhere, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and his collaborative work with Terry Prachett, Good Omens). I can't tell yet if using the same voice for both series works or it's just James A. Moore's writing style in specifically writing a medieval fantasy series.
So why do I think Seven Forges and The Tides of War are in the same universe? Aside from the narration, this book mentions Louron. They're dark-skinned people who have magical powers concerning the dead. In Seven Forges, it was implied that Louron is one of the most distant places from the Fellein empire. Moreover, in this book, the gods are entirely involved with the affairs of men. And most men hate the gods.
The reason one has to have a clean slate of mind when reading fantasy books is because more often than not, readers would compare a book with another. Yes, clichés and tropes exist, and they shouldn't be bad. With millions of books existing in this world, it's hard to come up with something so original. As Michael J. Sullivan said, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter has broken the unwritten rule (since the 60s, a decade after Tolkien's time) that one should no longer use clichés (hence the birth of modern mystery and thriller, apt for the cold war then and the new digital age). The thing about this book is that there really is nothing for me to compare it to but the author's previous works. I was a bit disturbed with the likeness of the voice with that of Seven Forges until I had my aha moment when Louron was mentioned. With that, the author was redeemed in my eyes.
At this point, I'm no longer stirred up with the likeness of Tides of War and Seven Forges in a bad way. I definitely love this book and will read the next one of the series.
September 19, 2024
Wicked kool book, the fight scenes played out like a movie in my head. Loved the main character's right hand man. Didn't even know there were sequels until I got near the end and figured the story wasn't wrapping up anytime soon, definitely hooked!
February 21, 2017
I couldn't even.
April 18, 2023
Thoroughly moored in the grimdark genre. The Last Sacrifice is bleak, unremittingly so. We are introduced to a world where the gods most definitely do not care. They are not good, yet are still needed to ensure the worlds continued existence. Their disciples go about the world randomly selecting people to be their sacrifices to appease them.
The central story here surrounds a man called Brogan, returning from his time in a mercenary band to find his wife and 2 children have been taken as sacrifices. Seeing that the gods and their disciples have done nothing for him he raises a gang to try and rescue them, failing but killing the gods followers and desecrating their sacrifice site in revenge, without understanding the consquences.
James A Moore does a fantastic job in showing the two sides to this. Both are driven by suspect things, but both fundamentally think they are in the right. Brogan, who feels wronged by the gods (justifiably) and lashing out against them, and the Grakhul, the servants of the gods, who see their duty to keep the gods appeased, but not understanding the personal cost of what they are doing. This conflicted and bleak heart makes this book.
That being said, there are some issues. The start of the book is extremely abrupt. We are not given much time to really build our understanding in the pain of Brogan's loss (or that of the Grakhul for that matter). It took me a while to really start empathising with either side as a result which undermined the power and the impact, but as the book progressed and we got to know the characters better, that cruel dichotomy at the heart of the story added some power to their actions, even if I never fully connected with each character as I might have liked.
This is very much the first book in a series and the ending was somewhat abrupt, but I do look forward to continuing it. There is an intriguing melancholy to everything here.
The central story here surrounds a man called Brogan, returning from his time in a mercenary band to find his wife and 2 children have been taken as sacrifices. Seeing that the gods and their disciples have done nothing for him he raises a gang to try and rescue them, failing but killing the gods followers and desecrating their sacrifice site in revenge, without understanding the consquences.
James A Moore does a fantastic job in showing the two sides to this. Both are driven by suspect things, but both fundamentally think they are in the right. Brogan, who feels wronged by the gods (justifiably) and lashing out against them, and the Grakhul, the servants of the gods, who see their duty to keep the gods appeased, but not understanding the personal cost of what they are doing. This conflicted and bleak heart makes this book.
That being said, there are some issues. The start of the book is extremely abrupt. We are not given much time to really build our understanding in the pain of Brogan's loss (or that of the Grakhul for that matter). It took me a while to really start empathising with either side as a result which undermined the power and the impact, but as the book progressed and we got to know the characters better, that cruel dichotomy at the heart of the story added some power to their actions, even if I never fully connected with each character as I might have liked.
This is very much the first book in a series and the ending was somewhat abrupt, but I do look forward to continuing it. There is an intriguing melancholy to everything here.
December 28, 2016
Review
Last updated on 28 Dec 2016
I made some graphics that I cant use here so this review wont make as much sense as it should...If you would like to see the full review go to my blog at https://thebloggoblin.com/2016/12/27/...
Hob’s REVIEW of The Last Sacrifice (Tides of War) by James A. Moore
By The HobbloginIn Book ReviewsEdit
The Last Sacrifice (Tides of War)
by James A. Moore
Jan 3, 2017
length 320 pages
I received a free E-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes how I rate this book.
The start with the Facts of the book. just the Facts ma’am. I received an ARC that was not the final version so I won’t take off points for the Typos. However I do hope they get fixed before the final release January 3rd of 2017. There was hardly any errors in the first half of the book. Then around the halfway point I started seeing a few, just little things like smile when it should be smiled. But as the end drew near I started seeing more and more. Now the cover, well the cover is fricken awesome. It really captures what the book is about even though you won’t understand that until you are in to the book a bit.
Now we talk about the story. Well it was, as we say in a Facebook group I am in, “It was GDAF” or Grimdark as fuck! So in a word “GREAT”.
Thanks for coming. See you later! Hope you enjoyed the review…….
For your enjoyment, here is an Undying Goblin lets call him Dowru-Hobs and he just wants a hug.
goblin-movie-syfy-2010-cloak
.
.
Okay Okay I was just kidding. I am a Dad. I have to tell a certain amount of bad jokes a day. If I don’t hit my quota I could lose my Dad Card and you wouldn’t want that on your head now would you?
No, really it was a great book. Even though we never really get to know the characters all that well, you can’t help but feel for some of them. That’s because James…er the Gods in the story are mean and petty. James really is a nice guy, he even wished me a happy birthday while I was writing this review. It literally just popped up on my screen now. Thanks James! Not very Grimdark of you though…… No we will never be happy with anything you do……. Where was I before I was so rudely interrupted? oh hey interrupting isn’t very nice so I guess it was Grim if not very dark, to wish me a happy birthday. But what is Mark Lawrence’s excuse?
What? No I am not bragging! I had a perfectly good reason to tell you all that i got birthday wishes from some of my favorite authors. It’s not like I went out of my way to say Richard Knaak and Peter Newman . and many others wished me a happy birthday geez!….Let’s get back to the review….
This story is told in third person, and for the smallish size of the book, there are a lot of different POVs. That’s why we never really got to know anyone that well. But I have to admit the starting POV was done really well. I almost felt a few tears welling up and I didn’t even know what the hell was going on yet. When I figured it out I was really upset. I remember thinking what a fucked up world these people live in. And it is a Grimdark setting . I am not going to go into the plot but I will say you would not want to live in this place.
Final thoughts
It wasn’t that short of a book but it did feel that way because there was a lot of action. A lot of POVs but done well so it wasn’t confusing. The ending came abruptly and without coming to much of a conclusion. But the way the ending summed up what everyone was doing and where they were at was a nice touch, and that made up for the lack of a firm resolution As it is I can’t wait for the next book and this one isn’t even out yet. Definitely a wild ride and I can’t wait to ride it again. I give The Last Sacrifice 4.5 out of 5 stars.
February 16, 2017
Creepy and unforgettable. When is the next book coming out??
December 16, 2016
Loved it! Lots of action and I like the lore and the belief system. I'm left curious and eagerly anticipating the sequel. I can't help but put my lot in with Brogan and hope he finds a way to get rid of the Gods, the Undying and the Grakhul for once. I don't really care that the Grakhul are only doing their duty; a man has a right to have justice for wrongs perpetrated against his family and by extension himself.
April 12, 2020
Brogan McTyre, a grizzled proto-Scottish mercenary with a heart of gold. comes home to find his wife and 3 children gone. In their place are four solid gold coins- indication that they were taken by the Undying- servants of the gods who gather sacrificies all over the Five Kingdoms. Everyone's used to the chance of losing a loved one, but four sacrifices in the same family are unheard of. Having lost his reasons to live, Brogan gathers all of his friends and allies and sets off into the forbidden northern wastelands to challenge the gods and wreak vengeance. His act of defiance sets off a cataclysm that threatens to destroy the world.
Honestly, it's for books like this that I need to create a "grimdark" tag. People die. A lot of people, and the violence is casual. "Grimdark" as a genre is the personification of the "nasty, brutish and short" lives of man that Hobbes warned us all about. The (usually pre-industrial) grimdark fantasy genre embodies this to a T. Whomever got the bigger sword, or supernatural speed, or accursed magic, or a cosmic-horror parasite gets to make the rules. And everyone else agrees or dies.
It's refreshing from time to time to read about a character who is definitely doing the right thing, even if his means are making him pretty monstrous, and threaten to destroy the world in the process. The gods of the Five Kingdoms are unrepentant pricks and both them and their cosmic horrors servants are so full of smug and righteous entitlement to have things done their way that it becomes incredibly easy to hate them and identify with anyone attmpting to thwart them- be it Brogan himself, or Niall, a gardener's apprentice who was slated to be one of the next round of sacrifices but managed to escape, or even Beron, a slavemaster oligarch who defies the gods not out of any high moral ground, but due to simple rationale that they keep making demands and give nothing back. The "other side" is given some PoVs as well, and none of them elicit any pity, or any doubts that maybe trying to upend the existing order is a bad thing.
The book is well-paced, as the action flows despite fairly frequent PoV switches. The action scenes are.... plentiful, but hardly exciting. And that's kind of the heart of the book's problem (and the genre in general). There's a lot of killing that's done by everyone,. protagonist and antagonist alike. And since people are constantly dying, be it in a massive combat scene, or casual "walk down the street and stab a street urchin"-type way, the descriptions lose "weight", or rather, impact. For a character-driven story, there's not really a lot of character-building, or emotional involvement going on. And most of the supporting characters either end up dead, or you expect them to die next, so it's hard to really care.
While the tone of the book was refreshing, and the last few chapters suggest some interesting developments, I can't shake the lingering doubt that none of the potentially interesting twists can really build up to an impressive payoff in a setting where death is this cheap. Can a betrayal and a backstab really feel meaningful, if you've been seeing every important character cut down the guilty and innocent alike with the efficiency of a brand-new lawnmower? I am both curious and apprehensive about how the next book will address these questions.
Honestly, it's for books like this that I need to create a "grimdark" tag. People die. A lot of people, and the violence is casual. "Grimdark" as a genre is the personification of the "nasty, brutish and short" lives of man that Hobbes warned us all about. The (usually pre-industrial) grimdark fantasy genre embodies this to a T. Whomever got the bigger sword, or supernatural speed, or accursed magic, or a cosmic-horror parasite gets to make the rules. And everyone else agrees or dies.
It's refreshing from time to time to read about a character who is definitely doing the right thing, even if his means are making him pretty monstrous, and threaten to destroy the world in the process. The gods of the Five Kingdoms are unrepentant pricks and both them and their cosmic horrors servants are so full of smug and righteous entitlement to have things done their way that it becomes incredibly easy to hate them and identify with anyone attmpting to thwart them- be it Brogan himself, or Niall, a gardener's apprentice who was slated to be one of the next round of sacrifices but managed to escape, or even Beron, a slavemaster oligarch who defies the gods not out of any high moral ground, but due to simple rationale that they keep making demands and give nothing back. The "other side" is given some PoVs as well, and none of them elicit any pity, or any doubts that maybe trying to upend the existing order is a bad thing.
The book is well-paced, as the action flows despite fairly frequent PoV switches. The action scenes are.... plentiful, but hardly exciting. And that's kind of the heart of the book's problem (and the genre in general). There's a lot of killing that's done by everyone,. protagonist and antagonist alike. And since people are constantly dying, be it in a massive combat scene, or casual "walk down the street and stab a street urchin"-type way, the descriptions lose "weight", or rather, impact. For a character-driven story, there's not really a lot of character-building, or emotional involvement going on. And most of the supporting characters either end up dead, or you expect them to die next, so it's hard to really care.
While the tone of the book was refreshing, and the last few chapters suggest some interesting developments, I can't shake the lingering doubt that none of the potentially interesting twists can really build up to an impressive payoff in a setting where death is this cheap. Can a betrayal and a backstab really feel meaningful, if you've been seeing every important character cut down the guilty and innocent alike with the efficiency of a brand-new lawnmower? I am both curious and apprehensive about how the next book will address these questions.
September 3, 2022
A dark tome of grimdark fantasy, The Last Sacrifice is a story that begins with the kind of epic journey that would end any other book. Instead of taking an entire novel to breach the forbidden lands, confront the servants of the gods, and reclaim his family, Brogan McTyre does all that in the first few chapters. That his quest doesn't end well shouldn't come as a surprise, but just how much damage his intervention causes is staggering.
James A. Moore offers up a story where the threat of divine retribution is a foregone conclusion. Having been denied their sacrifice, the gods immediately set about destroying the world, erasing one land after another in a catastrophic torrent of storms, earthquakes, floods, and landslides. All they want is the men who foiled them for a replacement sacrifice, and the servants that were stolen from them. Unfortunately, Brogan and his men aren't about to give themselves up, and the slavers to whom they sold the servants aren't about to give up their high-priced goods.
This is a fast-paced, violent, imaginative read with some deep philosophical roots. It's not blatant or heavy-handed, but there are questions of ethics and morality throughout. Good people do horrible things for good reasons, and more than once we're forced to confront the laws of man versus those of the gods. Just about everybody understands why Brogan broached the forbidden lands, and even kings admire him for defending his family. Similarly, not even the doomed family who helps them can blame the two slaves who escape their divine captivity. As unfortunate circumstances lead to difficult choices, however, the story gets rather muddy.
The characters here are all well-drawn, carefully constructed individuals with real personalities and genuine motives. Even the servants of the gods are permitted 'human' roles, forcing us to sympathize with both sides of the battle. As for the wraith-like Undying, they are a supernatural horror to be reckoned with, monstrous forces of divine wrath who are fully-fleshed characters on their own. Although we never see fully within their cowls, what we do see, hear, and feel is enough to add a very Cthulhu-like edge to the horror side of fantasy.
At this point I have no idea where The Last Sacrifice is headed, or how Moore can possibly resolve all the conflicts without betraying the sacrifices involved . . . and I love it. This is a story that turns the genre story arc on its head, mixes up the motives of heroes and villains, and muddies the waters of divine intervention. A fantastic, surprising start to a major new series.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
James A. Moore offers up a story where the threat of divine retribution is a foregone conclusion. Having been denied their sacrifice, the gods immediately set about destroying the world, erasing one land after another in a catastrophic torrent of storms, earthquakes, floods, and landslides. All they want is the men who foiled them for a replacement sacrifice, and the servants that were stolen from them. Unfortunately, Brogan and his men aren't about to give themselves up, and the slavers to whom they sold the servants aren't about to give up their high-priced goods.
This is a fast-paced, violent, imaginative read with some deep philosophical roots. It's not blatant or heavy-handed, but there are questions of ethics and morality throughout. Good people do horrible things for good reasons, and more than once we're forced to confront the laws of man versus those of the gods. Just about everybody understands why Brogan broached the forbidden lands, and even kings admire him for defending his family. Similarly, not even the doomed family who helps them can blame the two slaves who escape their divine captivity. As unfortunate circumstances lead to difficult choices, however, the story gets rather muddy.
The characters here are all well-drawn, carefully constructed individuals with real personalities and genuine motives. Even the servants of the gods are permitted 'human' roles, forcing us to sympathize with both sides of the battle. As for the wraith-like Undying, they are a supernatural horror to be reckoned with, monstrous forces of divine wrath who are fully-fleshed characters on their own. Although we never see fully within their cowls, what we do see, hear, and feel is enough to add a very Cthulhu-like edge to the horror side of fantasy.
At this point I have no idea where The Last Sacrifice is headed, or how Moore can possibly resolve all the conflicts without betraying the sacrifices involved . . . and I love it. This is a story that turns the genre story arc on its head, mixes up the motives of heroes and villains, and muddies the waters of divine intervention. A fantastic, surprising start to a major new series.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.
April 2, 2021
3.75 stars of thank goodness I own books 2 and 3 haha. It's not so much a cliffhanger as the feeling of wtf is next?!?! Where do we even go from here?!
I picked this up for kindle when it was on sale (sometimes that's where books fade into obscurity on my kindle) and for whatever reason, I just kept thinking about this one. It's such an interesting premise I think I just HAD to know how it would play out.
We start off following Brogan who returns home to find his whole family has been taken as sacrifices for the gods of this world. Brogan says fuck that noise, gathers his buddies, and they set down the path of defying the gods. IN THE FIRST CHAPTER. Seriously, we don't waste any time in this book. And I deeply appreciate it.
Probably you should know a few things before going into this.
