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All Things Mortal
“A thousand years ago the goddess of death almost destroyed
our universe. Three dead planets and a handful of dead
gods stand as a testament to that. Now they say she wanders
among us, powerless but waiting for another chance.”
Daiga has heard many versions of her story told over the years, many of them untrue. Once the feared goddess of death, she was imprisoned in a mortal’s body and stripped of her powers by her sister Odisa, the goddess of life.
But Daiga has never really been as vengeful as they say, and reclaiming her old life was never really an option. Until she meets Lane.
Lane is one of the wives of the Lord—the current ruler of those still alive in the galaxy of Fira Moder. Both queen and warrior, Daiga knows she is dangerous.
And Lane has her mind set on one thing: restoring Daiga’s powers and killing the Lord, in that order.
our universe. Three dead planets and a handful of dead
gods stand as a testament to that. Now they say she wanders
among us, powerless but waiting for another chance.”
Daiga has heard many versions of her story told over the years, many of them untrue. Once the feared goddess of death, she was imprisoned in a mortal’s body and stripped of her powers by her sister Odisa, the goddess of life.
But Daiga has never really been as vengeful as they say, and reclaiming her old life was never really an option. Until she meets Lane.
Lane is one of the wives of the Lord—the current ruler of those still alive in the galaxy of Fira Moder. Both queen and warrior, Daiga knows she is dangerous.
And Lane has her mind set on one thing: restoring Daiga’s powers and killing the Lord, in that order.
107 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2019
4 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Laurel Johanson
1 book7 followersLaurel Johanson is a writer and communications student from small-town Ontario with a love of Disney movies and other childish nonsense.
She has been published three times in Prairie Manufacturer Magazine, and her short story “Cinderella”, a modern retelling of the timeless fairytale, was published in volume 7 of the ImageOutWrite queer anthology.
Her first novella, a sci-fi adventure called All Things Mortal, was released in February 2019.
She has been published three times in Prairie Manufacturer Magazine, and her short story “Cinderella”, a modern retelling of the timeless fairytale, was published in volume 7 of the ImageOutWrite queer anthology.
Her first novella, a sci-fi adventure called All Things Mortal, was released in February 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 25, 2019
4.25 Stars. I have been reading a lot of Kindle Unlimited novellas the past few days and this was my favorite so far. The best way to describe this would be fantasy/science fiction. This novella was well written and a little KU gem.
The main storyline is about gods and goddess at war and the aftermath of that war. The main character, who’s POV we are in, is the goddess of death. She is immortal but has lost all her powers and even her voice. I don’t want to go into too much else to spoil anything but I will say there is plenty of action and adventure for the rest of the book.
There is a little romance in this book. However, I would not read this book for the romance. I like the two women characters that fall for each other, but I didn’t really notice the chemistry between them. I thought they were just friends… then all of a sudden they were more than friends. Read this book for the action and good storyline and think of the romance as a little bonus.
I do have to give a warning that this novella is not a standalone book. There will at least be another installment. And because of that this book ends on a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers but I do forgive them more in fantasy books. This ending made me a little angry, but I’m excited to read the next installment. I just hope the wait is not long.
The main storyline is about gods and goddess at war and the aftermath of that war. The main character, who’s POV we are in, is the goddess of death. She is immortal but has lost all her powers and even her voice. I don’t want to go into too much else to spoil anything but I will say there is plenty of action and adventure for the rest of the book.
There is a little romance in this book. However, I would not read this book for the romance. I like the two women characters that fall for each other, but I didn’t really notice the chemistry between them. I thought they were just friends… then all of a sudden they were more than friends. Read this book for the action and good storyline and think of the romance as a little bonus.
I do have to give a warning that this novella is not a standalone book. There will at least be another installment. And because of that this book ends on a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers but I do forgive them more in fantasy books. This ending made me a little angry, but I’m excited to read the next installment. I just hope the wait is not long.
March 10, 2019
All Things Mortal by Laurel Johanson was a very entertaining read. I won’t bore you with the outlines of the story (read the blurb) but it was imaginative, well written and with a nice pace that keeps you curious about what’s next. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy space opera with a mythological feel to it (one of those origin stories).
I liked the cast of strong female characters and there is plenty of action/adventure but the romance element is very low key. Don’t read it for that. Also be prepared to invest in the next book because it ends in a cliff-hanger.
f/f a barely there romance
Themes: gods and goddesses having an all out epic space battle, immortal, dark and light.
