Hammer of God (Godspeaker Trilogy, Book 3)

Karen Miller is a fine storyteller and this book is an exciting conclusion to the Godspeaker Trilogy. The first book of the three is in my opinion the slowest, but the other two more than make up. I really enjoyed all three.

I carefully read and enjoyed the other two books in this trilogy, Empress and The Riven Kingdom, despite the many negative things written on this website about them. I think I came into this book with high expectations, therefore, and most of them were met. I would strongly recommend this book to a friend, and would convince people who are doubting the series after Empress (which seems to be the common path), to at least continue on to this book. Please be forewarned, if you continue to read this review, there will be spoilers but there will equally be more argument for my position. There were several things that I truly loved about this book, and several that I feel could have been done more deftly. In my other reviews, I commented on Ms. Miller's writing style. I chose to believe that the biblical style of Empress was for a purpose, but then The Riven Kingdom did not have the contrast that I hoped for. Thankfully, the writing in Hammer of God confirmed my thought that that the writing in Empress was for effect. Ms. Miller strongly contrasted the thought processes and the way that characters communicate with one another based simply on the writing and where they were from. There was also, on a deeper level, an interesting idea presented about how growing up in certain places may affect us in ways that we can't understand. Although some people may not appreciate the speed that the story moved with, alternating very slow with very quick, I see it from a different standpoint. When Rhian is faced with killing two of her subjects, she spends a great deal of time contemplating it. Also, there is honor given to the difficulty of uniting people to work together against an enemy (i.e. pulling together the Trading Nations to stand against Mijak). Some people see this as tedious and filler, but I see it as giving honor to the way that the real world functions. Also, once Rhian gets the ball rolling, the sequence of events speeds up and is reminiscent of a waterfall. Again, in the real world of war and fighting, there is a lot of waiting around and then action. Ms. Miller really put in the effort to represent a world that was as real as we chose to believe it was. There is enormous character growth in this book, from Alasdair learning when enough is enough from Rhian, to Zandakar making the ultimate decision to do what is right in response to his family, to Dexterity accepting his role in the conflict and how he must sacrifice. I loved the inter-character relations, but I also loved how Ms. Miller chose NOT to take the simple ways to cause drama, which may have included Rhian cheating on Alasdair with Zandakar or the addition of an unborn child into the mix. These would have been simple to include, but they were also the easy way and Ms. Miller did not pursue that. I admire her for causing the tension to be just as palpable without opting for the easy way. I also love the character development in lesser characters, such as Vortka, who

I love, love, love Karen Miller's books. Once I start one, I can't put it down.

Absolutely wonderful read. Karen Miller is awesome. Couldn't put it down. Characters are very interesting. Sad when it ended.

The Kingdom of Ethrea has never been ruled by a female. So when the current monarch dies his only offspring, his daughter Rhian, claims the throne. However many of her noblemen, even her spouse King Alasdair, reject her assertion on the grounds there will be a woman ruler. While Ethrea is split apart with a royal dispute, neighboring Empress Hekat, who reigns with an iron fist based on her belief in her divine right of rule, feels God has intervened for her; she plans to conquer the divided kingdom. She leads her Mijak warhost horde into Ethrea where the ruling Queen is isolated with no internal allies or external trading neighbors to help her defend her people. Her only possible alliance is with Emperor Han of the seemingly strange Tzhung-tzhungchai, but she fears the price of allowing his army inside Ethrea as she distrusts they will leave once they occupy the land. The third and final Godspeaker book (see EMPRESS and THE RIVEN KINGDOM) continues the complex saga of two female rulers heading to a conflation; that is if Rhian survives internal treachery. The pair are opposites starting with their upbringing and in many other ways yet share a belief they belong on their respective throne; one believes peace will bring prosperity to everyone while the other feels THE HAMMER OF God war will bring her vision of prosperity to the land. To fully grasp the nuances of this engaging fast-paced finish, readers should read the first two tales before breathlessly waiting for what seems the eventual final battle over whose vision will rule. Harriet Klausner