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The Tides Of War #3
Gates of the Dead
The end times have come, but it's not too late for a hero to strike back, in the grimdark fantasy sequel to The Last Sacrifice and Fallen Gods.
Brogan McTyre started a war with the gods, and he's going to end it. Raging gods have laid waste to the Five Kingdoms. Only Torema remains, swollen with millions of refugees. Their last hope lies in fleeing by sea, but as storms tear at the coast, even King Opar can't muster enough ships for them all. Brogan and his warriors must fight the He-Kisshi to reach the Gateway, the sole portal for gods to enter the mortal world - and the only place where they can be killed. But the forces of creation have been unleashed, and they'll destroy the world to reshape it.
Brogan McTyre started a war with the gods, and he's going to end it. Raging gods have laid waste to the Five Kingdoms. Only Torema remains, swollen with millions of refugees. Their last hope lies in fleeing by sea, but as storms tear at the coast, even King Opar can't muster enough ships for them all. Brogan and his warriors must fight the He-Kisshi to reach the Gateway, the sole portal for gods to enter the mortal world - and the only place where they can be killed. But the forces of creation have been unleashed, and they'll destroy the world to reshape it.
- GenresFantasy
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2019
15 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
James A. Moore
231 books766 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 20, 2018
The gods were defied and demanded the men who defied them to be their sacrifices. Then one of the gods brethren were struck down and the gods determined to wipe the world clean and start over. They want Brogan McTyre dead, but he has powerful help and other plans. Plans to end the gods that murdered his entire family.
Gates of the Dead was an enjoyable conclusion to The Tides of War trilogy. Brogan has had one goal since partway through the first book of the series, to kill the gods who killed his family. He's been fortunate to have trustworthy friends and unlikely allies. It helps that the gods indiscriminately try to kill everyone because of the choice of a few individuals. They are truly a petty bunch.
This book had reasonable explanations to the series questions which were largely provided by the Galeans. The gods told Galea much about the world and their nature including the truth about the demons and gods themselves. The Galeans didn't know or understand everything, but they had substantial knowledge of the world and unveiled it to Brogan and his allies.
The gods were honestly just massive pricks. I guess becoming an unquestioned power could make anyone arrogant and dismissive, but they and their servants the He-Kisshi took it to another level. I seldom have wanted a group to be destroyed as badly as the gods and their servants.
Gates of the Dead was a fun revenge tale told on a massive world altering scale.
4 out of 5 stars
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gates of the Dead was an enjoyable conclusion to The Tides of War trilogy. Brogan has had one goal since partway through the first book of the series, to kill the gods who killed his family. He's been fortunate to have trustworthy friends and unlikely allies. It helps that the gods indiscriminately try to kill everyone because of the choice of a few individuals. They are truly a petty bunch.
This book had reasonable explanations to the series questions which were largely provided by the Galeans. The gods told Galea much about the world and their nature including the truth about the demons and gods themselves. The Galeans didn't know or understand everything, but they had substantial knowledge of the world and unveiled it to Brogan and his allies.
The gods were honestly just massive pricks. I guess becoming an unquestioned power could make anyone arrogant and dismissive, but they and their servants the He-Kisshi took it to another level. I seldom have wanted a group to be destroyed as badly as the gods and their servants.
Gates of the Dead was a fun revenge tale told on a massive world altering scale.
4 out of 5 stars
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2019
So James A Moore continues to smash all the rule-books of "how to write epic fantasy" with this lush, absolutely mad, terrifying conclusion to the series, Tides of War - with this third book, Gates of the Dead.
If you been following me or the series, then you should know James' new series has been a raging favorite with me over the past two years, 2017 & 2018 - with first two books in the series being absolutely bonkers and so much fun to read. James gleefully takes an axe to the norms of writing by skewering conventional tropes - I mean, where else would you find the protagonist surging in and killing the followers of a set of blood-thirsty capricious gods' - for having kidnapped & sacrificed his family, right in the beginning of the first book of the series! This in itself, would be fodder enough for a good three book series. But no, James blows your conventional expectations away to kingdom come - and churns out this mad tale of vengeance that spans across many dimensions including the impossible tale of Man versus God and then branches off into themes of slavery, demons, immortality and divinity.
Over the course of two books, James has introduced a multitude of characters and unless you start maintaining an elaborate excel-sheet with the storylines, you would get lost. But that is okay. That is the point of his writing. He ropes you in and then without warning, rips away all your support-lines leaving you floundering and spluttering as the tsunami of trouble builds up and drowns you, leaves you gasping as the tides just keep going up and up. There are deaths galore; After all, the whole world is ending with the angry Gods throwing pestilence, madness, floods, lightning and every single apocalyptic pre-cursor onto the world. Cities are razed to the ground in a snap, raging fires and the raging sea compete for the death toll. So I must warn you that if you haven't read the preceding two books, then you would be hopelessly lost. And of course, a refresher of book two would help immensely as it's been a year and I found myself racking my brains, about the storylines of a lot of the secondary characters.
Brogan McTyre has declared an all-out war against the Gods, having helped to kill One of them inside the mountains and now, is sailing out to the North - to find the Gates of the Dead which leads into the Gods' own domain. Brogan's single-minded quest still remains the focal point of the story but James has had many an interesting diversions' - bringing into this mad fray, allies for Brogan in the demons and the sorcerers of Gallea who could help turn these tides in his favour. In particular, the demons who have meddled into the world hiring on their human soldiers. Make no mistake, this one's a dark tale. Sordid and grim in its treatment of human life - nothing more than broken toys in the wily schemes of arrogant Gods and cunning Demons and yet, you can't but hold a grudging respect for this small bunch of foolhardy, battle-scarred veterans on an impossible mission. To end this war by killing the very Gods.
The story picks up in the last city of Torema where Brogan is reunited with his ragtag friends, who started off this impossible quest including Harper. A few of them are lost and there are a few new allies and a lot many enemies who are reunited. And this forms a pattern through the book as Brogan fights multiple odds and multiple enemies to get to the ultimate prize. My curiosity as to whether or not. he would toppled the Gods or how he planned to do it, kept me invested through the ups and downs.
In terms of pacing, as usual with all other books in the series, it is a mad gallop taking no prisoners. The fight scenes are rabid, swarms of enemies flocking down on our hapless heroes. The He-Kisshi, the fearsome horrors who are the messengers of the God lead this flock. But James lets his crazy imagination rip - there are other unspeakable horrors who vie for your attention, nightmares who have to be 'read' to be experienced. I did find the plot a bit wearisome at times and repetitive as Brogan keeps repeating to himself, his motivations for this war. Harper, my favourite character is back in the series with his own POV but only plays a second fiddle as this book is all about Brogan's impossible mission that is finally hitting the home run. Some of the characters introduced previously meet a gruesome end, not really serving any purpose towards the end-game. Book-3 sadly, would probably be the weakest in the series. We knew the end times are near and while, all things get tied up pretty well I just felt a bit disappointed in terms of how fast everything just climaxed and broke apart.
But all things considered, this whole series has been such a fun, tall tale of vengeance - melding fast-paced fantasy action with gut-churning horror in an unimaginable manner, a swirling chaos of a plot that could only be pulled off by one as talented as James. Tides of War has been my first James A Moore series and I know, I am in for the long haul with him. A fan for life.
If you been following me or the series, then you should know James' new series has been a raging favorite with me over the past two years, 2017 & 2018 - with first two books in the series being absolutely bonkers and so much fun to read. James gleefully takes an axe to the norms of writing by skewering conventional tropes - I mean, where else would you find the protagonist surging in and killing the followers of a set of blood-thirsty capricious gods' - for having kidnapped & sacrificed his family, right in the beginning of the first book of the series! This in itself, would be fodder enough for a good three book series. But no, James blows your conventional expectations away to kingdom come - and churns out this mad tale of vengeance that spans across many dimensions including the impossible tale of Man versus God and then branches off into themes of slavery, demons, immortality and divinity.
Over the course of two books, James has introduced a multitude of characters and unless you start maintaining an elaborate excel-sheet with the storylines, you would get lost. But that is okay. That is the point of his writing. He ropes you in and then without warning, rips away all your support-lines leaving you floundering and spluttering as the tsunami of trouble builds up and drowns you, leaves you gasping as the tides just keep going up and up. There are deaths galore; After all, the whole world is ending with the angry Gods throwing pestilence, madness, floods, lightning and every single apocalyptic pre-cursor onto the world. Cities are razed to the ground in a snap, raging fires and the raging sea compete for the death toll. So I must warn you that if you haven't read the preceding two books, then you would be hopelessly lost. And of course, a refresher of book two would help immensely as it's been a year and I found myself racking my brains, about the storylines of a lot of the secondary characters.
Brogan McTyre has declared an all-out war against the Gods, having helped to kill One of them inside the mountains and now, is sailing out to the North - to find the Gates of the Dead which leads into the Gods' own domain. Brogan's single-minded quest still remains the focal point of the story but James has had many an interesting diversions' - bringing into this mad fray, allies for Brogan in the demons and the sorcerers of Gallea who could help turn these tides in his favour. In particular, the demons who have meddled into the world hiring on their human soldiers. Make no mistake, this one's a dark tale. Sordid and grim in its treatment of human life - nothing more than broken toys in the wily schemes of arrogant Gods and cunning Demons and yet, you can't but hold a grudging respect for this small bunch of foolhardy, battle-scarred veterans on an impossible mission. To end this war by killing the very Gods.
The story picks up in the last city of Torema where Brogan is reunited with his ragtag friends, who started off this impossible quest including Harper. A few of them are lost and there are a few new allies and a lot many enemies who are reunited. And this forms a pattern through the book as Brogan fights multiple odds and multiple enemies to get to the ultimate prize. My curiosity as to whether or not. he would toppled the Gods or how he planned to do it, kept me invested through the ups and downs.
In terms of pacing, as usual with all other books in the series, it is a mad gallop taking no prisoners. The fight scenes are rabid, swarms of enemies flocking down on our hapless heroes. The He-Kisshi, the fearsome horrors who are the messengers of the God lead this flock. But James lets his crazy imagination rip - there are other unspeakable horrors who vie for your attention, nightmares who have to be 'read' to be experienced. I did find the plot a bit wearisome at times and repetitive as Brogan keeps repeating to himself, his motivations for this war. Harper, my favourite character is back in the series with his own POV but only plays a second fiddle as this book is all about Brogan's impossible mission that is finally hitting the home run. Some of the characters introduced previously meet a gruesome end, not really serving any purpose towards the end-game. Book-3 sadly, would probably be the weakest in the series. We knew the end times are near and while, all things get tied up pretty well I just felt a bit disappointed in terms of how fast everything just climaxed and broke apart.
But all things considered, this whole series has been such a fun, tall tale of vengeance - melding fast-paced fantasy action with gut-churning horror in an unimaginable manner, a swirling chaos of a plot that could only be pulled off by one as talented as James. Tides of War has been my first James A Moore series and I know, I am in for the long haul with him. A fan for life.
December 24, 2018
James A. Moore writes love stories. Aha! I can almost see you raising your eyebrows in disbelief. You are thinking, Moore writes horror; Moore writes dark fantasy, but love stories? I stand by what I've said, heretical as it may seem. No, they are not romance novels, but they are love stories. His books, first and foremost, convey a fierce love of family even when the overriding story is dark and horrific.
In some ways I feel cheated having not read the first two books in this series. However, even without the benefit of the groundwork from previous books, it is easy enough to understand what is happening, and to really get caught up in the action.
Brogan McTyre loves his family more than life itself. Everything he does is for them; they are his raison d'etre. His family, demanded for sacrifice by the gods, is gone. Now he seeks vengeance upon the gods who saw them as less than nothing.
One of my pet peeves about epic fantasy is the use of unpronounceable names. Kudos to Moore for keeping these to a bare minimum. There are several multisyllabic names, and all of them can be pronounced once you look at them as individual syllables strung together. In that respect, they are much like many German words.
Now that I've read book three in this series, I will undoubtedly read the first two, and probably re-read this one. I've been reading books and stories by James A. Moore for a very long time. He never disappoints.
In some ways I feel cheated having not read the first two books in this series. However, even without the benefit of the groundwork from previous books, it is easy enough to understand what is happening, and to really get caught up in the action.
Brogan McTyre loves his family more than life itself. Everything he does is for them; they are his raison d'etre. His family, demanded for sacrifice by the gods, is gone. Now he seeks vengeance upon the gods who saw them as less than nothing.
One of my pet peeves about epic fantasy is the use of unpronounceable names. Kudos to Moore for keeping these to a bare minimum. There are several multisyllabic names, and all of them can be pronounced once you look at them as individual syllables strung together. In that respect, they are much like many German words.
Now that I've read book three in this series, I will undoubtedly read the first two, and probably re-read this one. I've been reading books and stories by James A. Moore for a very long time. He never disappoints.
January 24, 2019
Aaaaahhhh, what an ending!
December 2, 2018
*Book received via NetGalley for an honest review.
When I finally get the time to sit down and reread this trilogy I am going to put on headphones and listen to heavy metal the whole time because I feel like that's the only thing that was missing. This book was a wonderful ending to the violent, no-holds-barred, sometimes stomach-churning trilogy that is The Tides of War.
Moore has done a delightful job of keeping us informed about the fates of each character. Even some of the ones that I thought were more minor in the beginning ended up playing their role in the finale. Even the dead played their part! I was so happy about all of these story lines being completed, even if I wasn't always happy with how.
I was also very intrigued by Myridia's story. Watching her relationship to her gods change throughout the trilogy has been an interesting read. The personal struggle she goes through between her faith and her will to survive as her gods prove themselves to be going crazy is delicately handled. The reactions her sisters have to her shakiness and her own realization of her doubts are well written.
There are some "prerequisites" to reading this. You will need to have read the first two books. Additionally, it's not for anyone who gets squeamish easily. That being said, I don't know if I've been desensitized a bit or if Moore reduced the amount of blood and gruesomeness, but this last book didn't seem so bad. A lot of characters went through a lot of very descriptive pain, no question. But there just didn't seem to be quite as much in the torture aspect as the previous two books.
Of course, Moore's depiction of war is a very good read. He doesn't have the characters battle one enemy at a time. There's a swarm of enemies and the characters fight a swarm. It never feels like those scenes in a movie where a main character fights one enemy at a time. Stanna especially discusses the tactics involved in taking on a horde versus a single opponent. The fact that she's able to do both with her greatsword without having to sacrifice on dexterity is just incredible.
This has been quite the trilogy. Gates of the Dead is a most fitting way to end it. I'm looking forward to rereading the trilogy with the appropriate background music and getting the full effect. I happily give 4.5 hoots!
When I finally get the time to sit down and reread this trilogy I am going to put on headphones and listen to heavy metal the whole time because I feel like that's the only thing that was missing. This book was a wonderful ending to the violent, no-holds-barred, sometimes stomach-churning trilogy that is The Tides of War.
Moore has done a delightful job of keeping us informed about the fates of each character. Even some of the ones that I thought were more minor in the beginning ended up playing their role in the finale. Even the dead played their part! I was so happy about all of these story lines being completed, even if I wasn't always happy with how.
I was also very intrigued by Myridia's story. Watching her relationship to her gods change throughout the trilogy has been an interesting read. The personal struggle she goes through between her faith and her will to survive as her gods prove themselves to be going crazy is delicately handled. The reactions her sisters have to her shakiness and her own realization of her doubts are well written.
There are some "prerequisites" to reading this. You will need to have read the first two books. Additionally, it's not for anyone who gets squeamish easily. That being said, I don't know if I've been desensitized a bit or if Moore reduced the amount of blood and gruesomeness, but this last book didn't seem so bad. A lot of characters went through a lot of very descriptive pain, no question. But there just didn't seem to be quite as much in the torture aspect as the previous two books.
Of course, Moore's depiction of war is a very good read. He doesn't have the characters battle one enemy at a time. There's a swarm of enemies and the characters fight a swarm. It never feels like those scenes in a movie where a main character fights one enemy at a time. Stanna especially discusses the tactics involved in taking on a horde versus a single opponent. The fact that she's able to do both with her greatsword without having to sacrifice on dexterity is just incredible.
This has been quite the trilogy. Gates of the Dead is a most fitting way to end it. I'm looking forward to rereading the trilogy with the appropriate background music and getting the full effect. I happily give 4.5 hoots!
May 16, 2021
As I am writing this, two things are happening. My heart is still pounding and I am still in utter awe as to how very few people seem to have read or reviewed this book and series.
I have made friends and lost them, my friends fought against each other. I wanted to scream at them to just work together.
Whenever I thought something was going one way, it would go in a completely different and better direction. I wouldn't get too attached to characters, because they might just die out of nowhere.
Certainly, there are characters I was attached to more so than others, I am not sure if Stanna or Faceless are my favorites. Most of the players in this game are most fantastically written and I connected to most of them. James A. Moore made me even feel bad for some of the bad guys.
The battles were amazing and I am not the kind of a battle gal, I didn't skip over any battle scenes because I was too afraid to miss even one second of this book.
I recommend this series to anyone who likes a fast-paced, grimdark fantasy without a dull moment throughout.
I have made friends and lost them, my friends fought against each other. I wanted to scream at them to just work together.
Whenever I thought something was going one way, it would go in a completely different and better direction. I wouldn't get too attached to characters, because they might just die out of nowhere.
Certainly, there are characters I was attached to more so than others, I am not sure if Stanna or Faceless are my favorites. Most of the players in this game are most fantastically written and I connected to most of them. James A. Moore made me even feel bad for some of the bad guys.
The battles were amazing and I am not the kind of a battle gal, I didn't skip over any battle scenes because I was too afraid to miss even one second of this book.
I recommend this series to anyone who likes a fast-paced, grimdark fantasy without a dull moment throughout.
November 10, 2024
Kool books, I loved the ending. Loved all the characters, that got to live. Going to miss this world
Read
October 25, 2018Proofread
March 4, 2019
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.75 of 5
Take a deep breath ... ready. Hold it ... set. Read James A. Moore ... GO!
Reading a James A. Moore novel is a test of character and constitution. You will hold your breath for long periods of time because of the excitement level, and you'll have to work through with a great deal of carnage.
Brogan McTyre began a war with the god when the gods took his family for their sacrifice. The war has ravaged the world and only one of the five kingdoms remains - and that one is now bursting with refugees seeking a safe harbor from the fighting. Brogan and his army set out by sea to the Gateway - the only place where the gods can enter the earthly realm and the only place where they can be killed. But Brogan and his warriors will have to face the He-Kisshi - demons who cannot be killed, sent by the gods - as just one of the obstacles before the Gateway.
If you follow my reviews on my blog, you'll know that I think pretty highly of Moore's books. These are high-action, fast-paced, modern sword-and-sorcery books of the very best ilk. Think Conan, think Elric, think Kane. But these classic heroes will be left in the wake of destruction that Moore leaves in his books.
Aside from the great action that we get in a James A. Moore novel, we also get a complex story that on one level is a simple revenge story and on another level is deicide with all of the earth and heavens taking sides.
And unlike many of the sword-and-sorcery heroes of old, we get characters who feel like real people. Brogan's anger and determination is so fit for a man who has gone through what he has. There is a sense that he' achieved more than he ever expected (when fighting gods one might expect to be killed pretty quickly) which has motivated him further.
But I think it is Berone who appeals to me the most. Here is a man who has been turned into the fighting arm of his gods. He fails, is picked up, healed, and sent back into the fray. He cannot die, but perhaps he also cannot win. What a terrible existence. But he has no choice and faces his role as well as possible and fights on.
I can't help but like these people and despise the gods that rule them and I like the what they fight for. This is a series that has really been enjoyable and it is highly recommended for fans of high adventure, high action fantasy. My nineteen year old son has already read through the series and sought out more James A. Moore books.
Looking for a good book? Gates of the Dead is the third book in James A. Moore's The Tides of War series. It is breath-taking in scope and action and recommended.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Take a deep breath ... ready. Hold it ... set. Read James A. Moore ... GO!
Reading a James A. Moore novel is a test of character and constitution. You will hold your breath for long periods of time because of the excitement level, and you'll have to work through with a great deal of carnage.
Brogan McTyre began a war with the god when the gods took his family for their sacrifice. The war has ravaged the world and only one of the five kingdoms remains - and that one is now bursting with refugees seeking a safe harbor from the fighting. Brogan and his army set out by sea to the Gateway - the only place where the gods can enter the earthly realm and the only place where they can be killed. But Brogan and his warriors will have to face the He-Kisshi - demons who cannot be killed, sent by the gods - as just one of the obstacles before the Gateway.
If you follow my reviews on my blog, you'll know that I think pretty highly of Moore's books. These are high-action, fast-paced, modern sword-and-sorcery books of the very best ilk. Think Conan, think Elric, think Kane. But these classic heroes will be left in the wake of destruction that Moore leaves in his books.
Aside from the great action that we get in a James A. Moore novel, we also get a complex story that on one level is a simple revenge story and on another level is deicide with all of the earth and heavens taking sides.
And unlike many of the sword-and-sorcery heroes of old, we get characters who feel like real people. Brogan's anger and determination is so fit for a man who has gone through what he has. There is a sense that he' achieved more than he ever expected (when fighting gods one might expect to be killed pretty quickly) which has motivated him further.
But I think it is Berone who appeals to me the most. Here is a man who has been turned into the fighting arm of his gods. He fails, is picked up, healed, and sent back into the fray. He cannot die, but perhaps he also cannot win. What a terrible existence. But he has no choice and faces his role as well as possible and fights on.
I can't help but like these people and despise the gods that rule them and I like the what they fight for. This is a series that has really been enjoyable and it is highly recommended for fans of high adventure, high action fantasy. My nineteen year old son has already read through the series and sought out more James A. Moore books.
Looking for a good book? Gates of the Dead is the third book in James A. Moore's The Tides of War series. It is breath-taking in scope and action and recommended.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
December 21, 2019
I loved this book. It's not every day you get to read an epic book like this. The book really captures you from the beginning. Never have I read a book and i was rooting for the gods to be destroyed. The storytelling was epic. If you love epic fights, philosophical questions and vindictive gods, larger than life characters, then you would enjoy this tale of man versus gods. James Moore is up there with some of my favorite authors.
June 24, 2019
Tense conclusion to the Tides of War trilogy. Full of monsters, demons, gods, and unexpected turns.
November 9, 2019
Stuff is getting real! Brogan has found his way to where the Gods reside. An epic battle with the He-Kisshi ensues! Who will be the victor?!?
September 17, 2023
7 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
The End has begun.
The End of the World. The End of Everything. Ever since Brogan McTyre began his war against the gods, he expected this. Accepted it. After all, his family is dead. Why should he care if everyone and everything joins them?
But nothing is decided yet. The war is still on. Families flee the chaos or stand and fight against incredible odds. Even now men and women fight amongst one another, each seeking to appease the gods in their own way. Others pledge their lives to new gods, even demons in hopes of salvation. Odds are all will die, and the world will be remade. But it hasn’t happened yet. The gods have thrown everything they can at Brogan and his companions—and failed. This shows two things: one, the gods aren’t all-powerful as some might believe.
And second: the gods are scared.
—
Scared gods plus the end of the world plus a man with nothing to lose, equals a very dark, very epic conclusion. And when I say dark, I mean bleak. This one starts out dreary and shortly gets even worse, when the End of the World thing starts to kick it into high gear.
This was my third attempt at this particular title, and it took me some time to get back into the flow of things. While I had an issue with the audio (I’ll get to this later), my biggest issue with it was the darkness. It just wasn’t a good time for me to read grimdark—so I didn’t.
Gates of the Dead is a bleak tale about the end of the world. I mean, it’s not like that’s going to be all hugs and sunshine. Not very much of that at all. Anyone who can die will die, so don’t get too attached to your favorite protagonists. Although, if you’re anything like me, your favorites all died long ago—all that’s left are the assholes. There’s not a whole lot of, well, lovable characters in this. The gods are pricks. Their servants aren’t quite as bad, but near enough. The kings and queens are worse. Brogan and his band aren’t any better. Nyles is dead, and he was really the last glimmer of sunshine that got any screen-time. But I knew this going in.
The long and short of it is—this is a bleak story. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. I found the main story wrapped up quite nicely in the end, though there were still some lingering questions unanswered. Nothing too bad, though. It was a satisfying end to the trilogy, and one I’d definitely recommend if you enjoyed the first two books.
Audio Note: A change in narration is something I usually find an annoyance at best, especially so far into a series. Now, the Tides of War may only be a trilogy, but changing narrators for the third and final book is a thinker. And maybe there was a good reason—but maybe not.
Either way, Adams Sims gives way to Jeffrey Kafer. Now, it wasn’t that I really minded the change—as I found the previous narrator’s voice a bit of a nasal drawl, a bit wearing on my senses, a bit displeasing—it was just the change of every character’s voice; as each reader finds different voices for different characters, and no two narrators are exactly alike in that. Thus, for every voice and character to change—suddenly, dramatically—can be a surprise, even a bit off-putting, even if it’s not entirely unwelcome.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
The End has begun.
The End of the World. The End of Everything. Ever since Brogan McTyre began his war against the gods, he expected this. Accepted it. After all, his family is dead. Why should he care if everyone and everything joins them?
But nothing is decided yet. The war is still on. Families flee the chaos or stand and fight against incredible odds. Even now men and women fight amongst one another, each seeking to appease the gods in their own way. Others pledge their lives to new gods, even demons in hopes of salvation. Odds are all will die, and the world will be remade. But it hasn’t happened yet. The gods have thrown everything they can at Brogan and his companions—and failed. This shows two things: one, the gods aren’t all-powerful as some might believe.
And second: the gods are scared.
—
Scared gods plus the end of the world plus a man with nothing to lose, equals a very dark, very epic conclusion. And when I say dark, I mean bleak. This one starts out dreary and shortly gets even worse, when the End of the World thing starts to kick it into high gear.
This was my third attempt at this particular title, and it took me some time to get back into the flow of things. While I had an issue with the audio (I’ll get to this later), my biggest issue with it was the darkness. It just wasn’t a good time for me to read grimdark—so I didn’t.
Gates of the Dead is a bleak tale about the end of the world. I mean, it’s not like that’s going to be all hugs and sunshine. Not very much of that at all. Anyone who can die will die, so don’t get too attached to your favorite protagonists. Although, if you’re anything like me, your favorites all died long ago—all that’s left are the assholes. There’s not a whole lot of, well, lovable characters in this. The gods are pricks. Their servants aren’t quite as bad, but near enough. The kings and queens are worse. Brogan and his band aren’t any better. Nyles is dead, and he was really the last glimmer of sunshine that got any screen-time. But I knew this going in.
The long and short of it is—this is a bleak story. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. I found the main story wrapped up quite nicely in the end, though there were still some lingering questions unanswered. Nothing too bad, though. It was a satisfying end to the trilogy, and one I’d definitely recommend if you enjoyed the first two books.
Audio Note: A change in narration is something I usually find an annoyance at best, especially so far into a series. Now, the Tides of War may only be a trilogy, but changing narrators for the third and final book is a thinker. And maybe there was a good reason—but maybe not.
Either way, Adams Sims gives way to Jeffrey Kafer. Now, it wasn’t that I really minded the change—as I found the previous narrator’s voice a bit of a nasal drawl, a bit wearing on my senses, a bit displeasing—it was just the change of every character’s voice; as each reader finds different voices for different characters, and no two narrators are exactly alike in that. Thus, for every voice and character to change—suddenly, dramatically—can be a surprise, even a bit off-putting, even if it’s not entirely unwelcome.
June 27, 2022
A satisfying conclusion that answered a lot of questions and picked up some threads I'd forgotten about?! I still think the he-kisshi (?) are terrifying and fascinating, as were all the other creatures and not quite humans. I love meddling gods in books, and this was that times a lot. I also really appreciated how much time was given for the final battle, since it had been building for the whole trilogy. It's always a nice surprise when am author is willing to kill off characters because then I never know what to expect. There were so many things that happened that shocked me, just because this world is so wild out felt like anything could happen in a way?! Even when different characters I already knew ended up running into each other...I want sure how it would all go over haha
I just really enjoyed this series!! I was particularly interested in Myridia and Stanna, but there was so much shit going on with Brogan (of course) and all the other povs that it doesn't really matter if you like them. Something interesting is always happening, even if it seems like a slower part in the book. I'm not sure why more people haven't found this series, but I wish they would. I'm definitely going to check out the... Seven forges? I think that's the other fantasy series by this author.
It's so crazy to me to think I might never have found these books, had I not encountered book 1 on sale for like $1.99 on Kindle or something. Always check ebook deals in your favorite genre, kids. Hidden gems are everywhere = )
I just really enjoyed this series!! I was particularly interested in Myridia and Stanna, but there was so much shit going on with Brogan (of course) and all the other povs that it doesn't really matter if you like them. Something interesting is always happening, even if it seems like a slower part in the book. I'm not sure why more people haven't found this series, but I wish they would. I'm definitely going to check out the... Seven forges? I think that's the other fantasy series by this author.
It's so crazy to me to think I might never have found these books, had I not encountered book 1 on sale for like $1.99 on Kindle or something. Always check ebook deals in your favorite genre, kids. Hidden gems are everywhere = )
January 18, 2019
Gates of the Dead is the third book in a series. I didn't know that going in. I recommend reading the series in order. Unfortunately, I just felt lost and ended up skimming through. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
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