4.2 stars
I liked the cast of strong female characters and there is plenty of action/adventure but the romance element is very low key. Don’t read it for that. Also be prepared to invest in the next book because it ends in a cliff-hanger.
f/f a barely there romance
Themes: gods and goddesses having an all out epic space battle, immortal, dark and light.
4.2 stars
March 25, 2019
I think I started this four times before I managed to get into it. Once I was passed 10% I finally settled into the story. It's an interesting concept and a fairly enjoyable read but I found I didn't really care much for Daiga.
March 28, 2019
3.75 *
This is a good story, a very good story, but it takes a while to get into. I think this is because the opening reads more like an info dump. Which I dislike. For this reason, I put the story down a few times. I pushed through this and then the whole story steps up a gear. It is a little unclear at times, but that is the style so be prepared.
Also, the characters are not the most likeable, and in the end, I really didn't care about them that much.
This is my opinion, of course, and if you like fantasy this might be just the thing for you.
This is a good story, a very good story, but it takes a while to get into. I think this is because the opening reads more like an info dump. Which I dislike. For this reason, I put the story down a few times. I pushed through this and then the whole story steps up a gear. It is a little unclear at times, but that is the style so be prepared.
Also, the characters are not the most likeable, and in the end, I really didn't care about them that much.
This is my opinion, of course, and if you like fantasy this might be just the thing for you.
April 9, 2019
I need the sequel damn it!
Lols. Anyways this is just a really fun novella. The tone makes me think of fairy tales, probably because the first section is basically a myth of the "origin of the universe" type but also because of how the story continues, sort of matter of fact but also magical at the same time. So it was a nice narrative voice.
The characters are lots of fun. I like Lane, Kass and Jira the most (...which I guess is like half the characters, so is still not very decisive); Daiga, like I said, is a good narrator, but after the first fourth of the book she mostly goes along with what other ppl are doing. It looks like in the next book she's gonna be a little more in charge of her own fate.
Also!! Good villains!! Idk who is the most interesting: the Lord, Nirah, or Odisa. They're all scary in their own special way. Nirah's like... kind of sympathetic? but still kind of messed up? but the Lord and Odisa really just suck lols. But I love them!
I kind of wonder what the next book will be like.
Overall a lot of fun. My only quibble is that there are parts where just hundreds of thousands of people die and it's over too fast to have any emotional impact. Not so atypical in fantasy or sci-fi, but that always throws me.
Lols. Anyways this is just a really fun novella. The tone makes me think of fairy tales, probably because the first section is basically a myth of the "origin of the universe" type but also because of how the story continues, sort of matter of fact but also magical at the same time. So it was a nice narrative voice.
The characters are lots of fun. I like Lane, Kass and Jira the most (...which I guess is like half the characters, so is still not very decisive); Daiga, like I said, is a good narrator, but after the first fourth of the book she mostly goes along with what other ppl are doing. It looks like in the next book she's gonna be a little more in charge of her own fate.
Also!! Good villains!! Idk who is the most interesting: the Lord, Nirah, or Odisa. They're all scary in their own special way. Nirah's like... kind of sympathetic? but still kind of messed up? but the Lord and Odisa really just suck lols. But I love them!
I kind of wonder what the next book will be like.
Overall a lot of fun. My only quibble is that there are parts where just hundreds of thousands of people die and it's over too fast to have any emotional impact. Not so atypical in fantasy or sci-fi, but that always throws me.
December 14, 2020
The lyrical and dreamlike quality of the narration, told through the first-person perspective of the literal goddess of death, gives - I'm sorry if this sounds pretentious, I can't think of a better word - verisimilitude to the post-apocalyptic outer-space fairy-tale setting of this highly original story. Daiga, the main character and goddess turned mortal, goes from experiencing the universe as a formless abstraction, to discovering that as a mortal she has a mortal's wants, needs, desires and regrets. I particularly enjoyed how being a human being actually helped give her the perspective she needed to understand her former divine self. She also rides on a spaceship, which can't not be awesome.
On the downside, there's a few typos. At the very, very bottom, it ends on a cliffhanger. A hard one. If I wasn't so manly, I might have reached for a tissue, but instead, I ate a cheeseburger at Steak & Shake and wrote a review on Amazon. In all seriousness, do not miss this one, it's like nothing you've ever read.
On the downside, there's a few typos. At the very, very bottom, it ends on a cliffhanger. A hard one. If I wasn't so manly, I might have reached for a tissue, but instead, I ate a cheeseburger at Steak & Shake and wrote a review on Amazon. In all seriousness, do not miss this one, it's like nothing you've ever read.
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March 5, 2019A satisfyingly cosmic adventure story with lots of awesome women characters!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews