The Last God

Amra Thetys

by Michael McClung

From the author of the Amra Thetys series comes a new novelette set in the same world, featuring the world's grumpiest old man:

Sage Lhiewyn, high priest of the god of knowledge, would like nothing better than to spend his remaining days getting his naps in and collecting offerings from what few faithful remain. Unfortunately, he's going on a pair of adventures instead. With his less-than faithful acolyte at his side, Lhiewyn will have to face down a rampaging sewer demon and outwit the beautiful, wily priestess of a foreign god bent on unearthing his greatest, most terrible secret. Looks like his nap will have to wait....

It is not necessary to read the Amra Thetys series to enjoy this novelette, though of course I think it would be an excellent idea if you did.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, High Fantasy, Novella, Short Stories

169 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2017

About the author

Michael McClung was born in San Antonio, Texas, but now lives in Europe. He has had the requisite number of odd jobs expected of a speculative fiction author, including soldier, book store manager, and bowling alley pin boy. His first book, the Sword & Sorcery novel "Thagoth," won the Del Rey Digital first novel competition in 2002 and was published by Random House in 2003.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 10 stars. Obviously, duh and stuff.

This crappy non-review is probably longer than the book is it about. You are quite welcome.

Well well well, would you look at that? A book set in my girlfriend Amra Thetys' world, but without my girlfriend Amra Thetys. It's quite revolting, really. I mean, you'd expect me to go all, "this cannot be! This will not do!" and unleash the murderous crustaceans on Michael McClung for pulling such a loathsome move, right? And I must admit I would have, had he not been him, aka my dear Amra's (and my dear boyfriend Holgren's) beloved daddy. Which kind of makes him my daddy-in-law. Which kind of means it wouldn't be very nice of me to have my homicidal shrimps go all chop chop chop on him and stuff. And that is why, my Little Barnacles, Mr McClung was miraculously spared (quite miraculously, I must say).

So. This glorious little book here set in Amra's world but WITHOUT Amra, remember? *note to self: breathe, Sarah, Breathe. Do NOT harbor murderous thoughts towards your lovely father-in-law. It wouldn't be friendly and stuff* is made of three glorious little stories, all told from the POV of Lhiewyn, a character from The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids, book 1 in my girlfriend's most stupendous adventures. And the one and only first thing you need to know about him is: MINE MINE MINE MINE.



Then again, all most of you have despicable book taste so I'm pretty sure you have Wretched Boyfriend Taste (WBT™) as well, ergo I think it's fairly fair to assume you won't try and steal my Lhiewyn from me. Besides, he's a priest so ew ew ew yuck yuck yuck you probably want to stay the fish away from him and stuff (he's not the kind of priest who has to swear an oath of celibacy but you don't know that so all is well in the world). What? You think it's slightly uncharacteristic of me to go after a priest? That's because you don't know just how positively yummy my Lhiewyn is, my Lovely Decapods. First of all, he's a high priest and not one of those distastefully low-ranking monks/clerics/preachers/whatever. I mean, a person in my nefariously dictatorial position would never consider falling for a miserable minion. Much cramped my style would be if I debased myself in such a vile way and stuff. But I ever so slightly digress. So, Lhiewyn is the top dog when it comes to Lagna (the God of Knowledge, thank you very much) and together we make a super hot couple.


You know what makes Lhiewyn so bloody shrimping irresistible? He is a grumpy, crusty old fart. And a self-proclaimed dour, unpleasant ass. Also, he is beautifully foul-mouthed. And splendidly blunt. A delectably sharp-tongued. And enchantingly sarcastic. And charmingly disrespectful. Sigh. The man really is a dream come true. Oh, and have I mentioned how positively ancient he is? Plus, he has so many aches and pains I'm pretty sure he'd make Slightly Pathetic Glotka the Utterly Unsexy Grump (SPGtUUG™) super extra jealous. Now that I think about it, Lhiewyn is exactly the type of character I was expecting when I started reading The Grouch Himself The Blade Itself. Only I got SPGtUUG™ instead. What a complete, total rip-off.



See, people of despicable book taste who happen to lurve silly Glotka? Even Klingons agree with me on that one!

So we've got my most delicious boyfriend Lhiewyn and we've also got Jessep (aka pimple mill), his impertinent, annoying, insolent kind, respectful, polite minion acolyte. I swear, if Lhiewyn and I didn't make such a perfect couple, I'd definitely be rooting for team Lhiejess. These two really are a match made in heaven. Jessep annoys the fish out of Lhiewyn, who is naught but an asshole a terrible, terrible human being in Jessep's eyes. They were meant to be together, I tell you! And if things were not to work out between them in the lovey dovey department, they could always form a comic duo and perform live in Las Vegas. With their constant bickering, hilarious dialogues, and great dynamics, I'm pretty sure they'd be way more successful than Celine Dion, Cirque du Soleil and Sigfried & Roy combined. I mean, they're kind of an X-rated, Fantasy version of Bart & Ernie, complete with rude language and attitude problems. If their act doesn't bring in the big bucks, I don't know what will.



The cucumber/pickle/courgette/whatever didn't ask to be there, in case you were wondering.

The end.

Hahahahaha. Just kidding. You didn't really think I was finished, were you? I mean, I haven't even told you about the stories in this book yet, my Tiny Arthropods! I'd love nothing better than to leave you in the dark and stuff, but these are slightly awesome tales so I cannot NOT ramble about them for a couple more hours! You're welcome!

So the first story is called ♫ Get Down on It ♫, which would be a total groove fest if it didn't happen to be about a shit demon . And yes, I do mean shit as in poop and crap and stuff. Which is actually quite groovy, when you think about it. And downright hilarious. And entertainingly entertaining. That's the Wondrously Wondrous Sewage Effect (WWSE™) for you.

Then we have Godhead, with its delegations from far-away lands, formal dinners, sneaky foreign agents priestesses and spoiler spoiler spoiler. I'd really love to tell you more about it but I'd have to reveal one of my boyfriend's best-kept secrets in the process and I'm pretty sure he'd ditch me in less time than it takes to say 'unleash the crustaceans' if I did, so I won't. Then again, all you really need to know about this story is that Lhiewyn would have loved nothing better than to stay home and take a nap instead of frolicking around with suspiciously attractive foreigners. Because siestas are much more important than hot hook-ups when you're as anciently creaky as my boyfriend.



That's the spirit!

And last but unquestionably not least, we have The God of Forgetting, in which my boyfriend—who happens to be in a delightfully particularly bad, "fuck" fest of a mood—and his minion are on a mission to find a killer who might or might not be the bloody shrimping God of Murder. Much spoiler spoiler spoiler stuff ensues. Secrets are traded. Hilarious conversations in mid-air occur. And much is stunningly revealed about my cantankerous pustule of a boyfriend. You might say this story is quite conceivably a teensy little bit fantabulous. Yes, you might indeed say that. Possibly

The end! And I'm not even joking this time! Lucky you and stuff!

» And the moral of this More More More Please Mr McClung I Want More of this World With or Without Amra Thetys but Preferably With and Also with Holgren and Also Also with Lhiewyn Because I will Never Tire of his Deliciously Bad Tempered Grumpiness Crappy Non Review (MMMPMMIWMofWWoWATbPWaAwHaAAwLBIWNTohDBDGCNR™) is: and thus Michael McClung became a member of the very exclusive You Can Measure an Author's Talent by the Quality of His/Her Short Stories Club (YCMaATbtQoHHSSC™). QED an stuff.

» And the other moral of this MMMPMMIWMofWWoWATbPWaAwHaAAwLBIWNTohDBDGCNR™ is: this is slightly enjoyable. This is short. This is cheap. There's no need to read the rest of the mostest awesomest series to enjoy this you'd be stupid not to, but it's your life so go ahead and waste as you see fit . So what the fish are you waiting for, my Little Barnacles?!




· Book 1: The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids ★★★★★
· Book 2: The Thief Who Spat in Luck's Good Eye ★★★★★
· Book 3: The Thief Who Knocked on Sorrow's Gate ★★★★★
· Book 4: The Thief Who Wasn't There ★★★★★
· Book 5: The Thief Who Went to War ★★★★★



[Pre-review nonsense]

I have a new boyfriend. His name is Lhiewyn. He is old and grouchy and cranky and slightly decrepit and a priest but I don't care. It's the reason why I bloody shrimping LURVES him, actually. I bloody shrimping LURVES him anyway.



Yes, there are two of me now. I'm afraid this isn't looking good for you, my Little Barnacles.

➽ Full There is Room for Everyone in my Harem Especially Even for Ancient Cantankerous Pustules with a Deliciously Foul Mouth Crappy Non Review (TiRfEimHEEfACPwaDFMCNR™) to Come.



[October 5, 2017]

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

A new story set in the world of one of my Mostest Favoritest Series Ever (MFSE™)!!!!!

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave Jessep a sidewise glance. “You have a nasty, sneaky, reckless turn of mind, lad. I find myself forced to approve of it.”

While I’ve known about Michael McClung’s Amra Thetys series for quite some time, I’ve only recently took the plunge into the world he has created – and I can’t seem to get enough of it. The Last God is a hilarious novelette set in the same universe, but focuses on Sage Lhiewyn det Sardeth, high priest of the god of knowledge, and his smarmy acolyte Jessep, rather than our beloved Amra and Holgren. The book is divided into three parts, each a smaller separate story that subtly threads with the others as you continue on, with a huge payoff towards the end. No prior knowledge of the series is necessary to read this, but I highly recommend you read the other books, simply because they’re amazing. Lately, I’ve read quite a few heavy, serious tomes, and this book was such a breath of fresh air, and exactly what I needed.

Our narrator Lhiewyn is definitely the most snarky, crotchety, sweary, “get off my lawn” character I’ve ever encountered, and I adore him more than I could possibly express. He’s a true treasure. The dynamics between him and his acolyte Jessep are just golden – the two so different, but so alike in many ways, and each is always first to lend a hand when the other falters. Theirs is a true testament to the idea of a seemingly love-hate relationship, and it’s a pleasure to watch this unfold throughout. In addition to the two, Lord Morno and Commander Kluge, both of whom we’ve been introduced to in The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids, have their moments in the spotlight, as well. These city officials know exactly what’s awaiting them as they traverse the Street of the Gods, and ascend the stairs to the dusty Temple of Lagna. Unfortunately for all parties involved, Lhiewyn is essential to the many ongoings of the city, which he surely voices his discontent for, leading to all sorts of incredibly funny banter.

“All valid points. But you missed one crucial fact.”
“I did?”
“Yes. It made me miss my nap.”

As mentioned, there are three parts to this story; whether we’re tagging along for the ride to battle a shit demon (you read that correctly), get kidnapped by an attractive priestess from a far-away land, or become embroiled in a godly sibling conflict, there’s no shortage of action and snort laughs along the way. On the surface it may seem the intent of these stories of unfortunate events is to have some wildly fun romps through the districts of Lucernis, but the more insight into Lhiewyn’s true character, the more grand it becomes. Little hints are dropped throughout and the final story hits you with a huge ‘ah ha!’ moment, leaving you both wanting and needing more. I’m really hoping this isn’t the last we see of these weirdly lovable characters.

This novelette packs quite a punch, and, as expected, I loved it to pieces. I’ve always been a fan of small glimpses into worlds that build upon the stories I’ve become acquainted with, and this definitely sits towards the top of my favorites list. If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read, populated by amazing characters, and some pretty stunning mysticism, The Last God checks all these boxes. I can’t wait to see where McClung takes us next.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars: 5 out of 5

I love the world of Amra Thetis, and I am despairing about ever reading the next book in that series, so it was lovely to come back to that world even in a short novella. Especially since the novella is about my favorite cantankerous old priest of the god of knowledge... who has a couple of secrets of his own.

This was a fun if short romp, and I loved every minute of it.

[Terrible Timy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on my blog, Queen's Book Asylum!

I’ve read a scandalously few books from Michael McClung yet, but those I enjoyed immensely. I got a paperback copy of The Last God as a Christmas gift from the lovely Justine and I finally got around to jump on it. As I’m struggling with reading these days, it was just the perfect size and fun I was looking for.

Let me start by saying that I fucking love Lhiewyn. He is definitely one of my favorite characters ever, and I was super happy when I found out there is a whole book with him in the lead. I knew I had to get my hands on The Last God and I was not disappointed. Now, you need to know two things before we get to the review. First, you don’t need to read any of the books in the Amra Thetys series to enjoy this book (although please do read it as it’s awesome, I’ve reviewed The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids before). Secondly, this is a collection of three novelettes which overall add up to a novella, telling an interesting story about Lhiewyn, the high priest of Lagna, the god of knowledge, and a snarky bastard you can’t help loving.

Down In It
Lhiewyn is asked by Lord Morno, Governor of Lucernis to investigate why the new sewage system isn’t working as it is supposed to do. To his and his apprentice, Jessep’s immense joy, the cesspit had become the home of a shit demon that is not happy to leave its newfound home. Which results in wreaking some havoc in the city that Lhiewyn and a rather reluctant Kluge – a mage and the commander of the city watch, who might be familiar to those who read the Amra Thetys series – to clean up. Now, I’m usually not into potty humor, but honestly, you just can’t read through this story without laughing out loud at least once. Partly because of the absurdity of the whole situation and partly because of Llhiewyn’s charming self. He is a foul-mouthed, self-proclaimed asshole who likes to aggravate everyone who comes to him to disturb his quiet life. Regardless of whether he likes them or not, although chances are he does not.

He signed. “Is there any indication that you might have noticed of a daemonist at work, Sage Lhiewyn? Or of a hell gate?”
“No, Kluge. Just a shit demon in a cesspit.”
“That no one else sees.”
“I’ve got hemorrhoids older than you, Kluge. If you’re trying to be a noticeable pain in my ass, you’ll have to work a lot harder at it.”

Godhead
Not long after the shit demon problem, Lord Morno invites Lhiewyn to a state dinner to welcome the Chagan delegation. As you can imagine, having Lhiewyn present for such events tend to be rather hilarious. However, this story brings us deeper into Lhiewyn’s secrets. We get to learn a bit about the wider world of this universe with the Chagan’s appearance and especially one young priestess Chang Ying who befriends Lhiewyn. This story also gives us an insight into the theology in this world, and especially the questions of godhood. Naturally, Chang Ying has some ulterior motives to befriend the high priest of Lagna, but that doesn’t stop Lhiewyn from being entertaining. We learn about Lhiewyn’s past, a part I wouldn’t mind reading more about as it sounds like great material for an adventure, even if we know now how it ends.

“The gods don’t care what you think of them, any more than you care what your cat thinks of you. They don’t derive their legitimacy, if that is the correct word, from us mortals, and you won’t suddenly change that by deciding you don’t think they’re godly enough to suit your sensibilities. If you want to redefine godhood, there’s nothing to stop you trying. But the gods won’t notice or care, and so you are, in essence, engaging in theological masturbation – fun enough, but ultimately pointless.”

The God of Forgetting
After his little adventure with Chang Ying, Lhiewyn is now forced to deal with a murderer along with Kluge. This time we are getting into the business of the local gods. All of the events, hints, crumbles of information leading up to the reveal of some deeply buried secrets and Lhiewyn will have to use all his wit to solve the murders and deal with the culprit. We also arrive at the grand reveal of this book, which in hindsight should have been obvious, but I never saw it coming. I have to say, it’s a pretty clever twist and one that fits really well into the narrative. I was way too focused on having fun with Lhiewyn and am now have to give a nod of appreciation to McClung for the build-up, the execution, and generally for creating Lhiewyn and this world.

“Is it a custom of yours to insult someone who offers aid?” Bath asked. “It seems rather self-defeating.”
“I’m an old man. It’s my privilege to be insulting to anyone, any time.”
“Old as you are, you are still an infant in terms of the elevated,” he said.
“Well, all you gods are eternal children. Emotionally, you’re toddlers who don’t mind stooping to war, plague, famine or worse when you don’t get what you want. Which is my polite way of telling you to go fuck yourself, in case you were wondering.”

As you can see from the quotes, The Last God is not for those who don’t like crude language or a lot of swearing. Lhiewyn’s character is just one of those who like insulting others in clever ways and McClung is rather good in finding the balance between it being entertaining rather than hurtful. While Lhiewyn does like to use his snarky tongue on others, they never fail to answer him in kind. And despite the grumpy old man exterior, he does care about others, such as Jessep for instance. I think why I love Lhiewyn so much is because he kind of reminds me of myself, although I still have a lot to learn to achieve the level of not giving a shit as he did. And while I mostly focused on the fact of how much fun I had reading this book, it’s worth mentioning that it’s not all shit and giggles. Under the humor, McClung shows that he has great skills as a storyteller. Each story has its own arc and climax but it all culminates in the third story which is also the high point of the overall arc of the book. And if you pay attention to the little hints, they make perfect sense in the grand scheme of things.

I don’t think I can ever get enough of Lhiewyn and really my only real complaint regarding this book is that it’s not nearly long enough. I demand more, McClung!

With its 165 pages, The Last God provides perfect entertainment for an afternoon and one which will make you laugh out loud and keep you glued to the pages. If you won’t fall in love with Lhiewyn’s character by the end, I’ll take that as a personal insult and we are not going to be friends anymore. (Just kidding, but I’ll be very disappointed nonetheless.) The Last God should be prescribed for those who love snarky, foul-mouthed characters, humor mixed with a good dose of mystery and fantasy focusing on gods/myths. Can’t. Put. It. Down.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot recommend the Amra Thetys books enough.

The Last God doesn't feature Amra at all. Sage Lhiewyn High Priest of the God of Knowledge is our guide for these three stories. Lhiewyn is a cynical, snarky, cantankerous old man with a bum leg. He is rude and irreverent. His verbal sparring with his acolyte Jessup and others makes for a humorous good time. Lots of laugh out loud moments.

- Down In It

A shit demon is hindering a new civic project. Lhiewyn is brought in against his will to consult. There are several instances where Lhiewyn will not disclose how he knows it's a demon and resorts to lying. When exorcism doesn't work Lhiewyn uses a spell to unmake the demon. More lying when pressed on what he did.

The banter is gold. It had me in stiches. Stay patient, you gain more questions as you read but the final story will clear it all up.

- Godhead

A Chagan delegation is visiting and Duke Morno wants Lhiewyn in attendance. Once again Lhiewyn is not even remotely interested in attending. When the young provocative priestess, Chang Ying, takes a special interest in Lhiewyn he is both flattered and wary. It seems that she has discovered a journal of Lhiewyn's from a journey to the southern continent in his youth. Several details do not add up in Lhiewyn's story and eventually she gets the truth out of him. Or at least as much as he is willing to tell.

The story ends on a sad note. Lhiewyn knows the mission of Chang Ying is doomed to fail. She is duty bound and will not be swayed.

- The God of Forgetting

Duke Morno wants Lhiewyn to assist the Watch in a murder investigation. At each crime scene the victims multiply. All signs point to magic, but not of a mundane sort. When the culprit is identified it is made personal with a single death.

Many things become very clear in this story including the title of the book. Motives and actions are now understood. And it packs one helluva awesome ending.

Mcclung promises more stories to come and I for one cannot wait to read em. Great fun.

[Jason Waltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

THAT was awesome, Michael! I'm gobsmacked!

Or is that godsmacked!? Absolutely fun read. You nailed the character in a terrific set of stories and closed with a delightful bang! Snarky bastard is my new best bud! Thanks!

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe just how fun this was to read! I wasn't really expecting it, and I usually don't love grumpy characters, but it was difficult not to like our MC. Loved all three stories, the first was the best one for me. Loved the characters and loved even the ending! Might start reading the Amra Thetys series a little sooner.

[Chip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Tales From The Vulgar Unicorn (the shared-world series from the 80s/90s). Glad I discovered McClung - he puts out some excellent turns of phrase:

“Inspector Kluge. I’d say it’s nice to see you, but I’m too old to bother with transparent lies.”

“Gods, you must have been a deadly swordsman when you were younger.” “Come again?” “It's the only possible explanation for how you made it to a ripe old age. With a mouth such as yours, surely people have been trying to kill you since you were old enough to duel. And yet you're still here.”

Kluge has quite deep-set eyes. He got damn-near his whole thumb into the orbit of his right eye, trying to rub away the headache that is me.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the same world as the Amra books, this book contains three stories starring a grumpy priest with some deep secrets and a wicked sense of humor. I loved him and am hoping that he is in the next Amra book. There's no need to have read the Amra series, but you should!

[Sibil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more!
This is a sort of spin-off to Amra Thetys series (and I need more books from that series, too!), and it is a collection of three stories with Lhiewyn (I hope I wrote it right!) as MC. He is the high priest of Lagna the death God of Knowledge (a little aside, but that I have to mention because it makes me smile every time I saw the name of the god, childish I know, but I am Italian, and in Italian, Lagna means "Whiny"). He is the grumpiest and most cantankerous old person out there. And he is delightful.
Okay, maybe if you have to deal with you, you would happily kill him truculently, but since you just have to follow along... delightful! And his apprentice, Jessep, is kind of a Saint. Truly! But together they are an amazing pair.
Anyway... you need to read this! (And the main series, obviously!!!!)

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like laughing? Do you like sarcastic priests? Do you like fantasy? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, READ THIS BOOK. Trust me.

[Margaux]

I can't rate this because I'm not finishing it even though it is classically hilarious McClung. But. There is way too much sewage for me to be able to move forward...I tried, because it really is funny, but I guess my gag reflex is too trigger-happy or my imagination is too vivid, because a whole story centered around wading around in s*** is too much for me to handle. I'm so sad! I love Sage Lliewyn and I wish there was more Amra books to read because I really miss this world. I guess I'll have to reread it someday!

[Monocep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny

I did enjoy that, what a grumpy old man. I stayed on amras books because the world was definitely more colourful than most, and this was the most colourful of all, a great way to add to a series. Very funny, more please.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was fun. Mr Growser has abandoned Larry the Lamb and become a high priest with a very tall hat. He doesn't like the hat, but then he doesn't like anything much. The book starts with a hole full of shit and ends in a vomit-smeared doss house, but/so you'll enjoy it.

[Agnes Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did a lot of laughing when reading this, really loved it. Would love to read more about the main character and his side-kick.

[Norine Luker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny. Curmudgeon priest takes on a variety of political and supernatural problems. Big surprise at the end.

[Kiro Selanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novella set in the same world as the Amra Thetys novels. I happened to read it after I had read book 4 in the series ("The Thief Who Wasn't There"), and I feel like this was the exact right time to do it, because "The Thief Who Wasn't There" talks about what's happening in the Hells, and "The Last God" adds a bit to that.

The main character is Sage Lhiewyn, high priest of the god of knowledge. He's a crotchety old man and very funny. The novella is divided into three short stories. In the first, Lhiewyn has to deal with a Shit Demon. I shit you not. In the second, a foreign priestess wants to get information from Lhiewyn about a trip he had made long ago to the Deadlands, where he is supposed to have found a very powerful artifact. In the third story the Murder God gets loose from his prison and starts killing people. Lhiewyn tries to stop him, and this leads to an important revelation about the origin of the Gods themselves.

Sage Lhiewyn doesn't actually *want* to do any of these things, but he's forced to by Lord Morno, who's in charge of the city of Lucernis. Morno reminds me of Lord Vetinari of Ankh-Morpork from the Discworld novels: he's a dangerous asshole, but he really cares about the safety of the city and its inhabitants.

The writing is similar to the Amra Thetys books, fast and funny. The revelations about the Gods are very significant, so I wonder if this will impact the rest of the series (at this time there's only one more book, which I will read soon).

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: B

The Last God is a book about Lhiewyn, the revered of the Lagna temple in Lucernis. He is an old man, decrepit even, yet so knowledgable he is called on by the city watch to investigate and solve cases. This story in particular consists of 3 short stories about Lhiewyn, connected chronologically.

Lhiewyn himself is a stereotypical sardonic old man with a horrible attitude and a lifelong injury. He reminds me of Glotka, with the same surly attitude and self-hatred. He always talks about his wrinkly disgusting body lol. He has a good relationship with his acolyte Jessep, and while seeming not to care about him, it is revealed that he cares deeply and views him as a son.

Kluge makes a comeback in these stories as a somewhat competent mage despite being constantly disparaged by Holgren and Amra in the main series. The three stories are very interesting and help flesh out the world more. We learn a bit about the gods of the Amra universe, more about the districts in Lucernis and another culture of the world, too.

The 2nd story about the Eye was definitely my favourite. The Chagan are very different to the Lucernian people. Definitely enjoyed reading about Cheng Ying and who she really is.

Great short story, I wish I could read more about this world.

[Emmalyn Renato · Rating 5 out of 5]

My selection for the Reddit Fantasy 2025 'Small Press or Self Published' square.

Very funny high fantasy. Set in the world of the "The Thief Who ..." books, it's a collection of three connected stories. No Amra Thetys, but they do feature Lhiewyn, the old frail cranky cantankerous high priest of the god of knowledge, who was in "The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids", the first book of the series, which won the first SPFBO competition in 2015. The dialogue between Lhiewyn, and his acolyte Jessup is laugh-out-loud funny. The humor reminds me of Terry Pratchett but with more expletives.

I do wish the author would publish more books.

(Other 2025 Bingo squares that this would fit: Hidden Gem (HM); Gods and Pantheons; Recycle a Bingo Square: ('A Novel Published In 2017' square from 2017)).

[E.Y.E.-D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this world Mr. McClung has created and all the stories I have read that take place in it.

This one is a stand alone book that does not require you to have read the Amra Thetys books. There are three fairly short stories conatined in this book. The main character is hilarious and all around pretty awesome. The more I learned about him the more I liked him. I am very much hoping he pops up at some point in the Amra series. But we will see.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read and a fantastic world to escape into.

[Jet Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've not read the main series this book is based in, but I am in love with this world already. I need more of this story! It was a great buildup to the end, and despite the short nature of it, I was satisfied while desperately wanting more of the God of Forgetting. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[Corinne Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last gof

As with all of the books in this series , a lot of fun to read. I am very pleased to have discovered this author and do far have read every one of the series . I thought recommend them

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like/love the Amra Thetys series this is a must read. Three fun short stories with some serious twists in them, especially the last one. Didn't see that coming.

Sage Lhiewyn is high up on my favourite book character list.

[Anne V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun romp

Three linked short stories running from the literally scatological (how to banish a shit demon) to the slightly more philosophical dealings between gods of knowledge, secrets, and forgetting. Fun, fast read.

[Marko · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an excellent novella with all sorts of incredibly witty banter.

We get Sage Lhiewyn as a grumpy and cynical narrator, a shit-demon, situations with no apparent solutions, and a surprisingly divine ending.

[Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

Down In It: 3 Stars

Godhead: 5 Stars

The God of Forgetting: 4 Stars

[Jon Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

There wasn't enough Amra in the last book, and it wasn't my favorite because of that. Amra wasn't in this one at all, and I loved it. Go figure.

[Peter Zola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Wonderfully funny stories about one of the most interesting characters from Amra's world.

[Bob Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short reminder of the McClung fun writing during the interminable wait for the next Amra Thetys adventure. Well worth a read if you're a fan of the series.

[Mario Alba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super funny dialogue all the way through. A joy to read!