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The Wells of the Worlds #2
Forsake Not the Gods: Book Two of The Wells of the Worlds
For centuries, the ancient gateway between worlds has been kept a carefully guarded secret from the vampiric gods of the gray lands. But when its existence is revealed, it’s only a matter of time before the unthinkable happens and the exiled powers are unleashed upon the cosmos.
Honor and revenge, hope and despair, duty and sacrifice all meet at the crossroads of destiny in this thrilling sequel to Bid the Gods Arise.
Forsake Not the Gods is the second novel in The Wells of the Worlds, a dark sci fi fantasy series for adults and new adults
Honor and revenge, hope and despair, duty and sacrifice all meet at the crossroads of destiny in this thrilling sequel to Bid the Gods Arise.
Forsake Not the Gods is the second novel in The Wells of the Worlds, a dark sci fi fantasy series for adults and new adults
531 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 13, 2022
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6 people want to read
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December 20, 2022
The tyrant is dead. The slaves are freed. And a shadow is rising.
Daman Argoneis has been slain, his brutal regime smashed, and the slave trade expunged. But at what price? The Reamar are now ascendant, the twisted roots of Darkhorn Fell spreading freely across the face of Argoth. Feeding. Shaping. Draining the life-force from all they touch. Soon the entire world will become the Gray Lands.
Aric joined himself to the Reamar for the sake of his friends and took their Queen as his lover. But his oath is now a chain across his soul, Ulora’s voice a shadow in his mind. Beckoning, whispering, calling him back to Darkhorn Fell. To a love more dreadful than hate. And his visions have not ceased. He sees darkness, pain, ominous futures. Can he escape them?
Maurin has found new life, new love, and a new god more powerful than the ones that ruled his near-forgotten homeworld. Now he’s about to lose his cousin. And walk a path he may not have the strength to bear…
Siaran Thoud has spent her entire life a slave of the Reamar. Now she just wants to escape. But the voices will not leave. She hears them always. Following her. Mocking her. Claiming her. Demanding she become One With the All once more. She has fled in search of hope. But will she find deliverance… or death?
Dania has thrown off her chains. She is free. But her past is a scar. She was the wolf-bear, the spider, the serpent that strikes. Blood Goddess. What is she now? She has been offered hope in the Source. But does she have the strength to claim it?
Sabatha was once Captain of the Guard under Daman Argoneis. Now he is a hunted man, robbed of both his master and his beloved sister. He has sworn revenge on her killer. The one they call Blood Goddess. He will find her. He will kill her. Even if he has to cross a thousand stars to do so.
Warden of the Gates Valasand Del Sirine has fulfilled her mission from the Temple. But another task remains. For she knows a deadly secret. There is a Well on this world, a gateway to the stars that could free the Reamar from their long imprisonment on Argoth. Whatever the cost, they must not find it. For the sake of not just one world… but of all.
"If you have two weapons, give one to someone who has none."
----
At long last, the sequel to Bid the Gods Arise is here, and it is truly epic! This book has everything that drew me to its predecessor and so much more. The world-building is utterly unique while at the same time feeling perfectly natural—multiple strands of mythology are woven together in a richly evocative tapestry that truly deserves the term “mythopeia” in its original meaning. And the illustrations were an awesome touch!
Whereas Bid the Gods Arise took place mostly on a single planet, the scope of Forsake Not the Gods expands to cover multiple worlds in parallel storylines. Some might find this confusing, but the author did a great job of maintaining their connections and using them to reinforce each other’s dramatic beats. The plot is an intricately navigated path of twists, turns and revelations that were at times both shocking and gut-wrenching. This is enhanced by poetic prose that becomes downright numinous during visionary sequences as well as multi-dimensional characterization combined with visceral action sequences. I had to pause multiple times just to absorb what I was reading. In a good way. And the ending in particular left me reeling—also in a good way.
For the sensitive reader, much of the same content advisory applies from my review of Bid the Gods Arise. There is intense action violence but only a few cases of profanity and some forthright statements about human sexuality with no erotic scenes. One of the subplots also features an atmosphere that I would characterize as Lovecraftian horror but handled in what I consider a tasteful manner.
All in all, another solid five stars! Definitely looking to seeing how this universe expands further!
Daman Argoneis has been slain, his brutal regime smashed, and the slave trade expunged. But at what price? The Reamar are now ascendant, the twisted roots of Darkhorn Fell spreading freely across the face of Argoth. Feeding. Shaping. Draining the life-force from all they touch. Soon the entire world will become the Gray Lands.
Aric joined himself to the Reamar for the sake of his friends and took their Queen as his lover. But his oath is now a chain across his soul, Ulora’s voice a shadow in his mind. Beckoning, whispering, calling him back to Darkhorn Fell. To a love more dreadful than hate. And his visions have not ceased. He sees darkness, pain, ominous futures. Can he escape them?
Maurin has found new life, new love, and a new god more powerful than the ones that ruled his near-forgotten homeworld. Now he’s about to lose his cousin. And walk a path he may not have the strength to bear…
Siaran Thoud has spent her entire life a slave of the Reamar. Now she just wants to escape. But the voices will not leave. She hears them always. Following her. Mocking her. Claiming her. Demanding she become One With the All once more. She has fled in search of hope. But will she find deliverance… or death?
Dania has thrown off her chains. She is free. But her past is a scar. She was the wolf-bear, the spider, the serpent that strikes. Blood Goddess. What is she now? She has been offered hope in the Source. But does she have the strength to claim it?
Sabatha was once Captain of the Guard under Daman Argoneis. Now he is a hunted man, robbed of both his master and his beloved sister. He has sworn revenge on her killer. The one they call Blood Goddess. He will find her. He will kill her. Even if he has to cross a thousand stars to do so.
Warden of the Gates Valasand Del Sirine has fulfilled her mission from the Temple. But another task remains. For she knows a deadly secret. There is a Well on this world, a gateway to the stars that could free the Reamar from their long imprisonment on Argoth. Whatever the cost, they must not find it. For the sake of not just one world… but of all.
"If you have two weapons, give one to someone who has none."
----
At long last, the sequel to Bid the Gods Arise is here, and it is truly epic! This book has everything that drew me to its predecessor and so much more. The world-building is utterly unique while at the same time feeling perfectly natural—multiple strands of mythology are woven together in a richly evocative tapestry that truly deserves the term “mythopeia” in its original meaning. And the illustrations were an awesome touch!
Whereas Bid the Gods Arise took place mostly on a single planet, the scope of Forsake Not the Gods expands to cover multiple worlds in parallel storylines. Some might find this confusing, but the author did a great job of maintaining their connections and using them to reinforce each other’s dramatic beats. The plot is an intricately navigated path of twists, turns and revelations that were at times both shocking and gut-wrenching. This is enhanced by poetic prose that becomes downright numinous during visionary sequences as well as multi-dimensional characterization combined with visceral action sequences. I had to pause multiple times just to absorb what I was reading. In a good way. And the ending in particular left me reeling—also in a good way.
For the sensitive reader, much of the same content advisory applies from my review of Bid the Gods Arise. There is intense action violence but only a few cases of profanity and some forthright statements about human sexuality with no erotic scenes. One of the subplots also features an atmosphere that I would characterize as Lovecraftian horror but handled in what I consider a tasteful manner.
All in all, another solid five stars! Definitely looking to seeing how this universe expands further!
Displaying 1 of 1 review