Blood of the Gods

The Ascension Cycle #2

by David Mealing

The battle is over, but war lies ahead in the second book of the epic fantasy trilogy that pits humans against gods in a contest for the fate of the world.


The battle for the city is over, but the aftermath of a revolution is never simple...


Sarine begins to experience visions, ones which make her dragon familiar sicker every day. Erris pushes toward conquest and the need to expand her territory and restore her power. And, exiled from his tribe, Arak'Jur apprentices himself to a deadly master.


Faced with the threat of a return to the days of darkness, the heroes begin to understand the depth of the sacrifices required from them. To protect their world, they'll have to stand and fight once more.


Read this second book in this gripping, vibrant, and imaginative addition to the epic fantasy canon for readers of Brandon Sanderson, Brian McClellan, and Miles Cameron.




The Ascension Cycle
Soul of the World
Blood of the Gods

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction, Magic

688 pages, Paperback

Published August 23, 2018

Reviews

[Jordan (Forever Lost in Literature) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!

I really can't believe I don't see people talking about this series more (well, the first book so far at least!), they are simply incredible.

Full review:

Soul of the World , the first novel in The Ascension Cycle books, was the first book I ever requested to review from Orbit, and it was also fortunately the start to a truly fantastic fantasy series that I have been thoroughly enjoying. When I say that I am shocked I don't see more people talking about this book, I truly mean it. This is an incredibly detailed, imaginative, and innovative fantasy world with some truly wonderful characters. Blood of the Gods took everything that I loved about the first book and amped it up to a whole new level.

Blood of the Gods picks up right about where Soul of the World left off as everyone deals with the consequences of the previous books' events. The momentous Ascension draws near and everything seems to become much more intense extremely quickly. Mealing has certainly not suffered from dreaded 'sophomore slump,' but has instead seemed to mastered an even firmer grip on his world-building and characters and has expanded everything in compelling ways that only add to the story. This is a series that I find distinct from other fantasy books--it's refreshing in a way that keeps me glued to the page and not feeling like I'm reading the same tired storylines over and over again.

The first and most prominent standout of this book is the magic system- or should I say the magic systems? That's right, there isn't just one unique magic system, there are multiple, and each one is incredibly interesting to explore and see in action. What I really loved was that all of the setup in the first book regarding how the magic systems worked and how the characters were able to use their magic completely paid off because this book allowed us to dive even deeper into not only the magic, but also the world, characters, and politics. There is still plenty of focus on the magic components, but there felt like such a great balance of every aspect that really made this book stand out and really brought everything together.

The world itself is also rather complex and somehow seemed to expand even more in this book, which allows the reader to constantly be exploring something new; there's really no room for boredom here. I have to keep this review slightly vague on the details because it could easily to go into minor spoilers, so all I will say is that this installment introduces us to even more lands and aspects of this world that I didn't even know existed. There are urban settings, military settings, and wilderness settings that provide a really wonderful sense of variety, in addition to an even wider array of cultures and peoples that were so interesting to learn about.

We follow the same three protagonists in this book--Erris d'Arrent, Arak'Jur, and Sarine--in addition to one new main character, Tigai. I really enjoyed getting to spend more time with each of these characters, and I felt that this book allowed us to focus more on the deeper aspects of each one's personality since we are past the introductions of the first book and can really focus on what motivates them and keeps them moving forward in the directions that they choose (or are forced to choose). I felt that each and every character was really well-developed and acted in ways that were consistent to who their character was, which is something that can be a problem sometimes in series.

Erris continues to move up in her military leadership and therefore must learn how to be the best leader she can be and also gain the respect of her subordinates. What makes it harder is that she has to do all of this while also doing her best to regain lost territory and regain some of her magic that has diminished. Arak'Jur is forced to make many life-altering choices at almost all points of this book and must also figure out how to best help his tribe and people while also taking care of those he loves. Sarine continues to discover who exactly she is--and trust me when I say that there are some big discoveries--and also must learn how to best tackle her newfound responsibilities. Lastly, we have Tigai, who sort of gets swept up into things in surprising and also highly entertaining ways. I really loved his new perspective and insight into other areas of this world and the cultures that inhabit it. There was a distinct Asian-inspired vibe to it that I really enjoyed and I think added a lot to the world itself.

Overall, I've given Blood of the Gods four-and-a-half stars. I initially believed that this was a duology, but I have since realized that is indeed a trilogy, which I am thrilled about because that means one more book in this incredible world with these great characters.

[L'encre de la magie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Et c'est un coup de cœur !!
David Mealing me retourne le cerveau ! J'adore, j'adore, j'adore

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plus points:

1) Great worldbuilding - love the varied magic systems
2) Good use of the human element - Erris has to deal with politics (her narrative seems clearly inspired by Napoleon, with her eventually becoming Empress). Each character has their own "journey" too, though that feels very forced (ok, they need to go on to the next step, so they do; Arak'Jur needs a family, so he has a child).

Negative points: I can't pinpoint why the writing was just so uninspiring - I didn't feel engaged with the characters.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first book, I purposely never read the second book because I knew I would forget everything by the time the third one came out. Now that the time is here, I'm so glad that I finally get to read everything straight through.

Without getting into spoilers, after my initial read of the first book, I assumed the series would conclude at a particular point, but to my surprise that point came at the end of the second book, so I have a whole entire book beyond what I expected! And I don't feel like anything was missing getting to this point either.

Having read countless fantasy/sci-fi novels over the years, normally getting a really fleshed out "magic system" is a huge plus for myself and a lot of other readers. There are what, at least four distinct ones in the first two books already?? Leylines, kaas, animal spirits (let's lump nature spirits and shaman foresight spirits in here too, but you could easily separate those as well), and then whatever you want to call Dragon, Fox, Heron, Ox, etc. And again, each of those are really completely different from each other. It is crazy to me that any ONE of those systems could easily have been the basis for a series, yet we get all of them, and we get quite a bit of information about them too.

I can't wait to get started on the third book and see where this all ends up.

P.S. Arak'Jur is my boy.

[Vikki Houghton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine follow up from Soul of the World.

This installment only adds to the complexity that was introduced in the first book. It is a story of so many intricacies, cultures, and places. All three of our main characters from the last book (Sarine, Arak'Jur and Erris) travel far and wide and it is safe to say this book is jam-packed action and discoveries.

Sarine's character comes into herself during this book, as she struggles to learn her place among the events of her world, as well as the Veil's. Though I'd say her storyline is the slowest of them all, it is exceptionally fruitful and it ends with a very different Sarine than it starts - though all of the reasons why I love the character remain. Arak'Jur's storyline actually became my joint favourite, and he further defines himself as an honourable character with endless strength. Erris' was my least favourite storyline; her determination to defeat Paendurion seeming one borne more of personal ego than the need to do 'good' (to me, at least). Tigai was a interesting and exceptionally well-made addition to the storyline. At first I was dubious by another P.o.V - the three from the first novel perfect as they were - but the insight to another part of the world and different magics brought a lot to the story. Despite his seemingly deceptive nature, he is in nature an honest character.

It was a joy to see the characters spend more time together in this novel - something that happened only briefly at the end of Soul of the World.

I am excited for installment number three!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review on The Quill to Live: https://thequilltolive.com/2018/08/23...

I am sorry I have been so slow with the reviews this month, there has been a lot to get through and talk about. August has been a hard month for a fantasy book to stand out in, simply because of how many good things have come out. There have been over nine books I was highly anticipating that have released in about a 5 week stint, and getting to them all is proving difficult - but worthwhile. Up today we have Blood of the Gods, by David Mealing. Blood is the sequel to Mealing’s debut book, Soul of the World, which you can find a review of here, and an interview about the book here. The long story short is that Soul of the World was a batshit crazy book, filled to the brim with crazy magic, that embraced its crazy and confusing nature to tell a great story. With the sequel I was intensely curious to see what direction Mealing would take the story, and I was impressed and engrossed with the result.

Blood of the Gods picks up right where Soul of the World left off, but talking about the plot is difficult, as a large part of their charm is slowly understanding what is going on. So, if I can’t tell you about the plot what can I tell you about? Well, I can tell you that you should read these books. Our story still follows the same three characters from book one: Sarine, an artist street urchin with a magical pet dragon; Arak’jur, a guardian of the one of the native tribes with powerful animal and elemental magic; and Erris, a high ranking military officer with magic bound to leylines through the land. They are joined by a new fourth POV, Tigai, who has an entirely new school of magic and whose story initially seems completely unrelated to our original trio. All four of the characters remain in great form and bring a lot of different personality to the story. In addition, I think it says a lot about the quality of character writing that I still remembered (fondly) the full range of support characters as I went into Blood of the Gods.

What is most interesting about Blood of the Gods is that the story starts to make a lot of concrete sense. Seemingly random powers and events from both book one and two start to be understandable, and slowly the puzzle of what is going on in the world will click in place. When Mealing first put out Soul of the World I thought that the book was somewhat chaotic because he had decided to embrace ridiculousness and was focusing more on telling an imaginative story than on one that was polished and streamlined. After reading Blood of the Gods I have realized that he was playing a long con, and that he is actually somehow doing both.

However, the real core of these books is their magic. Back when I reviewed Soul of the World, I commented on the fact that the number of magics in the book was frankly absurd. The characters of the story have a ridiculous number of powers, and by the end of the book I was just starting to get a handle on the 30 some powers I was trying to keep track of. I was looking forward to continuing to familiarize myself with these powers in book two, which was an incredibly naive thought that I imagine David would laugh at if he ever reads this review. Book two doubles down, and by that I mean he pretty much doubles the number of magics in the book. If this sounds insane, well you aren’t wrong, but as I briefly talked about in the last review - it works because Mealing knows what he is doing as an author. The powers are never used as a deus ex machina, and despite being insanely numerous, are fairly well-defined. Instead, Mealing has created a world where our protagonists are constantly meeting new people, friend and foe, that they have to assess and work with/around as they figure out their magic. It makes you excited to keep reading and see what new magical person will be on the next page. Mealing also has an impressive imagination, and despite being up to 40 some powers by the end of Soul of the World, the magics remained fun and inventive with little overlap.

I can only imagine how much planning must have gone into a storyboard and world of this scope. While the first book took place in a set of colonies who had thrown off their parent country American revolution style, the second book expands the scope massively to the full globe. We spend a significant amount of time on other continents and learning about a number of other culture and people. The worldbuilding is functional but slightly uninspired. Most of the people and places you will see are fairly obvious fantasy adaptations of our various real world peoples (Native Americans, American Colonies, Europe, Asia, etc.). There is nothing wrong with it, but it lacks the imaginative brilliance of Mealing’s magic systems. In addition, the plot mostly continued at a fast and exciting speed; however, the book is long and it did feel like it flagged a little around the 80% mark as it built to a climax. There was a prolonged battle scene involving Erris near the end of the book that felt slightly unnecessary to an already long book. At the end of the day though, this book was a fantastic read and these flaws did not do much to dampen my enthusiasm as I systematically tore through it.

Mealing has managed to get me to reassess his skill as an author with his second book, Blood of the Gods. While I initially thought he was a crazy imaginative author who might need a little polish; now I think he is a crazy imaginative author who clearly knows what he is doing. Mealing is an author with incredible potential, and if you can handle not knowing what is going on for a massive payoff, I highly recommend you check out both Soul of the World and Blood if the Gods. I just hope that at some point in the future Mealing releases an appendix of all the powers he has introduced in his story.

Rating: Blood of the Gods - 9.0/10
-Andrew

[M Tat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those who like Tad Williams Otherland series, who like Harry Turtledove's Darkness series, who like any of Kevin Liu's works, or those who like Terry Brooks Scions series will appreciate and enjoy Mealing's work.

Essentially Mealing takes the reader through various arenas of war, although early on the reader is far from understanding what these arenas of war are and who is fighting whom in which arena. While the reader may initially feel disoriented or lost early on in the work, Meaning gradually develops these arenas of war more than sufficiently for the reader to understand what is at stake. Mealing excels at developing the culture of 'in times of cosmic or supernatural conflict, there are many moving parts and it all comes down to the last moment', which is no small feat for any author much less one dealing in a realm that involves various types of--for better term--magic.

Many magic-inclusive works turn off readers because the 'magic' is so definitive and requisite to the work that the narrative itself becomes a thrice-demoted idea. While 'magic' abounds in Mealing's realm, the realm itself seems to utterly depend on it in a _functional_ and _cultural_ manner as opposed to magic-as-convenience Ala 'oh, this is magic, and look, fireball into an unwanted goblin'. While others may think that 'there is just too much going on, in terms of magic, and Meaning doesn't go into enough detail about each', I refer those to the aforementioned: Mealing develops these as elements of the cultures within the arenas of war, not as a study in each of the types of 'magic'. If Mealing were to go in-depth on _each_ type of 'magic' it would add absolutely unnecessary pages to the work as well as entirely dilute what Mealing wants us to focus upon: the reader's right to visualize how the types are utilized and how their use is common place within each of the cultures that are parts of these arenas of war.

Some might balk at Mealing's hundreds of pages for this work, however it is finely 'tuned': there is no verbosity, no excessive detail, nor is there sufficient detail absent. Mealing does really well with capturing the different actions and moments across the arenas of war without imbalancing in any one direction. It's quite impressive what Mealing has done within these hundreds of pages.

To be fair, the types and styles of magic, as well as some of the 'mega' players (Paendurion, Ad-Shi, Axterian) may be elements introduced and developed in Mealing's Ascension Cycle #1 installment. If so, reading that work prior to this one may help new readers not feel so disoriented when picking up Blood of the Gods.

Note: this is a three-star review because the work does not stand out as a stunning piece of literature (which I reserve for 4- and 5-stars): there are scant literary devices present that provoke the reader to do more than go along for the ride of the well-developed narrative. Mealing's work does not require these, perse, and I simply want to indicate why this is a 3-star review.

[Ruth Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, the second novel in Mealing's Ascension Cycle series. Aside from the well-thought-out story, and the characters with their flaws and foibles, and, may I add, the changes they precipitate and that happen in their characters through this novel, there's an underlying feeling that I'm peering into Revolutionary France, though perhaps without the guillotine to aid in removal, merely dispatch of nobles by Sword and mob!
I won't spoil anymore by saying why this has a Napolionic flavour, but I would suggest that any fantasy fans who haven't read it see if they get the same impression and do let me know - I always wonder if, because of my education in history, I'm reading into things more than any normal reader would?!! Most fantasy take certain historical themes into account, whether it's from using the crossbow to wars in new worlds with peoples different than themselves, so perhaps I'm reading too much into this!!
Love the book, and definitely recommend this for all!

[L. Glama]

I read the first book a whole five years ago and this has sat on my TBR ever since as I was unfortunately unable to locate a copy (why oh why would you buy the first book to a series and not its sequel, Singapore national library board?). But I must say that the Oxford public library is absolutely amazing; on my first visit, I very quickly found three books which had been on my TBR for ages. This was one of them.

Anyway, owing to the long wait, I had forgotten quite a bit about the first book, though I did remember the main characters and the interesting magic system (or rather, magic systems, plural). Details came back as I went along (which speaks to how good Soul of the World was!), and I thoroughly enjoyed this book as the stakes were at last made clear and the known universe expanded. The addition of a new POV character was a pleasant surprise - Tigai is very hard not to love. I'm putting book 3 on my TBR now and I really hope that it'll be less than five years before I get to it.

[Adam Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy multi POV stories and multiple magic systems and the first book in the series, do yourself a favor and pick this up. I liked all the characters more than in book 1 + enjoyed where the plot went.

The multiple POVs and the fact I couldn't decide who/which side I was rooting for was the books biggest strength and biggest weakness. I took ~ 5 months to get through the book because I wasn't hooked + preferred reading hardcover books over Blood of the Gods on my phone. However, whenever I returned to the book, the characters and plot had made a strong enough impression that I hadn't forgotten anything. Blood of the Gods may not have hooks that made me binge it, it had enough of my interest that always came back.

[Will R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot stronger than the first entry. I still feel like you can feel Mealing's tabletop roots at the bottom of this magic system(s?)—it feels quite gamified with the different "ways" people use magic in the setting, in things like the colouring of the kaas magic or the very functional names of Shelter, Need & Faith. I just find it doesn't feel fully naturalistic, feels a little un-immersive. The character work is better this time around, with some new characters like Tigai who add a welcome change of perspective.

I read this thinking the third book had been released. It had not. So that's annoyin, but entirely my fault.

[Paul Grindrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in The Ascension Cycle, and was looking forward to Blood of the Gods. I wasn't disappointed.

I'm not one for spoilers, but suffice to say the mysteries from Book 1 were (mostly) resolved, with new mysteries and magic taking their place. Because, apparently, David Mealing shares a fascination with magic systems that rivals Brandon Sanderson's, except Mealing sticks them all into one series. This is not a bad thing.

Another excellent book from Mr Mealing, and I wait patiently for the third.

[Johan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues in the same vein as the first novel.
The characters gain a lot of depth in this novel, which was one of my complaints about the first one. The problem is the gain A LOT of power. Too much of it, if you ask me. And now they're directly involved with the god-governance of the world. Whoa! There are also too many magic systems at the same time, and I get a bit bored with reading "green" and "yellow" when someone magics at times.
But mostly I enjoy the story, the myth (even though I would have liked it to remain more in the background), and the setting.

[Mel Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I enjoyed the writing, but the story is still hazy for me, just when I thought I had a handle on it, it shot off In A different direction. I found it a little disjointed and the characters that I felt I was getting to know from the first book were swamped in the constant fight scenes . It read more like an extended dream sequence than a novel. I don’t think I know any more now, about the how’s and the whys of this world, than I did after reading the first book.

[Ross Currie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book 1 was great, with a nice, unique magic system, but not sure what happened with Book 2. It just kinda went off on all these weird tangeants, and people spend a lot of time wandering from place to place without anything really happening. Ended up not finishing it.

[Bill Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many second books are just fillers until the final installment. This one actually gives more depth to the story and characters. Filling in gaps and strengthening the story line, adding to the people and their lives. Good reading.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still really frustrated by the lack of information that would allow me to understand what is going on in the overall storyline of this trilogy, but I continue to enjoy the unique constructs of magic.

[Bernhard · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%

The structure is a mess and nothing ever happens which is the least bit interesting.
I couldn't care less about all the tangents, gods and mega-super-whatever-powerful magic.
There are no characters in here, just confusing actions associated with random names.

[Derek Slattery · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read just for me never realised the potential of the first book. Lost its way in parts over reaching. Having said that I enjoyed the read and will return for book three

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Mealing is rising up in my favorite fantasy authors. I feel like more people should read his books. I can't wait for the next one.

[Joshua Pressel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthwhile

Good read, complex magic system, good character development. Very interesting concept. I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this series.

[Natan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Very good book
many diffrent characters
The plot makes sence so far and lots of action if anyone likes high fantasy they should read this

[Hayleycreates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still looking forward to the next one.

[.W.]

DNF, took too long to finish this and lost the thread (and interest).

[Cal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic in every way. World, countries, nations, war, revolution, magic, characters, plot.

Setting/World - 5
Plot/Story - 5
Characterization - 5
Writing - 4

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a more in-depth review, visit my blog, Shelved Temptations! https://www.shelvedtemptation.ca/

*Will warn before spoilers*

I felt a little more lukewarm towards the first one, Soul of the World, but this one far exceeded its predecessor. The introduction of Tigai’s character added a new element to the book that I wish was included in the first book! This book is more exciting, with more plot twists and tense scenes that really keep you engaged. It also goes further into the ascension process, and other elements that are touched on in the first book. Aspects that I liked from the first book - the mysterious characters and settings we catch a glimpse of between parts - didn’t have the same oomph in this book, however this doesn’t bother me too much, because this second book is just significantly better overall. I would still like to dispute the labeling of the kaas as dragons (lizards!), but otherwise Blood of the Gods was stronger, had a more intricate plot and more emphasis on the fight between good and evil, complex character development, and very good writing.

****Some spoilers****

I can’t stress enough how much I truly enjoyed Tigai’s character. His character development was subtle and was realistic given the torture and stress he endured because of the magical houses. Towards the end, choosing not to assassinate Sarine (good call by the way dude) was a culmination of his whole development and I really enjoyed it. The starfield, in which Tigai and Sarine can enter and beam themselves to other places, was especially interesting to me. The magic on his side of the divide felt significantly more graceful and complex to me, and I really wish it had been introduced in the first book. Sarine’s character is interesting as well. I wouldn’t say she was my favourite, but I enjoyed the introduction of her new kaas, and her decisions in regards to the Veil inhabiting her body.

One of the things I found especially enjoyable was trying to discern who out of those on the path to ascension were on which side, as well as the physical divide between continents. I wish there was a bit more backstory and depth into the evil homie in the darkness, but that’s just my lore geek coming out. I also really enjoyed the darkness-infested creatures that Arak'Jur fought, as well as his journey to ascension. I wasn’t especially into his romance and child and such, just because it almost felt out of place - there wasn’t much in terms of romantic themes outside of his character. My final comment - I hate that the veil found a new body. I’m upset about this.

This book featured so much more complexity that made it feel High Fantasy and I really enjoyed it. Given how this book has been compared to the first in the series, I am really looking forward to the next. It’s unclear when the next book will be published, but I know I will most definitely be purchasing it.

[lamagiedesmots · Rating 5 out of 5]

Est-ce que j'attends désespérément le 3e tome de cette série? Ouiiii... 😭

J'avais découvert cette série de gunpowder fantasy grâce à Rémi @l_encre_de_la_magie et j'avais eu un gros coup de coeur pour le 1er tome Soul of the World et ce fut également le cas pour ce second tome intitulé Blood of the Gods ! 💕 Je l'ai lu en mars, il était temps que je vous en parle... 🙈

Je ne peux vous en parler plus en détail de peur de spoiler mais je peux vous dire que nous découvrons davantage d'éléments concernant les systèmes de magie que je trouve originaux (oui, car il y en a plusieurs), concernant leur fonctionnement et les conséquences.
Les personnages ainsi que les relations qu'ils tissent entre eux se développent et s'approfondissent pour notre plus grand plaisir !

Un univers complexe et dense mais qui mérite grandement le détour, des personnages hyper intéressants à suivre notamment par rapport à leur évolution individuelle, des scènes épiques, une intrigue qui vous tient en haleine, j'ai tellement hâte de lire la suite !

[Gregg Buford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this book four stars. I enjoyed this second book in the series like I did the first one. Keeping all the characters and storyline in memory as you read is a challenge on its own but an enjoyable one. I like having multiple magic systems as well. I like good long books like this usually, but I was getting tired towards the end. I think this was because I did a re-read of the first book before I read this one. I will re-read before the next book comes out if takes to long to come out though and will get a different or better grasp the second time around, I think. Will not try to re-read them back-to-back though. Not sure if I want to see this going beyond a trilogy but if they are good as the first two that's not a problem.

[Billy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow those book was amazing. The World building is first class and just when you thought the magic system could not get any better. Bam a whole new system of magic. Its even better than the first book and I can't wait for the 3rd one to be released

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every bit as good as the opening book!