• It's grimdark as hell. Seriously, the world is literally being torn apart. People are hacking off limbs and losing eyes and it's a bloody mess of death. There are slavers, all kinds of creatures, weak kings and decent kings, decent people and less decent people, are they alive people and are they human people... it's a lot. And it's great.
• For real. V grimdark. If you've read other books considered grimdark and thought, "huh. That's wasn't as brutal as I thought it would be." ...you won't have that reaction to this book. Did I mention it's great?
• If you love character-driven stuff, this might not be your thing. I really like multi pov books AND third person, but I know a lot of readers feel distanced with those books. This doesn't necessarily have like, this is brogan's chapter, and now we follow myridia, and check in with niall next...it's more like we swoop into the part of this world where important stuff is happening, then we move onto another part, and so on. Again, not for everyone but really works for me.
I think I need to mention I've had this issue lately with forgetting I'm currently reading stuff on my kindle bc it isn't a thing I physically see on a stack. So 3.75 felt right bc I round up on goodreads, and I think it's more of a 4 - I just read it too slowly bc I kept forgetting to read the damn thing. Yes, I have the next two paperbacks. Never fear.
Honestly the biggest issue with this book is that I've never seen anyone mention it on booktube/bookstagram, which means either not enough people have found it, or I still haven't found my people on social media lol also I thought for sure I'd have nightmares about the he-kisshi but they're so fucking cool it's hard to be properly intimidated 😅😅 Also also wik, I'm sorry if I've spelled anything wrong. I have the memory of a goldfish.
I picked this up for kindle when it was on sale (sometimes that's where books fade into obscurity on my kindle) and for whatever reason, I just kept thinking about this one. It's such an interesting premise I think I just HAD to know how it would play out.
We start off following Brogan who returns home to find his whole family has been taken as sacrifices for the gods of this world. Brogan says fuck that noise, gathers his buddies, and they set down the path of defying the gods. IN THE FIRST CHAPTER. Seriously, we don't waste any time in this book. And I deeply appreciate it.
Probably you should know a few things before going into this.
• It's grimdark as hell. Seriously, the world is literally being torn apart. People are hacking off limbs and losing eyes and it's a bloody mess of death. There are slavers, all kinds of creatures, weak kings and decent kings, decent people and less decent people, are they alive people and are they human people... it's a lot. And it's great.
• For real. V grimdark. If you've read other books considered grimdark and thought, "huh. That's wasn't as brutal as I thought it would be." ...you won't have that reaction to this book. Did I mention it's great?
• If you love character-driven stuff, this might not be your thing. I really like multi pov books AND third person, but I know a lot of readers feel distanced with those books. This doesn't necessarily have like, this is brogan's chapter, and now we follow myridia, and check in with niall next...it's more like we swoop into the part of this world where important stuff is happening, then we move onto another part, and so on. Again, not for everyone but really works for me.
I think I need to mention I've had this issue lately with forgetting I'm currently reading stuff on my kindle bc it isn't a thing I physically see on a stack. So 3.75 felt right bc I round up on goodreads, and I think it's more of a 4 - I just read it too slowly bc I kept forgetting to read the damn thing. Yes, I have the next two paperbacks. Never fear.
Honestly the biggest issue with this book is that I've never seen anyone mention it on booktube/bookstagram, which means either not enough people have found it, or I still haven't found my people on social media lol also I thought for sure I'd have nightmares about the he-kisshi but they're so fucking cool it's hard to be properly intimidated 😅😅 Also also wik, I'm sorry if I've spelled anything wrong. I have the memory of a goldfish.
February 17, 2021
TITLE: The Last Sacrifice (The Tides of War Book 1)
AUTHOR: James A. Moore
GENRE: Dark Fantasy/Grimdark
PAGES: 295
FORMAT: E-book
PRICE:$7.99 paperback/ $6.99 E-book
You know that moment when you are looking for something a little different to read? Something kind of in your wheelhouse, but on the fringe? Well, that is what i got with James A. Moore’s The Last Sacrifice.
The gods demand four sacrifices a year. In return, they will not destroy the world. When a sacrifice is taken, a large gold coin is left behind. This is what Brogan McTyre faces when he gets home. But this time it is four gold coins left behind, something that has never happened before; an entire family, his family, was taken to be the next sacrifice to the gods. Brogan does the only thing he can, he attempts to save his family. He enlists the aid of several friends, but they are too late. Brogan and his crew take the people who perform the sacrifices for the Gods and sells them to a slaver. This way no one can be sacrificed anymore. The gods become angry. Very angry. So much so that they was Brogan and his friends to pay with their lives. Brogan responds the only way he can, he declares war on the gods. The gods respond by the start of the destruction of the world, and they will continue until Brogan and crew a brought to pay for their sins, or there is nothing left of the world. Either way, it is lose/lose for Brogan.
This book is dark. There are humorous moments sprinkled here and there and even that is dark, and it is wonderful! James A. Moore has created a world, and he is not afraid to destroy it. I felt every shake of the earth, and could feel the pouring rains as I was sucked completely into this book. The character development is steady, and I felt as if I knew them by the end of the book. The deeper I got into the book, the more I realized that there is really no way a happy ending can happen, and I am okay with that.
There are two more books to follow this one; Fallen Gods and Gates of the Dead. Honestly, you may want to get all three at one time. I know I did!
I give this 5 out of 5 bookmarks.
AUTHOR: James A. Moore
GENRE: Dark Fantasy/Grimdark
PAGES: 295
FORMAT: E-book
PRICE:$7.99 paperback/ $6.99 E-book
You know that moment when you are looking for something a little different to read? Something kind of in your wheelhouse, but on the fringe? Well, that is what i got with James A. Moore’s The Last Sacrifice.
The gods demand four sacrifices a year. In return, they will not destroy the world. When a sacrifice is taken, a large gold coin is left behind. This is what Brogan McTyre faces when he gets home. But this time it is four gold coins left behind, something that has never happened before; an entire family, his family, was taken to be the next sacrifice to the gods. Brogan does the only thing he can, he attempts to save his family. He enlists the aid of several friends, but they are too late. Brogan and his crew take the people who perform the sacrifices for the Gods and sells them to a slaver. This way no one can be sacrificed anymore. The gods become angry. Very angry. So much so that they was Brogan and his friends to pay with their lives. Brogan responds the only way he can, he declares war on the gods. The gods respond by the start of the destruction of the world, and they will continue until Brogan and crew a brought to pay for their sins, or there is nothing left of the world. Either way, it is lose/lose for Brogan.
This book is dark. There are humorous moments sprinkled here and there and even that is dark, and it is wonderful! James A. Moore has created a world, and he is not afraid to destroy it. I felt every shake of the earth, and could feel the pouring rains as I was sucked completely into this book. The character development is steady, and I felt as if I knew them by the end of the book. The deeper I got into the book, the more I realized that there is really no way a happy ending can happen, and I am okay with that.
There are two more books to follow this one; Fallen Gods and Gates of the Dead. Honestly, you may want to get all three at one time. I know I did!
I give this 5 out of 5 bookmarks.
March 6, 2018
This book was a mostly welcome surprise that ended slightly disappointingly.
The structure of the plot was refreshing actually since it did not do what most fantasy books do by getting right to things. That is characteristic of this book in that there is very little sitting about or just traveling with nothing happening. Similar to if in the Hobbit after they formed their group in the beginning, they arrived at the mountain a chapter later. I was shocked at this because I had thought that they would travel and things would happen with the book ending after they got to their destination for a shocking reveal of some kind and then it would lead into the second book. As a result of what actually unfolded, I had no idea where this was going but was along for the ride.
However, the book kind of just ends. The different character's POVs are all interesting with their own story lines but it does not make up for the fact that the book just ends. We get a battle similar to ones we've seen and then it ends. We know, roughly speaking, where the overarching plot is going but it feels like a pause than an ending. This is the main reason that I'm only giving this book 3 stars despite the change-up in plot. Had it had a complete arc within the book in addition to this clarification of the overarching plot, I would feel much more satisfied. As it is currently, it feels like there were chapters omitted where the true climax of this book was cut from that belonged near the end.
Ultimately if you want a refreshing change of pace in fantasy and don't mind that you have a "pause" instead of a "to be continued" then check this out. I'll probably give the second book a shot to see if it can fix my issues with this one.
The structure of the plot was refreshing actually since it did not do what most fantasy books do by getting right to things. That is characteristic of this book in that there is very little sitting about or just traveling with nothing happening. Similar to if in the Hobbit after they formed their group in the beginning, they arrived at the mountain a chapter later. I was shocked at this because I had thought that they would travel and things would happen with the book ending after they got to their destination for a shocking reveal of some kind and then it would lead into the second book. As a result of what actually unfolded, I had no idea where this was going but was along for the ride.
However, the book kind of just ends. The different character's POVs are all interesting with their own story lines but it does not make up for the fact that the book just ends. We get a battle similar to ones we've seen and then it ends. We know, roughly speaking, where the overarching plot is going but it feels like a pause than an ending. This is the main reason that I'm only giving this book 3 stars despite the change-up in plot. Had it had a complete arc within the book in addition to this clarification of the overarching plot, I would feel much more satisfied. As it is currently, it feels like there were chapters omitted where the true climax of this book was cut from that belonged near the end.
Ultimately if you want a refreshing change of pace in fantasy and don't mind that you have a "pause" instead of a "to be continued" then check this out. I'll probably give the second book a shot to see if it can fix my issues with this one.
April 3, 2024
3.5 stelle
Il primo di una trilogia con impostazione da Classic fantasy, ma con alcune incursioni nel dark, con pregi e difetti..
Non è di certo un romanzo character driven, quindi non troveremo personaggi molto approfonditi e tridimensionali.. ma non sono nemmeno così banali.. semplicemente è più un libro plot driven, ed è il susseguirsi degli eventi che detta un buon ritmo..
Certo, i personaggi affrontano gravi perdite e le superano in un attimo in modo davvero poco realistico.. incontrano persone e diventano subito compagni indivisibili.. Passando sopra a queste cose un po' semplicistiche però, si notano anche i pregi del libro..
Essendo un libro breve, è privo di inutili fronzoli.. l azione è rapida, sempre stimolante.. in poche pagine si ha subito il polso della situazione, siamo introdotti a un Worldbuilding da un lato classico, ma dall'altro contenente svariati dettagli interessanti e creativi..
Soprattutto le creature orrorifiche sono riuscite benissimo.. non mancano combattimenti e azioni brutali, ma troviamo anche inventiva e un po' di sense of wonder..
La trama si sviluppa in modo semplice ma coerente: gli déi tenuti buoni da sacrifici umani, una volta privati del loro sacrificio, scatenano tutta la loro ira e squinzagliano le loro creature.. tutti i vari protagonisti per adesso fuggono e combattono per la loro salvezza.. nonostante non ci siano stati colpi di scena particolari, la narrazione cattura, le idee e i misteri messi in scena sono affascinanti e contengono elementi innovativi e che stimolano a scoprire di più..
Insomma, non un capolavoro, ma si è fatto divorare e terminando con un bel cliffhanger, continuerò di sicuro la trilogia..
Il primo di una trilogia con impostazione da Classic fantasy, ma con alcune incursioni nel dark, con pregi e difetti..
Non è di certo un romanzo character driven, quindi non troveremo personaggi molto approfonditi e tridimensionali.. ma non sono nemmeno così banali.. semplicemente è più un libro plot driven, ed è il susseguirsi degli eventi che detta un buon ritmo..
Certo, i personaggi affrontano gravi perdite e le superano in un attimo in modo davvero poco realistico.. incontrano persone e diventano subito compagni indivisibili.. Passando sopra a queste cose un po' semplicistiche però, si notano anche i pregi del libro..
Essendo un libro breve, è privo di inutili fronzoli.. l azione è rapida, sempre stimolante.. in poche pagine si ha subito il polso della situazione, siamo introdotti a un Worldbuilding da un lato classico, ma dall'altro contenente svariati dettagli interessanti e creativi..
Soprattutto le creature orrorifiche sono riuscite benissimo.. non mancano combattimenti e azioni brutali, ma troviamo anche inventiva e un po' di sense of wonder..
La trama si sviluppa in modo semplice ma coerente: gli déi tenuti buoni da sacrifici umani, una volta privati del loro sacrificio, scatenano tutta la loro ira e squinzagliano le loro creature.. tutti i vari protagonisti per adesso fuggono e combattono per la loro salvezza.. nonostante non ci siano stati colpi di scena particolari, la narrazione cattura, le idee e i misteri messi in scena sono affascinanti e contengono elementi innovativi e che stimolano a scoprire di più..
Insomma, non un capolavoro, ma si è fatto divorare e terminando con un bel cliffhanger, continuerò di sicuro la trilogia..
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