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Pandemonium Rising #3
Faith Lost
Ardia, stricken by civil war and rotting from the inside, was utterly unprepared for the Menogan incursion. Supported by chaotic powers and a mysterious figure called the Flawless God, these forces converge on their objective, and there seem to be few who can offer any meaningful resistance.
Certainly not Fenrir Coldbreaker, who is shattered both emotionally and physically. Yet, despite his myriad injuries and desire to escape, he finds himself in a position of power. Acting as an intermediary between two powerful men that he loathes, he begins to develop something strange. Hope for the future, maybe?
Meanwhile, Hafgan Iwan returns to Ardia with his half-mad brother, equipped with a blessed weapon and a risky mission assigned by a goddess. The only problem is that his hedwicchen is lost, and his enemies are many. Old and new allies and enemies might be the only path to salvation.
Merigold Hinter, dubbed the Savior of Agricorinor, finally reached her destination, a shattered, backbiting place full of unsurpassed egos, treacherous plots, and isolationism. She is only pulled deeper, though, especially given that two countries are calling for her execution.
And Lady Emma Breen, cursed with a dark power, finds herself fighting adversaries both internal and external as she marches to war against a foe she’d not planned to face. On the path of vengeance, she will be lucky if she can control her demons long enough to drive a burning scythe into the hearts of her enemies.
Certainly not Fenrir Coldbreaker, who is shattered both emotionally and physically. Yet, despite his myriad injuries and desire to escape, he finds himself in a position of power. Acting as an intermediary between two powerful men that he loathes, he begins to develop something strange. Hope for the future, maybe?
Meanwhile, Hafgan Iwan returns to Ardia with his half-mad brother, equipped with a blessed weapon and a risky mission assigned by a goddess. The only problem is that his hedwicchen is lost, and his enemies are many. Old and new allies and enemies might be the only path to salvation.
Merigold Hinter, dubbed the Savior of Agricorinor, finally reached her destination, a shattered, backbiting place full of unsurpassed egos, treacherous plots, and isolationism. She is only pulled deeper, though, especially given that two countries are calling for her execution.
And Lady Emma Breen, cursed with a dark power, finds herself fighting adversaries both internal and external as she marches to war against a foe she’d not planned to face. On the path of vengeance, she will be lucky if she can control her demons long enough to drive a burning scythe into the hearts of her enemies.
- GenresFantasyEpic Fantasy
653 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2021
5 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Michael Sliter
6 books148 followersMichael Sliter was born in the deep wilds of Cleveland, Ohio, where he fought off at least two siblings for scraps of pizza. His bedroom, growing up, was a monument to fantasy, containing a stack of worn and well-read books, a medieval Lego civilization spanning half the room, and a very real sword circa World War II.
Though always fascinated with the written word, Michael ended up with only a minor in writing, instead majoring in Psychology (Hiram College, OH). He later went on to complete his M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (Bowling Green State University, OH)—overall spending a larger portion of his life than strictly necessary in school. Following, Michael was a psych professor for a time, and then moved into the real world to help organizations hire the right people.
He attempted to write some childish fantasy novels in the past, all abandoned as derivative refuse. It wasn’t until his daughter was born that Michael decided to begin writing in earnest, and he published Solace Lost, the first book in the Pandemonium Rising series. Since, Wisdom Lost (Book 2) and Valley of the Free (novella in the same world) have been published.
Today, you can find Michael back in the Cleveland area, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and two dogs. They are quite tolerant of his writing, reading, video game, and racquetball habits.
Though always fascinated with the written word, Michael ended up with only a minor in writing, instead majoring in Psychology (Hiram College, OH). He later went on to complete his M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (Bowling Green State University, OH)—overall spending a larger portion of his life than strictly necessary in school. Following, Michael was a psych professor for a time, and then moved into the real world to help organizations hire the right people.
He attempted to write some childish fantasy novels in the past, all abandoned as derivative refuse. It wasn’t until his daughter was born that Michael decided to begin writing in earnest, and he published Solace Lost, the first book in the Pandemonium Rising series. Since, Wisdom Lost (Book 2) and Valley of the Free (novella in the same world) have been published.
Today, you can find Michael back in the Cleveland area, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and two dogs. They are quite tolerant of his writing, reading, video game, and racquetball habits.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 24, 2022
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Solace Lost ★★★★ 1/4
Wisdom Lost ★★★★ 1/2
Valley of the Free ★★★★★
Faith Lost ★★★★ 1/4
I am gonna be honest and confess that I was a bit hesitant going into this one, the cover shows Hafgan and before starting this book he was my least favorite POV and I did not know if I wanted a book focusing mostly on him. Fortunately, Sliter proved me wrong and he kept the same level of greatness in the previous books and actually stepped up the game and I am not ready for the finale!
I want to thank Mike and all other authors who include a wrap up of the previous books at the beginning of their books. I simply would not have enjoyed this book if the summaries were not included simply because I forgot many of the finer details. Including these sections means more readers will be inclined to read the books and continue the series so I don’t understand why authors don’t do it more often.
I love the prose in this series and I can’t help but get the Abercrombie vibes from this series. I know Sliter is highly inspired by Abercrombie and I could feel that in the writing. The dark atmosphere with the humor is not an easy thing to achieve but Sliter simply nailed it! The prose is not hard to follow so reading this book took me around 4 days which is great for a book of its size! If I am going to criticize something, it was the italicizing of some words and sentences for reasons I did not understand.
This is still a highly character driven series and I loved the multiple POVs the story was told through. Merigold is my favorite and I don’t think that would change, I just love her growth and I feel sorry for her for what she had to go through. Fenrir’s story got expanded in this volume and I am glad we got explanations for some of the answers we had before. Emma shines in this book and I definitely did not see where her arc was going! Finally Hafgan deserves to be on the cover of this book because his story-line was intriguing and it exceeded my expectations. I even was looking forward to his chapters in this book!
The world-building is not very different from the previous books but I don’t think it should be. We already have a vast world and I would love to dive into the details rather than expanding it which was the case here. The plot is quiet political in this one and I think I did not catch everything that happened in this book but still got most of the major events. The Gods are a big part of this book and thus it delves into discussions about faith and religion -Hence the title of the book- which were smart!
I am mentioning this alone rather than in the writing section but Mike writes Interludes that I live for!!!
I loved the interludes in the second book and did not know if the ones here would live up to the challenge and they most certainly did! Simply put these were 5 stars material!
Summary: A lot of smart choices were taken with this book, the story so far sections at the beginning and the order of the POVs with the interludes in between was just perfect. I loved the prose as usual and was impressed by the characters growth and where their stories ended. I think I still missed some of the details in this book and from the previous books because it has been a while since I read the first two books which explains my rating. I can’t wait for the finale and I believe it is gonna be excellent!!
“In my vast experience, those who are married to war are bonded for life, unwilling to break that pact even in the face of known lies and obvious corruption.”
Solace Lost ★★★★ 1/4
Wisdom Lost ★★★★ 1/2
Valley of the Free ★★★★★
Faith Lost ★★★★ 1/4
I am gonna be honest and confess that I was a bit hesitant going into this one, the cover shows Hafgan and before starting this book he was my least favorite POV and I did not know if I wanted a book focusing mostly on him. Fortunately, Sliter proved me wrong and he kept the same level of greatness in the previous books and actually stepped up the game and I am not ready for the finale!
I want to thank Mike and all other authors who include a wrap up of the previous books at the beginning of their books. I simply would not have enjoyed this book if the summaries were not included simply because I forgot many of the finer details. Including these sections means more readers will be inclined to read the books and continue the series so I don’t understand why authors don’t do it more often.
I love the prose in this series and I can’t help but get the Abercrombie vibes from this series. I know Sliter is highly inspired by Abercrombie and I could feel that in the writing. The dark atmosphere with the humor is not an easy thing to achieve but Sliter simply nailed it! The prose is not hard to follow so reading this book took me around 4 days which is great for a book of its size! If I am going to criticize something, it was the italicizing of some words and sentences for reasons I did not understand.
“Loyalty without love is simply obedience. Love without loyalty is just obsession.”
This is still a highly character driven series and I loved the multiple POVs the story was told through. Merigold is my favorite and I don’t think that would change, I just love her growth and I feel sorry for her for what she had to go through. Fenrir’s story got expanded in this volume and I am glad we got explanations for some of the answers we had before. Emma shines in this book and I definitely did not see where her arc was going! Finally Hafgan deserves to be on the cover of this book because his story-line was intriguing and it exceeded my expectations. I even was looking forward to his chapters in this book!
The world-building is not very different from the previous books but I don’t think it should be. We already have a vast world and I would love to dive into the details rather than expanding it which was the case here. The plot is quiet political in this one and I think I did not catch everything that happened in this book but still got most of the major events. The Gods are a big part of this book and thus it delves into discussions about faith and religion -Hence the title of the book- which were smart!
I am mentioning this alone rather than in the writing section but Mike writes Interludes that I live for!!!
I loved the interludes in the second book and did not know if the ones here would live up to the challenge and they most certainly did! Simply put these were 5 stars material!
“You sound so noble, Faris. Do you style yourself a hero? Because most who do are actually villains in the eyes of most.”
Summary: A lot of smart choices were taken with this book, the story so far sections at the beginning and the order of the POVs with the interludes in between was just perfect. I loved the prose as usual and was impressed by the characters growth and where their stories ended. I think I still missed some of the details in this book and from the previous books because it has been a while since I read the first two books which explains my rating. I can’t wait for the finale and I believe it is gonna be excellent!!
May 6, 2021
I have loved this series since I picked up the first book! The second book built upon world created in the first book and by the time I finished the second book I was upset that I had to wait for the third book!
Well the third book was worth the wait! Sliter continues to build a world that drags you in with excellent, deep characters that make it hard to put the book down - there were a few nights where I found myself saying “one more chapter!”
If you read the first two books you are no doubt going to pick this one up. If you haven’t read the first two I’d recommend starting at the beginning but if you don’t there is a review of the first two books at the beginning of the book which was nice a nice refresher even if you have read the first two books.
Well the third book was worth the wait! Sliter continues to build a world that drags you in with excellent, deep characters that make it hard to put the book down - there were a few nights where I found myself saying “one more chapter!”
If you read the first two books you are no doubt going to pick this one up. If you haven’t read the first two I’d recommend starting at the beginning but if you don’t there is a review of the first two books at the beginning of the book which was nice a nice refresher even if you have read the first two books.
May 6, 2021
Another great book! Pandemonium Rising has become one of my favorite series and I have been eagerly awaiting the next installment. Faith Lost did not disappoint! If you are a fan of Grimdark, you will absolutely love this book...it's dark, funny, yet still full of hope.
September 28, 2021
This latest book in the Pandemonium Rising series doesn't disappoint. Sliter's nuanced characters and fantastic world-building are on full display as the characters brought to life and developed in earlier books continue to fight for their future. At every turn in this series, there's something new to be impressed by, and I honestly can't wait for the story to be continued. All readers of Grimdark should love this series, and I think Sliter's writing and story-telling are enough to win over plenty of Epic Fantasy and Dark Fantasy readers to the cause of Grimdark--this series is that good, and that addictive.
Absolutely recommended.
Absolutely recommended.
November 27, 2024
And all gods are revealed
November 5, 2022
I am enjoying this series very much. What else can I say.
August 9, 2022
This series continues to get better and better. The character's evolution is unique and interesting as is the concept of the slowly revealed magic system.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews