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Godsknife #1
Revolt
An apocalyptic battle for godhood is raging in the rift between Iowa and the Abyss...
World War III isn’t over. America has been in rebuild mode since losing New York to a mysterious flood. The peace breaks as a sorcerer’s mutants ravage Iowa on a warpath into the Abyss. A fleet of enlarged praying mantises has invaded Des Moines, Iowa. Swarms of cicadas are turning survivors into winged soldiers. Orchestrating the warzone is a priestess of Order, who’s pursuing godhood, and the nation of followers who’ll get her there.
Caroline’s new friendship parts the veil between reality and myth, as a recruiter of Order needs her to hide him from capture. In their escape, the boss she’s loved like a father reveals his elevator into the Abyss.
In this new world, Caroline finds a usurped god and an angry ghost eager to make her their getaway back to power. What if the person her friends will need is heartbeats away from becoming the real threat? When the impossible becomes reality, what price will she pay to survive?
World War III isn’t over. America has been in rebuild mode since losing New York to a mysterious flood. The peace breaks as a sorcerer’s mutants ravage Iowa on a warpath into the Abyss. A fleet of enlarged praying mantises has invaded Des Moines, Iowa. Swarms of cicadas are turning survivors into winged soldiers. Orchestrating the warzone is a priestess of Order, who’s pursuing godhood, and the nation of followers who’ll get her there.
Caroline’s new friendship parts the veil between reality and myth, as a recruiter of Order needs her to hide him from capture. In their escape, the boss she’s loved like a father reveals his elevator into the Abyss.
In this new world, Caroline finds a usurped god and an angry ghost eager to make her their getaway back to power. What if the person her friends will need is heartbeats away from becoming the real threat? When the impossible becomes reality, what price will she pay to survive?
262 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2016
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Timothy C. Ward
14 books126 followersTimothy C. Ward once kicked a spider in the face. Now, he writes books about magic and mayhem from the safety of his man base.
Series to date:
Godsknife: Enjoy this apocalyptic battle for godhood in the rift between Iowa and the Abyss.
- Godsknife: Revolt (Book 1)
- Godsknife: Lineage (novelette set in the Outbreak)
- Coming soon: Godsknife: Revenge (Book 2)
Sand Divers: post- apocalyptic treasure hunters with sand diving set in Hugh Howey’s world of Sand and Across the Sand.
- Scavenger: Evolution
- Scavenger: A.I..
He also writes LitRPG under Theo Hodges, with his latest series, Badges of Dorkdom taking a future college dropout and training him to be a wizard for the ages.
You probably don’t want to hear about his other series, Ciphercraft, a sci-fi LitRPG about space heroes.
Follow him on X @timothycward or at www.wardbook.com
Series to date:
Godsknife: Enjoy this apocalyptic battle for godhood in the rift between Iowa and the Abyss.
- Godsknife: Revolt (Book 1)
- Godsknife: Lineage (novelette set in the Outbreak)
- Coming soon: Godsknife: Revenge (Book 2)
Sand Divers: post- apocalyptic treasure hunters with sand diving set in Hugh Howey’s world of Sand and Across the Sand.
- Scavenger: Evolution
- Scavenger: A.I..
He also writes LitRPG under Theo Hodges, with his latest series, Badges of Dorkdom taking a future college dropout and training him to be a wizard for the ages.
You probably don’t want to hear about his other series, Ciphercraft, a sci-fi LitRPG about space heroes.
Follow him on X @timothycward or at www.wardbook.com
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 9, 2016
Ok where do I start this review. I read a brief synopsis of the book and was instantly hooked as it sounded just so bizarre; giant locusts; magic and Iowa, what was the author on about.
Well I befriended Tim on GR to find out, after corresponding a bit, he sounded quite normal, I decided to have a go at reading his book. At the time he was signing and selling copies at the World SF Con in Kansas USA I think. Well I live in the U.K., so a few words exchanged and a few dollars and my copy arrived very quickly in the post, thanks Tim.
Right fast forward a few weeks and here I am on holiday in a small village in Mallorca, Spain. And with time to relax, I've just read his book in under 24 hours.
Where do I start, his imagination (Tim Ward) is as wide as the synopsis I read. The book is far ranging but very tightly written, no sloppiness in this novel. The characters are so real, utterly loveable and hateable, you just want to cheer them, protect them or bury them in the hillside (read the novel).
I don't do spoilers in my reviews and I'm typing this on my iPhone so something will go wrong soon, but if you want a novel that is part SciFi, part fantasy, part horror and part who knows what, you HAVE to read this. It is so fast paced, I'm still buzzing or is that the wine ??
Thank you Tim, I look forward with great anticipation to Godsknife : Abyss. Serious Respect
Well I befriended Tim on GR to find out, after corresponding a bit, he sounded quite normal, I decided to have a go at reading his book. At the time he was signing and selling copies at the World SF Con in Kansas USA I think. Well I live in the U.K., so a few words exchanged and a few dollars and my copy arrived very quickly in the post, thanks Tim.
Right fast forward a few weeks and here I am on holiday in a small village in Mallorca, Spain. And with time to relax, I've just read his book in under 24 hours.
Where do I start, his imagination (Tim Ward) is as wide as the synopsis I read. The book is far ranging but very tightly written, no sloppiness in this novel. The characters are so real, utterly loveable and hateable, you just want to cheer them, protect them or bury them in the hillside (read the novel).
I don't do spoilers in my reviews and I'm typing this on my iPhone so something will go wrong soon, but if you want a novel that is part SciFi, part fantasy, part horror and part who knows what, you HAVE to read this. It is so fast paced, I'm still buzzing or is that the wine ??
Thank you Tim, I look forward with great anticipation to Godsknife : Abyss. Serious Respect
May 9, 2017
As usual the original review is posted here: http://thequeenofblades.blogspot.co.u...
3.5 Stars
I am officially no longer a audio book virgin!! Yay! Honestly, I had no idea they were so great. Housework no longer interferes with my books!
When the author contacted me offering a chance to listen to his book I was delighted. And a little apprehensive, what if I didn't like the narrator? Will I still be able to enjoy the story if I wasn't keen on the voice pumped into my ears? Well, rest assured the narration was really good! Stephanie does a brilliant job!
The plot revolves around three different factions of religions(?), I guess it's the closest match, Order, Maker, and Chaos. These factions are forever warring with one another in the hopes that one will gain some foothold over the other two. They have been at it for ages. Until Shila, the Order Mistress, decides she wants to end the eternal war forever, by winning of course. In an audacious and carefully crafted plan, she unleashes some nasty mantis/human hybrids on the unsuspecting populace of Iowa. Poor sods.
Among the people caught up in the insect apocalypse are Caroline and Anthon, the former a young woman working in a doctors office and the latter, a Order mage tasked with recruiting new faces. Anthon does not agree with Shila's aggressive tactics, and Caroline is just running for her life! Naturally there's more to her than she even knows, thanks to her mysterious and regrettably deceased parents.
This had such a fast pace, at times I thought how did we get from checking out colleges to weird Abyss elevators in such a short time? It was a little tough to keep up at times. But I rather enjoyed the craziness of it all. Totally unlike anything I have read in recent memory. You shouldn't read this if you have praying mantis phobia though.
*Thanks to the author for kindly providing me with my very first audio book review copy*
3.5 Stars
I am officially no longer a audio book virgin!! Yay! Honestly, I had no idea they were so great. Housework no longer interferes with my books!
When the author contacted me offering a chance to listen to his book I was delighted. And a little apprehensive, what if I didn't like the narrator? Will I still be able to enjoy the story if I wasn't keen on the voice pumped into my ears? Well, rest assured the narration was really good! Stephanie does a brilliant job!
The plot revolves around three different factions of religions(?), I guess it's the closest match, Order, Maker, and Chaos. These factions are forever warring with one another in the hopes that one will gain some foothold over the other two. They have been at it for ages. Until Shila, the Order Mistress, decides she wants to end the eternal war forever, by winning of course. In an audacious and carefully crafted plan, she unleashes some nasty mantis/human hybrids on the unsuspecting populace of Iowa. Poor sods.
Among the people caught up in the insect apocalypse are Caroline and Anthon, the former a young woman working in a doctors office and the latter, a Order mage tasked with recruiting new faces. Anthon does not agree with Shila's aggressive tactics, and Caroline is just running for her life! Naturally there's more to her than she even knows, thanks to her mysterious and regrettably deceased parents.
This had such a fast pace, at times I thought how did we get from checking out colleges to weird Abyss elevators in such a short time? It was a little tough to keep up at times. But I rather enjoyed the craziness of it all. Totally unlike anything I have read in recent memory. You shouldn't read this if you have praying mantis phobia though.
*Thanks to the author for kindly providing me with my very first audio book review copy*
May 9, 2017
Timothy C. Ward's fresh new fantasy/sci-fi novel Revolt from the Godsknife series is a tasty and addictive cocktail of the speculative fiction genre.
A delusional megalomaniac (Shila) wants a place on the God table. Said crazy lady sends swarms of bugs to infect people and turn them to the dark side. Only, the dark side was supposed to be another, 'The Chaos,' the third of the three segments in the powerplay in this post-apocalyptic world.
I assume post-apocalyptic because the third world war has happened between Britain and Russia (didn't see that coming, MI6 and KGB, eh?). The three factions now are 'Makers' (Gods), The Order (their middle path don't match with the Gautam Buddha), and Chaos. Not sure how America got involved.
As always, there is someone (Anthon) with a bit more moral who wants to break free of the megalomaniac lady's magical hold because he can't appreciate her sadistic methods of 'converting' people. This guy finds another love interest (Caroline) who sadly becomes the crazy woman's target.
Rest is futuristic history.
Revolt is grimdark (oh yeah) and happening. The intro and conclusion are surprising, shocking, and every bit as intriguing as the entire plot.
You make a few guesses on the inevitable, but you want to know how and why. The how is well explained in details but the why becomes blurry at times.
The plot is a continuous chain of events leading to action and reaction, so there is little breathing time. Backstory stays on the sidelines in such kind of stories. However, Mr. Ward has managed to give us enough.
The characters are awesome. I loved the ones to be loved and hated the people to be hated. No gray lines until the last few pages when my jaw hung open.
Anthon's counting mumbles sounded maniac in the beginning before I understood that his 'measurement' taking and other stuff is the magic system.
The worm in his belly, the painful process of becoming an Order mage, oh boy! Super duper cool magic and very very repulsive process.
Caroline is the queen of the plot, and Mr. Ward has given his everything on this character making her an integral part of the story. Take that, Shila.
The mantis and cicada company, torture scenes, the current events (running, hiding, escaping, getting caught, in no particular order), everything is well planned and executed.
Like a decent sci-fi book or movie, the belief that higher intelligence achieves supremacy by turning fellow humans into giant insects (hence the loving term 'hivemind') to exert better control on them prevails in this book.
Revolt also deals with the idea that not everybody can handle the responsibility of high power and often want more, causing greater harm to those they are supposed to protect.
The beginning has a great hook. The subsequent chapters made me wonder if I am reading a sequel as if it was an assumed fact that readers are supposed to have prior knowledge of the many characters suddenly brought into picture positions.
Why Shila is a crazy leader, how she attained the position of priestess and leader of the Order? No idea. Even if it was in the book, it wasn't easy to figure out from the continuous state of action, giant bugs attacking everywhere, a horde of new characters popping up now and then.
I am not complaining about the constant action. I enjoyed it. It's just that the first few pages of Revolt left me thinking I have picked up the wrong book in the series by mistake.
The writing style is quite good. Timothy Ward shows us almost everything without telling a lot.
Some breathing space would have been good at intervals. A few information could have done with a simpler explanation. An elaborate plot often requires a simple description of few phenomenon to let the data sink into the reader's mind. While there wasn't much of an info dump here (kudos to Mr. Ward for avoiding that pitfall), the onslaught of 'happening things' was dizzying at times.
That reminds me, Abyss is fascinating and scary. Waiting for more.
Overall, Revolt is a promising start to a new series with a wild chase of cat and mouse (read bug queen and human beings with mysterious magical power) its bleak world of strange magic and weird genetics.
Now we have to wait and watch how he manages to keep up with the pace in the rest of the series.
Thank you, Timothy Ward, for showing us we don't need aliens (hope they were not involved here) to turn us into buggy bugs. Human beings are warped enough.
3.5 Bohostars
Can't wait for the second book in the Godsknife series wondering what you have planned to do with Caroline. You did share a secret, but I want to know more.
This review is based on an ARC and my opinion is honest. No bug queen has any influence on me yet.
A delusional megalomaniac (Shila) wants a place on the God table. Said crazy lady sends swarms of bugs to infect people and turn them to the dark side. Only, the dark side was supposed to be another, 'The Chaos,' the third of the three segments in the powerplay in this post-apocalyptic world.
I assume post-apocalyptic because the third world war has happened between Britain and Russia (didn't see that coming, MI6 and KGB, eh?). The three factions now are 'Makers' (Gods), The Order (their middle path don't match with the Gautam Buddha), and Chaos. Not sure how America got involved.
As always, there is someone (Anthon) with a bit more moral who wants to break free of the megalomaniac lady's magical hold because he can't appreciate her sadistic methods of 'converting' people. This guy finds another love interest (Caroline) who sadly becomes the crazy woman's target.
Rest is futuristic history.
Revolt is grimdark (oh yeah) and happening. The intro and conclusion are surprising, shocking, and every bit as intriguing as the entire plot.
You make a few guesses on the inevitable, but you want to know how and why. The how is well explained in details but the why becomes blurry at times.
The plot is a continuous chain of events leading to action and reaction, so there is little breathing time. Backstory stays on the sidelines in such kind of stories. However, Mr. Ward has managed to give us enough.
The characters are awesome. I loved the ones to be loved and hated the people to be hated. No gray lines until the last few pages when my jaw hung open.
Anthon's counting mumbles sounded maniac in the beginning before I understood that his 'measurement' taking and other stuff is the magic system.
The worm in his belly, the painful process of becoming an Order mage, oh boy! Super duper cool magic and very very repulsive process.
Caroline is the queen of the plot, and Mr. Ward has given his everything on this character making her an integral part of the story. Take that, Shila.
The mantis and cicada company, torture scenes, the current events (running, hiding, escaping, getting caught, in no particular order), everything is well planned and executed.
Like a decent sci-fi book or movie, the belief that higher intelligence achieves supremacy by turning fellow humans into giant insects (hence the loving term 'hivemind') to exert better control on them prevails in this book.
Revolt also deals with the idea that not everybody can handle the responsibility of high power and often want more, causing greater harm to those they are supposed to protect.
The beginning has a great hook. The subsequent chapters made me wonder if I am reading a sequel as if it was an assumed fact that readers are supposed to have prior knowledge of the many characters suddenly brought into picture positions.
Why Shila is a crazy leader, how she attained the position of priestess and leader of the Order? No idea. Even if it was in the book, it wasn't easy to figure out from the continuous state of action, giant bugs attacking everywhere, a horde of new characters popping up now and then.
I am not complaining about the constant action. I enjoyed it. It's just that the first few pages of Revolt left me thinking I have picked up the wrong book in the series by mistake.
The writing style is quite good. Timothy Ward shows us almost everything without telling a lot.
Some breathing space would have been good at intervals. A few information could have done with a simpler explanation. An elaborate plot often requires a simple description of few phenomenon to let the data sink into the reader's mind. While there wasn't much of an info dump here (kudos to Mr. Ward for avoiding that pitfall), the onslaught of 'happening things' was dizzying at times.
That reminds me, Abyss is fascinating and scary. Waiting for more.
Overall, Revolt is a promising start to a new series with a wild chase of cat and mouse (read bug queen and human beings with mysterious magical power) its bleak world of strange magic and weird genetics.
Now we have to wait and watch how he manages to keep up with the pace in the rest of the series.
Thank you, Timothy Ward, for showing us we don't need aliens (hope they were not involved here) to turn us into buggy bugs. Human beings are warped enough.
3.5 Bohostars
Can't wait for the second book in the Godsknife series wondering what you have planned to do with Caroline. You did share a secret, but I want to know more.
This review is based on an ARC and my opinion is honest. No bug queen has any influence on me yet.
August 28, 2016
Godsknife: Revolt is the first book in what seems to be a promising series about dueling mages fighting a on-again, off-again war between Order and Chaos. The concept of conflict between the two is one which was heavily developed by Michael Moorcock and is always one I've leaned toward Chaos regarding (despite the fact Order is almost always presented as the good guys). In this case, Balance is also a factor with the Makerists who revere the true God of this universe but who is absent and the return of may unmake Creation.
There's a lot of attention paid to the intricacies of magic, reality, and the underpinnings of the cosmic which are surprising given the apocalyptic storyline. I also like how the magicians themselves are blown away by many of the revelations. It reminded me quite a bit of the old Mage: The Ascension roleplaying game crossed with a bit of Assassins Creed.
I'm a fan of Timothy C. Ward's writing but sometimes his writing is a bit rough as he attempts to cram as many new concepts and possibilities into his work as possible. Here, the ride is much smoother, perhaps because he's only attempting to describe "our" world with the secret societies operating behind the scenes. It gives him a lot more room to focus his writing on the characters, their relationship with the various cosmological principles, and the resulting story.
The premise this time is the high priestess of Order has gone completely around the bend, believing she can use the sorcery of her side to recreate humanity as beings who follow her principle better. Given the sheer volume of murder done in the name of state-based ideology and in the name of control, I'm surprised this is not the standard basis of their society but a shift from pacifism. Then again, one quality I like about this world is that it's implied the various factions aren't united in their interpretation of their principles.
The main character, Caroline, is a child of two worlds as she grew up in a cult of Chaos but is recruited by Order only just as things completely go to hell. This is less figurative than literal as the villain proceeds to unleash a series of Biblical plagues on the world, including a swarm of gigantic cicadas and praying mantises. Giant insects are a rather peculiar choice of monster to destroy the world but, honestly, points for originality.
Overall, I enjoyed this book even if I felt it was (ironically) a little too black and white with its characters. There's very little in terms of gray in the conflict given the villains are so out there. On the other hand, I had more than a little fun reading it.
9/10
There's a lot of attention paid to the intricacies of magic, reality, and the underpinnings of the cosmic which are surprising given the apocalyptic storyline. I also like how the magicians themselves are blown away by many of the revelations. It reminded me quite a bit of the old Mage: The Ascension roleplaying game crossed with a bit of Assassins Creed.
I'm a fan of Timothy C. Ward's writing but sometimes his writing is a bit rough as he attempts to cram as many new concepts and possibilities into his work as possible. Here, the ride is much smoother, perhaps because he's only attempting to describe "our" world with the secret societies operating behind the scenes. It gives him a lot more room to focus his writing on the characters, their relationship with the various cosmological principles, and the resulting story.
The premise this time is the high priestess of Order has gone completely around the bend, believing she can use the sorcery of her side to recreate humanity as beings who follow her principle better. Given the sheer volume of murder done in the name of state-based ideology and in the name of control, I'm surprised this is not the standard basis of their society but a shift from pacifism. Then again, one quality I like about this world is that it's implied the various factions aren't united in their interpretation of their principles.
The main character, Caroline, is a child of two worlds as she grew up in a cult of Chaos but is recruited by Order only just as things completely go to hell. This is less figurative than literal as the villain proceeds to unleash a series of Biblical plagues on the world, including a swarm of gigantic cicadas and praying mantises. Giant insects are a rather peculiar choice of monster to destroy the world but, honestly, points for originality.
Overall, I enjoyed this book even if I felt it was (ironically) a little too black and white with its characters. There's very little in terms of gray in the conflict given the villains are so out there. On the other hand, I had more than a little fun reading it.
9/10
May 11, 2017
Genre: Part Sci/Fi / Fantasy / Horror
In Revolt we are introduced to opposing forces of Chaos, Order and Maker. Chaos and Order are in constant strife, whilst Makists are virtually in hiding. That's all about to change. There is a war coming and it's going to be a battle for survival. Order has plans afoot and it's going to be a challenge to see if they can be stopped. Is Caroline going to the Makist's saviour in the face of the frightening forces about to be unleash? Caroline who is plunged into this world by the arrival of an Order recruiter. Will she be ready for the changes about to take place.
Giant praying mantises might just be the thing of nightmares. Timothy C. Ward has written a novel where genetically mutated insects created by the Priestess of Order are part of her plan for godhood. What better way to get the other gods attention then with giant insects! Ward excels at the more grotesque elements of storytelling. His writing made my stomach churn a couple of times. Especially when describing insects attacks on humans and the ceremony to become part of Order. If you have a squirmish stomach don't read the praying mantis parts whilst eating lunch as I did.
I did find it difficult to feel the connection between characters. Sometimes when characters were interacting with each other, such as Caroline and Anthon, it felt a bit laborious. I really wanted to like them, but I didn't feel there was a connection between them. Given their storyline I wanted to care more how their storylines progressed. I never really grasped if there was meant to be a more than friends connection between them. I felt it was implied there was an attraction between them, but I never really believed it. I also felt that the supposed "baddies" were more compelling characters. I was more interested in their story and what they were doing. By saying "baddies", I'm not 100% sure who the good guys are yet.
While I felt some of the characterisations could be improved on, there's enough within the story to hold my interest. Horror writing is definitely where I felt the fit in the market is for Ward. It was the descriptive aspects when an attack for underway that held my interest and kept this book rating at at 3. This was a good first in series and set the scene up for a future series.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
Read more of our reviews at Saucy Wenches Book Club/a>
In Revolt we are introduced to opposing forces of Chaos, Order and Maker. Chaos and Order are in constant strife, whilst Makists are virtually in hiding. That's all about to change. There is a war coming and it's going to be a battle for survival. Order has plans afoot and it's going to be a challenge to see if they can be stopped. Is Caroline going to the Makist's saviour in the face of the frightening forces about to be unleash? Caroline who is plunged into this world by the arrival of an Order recruiter. Will she be ready for the changes about to take place.
Giant praying mantises might just be the thing of nightmares. Timothy C. Ward has written a novel where genetically mutated insects created by the Priestess of Order are part of her plan for godhood. What better way to get the other gods attention then with giant insects! Ward excels at the more grotesque elements of storytelling. His writing made my stomach churn a couple of times. Especially when describing insects attacks on humans and the ceremony to become part of Order. If you have a squirmish stomach don't read the praying mantis parts whilst eating lunch as I did.
I did find it difficult to feel the connection between characters. Sometimes when characters were interacting with each other, such as Caroline and Anthon, it felt a bit laborious. I really wanted to like them, but I didn't feel there was a connection between them. Given their storyline I wanted to care more how their storylines progressed. I never really grasped if there was meant to be a more than friends connection between them. I felt it was implied there was an attraction between them, but I never really believed it. I also felt that the supposed "baddies" were more compelling characters. I was more interested in their story and what they were doing. By saying "baddies", I'm not 100% sure who the good guys are yet.
While I felt some of the characterisations could be improved on, there's enough within the story to hold my interest. Horror writing is definitely where I felt the fit in the market is for Ward. It was the descriptive aspects when an attack for underway that held my interest and kept this book rating at at 3. This was a good first in series and set the scene up for a future series.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
Read more of our reviews at Saucy Wenches Book Club/a>
September 8, 2016
This book surprised me. It is many things all crammed into one book. It was definitely horrific and you could call it a horror novel. And I also might call it an urban fantasy because it takes place in modern times but has a lot of cool magic. It is paced like a thriller. The story moves very fast. Even though the action scenes were a bit too gruesome for my taste at times, they were really well done and I really enjoyed them.
This book reads quickly because it is paced so fast. That said I was really intrigued with the magic system. I'm pretty sure I have a good grasp of it now, but I didn't really understand it until almost the end of the book. I still have questions about it but thankfully there's going to be a second book in this series so hopefully I'll get my answers in the next book. The way characters gain power and use it was so awesome. There are those who use chaos and others who use order. The way the author came up with the way they use magic was really creative and made for some awesome fight scenes.
I loved the fast pace but I wish that some things would've been explained more. The powers that characters have do all kinds of crazy amazing stuff but most of it wasn't explained until the end of the story. I kind of felt like I was flung through the story. That's to be expected in a thriller but with all the other cool fantasy and horror elements it took me a while to get a feel for the story. I loved it though. Timothy C. Ward definitely lets you figure it out as you read the story instead of using info dumps and hand holding. I would have personally liked a bit more explanation earlier on but you'll probably appreciate how he sprinkles it in while moving the story forward at a brisk pace.
I'm looking forward to the next book and especially getting to learn more about this awesome magic system and how the different worlds work in this book. So if you're looking for a thrilling gruesome book with a really cool imaginative magic system then check out this book.
This book reads quickly because it is paced so fast. That said I was really intrigued with the magic system. I'm pretty sure I have a good grasp of it now, but I didn't really understand it until almost the end of the book. I still have questions about it but thankfully there's going to be a second book in this series so hopefully I'll get my answers in the next book. The way characters gain power and use it was so awesome. There are those who use chaos and others who use order. The way the author came up with the way they use magic was really creative and made for some awesome fight scenes.
I loved the fast pace but I wish that some things would've been explained more. The powers that characters have do all kinds of crazy amazing stuff but most of it wasn't explained until the end of the story. I kind of felt like I was flung through the story. That's to be expected in a thriller but with all the other cool fantasy and horror elements it took me a while to get a feel for the story. I loved it though. Timothy C. Ward definitely lets you figure it out as you read the story instead of using info dumps and hand holding. I would have personally liked a bit more explanation earlier on but you'll probably appreciate how he sprinkles it in while moving the story forward at a brisk pace.
I'm looking forward to the next book and especially getting to learn more about this awesome magic system and how the different worlds work in this book. So if you're looking for a thrilling gruesome book with a really cool imaginative magic system then check out this book.
Read
March 15, 2017I tried twice! I tried really hard to like this but unfortunately I just didn't. Here is what I wrote on Goodreads:
I'm going to put this aside for a bit. I'm 36% done and I've no idea what is going on!! I'll come back to it at some stage when my head isn't fried.
2nd time reading edit: Got to 29% this time and I have to put it aside again. I'm just not connecting with the story and haven't a clue what's going on. Not for me unfortunately.
I picked this up twice and tried to get into it, but I felt like the author expected us to know his world from the start. I felt like I missed something and went to see was there a prequel or something. I just couldn't get into the story nor connect to the characters.
BUT, I do have to commend the author on his world building. Even though I was confused (and I totally put the blame of that firmly on my own shoulders. I'm going through some personal issues and this was just too convoluted for me at the moment) I do think a lot of people will love this. The author really put time and effort into his world and his writing was eloquent and richly detailed. I just couldn't connect to the characters to care about what happens to them.
It wasn't for me, but I urge you to try it and see. This author is one I will try again as I loved another book by him. And you never know, I might revisit this one day.
The narrator was OK. I found that she didn't have enough different tones to differentiate the characters and that she didn't give enough of a performance to make it interesting. She read the story, but didn't breath life into it.
I was voluntarily provided this free copy by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
I'm going to put this aside for a bit. I'm 36% done and I've no idea what is going on!! I'll come back to it at some stage when my head isn't fried.
2nd time reading edit: Got to 29% this time and I have to put it aside again. I'm just not connecting with the story and haven't a clue what's going on. Not for me unfortunately.
I picked this up twice and tried to get into it, but I felt like the author expected us to know his world from the start. I felt like I missed something and went to see was there a prequel or something. I just couldn't get into the story nor connect to the characters.
BUT, I do have to commend the author on his world building. Even though I was confused (and I totally put the blame of that firmly on my own shoulders. I'm going through some personal issues and this was just too convoluted for me at the moment) I do think a lot of people will love this. The author really put time and effort into his world and his writing was eloquent and richly detailed. I just couldn't connect to the characters to care about what happens to them.
It wasn't for me, but I urge you to try it and see. This author is one I will try again as I loved another book by him. And you never know, I might revisit this one day.
The narrator was OK. I found that she didn't have enough different tones to differentiate the characters and that she didn't give enough of a performance to make it interesting. She read the story, but didn't breath life into it.
I was voluntarily provided this free copy by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
August 23, 2016
This was a very unusual story.The intersection of realities of earth and the worlds of chaos and order are intriguing.Anthon a recruiter for order struggles to protect the young women he cares for all while being pulled back into the priestess of order Shilas control.The author creates a frightening and confusing world where humans are pawns in the fight for magical power and the subjugation of all the realms.I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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June 27, 2024Revolt is being rewritten. A new audio version will be released TBA. The good news is after 7 years, I found ways to make this story more engaging. Stay tuned for updates and news of the sequel!
June 15, 2020
Oh, Iowa. I doubt that the giant insect apocalypse or much else of import will happen in you… because you’re Iowa. Dare to dream though, Iowa. Dare to dream! :D
Okay, okay, I’ll stop making fun of Iowa and move on…. I guess. *sigh* :)
The first chapter of this one was kind of confusing, only because while it does set up the basis for some of the story, it does it in a way that assumes that we know right at the beginning what Order and Chaos are in the whole grand scheme of things. So, someone being inducted into the army or whatever of Order is not only as weird as it sounds, it makes absolutely no sense. It left me in a weird ‘oh god, am I going to like this?’ sort of funk right from the get-go. Don’t worry though, I eventually got a feel for it, and then it retroactively made sense. Sort of a 4-chapters-later ‘Ooohhhhh, okay, I think I get it now.’
Buckle my fucking weirdness safety belt though, because I’m in for a ride.
Caroline is a character I liked right from the time we meet her. There’s just something about her that I latched on to. Anton (Anthon? No idea. Audiobook, lol) as well, once he and Caroline met. As a team, I rooted for the both of them, most of the time.
The plot went quite quickly once I really got into the story. It’s a pretty quick listen, but goddamn this book gets confusing after the first couple of hours. Lots happens. Giant insects. Order vs Chaos. Weird wormy mages who ❤ them some maths. Apparently this is a world in which World War 3 has happened, and yet life appears to be going on as per usual, with the inclusion of at least one alternate dimension. I originally thought of the cults/religions/whatevs as secret, but everyone seems to know at least a little about everyone else, so, not so secret, I guess? There’s also giant mutant plants, and other dimensions. This book is like a fucking David Lynch movie. Seriously.
The magic system was interesting. For Order mages anyway, it’s based on… well… order. Exact dimensions, volumes, measurements, and math. It’s quite complex, and that’s good, but not always great in a shorter novel because it’s hard to effectively get a feel for everything that it can do. I got the gist though, I think. There’s a third religion aside from Order and Chaos that was a little more complicated and I’m not sure that I totally understood it at any point. Some of them can control the weather, I think?
This book gets straight up gross in parts. I knew what I was in for because in any instance of a giant insect apocalypse, you’re going to have nasty giant insect larvae and maggots and so on and so forth. So, if you’ve got a weak stomach for that sort of thing, consider this your heads-up. There’s also sections of this story that are, as I’ve mentioned, bizarre as hell. In one of them, Caroline gets transported to another dimension to… give a German soldier a massage? I’m still not at all sure. The giant insect apocalypse is only a slice of a larger, weirder pie here.
The narrator, Stephanie Neff did a decent job. She’s not super great at accents though, and there are two or three different ones that were… close but no cigar. She did give Caroline an appropriate tone. This is seen right from the first chapter in which Caroline appears. She gave Caroline a likable personality, which only assisted in helping me like her as a character. Anton as well.
So, in conclusion, I have no idea what the fuck I just listened to, but I can’t say I didn’t like it. It was weird, but it was rather an enjoyable weird. I give it a solid 3 stars out of 5. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t really regret any of my 9 hours of time with it.
But seriously though… what the actual fuck just happened?
Okay, okay, I’ll stop making fun of Iowa and move on…. I guess. *sigh* :)
The first chapter of this one was kind of confusing, only because while it does set up the basis for some of the story, it does it in a way that assumes that we know right at the beginning what Order and Chaos are in the whole grand scheme of things. So, someone being inducted into the army or whatever of Order is not only as weird as it sounds, it makes absolutely no sense. It left me in a weird ‘oh god, am I going to like this?’ sort of funk right from the get-go. Don’t worry though, I eventually got a feel for it, and then it retroactively made sense. Sort of a 4-chapters-later ‘Ooohhhhh, okay, I think I get it now.’
Buckle my fucking weirdness safety belt though, because I’m in for a ride.
Caroline is a character I liked right from the time we meet her. There’s just something about her that I latched on to. Anton (Anthon? No idea. Audiobook, lol) as well, once he and Caroline met. As a team, I rooted for the both of them, most of the time.
The plot went quite quickly once I really got into the story. It’s a pretty quick listen, but goddamn this book gets confusing after the first couple of hours. Lots happens. Giant insects. Order vs Chaos. Weird wormy mages who ❤ them some maths. Apparently this is a world in which World War 3 has happened, and yet life appears to be going on as per usual, with the inclusion of at least one alternate dimension. I originally thought of the cults/religions/whatevs as secret, but everyone seems to know at least a little about everyone else, so, not so secret, I guess? There’s also giant mutant plants, and other dimensions. This book is like a fucking David Lynch movie. Seriously.
The magic system was interesting. For Order mages anyway, it’s based on… well… order. Exact dimensions, volumes, measurements, and math. It’s quite complex, and that’s good, but not always great in a shorter novel because it’s hard to effectively get a feel for everything that it can do. I got the gist though, I think. There’s a third religion aside from Order and Chaos that was a little more complicated and I’m not sure that I totally understood it at any point. Some of them can control the weather, I think?
This book gets straight up gross in parts. I knew what I was in for because in any instance of a giant insect apocalypse, you’re going to have nasty giant insect larvae and maggots and so on and so forth. So, if you’ve got a weak stomach for that sort of thing, consider this your heads-up. There’s also sections of this story that are, as I’ve mentioned, bizarre as hell. In one of them, Caroline gets transported to another dimension to… give a German soldier a massage? I’m still not at all sure. The giant insect apocalypse is only a slice of a larger, weirder pie here.
The narrator, Stephanie Neff did a decent job. She’s not super great at accents though, and there are two or three different ones that were… close but no cigar. She did give Caroline an appropriate tone. This is seen right from the first chapter in which Caroline appears. She gave Caroline a likable personality, which only assisted in helping me like her as a character. Anton as well.
So, in conclusion, I have no idea what the fuck I just listened to, but I can’t say I didn’t like it. It was weird, but it was rather an enjoyable weird. I give it a solid 3 stars out of 5. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t really regret any of my 9 hours of time with it.
But seriously though… what the actual fuck just happened?
May 6, 2017
What a different take on the urban fantasy genre. This story is the first in a wild crazy world hidden within the normal world. This is the story of Maker, Chaos, and Order and their fight for supremacy. The real story begins with Anton an Order recruiter who meets Caroline who is checking out a college campus in the mid west. They are both drawn to each other but the hidden world and its oncoming fight interrupts the normal boy attracted to girl story. It is a crazy world where not everyone is who you think they are. Then things get really crazy. The book starts out a little slow as it introduces us to a Order cell but with enough weirdness to keep me reading to see what happens next. Wanted to get to the crazy praying mantis but before that Priestess Shila and her craziness sucked me in. It was a wild read trying to figure out who were the good guys and who the bad guys were. Crazy but addicting. Cannot wait for the next book to see what happens next.
June 13, 2017
** Review of Audio Format **
More Like Surrender
In this first installment of a series, Caroline discovers that the world she hoped to leave behind when she left her family to study medicine under a new father figure has caught up to her. She realizes she never left it behind and gets sucked into helping a recruiter for Order although her family are Chaos. Another faction of Chaos is revealed when Caroline is the elevator to the Abyss. She doesn’t know who to trust and what to do in order to get things back to normal. Praying mantises and giant cicadas are just the first of many horrors awaiting the world if Caroline isn’t successful. Only the Maker can help them now but no one wants to trust in or even believe the Maker exists.
I couldn’t get into this book. The ‘hero’ wasn’t a hero. He was just a weak, abandoned person that chose comfort over honor. The god wannabe Sheila was just cruel, I didn’t see a grand plan in her cruelty. Caroline continues to be confused even after things are explained to her and there were too many storylines about people who ended up dying. There really wasn’t anyone I could get behind and root for.
The narration was decent by Stephanie Neff. She did not distract with her male voices and her female voices were quite good. There was a lot going on in this book and Neff did a good job of keeping things as clear as possible by never confusing the voices for different characters.
I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.
More Like Surrender
In this first installment of a series, Caroline discovers that the world she hoped to leave behind when she left her family to study medicine under a new father figure has caught up to her. She realizes she never left it behind and gets sucked into helping a recruiter for Order although her family are Chaos. Another faction of Chaos is revealed when Caroline is the elevator to the Abyss. She doesn’t know who to trust and what to do in order to get things back to normal. Praying mantises and giant cicadas are just the first of many horrors awaiting the world if Caroline isn’t successful. Only the Maker can help them now but no one wants to trust in or even believe the Maker exists.
I couldn’t get into this book. The ‘hero’ wasn’t a hero. He was just a weak, abandoned person that chose comfort over honor. The god wannabe Sheila was just cruel, I didn’t see a grand plan in her cruelty. Caroline continues to be confused even after things are explained to her and there were too many storylines about people who ended up dying. There really wasn’t anyone I could get behind and root for.
The narration was decent by Stephanie Neff. She did not distract with her male voices and her female voices were quite good. There was a lot going on in this book and Neff did a good job of keeping things as clear as possible by never confusing the voices for different characters.
I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.
May 9, 2024
Just when we thought our imaginations had reached their outer boundary, a book like Revolt proves us wrong. Author Ward escorts us not so gently from the rolling farmlands of Iowa to an alternative complex universe in a post-apocalyptic futuristic world. Readers uncomfortable with the genre are teased forward in the story by stellar and serious writing, and continuous action provides few convenient stopping places. Despite encountering unusual characters and scenarios, readers are grounded by common human emotions of hope, love, fear, greed, and jealousy. Sure to entertain and provoke thoughtful conversation, the novel delivers an exciting tale for its genre. Be warned, however, when you step into Mr. Ward's new world, you leave the Middle-Earth far behind!
December 2, 2016
In this scary story of giant mantises, magic going on , what is Caroline going to do. Even her boss who she thought she knew has a secret. Fast paced, well written story, to keep you interested in reading to the end. Thank you for the opportunity for letting me review
May 9, 2017
This is not for me.I tried, really.I found the narrator,Stephanie Neff, shrill at times.She is ok when she just reads though.I was provided this book free by the narrator, author or the publisher.
December 14, 2016
At the beginning of this book, there was a lot of information given in a short period of time so I spent a chapter or two a little bit confused. That information came in handy though because the action and intrigue starts on the first page and doesn’t stop until the last! By using various point-of-view characters, the author manages to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire novel.
The world in this book is developed just enough as to be believable while using what seems like a basic society structure similar to what we have now. It’s as if the author took our current society, stripped off a few layers, and added in a few Chinese puzzle boxes. It is believable and very well done. The characters are interesting and well developed. I love that there’s a good amount of dialogue that flows well and builds nicely into the story. I can’t wait for the next book of the series!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for this honest review.
For this review and more, please visit my blog at vicariousbookworm.wordpress.com
The world in this book is developed just enough as to be believable while using what seems like a basic society structure similar to what we have now. It’s as if the author took our current society, stripped off a few layers, and added in a few Chinese puzzle boxes. It is believable and very well done. The characters are interesting and well developed. I love that there’s a good amount of dialogue that flows well and builds nicely into the story. I can’t wait for the next book of the series!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for this honest review.
For this review and more, please visit my blog at vicariousbookworm.wordpress.com
September 9, 2016
A satisfying read. I'll be posting more details soon!
March 28, 2020
I was kindly offered free e-audio review copy from author. It seemed to be an intriguing sci-fi possibly dystopian read or listen. I enjoyed listening.
April 13, 2017
I tried really really hard to get into this audio but the author lost me after the first few pages. This plot just didn’t really make any sense for me, it is a little far out there and I do not feel it is at all realistic. I felt lost and did not understand what is going on. I did not understand how the priestess became what she is. I do not understand the worm who decides if you live or die if you get the number correct but even if you get it correct it might kill you anyway. None of this made since to me. Who decides what that number is and what does the number mean? I didn’t understand just what these people were doing and why they were building soldiers. I am sorry I just could not finish it. Maybe I will give it a try later on.
I thought the narrator was very good, I enjoyed her character voices. You had no trouble knowing who is talking and just what they are feeling. I thought at times her voice was a little shaky but felt she carried the story off well. I did not hear any background noises or any places where the volume had changed. (Now this is on the parts I listened to) There are no repeats of words just a clear clean audio. She puts a lot of emotion into the characters when they were confused you could hear it in her voice, if they were excited she really put that in her tone. I thought she did a great job and would love to listen to more of her work.
I think the author did put a lot of time and thought into the plot even though I felt it was confusing. I would try another of his books to see more of his writing style before I make up my mind about him. This is the only book I have read of his work. There are people who loved it and some who didn’t. Please make up your own mind but my mind can just not wrap round the plot.
I thought the narrator was very good, I enjoyed her character voices. You had no trouble knowing who is talking and just what they are feeling. I thought at times her voice was a little shaky but felt she carried the story off well. I did not hear any background noises or any places where the volume had changed. (Now this is on the parts I listened to) There are no repeats of words just a clear clean audio. She puts a lot of emotion into the characters when they were confused you could hear it in her voice, if they were excited she really put that in her tone. I thought she did a great job and would love to listen to more of her work.
I think the author did put a lot of time and thought into the plot even though I felt it was confusing. I would try another of his books to see more of his writing style before I make up my mind about him. This is the only book I have read of his work. There are people who loved it and some who didn’t. Please make up your own mind but my mind can just not wrap round the plot.
April 14, 2017
Godsknife : Revolt is not your typical urban fantasy. The heart of the story is good versus evil played out across the Iowa landscape (the real world), a place called the Void, and the Abyss. There are many paths that lead into and between these worlds, paths traveled by those who know how to manipulate the signs. Cool stuff.
Our heroes are Anthon and Caroline, as well as several characters whose true allegiances I couldn't decide. Anthon and Caroline seem to have a romantic bond as well as one of respect as they fight together through various sequences to thwart a priestess named Shila. At the same time, Anthon and Caroline seem to have two very separate destinies which I predict will cause a rift in their ongoing relationship. Only time (and future installments) will tell. Their bond seems both tenuous and strong at the same time.
Within the simple story, the rules of magic in this world are quite complex. And, I imagine, quite a challenge to write. There are three ruling groups. Chaos, Order, and Maker, and they all appear to use a combination of "orden" power to manipulate elements around them. A super neat concept that I have to give Tim Ward major props for.
There are several battles in the book, the first of which involves a plague of giant preying mantises who take great pleasure in snipping folks' heads off. I won't lie. I thoroughly enjoyed these scenes. The battles between the mages are slightly confusing at times, but epic nonetheless. Overall, pretty enjoyable.
Now for some things I had problems with. And please note these are my opinions only and as a writer have probably heard such criticisms in my own work. I thought the narrative voice in Revolt was a bit challenging to get through. For an urban fantasy, it sometimes read like an epic fantasy. There were spots I thought sentences could be cut for efficiency and clarity, and at times seemed like the author was flexing when something simpler could have been used. And while this book is chocked full of mythology and magic, I never felt wholly grounded in it. It was almost too much at times (a criticism leveled at my own writing as well). Over-stimulation, I guess is the right term. Of course, it could be just me and this is likely right up someone's alley.
I would describe this book as neat but challenging. If you're up to reading about a big world full of big ideas and big magic, this one is for you. It requires some attention and focus, but the payoff is great, all the way up to the final sentence.
I recommend this book.
Our heroes are Anthon and Caroline, as well as several characters whose true allegiances I couldn't decide. Anthon and Caroline seem to have a romantic bond as well as one of respect as they fight together through various sequences to thwart a priestess named Shila. At the same time, Anthon and Caroline seem to have two very separate destinies which I predict will cause a rift in their ongoing relationship. Only time (and future installments) will tell. Their bond seems both tenuous and strong at the same time.
Within the simple story, the rules of magic in this world are quite complex. And, I imagine, quite a challenge to write. There are three ruling groups. Chaos, Order, and Maker, and they all appear to use a combination of "orden" power to manipulate elements around them. A super neat concept that I have to give Tim Ward major props for.
There are several battles in the book, the first of which involves a plague of giant preying mantises who take great pleasure in snipping folks' heads off. I won't lie. I thoroughly enjoyed these scenes. The battles between the mages are slightly confusing at times, but epic nonetheless. Overall, pretty enjoyable.
Now for some things I had problems with. And please note these are my opinions only and as a writer have probably heard such criticisms in my own work. I thought the narrative voice in Revolt was a bit challenging to get through. For an urban fantasy, it sometimes read like an epic fantasy. There were spots I thought sentences could be cut for efficiency and clarity, and at times seemed like the author was flexing when something simpler could have been used. And while this book is chocked full of mythology and magic, I never felt wholly grounded in it. It was almost too much at times (a criticism leveled at my own writing as well). Over-stimulation, I guess is the right term. Of course, it could be just me and this is likely right up someone's alley.
I would describe this book as neat but challenging. If you're up to reading about a big world full of big ideas and big magic, this one is for you. It requires some attention and focus, but the payoff is great, all the way up to the final sentence.
I recommend this book.
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