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No Gods for Drowning
IN THE BEGINNING, MAN WAS PREY.
WITHOUT THE GODS, THEY'LL BE PREY AGAIN.
The old gods have fled, and the monsters they had kept at bay for centuries now threaten to drown the city of Valentine, hunting mankind as in ancient times. In the midst of the chaos, a serial killer has begun ritually sacrificing victims, their bodies strewn throughout the city.
Lilac Antonis wants to stop the impending destruction of her city by summoning her mother, a blood god—even if she has to slit a few throats to do it. But evading her lover Arcadia and her friends means sneaking, lying, and even spilling the blood of people she loves.
Alex and Cecil of Ace Investigations have been tasked with hunting down the killer, but as they close in—not knowing they're hunting their close friend Lilac—the detectives realize the gods may not have left willingly.
As flooding drags this city of cars and neon screaming into the jaws of sea demons and Arcadia struggles to save the people as captain of the evacuation team, Lilac’s ritual killings at last bear fruit, only to reveal her as a small piece in a larger plan. The gods’ protection costs far more than anyone has ever known, and Alex and Cecil are running out of time to discover the true culprit behind the gods’ disappearance before an ancient divine murder plot destroys them all.
Set in an alternate reality which updates mythology to near-modern day, NO GODS FOR DROWNING is part hunt for a serial killer, part noir detective story, and unlike anything you’ve ever read before.
WITHOUT THE GODS, THEY'LL BE PREY AGAIN.
The old gods have fled, and the monsters they had kept at bay for centuries now threaten to drown the city of Valentine, hunting mankind as in ancient times. In the midst of the chaos, a serial killer has begun ritually sacrificing victims, their bodies strewn throughout the city.
Lilac Antonis wants to stop the impending destruction of her city by summoning her mother, a blood god—even if she has to slit a few throats to do it. But evading her lover Arcadia and her friends means sneaking, lying, and even spilling the blood of people she loves.
Alex and Cecil of Ace Investigations have been tasked with hunting down the killer, but as they close in—not knowing they're hunting their close friend Lilac—the detectives realize the gods may not have left willingly.
As flooding drags this city of cars and neon screaming into the jaws of sea demons and Arcadia struggles to save the people as captain of the evacuation team, Lilac’s ritual killings at last bear fruit, only to reveal her as a small piece in a larger plan. The gods’ protection costs far more than anyone has ever known, and Alex and Cecil are running out of time to discover the true culprit behind the gods’ disappearance before an ancient divine murder plot destroys them all.
Set in an alternate reality which updates mythology to near-modern day, NO GODS FOR DROWNING is part hunt for a serial killer, part noir detective story, and unlike anything you’ve ever read before.
430 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2022
95 people are currently reading
2866 people want to read
About the author
Hailey Piper
106 books995 followersHailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, A Game in Yellow, A Light Most Hateful, The Worm and His Kings, No Gods for Drowning, Cranberry Cove, and other books of dark fiction.
She is also the author of over 100 short stories appearing in Weird Tales, Pseudopod, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and various other publications, and of articles appearing in Writer's Digest, Tor Nightfire, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Find her at www.haileypiper.com.
She is also the author of over 100 short stories appearing in Weird Tales, Pseudopod, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and various other publications, and of articles appearing in Writer's Digest, Tor Nightfire, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Find her at www.haileypiper.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
December 2, 2022
4.0 stars
This was a fantastic novel that blends together elements of fantasy, thriller and maybe a touch of horror in an exciting story.
This book leaned into some tropes, but subverted others, creating a fun fresh read. Compared to the author's previous works, this one is more mainstream, avoiding some of the weird stuff they've become known for writing. I don't need romance in my books but I liked the complicated nature of these relationships. Even more so, I liked the complications of the characters who were morally gray with understandable motivations.
The book gets pretty crazy towards the end. I enjoyed the ride. Overall I really enjoyed this genre bending thriller and would highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a new dark, twisted story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was a fantastic novel that blends together elements of fantasy, thriller and maybe a touch of horror in an exciting story.
This book leaned into some tropes, but subverted others, creating a fun fresh read. Compared to the author's previous works, this one is more mainstream, avoiding some of the weird stuff they've become known for writing. I don't need romance in my books but I liked the complicated nature of these relationships. Even more so, I liked the complications of the characters who were morally gray with understandable motivations.
The book gets pretty crazy towards the end. I enjoyed the ride. Overall I really enjoyed this genre bending thriller and would highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a new dark, twisted story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 15, 2022
Won an ARC in a twitter giveaway
In the city of Valentine, once the city of the goddess Valmydion, there's two problems: arising floods and murders. Arcadia Myrn, a flood fighter and former police from Logos, is trying to get people to safety and to prevent the city from blooding. However, her lover Lilac Antonis is the one murdering; all in the name of the nine-headed goddess of reason, and Lilac's divine mother, Logoi. However, something much more powerful and deeper is going on in Valentine, something that'll pull the rug out from underneath both Lilac and Arcadia's feet. Soon, Lilac and Arcadia's old friends Cecil and Alex come in to investigate. They will uncover more mysteries than answers, but the few answers they get with only make things more complicated.
A queer blend between murder mystery, urban fantasy in a 1920's-ish setting, and light Lovecraftian horror, No Gods for Drowning is my first read from Hailey Piper; though a copy of The Worm and His Kings sits on my dresser currently waiting to be read. It was overall all a great introduction filled with even pacing and a somewhat slow-burn mystery that gets more and more cosmic and shocking with each reveal. Every character was interesting to read. We are treated to three main perspectives: Arcadia, Alex, and, my personal favorite, Lilac. We get some briefer perspectives from some other characters like Cecil, which are no less important in advancing the plot and showing the state of this drowning and dying world, however, some characters felt like they could've been fleshed out a bit more and shown more. Take Vince Lilac's ex-husband, for example. I won't spoil what happens to him, but his perspective is only there for a brief time that we only get so much about his previous relationship with Lilac and their thoughts and feelings towards one another. He is still mentioned throughout the book and Lilac thinks about him, and I wouldn't say he needed multiple chapter perspectives, but still a bit more than what we were given.
Nonetheless, as I said, Lilac's perspective was my favorite, a bisexual murderous priestess of Logoi. Like Arcadia and Alex, she is originally from the city of Logos, but left it after the unseen deaths of her daughters Sara and Daphne and after the gods abandoned the world. This included her divine mother, the aforementioned nine-headed lesbian goddess of reason Logoi; her mortal mother, Simone, is still present and they have a great relationship despite everything going on. That is the main crux of No Gods for Drowning is the gods' disappearance and the rising floods caused by the glories, mermaid-like sea creatures. Lilac is desperate to summon Logoi to stop the flooding, but her ritualistic murders lead her to something else. Her perspective was most interesting to me because had the most page time and because her emotions and thought process throughout the entirety of the book. Lilac goes from unstable, to loving and caring, to sad and defeated, to angry and vicious, and back around the cycle again in reaction to certain events. These change in mental states are done well on Piper's part, never jarring or sudden.
Arcadia was just as interesting. She is a trans butch lesbian whose physical transformation was fulfilled by Logoi, similar to what happens in Wrath Goddess Sing. Something happened in Arcadia (and Alex's) past back in Logos under the direction of her former superior Thale, something that haunts her. Arcadia is doing everything in her power to do things right and keep people safe. It may seem simply altruistic at first, but when you learn Arcadia's past you will know why she was is so desperate to keep this way. If anything, I'd say Arcadia's perspective and actions is a rumination on the person who tries to constantly do good without harming anyone or anything as much as possible, especially when the possibility of divine intervention and judgement are at hand. Arcadia is met with constant obstacles, both mental, physical, and spiritual that make her question herself, Lilac, Alex and Cecil, and even the gods. Her journey is somewhat of a slightly different hero's journey and it was both nice and surprising to see these issues explored through a queer viewpoint.
Alex was also an interesting character. Investigating Lilac's murders (though he doesn't know it's her) with Cecil, he is Arcadia's former partner from the police force and is haunted by what happened in Logos. Upfront, Alex is a good and upstanding asexual detective with a strong sense of justice and wisdom. However, we eventually learn that he is hiding is own fears and guilt. He is both trying to make up for what he's done, but also trying to justify it. He is one of those characters who is multifaceted; his actions and thoughts not necessarily always agreeable, but he's a complicated man who for the most part wants to do what's right. But doing what's right in this world doesn't always involve the right actions. Does Alex genuine do what's right in certain moments? Debatable? Is he crumbling like Arcadia and Lilac are in the face of everything? Yes, even if he would never admit it swearing on a stack of the Verses of Aeg.
As someone who as studied theology and religious studies (there's a difference, look it up) and who loves Lovecraftian deities, I was really interested in the gods and religion aspect of the world-building. Piper does explain everything about the gods, their followers, and their connection to the materials world. This is, thankfully, done without massive info-dumping and is mostly revealed through dialogue or brief descriptions in the narrative. However, I wouldn't say that everything is clear upfront. You've got the gods, but then some of those gods are the First Children who are the children of the Dawn Gods, the true primordial, divine powers of the world, and then you got their descendants, like Lilac and Cecil, who hold some sort of supernatural powers, but then you got the ascended gods which can be either the mortal parents of the descendants who left the material world and went up with the gods OR one of the Dawn Gods or regular gods who gave up their physical form for things like the Holy Psychopomp Tree which connects humanity to the Between which is like the afterlife before reincarnation--AAAHHH!!!!
It's a lot of information, that is genuinely interesting when you fit into place what it all means. I jsut wished that Piper would've been clearer with it all at first. That being said, No Gods for Drowning is also Piper's first longer fantasy work, and so it can be a bit tough to get that all out correctly on your first try. Still, I like how she brought in the discussion and presence of the gods and what they wanted and did and their reasons behind those wants and doings, especially in a more modern-ish settings; especially when every other fantasy these days either doesn't even bring it up or just simplifies it. I also love the physical appearances of some of the gods: Logoi, as mentioned, has nine heads and a dragon-like body, and although being the goddess of reason, some of her reasoning make her not care about certain things; Aeda, a goddess we see later, is a beautiful woman covered in reds who can, shall we say, make instant birth and reincarnation on the spot (if you know, you know); and then Exalis...oh dear God (pun not intended)! Exalis! If there was every anything more Lovecraftian in this book, it was Exalis. Reminiscent of the rot and glowing tree from the Elden Ring video game, Exalis is red crystal, veins, flesh, and dust motes all in one. The characters could feel his overwhelming and fearsome presence and so could I thought the pages.
No Gods for Drowning is unique, scary, poignant, tender, bitter, and hopeful. I won't give anything way, but the ending--Oh, the ending! This was a good entry into fantasy for Piper. There's some scuffs here and there, but there's more polish than scuffs. I felt interested in and concern for the characters and found myself criticizing them, applauding them, and feeling relief for them. Piper knows how to craft characters. The prose is readable and can heighten the tension and emotions based on what's going on in a scene.
All in all, you all should be ready for this unique story come September 20th. 4/5 star!
In the city of Valentine, once the city of the goddess Valmydion, there's two problems: arising floods and murders. Arcadia Myrn, a flood fighter and former police from Logos, is trying to get people to safety and to prevent the city from blooding. However, her lover Lilac Antonis is the one murdering; all in the name of the nine-headed goddess of reason, and Lilac's divine mother, Logoi. However, something much more powerful and deeper is going on in Valentine, something that'll pull the rug out from underneath both Lilac and Arcadia's feet. Soon, Lilac and Arcadia's old friends Cecil and Alex come in to investigate. They will uncover more mysteries than answers, but the few answers they get with only make things more complicated.
A queer blend between murder mystery, urban fantasy in a 1920's-ish setting, and light Lovecraftian horror, No Gods for Drowning is my first read from Hailey Piper; though a copy of The Worm and His Kings sits on my dresser currently waiting to be read. It was overall all a great introduction filled with even pacing and a somewhat slow-burn mystery that gets more and more cosmic and shocking with each reveal. Every character was interesting to read. We are treated to three main perspectives: Arcadia, Alex, and, my personal favorite, Lilac. We get some briefer perspectives from some other characters like Cecil, which are no less important in advancing the plot and showing the state of this drowning and dying world, however, some characters felt like they could've been fleshed out a bit more and shown more. Take Vince Lilac's ex-husband, for example. I won't spoil what happens to him, but his perspective is only there for a brief time that we only get so much about his previous relationship with Lilac and their thoughts and feelings towards one another. He is still mentioned throughout the book and Lilac thinks about him, and I wouldn't say he needed multiple chapter perspectives, but still a bit more than what we were given.
Nonetheless, as I said, Lilac's perspective was my favorite, a bisexual murderous priestess of Logoi. Like Arcadia and Alex, she is originally from the city of Logos, but left it after the unseen deaths of her daughters Sara and Daphne and after the gods abandoned the world. This included her divine mother, the aforementioned nine-headed lesbian goddess of reason Logoi; her mortal mother, Simone, is still present and they have a great relationship despite everything going on. That is the main crux of No Gods for Drowning is the gods' disappearance and the rising floods caused by the glories, mermaid-like sea creatures. Lilac is desperate to summon Logoi to stop the flooding, but her ritualistic murders lead her to something else. Her perspective was most interesting to me because had the most page time and because her emotions and thought process throughout the entirety of the book. Lilac goes from unstable, to loving and caring, to sad and defeated, to angry and vicious, and back around the cycle again in reaction to certain events. These change in mental states are done well on Piper's part, never jarring or sudden.
Arcadia was just as interesting. She is a trans butch lesbian whose physical transformation was fulfilled by Logoi, similar to what happens in Wrath Goddess Sing. Something happened in Arcadia (and Alex's) past back in Logos under the direction of her former superior Thale, something that haunts her. Arcadia is doing everything in her power to do things right and keep people safe. It may seem simply altruistic at first, but when you learn Arcadia's past you will know why she was is so desperate to keep this way. If anything, I'd say Arcadia's perspective and actions is a rumination on the person who tries to constantly do good without harming anyone or anything as much as possible, especially when the possibility of divine intervention and judgement are at hand. Arcadia is met with constant obstacles, both mental, physical, and spiritual that make her question herself, Lilac, Alex and Cecil, and even the gods. Her journey is somewhat of a slightly different hero's journey and it was both nice and surprising to see these issues explored through a queer viewpoint.
Alex was also an interesting character. Investigating Lilac's murders (though he doesn't know it's her) with Cecil, he is Arcadia's former partner from the police force and is haunted by what happened in Logos. Upfront, Alex is a good and upstanding asexual detective with a strong sense of justice and wisdom. However, we eventually learn that he is hiding is own fears and guilt. He is both trying to make up for what he's done, but also trying to justify it. He is one of those characters who is multifaceted; his actions and thoughts not necessarily always agreeable, but he's a complicated man who for the most part wants to do what's right. But doing what's right in this world doesn't always involve the right actions. Does Alex genuine do what's right in certain moments? Debatable? Is he crumbling like Arcadia and Lilac are in the face of everything? Yes, even if he would never admit it swearing on a stack of the Verses of Aeg.
As someone who as studied theology and religious studies (there's a difference, look it up) and who loves Lovecraftian deities, I was really interested in the gods and religion aspect of the world-building. Piper does explain everything about the gods, their followers, and their connection to the materials world. This is, thankfully, done without massive info-dumping and is mostly revealed through dialogue or brief descriptions in the narrative. However, I wouldn't say that everything is clear upfront. You've got the gods, but then some of those gods are the First Children who are the children of the Dawn Gods, the true primordial, divine powers of the world, and then you got their descendants, like Lilac and Cecil, who hold some sort of supernatural powers, but then you got the ascended gods which can be either the mortal parents of the descendants who left the material world and went up with the gods OR one of the Dawn Gods or regular gods who gave up their physical form for things like the Holy Psychopomp Tree which connects humanity to the Between which is like the afterlife before reincarnation--AAAHHH!!!!
It's a lot of information, that is genuinely interesting when you fit into place what it all means. I jsut wished that Piper would've been clearer with it all at first. That being said, No Gods for Drowning is also Piper's first longer fantasy work, and so it can be a bit tough to get that all out correctly on your first try. Still, I like how she brought in the discussion and presence of the gods and what they wanted and did and their reasons behind those wants and doings, especially in a more modern-ish settings; especially when every other fantasy these days either doesn't even bring it up or just simplifies it. I also love the physical appearances of some of the gods: Logoi, as mentioned, has nine heads and a dragon-like body, and although being the goddess of reason, some of her reasoning make her not care about certain things; Aeda, a goddess we see later, is a beautiful woman covered in reds who can, shall we say, make instant birth and reincarnation on the spot (if you know, you know); and then Exalis...oh dear God (pun not intended)! Exalis! If there was every anything more Lovecraftian in this book, it was Exalis. Reminiscent of the rot and glowing tree from the Elden Ring video game, Exalis is red crystal, veins, flesh, and dust motes all in one. The characters could feel his overwhelming and fearsome presence and so could I thought the pages.
No Gods for Drowning is unique, scary, poignant, tender, bitter, and hopeful. I won't give anything way, but the ending--Oh, the ending! This was a good entry into fantasy for Piper. There's some scuffs here and there, but there's more polish than scuffs. I felt interested in and concern for the characters and found myself criticizing them, applauding them, and feeling relief for them. Piper knows how to craft characters. The prose is readable and can heighten the tension and emotions based on what's going on in a scene.
All in all, you all should be ready for this unique story come September 20th. 4/5 star!
October 5, 2022
Incredible premise, nearly custom made for me, striking imagery, great twists. The prose did not always work for me, but what a brilliant, genre bending, wonderful piece of literature.
July 31, 2022
Hailey Piper’s NO GODS FOR DROWNING is a bold, strange, thoughtful book. Reminiscent of a darker Final Fantasy or NK Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy – if more procedural and thriller-like in its form and pace – the novel explores the aftermath that happens when the gods leave their holy continent to the mercy of glories – inscrutable, carnivorous mermaids. Piper stages a mythology of parental love and abandonment, of Dawn Gods, their children the gods, and their children the descendants, each yearning for their parents and desperate to protect their children. This book is marvelous but genuinely hard to classify: at once a serial killer procedural (except we know who the serial killer is from the first page); an exploration of nonviolence in a world of violent legacies; a slowly unfolding cosmological fantasy that gets darker and darker the more we learn; a sapphic romance of mutual understanding and forgiveness; and a tale of communal survival in the face of imminent destruction. It’s remarkable.
April 4, 2023
[Strong 3½.]
Hailey Piper’s sophomore novel is about as far as she can get from her first. Queen of Teeth was a satirical sci-fi body horror extravaganza that singlehandedly invented a new subgenre (which I have named “vagina kaiju” because if I don’t, no one else will). Just about the only thing it has in common with No Gods for Drowning is a fascination with the spectacle of destroying cities.
Beyond that, this second novel is an often relentless mashup of grimdark fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and detective noir, set in a bleak secondary world whose human inhabitants, for reasons no one knows, have been abandoned by the gods who protected them from predatory telepathic sea creatures called glories. Probably the only other book I could think to compare it to might be Ian Esslemont’s Night of Knives, also set in a storm-wracked coastal town (and probably the only Malazan novel you could call accessible to any reader outside that series’ die-hards). No Gods for Drowning is Malazan-ish in a couple of ways. It has characters so morally gray they should be assigned their own Pantone color code, as well as a complicated lore all about humans and gods having what you could fairly call toxic relationships. No, even I would not have expected Piper to go this direction quite this hard.
The continent of Aeg and its city-states were once under the protection of a host of gods. But ten years before our story opens, they all left without a word, and ever since, rising seas and attacks by the glories have been ongoing. One of the few remaining city-states is Valentine, where we’re introduced to Captain Arcadia Myrn, leading a team helping to evacuate citizens to higher ground in advance of the next expected round of tidal flooding. If you stretch your imagination not very far, all of this can be taken as a metaphor for climate change.
Arcadia’s former fellow officer is Alex Stathos, who now works as a private detective for Ace Investigations with his partner Cecil Gillion. Alex and Cecil are investigating a series of ritualistic homicides that have all the earmarks of sacrificial killings. (Continued...)
Hailey Piper’s sophomore novel is about as far as she can get from her first. Queen of Teeth was a satirical sci-fi body horror extravaganza that singlehandedly invented a new subgenre (which I have named “vagina kaiju” because if I don’t, no one else will). Just about the only thing it has in common with No Gods for Drowning is a fascination with the spectacle of destroying cities.
Beyond that, this second novel is an often relentless mashup of grimdark fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and detective noir, set in a bleak secondary world whose human inhabitants, for reasons no one knows, have been abandoned by the gods who protected them from predatory telepathic sea creatures called glories. Probably the only other book I could think to compare it to might be Ian Esslemont’s Night of Knives, also set in a storm-wracked coastal town (and probably the only Malazan novel you could call accessible to any reader outside that series’ die-hards). No Gods for Drowning is Malazan-ish in a couple of ways. It has characters so morally gray they should be assigned their own Pantone color code, as well as a complicated lore all about humans and gods having what you could fairly call toxic relationships. No, even I would not have expected Piper to go this direction quite this hard.
The continent of Aeg and its city-states were once under the protection of a host of gods. But ten years before our story opens, they all left without a word, and ever since, rising seas and attacks by the glories have been ongoing. One of the few remaining city-states is Valentine, where we’re introduced to Captain Arcadia Myrn, leading a team helping to evacuate citizens to higher ground in advance of the next expected round of tidal flooding. If you stretch your imagination not very far, all of this can be taken as a metaphor for climate change.
Arcadia’s former fellow officer is Alex Stathos, who now works as a private detective for Ace Investigations with his partner Cecil Gillion. Alex and Cecil are investigating a series of ritualistic homicides that have all the earmarks of sacrificial killings. (Continued...)
March 2, 2023
I’ve read a few novellas by Hailey Piper. Benny Rose, Cannibal King, The Possession of Natalie Glasgow and The Worm and His Kings. They’re all great stuff, highly recommended and this one, a great big novel at 400+ pages, is just as good. It blends and bends a few genres including noir-ish thriller, dark fantasy, and horror with a touch of romance and very old Gods. It’s a bloody, sometimes violent adventure that’ll have you rooting for the characters in one chapter, laughing at their banter and finding yourself absolutely aghast at some of the things they do in the next. I love it when characters surprise me and they did that a lot in this book.
But my favorite interaction had to be this one:
“Please stop. I want to stay in a bad mood today.” I mean? Relatable 😆
I’m not going to give the whole plot away. There’s a lot to it and others can synopsis much better than I. It’s a book that has a little something for almost everyone but not too much of any one thing, if that makes any kind of sense. For those who’ll say “ick romance! Ick horror! Ick fantasy! Ick noir!”? Well, maybe get over your ick and branch out a little because you don't know what you're missing.
Anyhow, it kept me guessing and kept me wanting to read and that’s all I ask for in a novel. If you like to be swept away by a story No Gods for Drowning may do it for you too!
But my favorite interaction had to be this one:
“Please stop. I want to stay in a bad mood today.” I mean? Relatable 😆
I’m not going to give the whole plot away. There’s a lot to it and others can synopsis much better than I. It’s a book that has a little something for almost everyone but not too much of any one thing, if that makes any kind of sense. For those who’ll say “ick romance! Ick horror! Ick fantasy! Ick noir!”? Well, maybe get over your ick and branch out a little because you don't know what you're missing.
Anyhow, it kept me guessing and kept me wanting to read and that’s all I ask for in a novel. If you like to be swept away by a story No Gods for Drowning may do it for you too!
May 30, 2022
Review in the June 2022 issue of Library Journal and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2022/05...
Three Words That Describe This Book: excellent world building, noir, thought-provoking
Draft Review:
The old gods have fled, no one knows why or even where they went. Without the deities' protection, human civilization is on the brink of destruction. Cities are flooding and entire countries are being drowned as monsters come out of the sea. In the city of Valentine, readers are introduced to this dark fantasy world, one only slightly askew from their own, as Piper expertly reveals its mythology, necessary background details, and current, dire landscape. A complex and fascinating cast of characters share the point of view: Lilac, the daughter of a Goddess, trying to summon her back with ritualistic killings, her girlfriend Arcadia, a former cop who works for the flood evacuation team, and PIs Alex and Cecil who add a noir twist to the mix. Their separate storylines, once established, quickly begin to merge, the immersive sense of dread and suspense increase exponentially as Gods and monsters return. Everything is called into question as this epic story races to its action packed conclusion.
Verdict: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling tale that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.
Notes:
Epic in scope but the rotating pot and separate but constantly merging storylines add suspense and allow the necessary details of this expertly built work emerge with a compelling pace.
The world is ruled by its mythology and the gods that inhabited it before we enter, but it is not unfamiliar. Rather, with the strong cli-fi [flooding] frame the whole story has an alternative history feel. It is just similar enough to our world that it is highly unsettling.
But it is the depth of characters that makes this book better. You cannot have a good dark fantasy without great world building, sure, but the characters and their depth, back stories, motivations, details, that is what keeps your reading.
Draft Verdict for LJ: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling dark fantasy that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.
Three Words That Describe This Book: excellent world building, noir, thought-provoking
Draft Review:
The old gods have fled, no one knows why or even where they went. Without the deities' protection, human civilization is on the brink of destruction. Cities are flooding and entire countries are being drowned as monsters come out of the sea. In the city of Valentine, readers are introduced to this dark fantasy world, one only slightly askew from their own, as Piper expertly reveals its mythology, necessary background details, and current, dire landscape. A complex and fascinating cast of characters share the point of view: Lilac, the daughter of a Goddess, trying to summon her back with ritualistic killings, her girlfriend Arcadia, a former cop who works for the flood evacuation team, and PIs Alex and Cecil who add a noir twist to the mix. Their separate storylines, once established, quickly begin to merge, the immersive sense of dread and suspense increase exponentially as Gods and monsters return. Everything is called into question as this epic story races to its action packed conclusion.
Verdict: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling tale that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.
Notes:
Epic in scope but the rotating pot and separate but constantly merging storylines add suspense and allow the necessary details of this expertly built work emerge with a compelling pace.
The world is ruled by its mythology and the gods that inhabited it before we enter, but it is not unfamiliar. Rather, with the strong cli-fi [flooding] frame the whole story has an alternative history feel. It is just similar enough to our world that it is highly unsettling.
But it is the depth of characters that makes this book better. You cannot have a good dark fantasy without great world building, sure, but the characters and their depth, back stories, motivations, details, that is what keeps your reading.
Draft Verdict for LJ: Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling dark fantasy that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Suggest it widely as The Sixth World series by Roanhorse meets Maguire’s Into the Drowning Deep with a pinch of Butcher’s Harry Dreseden.
February 6, 2023
Weird, good, and way too much - 2.5
I enjoyed this somewhat, there were a lot of neat ideas with the disappeared gods, the glories, a magically transgender character, ritualistic murder, a detective story. A lot of really great parts, but I think where it went wrong for me was that it was too much all at once, and right from the beginning. The worldbuilding is something that the reader has to piece together by experience rather than it being explained; not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case I found it to be too much - a ton of gods, characters, and plot elements to keep straight (once you actually manage to put them all in order).
All of that, plus the weird, stilted style of speech of some characters where they just knock off the subject of the sentence (like 'I', 'they', etc.) made it a bit hard to finish because I just didn't feel that invested in it. It's unfortunate, really, because it was a really unique and creative story that I wanted to enjoy, but just didn't. The horror aspect also didn't really feel like it was there for me, more of a (bloody) dark fantasy, maybe a bit of thriller at times.
If you're interested in the audiobook version, the narration was good - though I found it weird to get used to a narrator with an accent (UK, I think) where most of the characters didn't have an accent (by no accent, I mean west coast English). It wasn't bad, just weird.
**Definitely read other reviews**
I enjoyed this somewhat, there were a lot of neat ideas with the disappeared gods, the glories, a magically transgender character, ritualistic murder, a detective story. A lot of really great parts, but I think where it went wrong for me was that it was too much all at once, and right from the beginning. The worldbuilding is something that the reader has to piece together by experience rather than it being explained; not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case I found it to be too much - a ton of gods, characters, and plot elements to keep straight (once you actually manage to put them all in order).
All of that, plus the weird, stilted style of speech of some characters where they just knock off the subject of the sentence (like 'I', 'they', etc.) made it a bit hard to finish because I just didn't feel that invested in it. It's unfortunate, really, because it was a really unique and creative story that I wanted to enjoy, but just didn't. The horror aspect also didn't really feel like it was there for me, more of a (bloody) dark fantasy, maybe a bit of thriller at times.
If you're interested in the audiobook version, the narration was good - though I found it weird to get used to a narrator with an accent (UK, I think) where most of the characters didn't have an accent (by no accent, I mean west coast English). It wasn't bad, just weird.
**Definitely read other reviews**
March 11, 2025
So bummed I couldn’t get into this one 😭
Firstly, the world building was intense. There’s a whole history and mythos that you have to learn as you go. I would’ve loved a prologue or basic history synopsis somewhere. Instead we just get a basic illustrated map of the city/continent. Sometimes characters reference Gods and lore with minimal context because they are talking to other characters that already know it. So I did find that frustrating.
I also felt overwhelmed with the style of the story: its noir (which I hate and didn’t know would be in here) with the most annoying private detectives, fantasy (the best aspects of this book), and thriller (with a serial killer wreaking havoc). If the author had just focused on one major plot style/point, I think the flow would’ve been smoother. Instead a lot of the characters, narrator transitions, dialogue, and events felt awkward and forced.
My whole experience with this book was annoying. #nofedorasinfantasyplease 😵💫
Firstly, the world building was intense. There’s a whole history and mythos that you have to learn as you go. I would’ve loved a prologue or basic history synopsis somewhere. Instead we just get a basic illustrated map of the city/continent. Sometimes characters reference Gods and lore with minimal context because they are talking to other characters that already know it. So I did find that frustrating.
I also felt overwhelmed with the style of the story: its noir (which I hate and didn’t know would be in here) with the most annoying private detectives, fantasy (the best aspects of this book), and thriller (with a serial killer wreaking havoc). If the author had just focused on one major plot style/point, I think the flow would’ve been smoother. Instead a lot of the characters, narrator transitions, dialogue, and events felt awkward and forced.
My whole experience with this book was annoying. #nofedorasinfantasyplease 😵💫
June 2, 2023
What an acid trip! I love Piper for being so different from anything else I'm reading.
January 6, 2023
2.5 rounded down. Some good things, some bad things. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.
No God's for Drowning has a lot going on in it. A (essentially) Demigod trying to call forth her deity mother, a soldier trying to keep a city safe, detectives investigating sacrificial murders, and more. If you're really good with names and constant POV changes then you may find this more enjoyable than I did, but honestly by the last 3 hours(25%) I just wanted to finish. This one wasn't for me, but those epic quest lovers who can keep all the characters straight may enjoy this.
I'd recommend this for lovers of adult Sci Fi/Fantasy that can hang tough with info dumps. Not recommended for those who enjoy a fast paced story. 2.5 stars rounded down to 2.
No God's for Drowning has a lot going on in it. A (essentially) Demigod trying to call forth her deity mother, a soldier trying to keep a city safe, detectives investigating sacrificial murders, and more. If you're really good with names and constant POV changes then you may find this more enjoyable than I did, but honestly by the last 3 hours(25%) I just wanted to finish. This one wasn't for me, but those epic quest lovers who can keep all the characters straight may enjoy this.
I'd recommend this for lovers of adult Sci Fi/Fantasy that can hang tough with info dumps. Not recommended for those who enjoy a fast paced story. 2.5 stars rounded down to 2.
January 5, 2023
The gods have abandoned the holy land, and the sea and its monsters are attacking the city of Valentine. Lilac, the daughter of the god of reason, has taken it upon herself to to offer human sacrifices to draw her mother back to the city. Two detectives from Ace Investigation and Lilac’s lover, Arcadia, are tracking down this “serial killer” slitting throats and leaving bloody signs on the walls.
Gods, sea monsters, blood, gore, lies, secrets, corruption, religious fervor and murder.
I tried. I really tried. I stuck it out for the full 13.5 hours. And there were things I liked about this novel: the world-building unrolled very organically, characters felt real and dialogue was smooth, sassy and clever.
But I disliked the story. Lilac is just terrible, idiotic, inconsistent. The last few chapters were hard to follow, full of unlikely coincidences and ARCADIA DIES THREE TIMES. Good lord, you can’t use the same plot device THREE TIMES.
We never learn where the gods went. Lilac’s early murders were for NO REASON and then she kills dozens more. And I am supposed to be cheering for her and her love story at the end?
Just was not for me.
Gods, sea monsters, blood, gore, lies, secrets, corruption, religious fervor and murder.
I tried. I really tried. I stuck it out for the full 13.5 hours. And there were things I liked about this novel: the world-building unrolled very organically, characters felt real and dialogue was smooth, sassy and clever.
But I disliked the story. Lilac is just terrible, idiotic, inconsistent. The last few chapters were hard to follow, full of unlikely coincidences and ARCADIA DIES THREE TIMES. Good lord, you can’t use the same plot device THREE TIMES.
We never learn where the gods went. Lilac’s early murders were for NO REASON and then she kills dozens more. And I am supposed to be cheering for her and her love story at the end?
Just was not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
April 14, 2024A jarring mish mosh of tropes written in the style of the YA-for-adults that I'm bored with. I kept forgetting the names of the people we had to get to know and threw in the towel before I'd gotten more than 2 chapters in.
dnf-deserves-a-2nd-chance-later
September 20, 2022"A serial killer is ritually sacrificing victims in order to lure back the old gods, but when the detectives on the killer’s trail realize the gods might not have left willingly, they must uncover the truth before the wrong god returns."
!!!
!!!
January 5, 2023
This month was a really great month for book releases, and this was one of my most anticipated! It did not disappoint this is so highly rated for a reason! I love Hailey Piper’s writing style and have really enjoyed everything of hers I’ve read. She’s really good at fitting a lot in a short amount of pages so I was really interested to see what she’d do with 430 pages of space to build in. Each of her books has a really interesting world she constructs and the fantasy horror noir in this one was really fun to read and immerse myself into. The Gods, Goddesses, and Godexs have all vanished leaving the mortals and their half human children to fend for themselves. Major flooding is drowning the city and what’s in the water may be a fate even worse then that. Everyone is suffering, and on top of it all there is a serial killer loose in the city. I don’t really want to give too much away because I like going into books as blind as possible and I really think that’s the best way to read it. There was so much action and stuff going on, really fast paced, that starts from page one. I couldn’t put this book down and it might be my favorite Hailey Piper read yet!
December 5, 2022
Confession: Fantasy, like Extreme-Horror, is not a genre I wholeheartedly embrace. Certain authors are required for me to "get into" those. However, given some exceptional authors, I'll delve into "out-of-my-comfort-zone" genres and subgenres. NO GODS FOR DROWNING was my introduction to reading Hailey Piper, and from the first pages she shot to the top of the Mountain of Authors-I-Must-Read. I devoured N0 GODS FOR DROWNING, an exceptional novel which embraces Fantasy, Cosmic Horror, Metaphysics, Mystery, Theology, Family, and so much more. I dived in and refused to surface until the tale was completed. Now that I have, it's time to continue my Hailey Piper Marathon.
dnf-for-good
October 9, 2022dnf @ around 40%
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Sadly, for some reason none of the characters really feel alive to me. In fact, a lot of them seem to have forced personalities that are starting to come across as annoying. The writing is also a bit more simplistic than I was expecting. Finally, the story so far is not living up to the amazing premise with all the drowned cities and murder and blood gods all feeling just like superficial set dressing, and as I put it down I don't feel any desire to pick it back up. I hate to say it, but this was a big letdown.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Sadly, for some reason none of the characters really feel alive to me. In fact, a lot of them seem to have forced personalities that are starting to come across as annoying. The writing is also a bit more simplistic than I was expecting. Finally, the story so far is not living up to the amazing premise with all the drowned cities and murder and blood gods all feeling just like superficial set dressing, and as I put it down I don't feel any desire to pick it back up. I hate to say it, but this was a big letdown.
July 16, 2023
First things first I have to apologize to Hailey Piper, a writer I respect tons. I had her on my podcast to talk about her fantastic cosmic horror novella The Worm and His Kings." I am sorry because I am probably not giving this excellent novel the full and undivided attention it deserves. The reality is that I have a book coming out next month and at the same time I am neck deep in the writing of my first Non-fiction book with one and a half chapters to go and it is hard for me to concentrate on anything else. I am going to give this book the proper attention. Normally I would have five quotes pulled out of the book that would highlight the genius at work, and I dogg-earned a few pages for that purpose. I just don’t have my normal bandwidth. Sorry about that.
No Gods for Drowning is a delightfully weird novel that is hard to compare to anything else. In Fact, the closest thing I could think of was the unproduced screenplay(not the TV series) for The Killing on Carnival Row, and even that is a pale comparison to the many deep layers at work here in this novel.
If I was pushed to pin down the genre I know I would end up ending words and end up with something like Dark urban fantasy mystery serial killer mythology disaster horror stuff. I put the book on hold at the library based entirely on the strength of Piper's novella and didn't know anything but the title.
While the first novel I read was modern cosmic horror I kinda assumed that was what we were getting here, based on the title. That was a bad assumption as the novel was incredibly different. Also, if I am being honest Dark Fantasy is not exactly my jam, and if this wasn't an author, I respected I likely would have checked out early. That being said there are authors I will follow for any genre preferred or not. This is only my second Hailey Piper book and I enjoyed this one in a non-preferred genre so that is a sign of the storytelling skills at work.
NGFD takes place in a fantasy city on a mapped-out archipelago, is this another planet? The earth in the far future? All I can do is shrug as Piper doesn't spoon-feed us that information and frankly, we don't need that information. At first, I assumed it was a medieval-like setting, and in part because of the gods the fact that one of the major characters is ritually sacrificing people to raise their gods. The novel is a bit disorientating when detectives show up in old cars and wear hats. At times it feels noir.
So people might be turned off by the confusion this causes but it is also what makes the novel feel original. I like the woozy dizzying feeling that the setting gives this novel. It is one of the strongest elements. The world-building is incredible and most of the details are ones that are blink and you might miss. in all the right ways I was smiling at how odd and one-of-a-kind this novel was.
I really, really enjoyed this novel. Sorry for the short review, This is a big thumbs up for me.
November 21, 2022
I had to reread this book. I should have read the summary.
I loved the book. It could have been a 6 star book!! I loved the premise! It might have too much going on.
3 friends. One serial killer. Back stabbing galore. Parental love. Loss. Private detectives looking for the killer. Human eating mermaids …. Glories. Gods have left. Are they coming back? What will bring them back? A lot of blood & death! Immersive world.
A fun book … hence the reread!
Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media. Great book.
I loved the book. It could have been a 6 star book!! I loved the premise! It might have too much going on.
3 friends. One serial killer. Back stabbing galore. Parental love. Loss. Private detectives looking for the killer. Human eating mermaids …. Glories. Gods have left. Are they coming back? What will bring them back? A lot of blood & death! Immersive world.
A fun book … hence the reread!
Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media. Great book.
March 24, 2024
4.5 rounded up! Had a few nitpicks of some samey character beats but overall a FABULOUS standalone story that managed to have both organic, exciting world building and memorable, lovable characters.
December 28, 2022
The gods have fled and the monsters that were once kept at bay have started hunting people again. To top it off a serial killer starts sacrificing people. This is not your normal fantasy adventure story. It has they pieces you want for that, but it is also violent and gory and wonderful. I enjoyed it. It was creepy and I am hoping we get to come back to this world.
4 stars
4 stars
September 23, 2023
I’m torn on this book. The world was something new and unique, and presented in a way where one had to keep reading to reveal. However, I couldn’t connect to some of the characters and story. Maybe it’s my lack of visualization or writing. Overall, interesting but left me a little dazed and confused.
August 13, 2022
This might be my new favorite book by Hailey. It absolutely rocks. It has modern mythology and works well as a horror book and as a fantasy one. If I had to compare it to another book, I would say it's like a scary version of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series if it was written for adults. But even that doesn't feel sufficient. No Gods for Drowning also has romance and worldbuilding, and it even explores religious/cult culture. The relationships are so powerful, too. I cannot recommend this book enough, even as this review rambles on.
April 8, 2024
Blending cosmic horror, grimdark fantasy and detective noir, No Gods for Drowning takes place on the continent of Aeg, which, since the gods left ten years ago, is now threatened with disaster.
As Aeg is about to be drowned by the sea, the telepathic beings known as the Glories are threatening to destroy the city. Not only that, there’s a serial killer on the loose!
No Gods for Drowning tells the story of a group of people caught up in these events. There’s Captain Arcadia Myrn, a former military soldier, haunted by her career and the effects of a massacre that her company perpetrated years ago, who is now a flood evacuation captain. Then there is her lover Lilac, the daughter of a god, who is trying to bring her mother, the God Logoi back after the gods left. Amongst this is Arcadia’s former fellow officer Alex North, who now works as a Detective with his partner, the gifted Cecil Gillon and is now attempting to solve the spate of killings in Aeg.
The book opens with the serial killer scoping out her victims, and then carrying out the ritualistic killings. Piper does not hold back with a visceral description of why the killings are happening or what there suspected outcome is. Furthermore, Piper boldly lets us know who the killer is from page one, following the perpetrator throughout the book.
No Gods for Drowning is a frenetically paced fantasy that has a plot that is so packed with gods, monsters, secrets and lies that you need to have a lie down for while when you have read it. In the midst of all this we then have a disaster waiting to happen that threatens not only the land, but the very essence of creation.
In terms of world building, Piper manages to build a world with a 1940’s level of dinginess, whilst refraining from info dumping and complex layer building giving the barest of detail but just enough to move the story along, because that is the important thing in this book – the story!
At times the book can be a little overwhelming as the plot is very busy, runs at an extremely fast pace, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you, but this also the strong point of the novel. There is never time to get your breath as there is always something happening – if it’s not ritual murders, it’s a Twister style disaster epic with a backdrop of cataclysmic events to keep your heart rate up.
If you like fantasy that strays from the norm, then No Gods For Monsters is well worth your time.
As Aeg is about to be drowned by the sea, the telepathic beings known as the Glories are threatening to destroy the city. Not only that, there’s a serial killer on the loose!
No Gods for Drowning tells the story of a group of people caught up in these events. There’s Captain Arcadia Myrn, a former military soldier, haunted by her career and the effects of a massacre that her company perpetrated years ago, who is now a flood evacuation captain. Then there is her lover Lilac, the daughter of a god, who is trying to bring her mother, the God Logoi back after the gods left. Amongst this is Arcadia’s former fellow officer Alex North, who now works as a Detective with his partner, the gifted Cecil Gillon and is now attempting to solve the spate of killings in Aeg.
The book opens with the serial killer scoping out her victims, and then carrying out the ritualistic killings. Piper does not hold back with a visceral description of why the killings are happening or what there suspected outcome is. Furthermore, Piper boldly lets us know who the killer is from page one, following the perpetrator throughout the book.
No Gods for Drowning is a frenetically paced fantasy that has a plot that is so packed with gods, monsters, secrets and lies that you need to have a lie down for while when you have read it. In the midst of all this we then have a disaster waiting to happen that threatens not only the land, but the very essence of creation.
In terms of world building, Piper manages to build a world with a 1940’s level of dinginess, whilst refraining from info dumping and complex layer building giving the barest of detail but just enough to move the story along, because that is the important thing in this book – the story!
At times the book can be a little overwhelming as the plot is very busy, runs at an extremely fast pace, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you, but this also the strong point of the novel. There is never time to get your breath as there is always something happening – if it’s not ritual murders, it’s a Twister style disaster epic with a backdrop of cataclysmic events to keep your heart rate up.
If you like fantasy that strays from the norm, then No Gods For Monsters is well worth your time.
November 21, 2022
This book is plotted SO well… it really hits that sweet spot where every new twist and turn surprises you but also makes total sense within the overall plot and for the characters involved. Some of the plot events in particular I found to be really original, and the book covers an impressive amount of ground without getting repetitive - the Acknowledgements section mentions that the author worked on this in one form or another for a long time, and I think you really see the payoff of that in the depth of the plotting and the strength of the story structure.
I also really enjoyed the vibe. For much of the book you feel this looming sense of dread as the storms and the flooding get closer and closer and the tension builds and builds - I loved this. And the incorporation into that of the noir detective elements AND the Greek/Roman mythology-inspired elements was done well. Although I’m making references, I was actually really impressed by how uniquely/originally the author developed this fantasy setting. I also liked how information about the city was parceled out slowly. The author resisted the SFF urge to overshare on worldbuilding details that aren’t relevant to the story, and as a result, I was eagerly awaiting each new fact about the gods, the city, and the people in it.
I wish that the writing had been tighter and/or maybe more vivid somehow. For a book with this much action, it was sometimes surprisingly slow to read from sentence to sentence. Maybe this is my pro-noir bias haha, but imo the book doesn’t go far enough toward noir in its writing stylistic choices. One of the great things about noir is the way the writing style is full of vivid, funny, shocking imagery. This book’s prose feels workmanlike - it doesn’t detract from the story that’s unfolding but it definitely doesn’t add to it. I think it would have really benefitted from the language/stylistic choices being taken up a dramatic level or three. The plot elements are absolutely there already - I just wish the writing could have joined them.
I also really enjoyed the vibe. For much of the book you feel this looming sense of dread as the storms and the flooding get closer and closer and the tension builds and builds - I loved this. And the incorporation into that of the noir detective elements AND the Greek/Roman mythology-inspired elements was done well. Although I’m making references, I was actually really impressed by how uniquely/originally the author developed this fantasy setting. I also liked how information about the city was parceled out slowly. The author resisted the SFF urge to overshare on worldbuilding details that aren’t relevant to the story, and as a result, I was eagerly awaiting each new fact about the gods, the city, and the people in it.
I wish that the writing had been tighter and/or maybe more vivid somehow. For a book with this much action, it was sometimes surprisingly slow to read from sentence to sentence. Maybe this is my pro-noir bias haha, but imo the book doesn’t go far enough toward noir in its writing stylistic choices. One of the great things about noir is the way the writing style is full of vivid, funny, shocking imagery. This book’s prose feels workmanlike - it doesn’t detract from the story that’s unfolding but it definitely doesn’t add to it. I think it would have really benefitted from the language/stylistic choices being taken up a dramatic level or three. The plot elements are absolutely there already - I just wish the writing could have joined them.
November 21, 2023
As always with Piper, the book is phenomenal.
We've got Piper's usual beautiful prose which dances on the line of descriptive and gripping without ever descending into purple. We've got Piper's standard cool blend of cosmic horror with unique, engaging characters.
But what made No Gods for Drowning stand out SO MUCH for me was the insane level of world building and the scale Piper brought to the table this time. Everything else I've read from Hailey Piper has been novellas, so it makes sense that she would take a bigger, more expansive swing in a 400 page book, but great googly moogly. The Glories. Logoi. Valentine. Every single page drips with mythology, world building, and magic systems that would make high fantasy readers blush. It's a blend of scale AND depth that had me in awe, and one that we rarely see in the usually close, intimate confines of horror. This book is BIG in every sense of the word.
If you want to lose yourself in an alternate reality for a few weeks, then sacrifice your body to Logoi. Piper makes it worth it.
We've got Piper's usual beautiful prose which dances on the line of descriptive and gripping without ever descending into purple. We've got Piper's standard cool blend of cosmic horror with unique, engaging characters.
But what made No Gods for Drowning stand out SO MUCH for me was the insane level of world building and the scale Piper brought to the table this time. Everything else I've read from Hailey Piper has been novellas, so it makes sense that she would take a bigger, more expansive swing in a 400 page book, but great googly moogly. The Glories. Logoi. Valentine. Every single page drips with mythology, world building, and magic systems that would make high fantasy readers blush. It's a blend of scale AND depth that had me in awe, and one that we rarely see in the usually close, intimate confines of horror. This book is BIG in every sense of the word.
If you want to lose yourself in an alternate reality for a few weeks, then sacrifice your body to Logoi. Piper makes it worth it.
December 24, 2022
Epic in scope but with a modern feel, these are Greek gods for modern peeps. I don't mean that it's a reimagining of the Greek myths but newly imagined myths for the present day. I loved the moral ambiguity and the challenging nature of this book which raises so many questions about belief systems and decision making. Do we invite chaos into our lives or does it just happen? There's a lot to enjoy here, particularly the world-building, from the Glories (terrifying sea dwellers) to the Gods nothing is the way you've seen it before. We've got detectives with fedoras and trench coats mixing with flood fighters (instead of fire fighters), champions and descendants of the Gods. Heroes and villains lurk within all the characters and no one's hands are clean.
March 30, 2023
The second work that I try from Piper and it doesn`t work! There is a lot going on, but it looks more like an amalgam of things than a real plot. And sometimes the characters are so dumb and not so believable in their action that you just want to take your "flight" asap!
The beginning and the whole idea, overall, isn`t so bad, the situation with the mysterious departed Gods felt something alike Max Gladstone`s series, but hey, let`s be real, this ugly duckling doesnt` even lift to one chapter from any book of the Craft Sequence novels.
After like 40 % of the book I choose not to go further, but I feel that I gave all the indulgence that this novel was requiered to get.
The beginning and the whole idea, overall, isn`t so bad, the situation with the mysterious departed Gods felt something alike Max Gladstone`s series, but hey, let`s be real, this ugly duckling doesnt` even lift to one chapter from any book of the Craft Sequence novels.
After like 40 % of the book I choose not to go further, but I feel that I gave all the indulgence that this novel was requiered to get.
November 30, 2023
My first read by this author, though I was certainly familiar with her reputation, so I came to this one blind but with a lot of intrigue. And it certainly delivered.
A fantasy story that starts off relatively grounded but slowly unravels the more the story is revealed, until we’re left gripping insanity. I’d liken this to a Final Fantasy game for how the story starts grounded and just quietly builds until it’s worlds apart from where we started on this journey.
This was an interesting and unique experience, that certainly has me curious to check out more from this author in future.
A fantasy story that starts off relatively grounded but slowly unravels the more the story is revealed, until we’re left gripping insanity. I’d liken this to a Final Fantasy game for how the story starts grounded and just quietly builds until it’s worlds apart from where we started on this journey.
This was an interesting and unique experience, that certainly has me curious to check out more from this author in future.
February 9, 2023
I feel like I should have liked this more. It has lots of story elements I like, and I liked most of the characters. It's just not the story I wanted in this world, I guess? It came close at times. It wasn't bad, just not what I wanted.
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