Review: Godkiller

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Performance: *****
Book: ****

This is the first book in the Fallen God series and I am already looking forward to reading book two. To start … we have three MC/POV (with a minor viewpoint from the god of white lies). Kissen is the title character … the godkiller … who was for me the most interesting (and vaguely reminiscent of a Witcher … another series I really like). As Kissen’s backstory is progressively revealed, she quickly become my favorite, to my mind, she becomes a solid sympathetic character who was inherently good despite all the ills which she has had to suffer (both physically with her prosthetic leg, and mental growing up on the wrong side of side of the tracks). Despite her attempts to only care about herself, she is drawn into this adventure by the misfortune of a young girl who needs her help to solve a problem that could very well get her killed … because she is entangled with the fate of one of the tiny wild gods that had survived the god war and the general proscription of them that followed … making her association with a godkiller a solid part of the plot tension. Rounding out this adventuring trio is a former knight errant who had previous turned his back on the world and now hopes for a minor miracle when all three finally reach the ruined city of gods. All in all, I thought that the interplay and dialog between the characters felt natural and believable (and if fact worked well for character development). This was only enhanced by an excellent performance from the narrator. Each character was independent enough that even the conflicts between them were a natural extension of who they are and what they wanted.

The plot was a basic roadtrip trope where the three MCs were through together based upon their destination … and the need for a little illicit intervention from a surviving god to help solve their problems … but gods can’t be trusted, including the one making up the fourth member of their party. At any rate … they spent a lot of time on the road with an occasional bit of action until the finale within the city that reveals a few surprises and ramps up the suspense with, what I have come to believe, is a classic ending that explores the idea of love, loyalty and sacrifice (For a fantasy story, there was a surprising level of interesting philosophical situations to ponder … giving the world-building even more depth might otherwise be expected).

Finally … I absolutely loved the world-building … especially the treatment of the gods … what they were … how they worked … et al. On one level, there were are remarkable collection of differing deities that were focused on small, mundane human activities (white lies, broken sandals, etc) in addition to “the majors” (war, fire, sea, etc). On another level, there was a common nature that even the gods strongest could not escape … the quest for power which makes them a natural temptation to those humans that seek that. Added to this were god curses and boons/promises that left visible marks on the body and adds a little more to the plot suspense.

#Godkiller #FallenGods #Audiobook

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