Servant of a Dark God

So first of all I am not a critic or a professional book reviewer so if you are expecting something brilliant well written and flowery then read another review. I am not even very good at punctuation and spelling :) But I will say this - I LOVED THIS BOOK! Totally new approach and a totally original world. I literally couldn't put this book down. I felt a tight connection with both the hero's and the villain. When I wasn't reading the book I was worried about what was going to happen to them and I even had dreams about them or about me in their world. This book isn't necessarily great for young readers (it's no harry potter) - It's isn't excessively violent, or sexual and there isn't any rough language it is just you would probably need an 8th or 9th grade reading level to understand it. "Mother is Watching!"

In the New Lands, the Koramites who have settled on the land are vassals to the Mokaddians. There is danger in this mostly unexplored place; the least of which are Bone Faces who attack the colonists from the south. They cut off a person's pinky and use black magic to bind that individual to them. More dangerous are the Sleths who use Fire (another person's life force) to give them incredible strength and speed. Only the Divines are allowed to use Fire because they feel anyone else would over use and over time would tirn into something evil. A monster nesting amidst the colonist has turned others into monsters. Charity has come to the attention of authorities when her dead baby with parts of a stork and a stork with body parts of a human were found when the rains washed up the casket. Her husband was killed but her children blind Legs and Sugar seek shelter at the home if a member of the Order who use magic for good purposes. Talen, the man's son wants to turn them in but his father refuses. The monster Hunger seeks Charity and brings her to his master. Soon many members of the Order are trapped in the monster's cave and only a miracle can save everyone. This is the first book in the Dark Gods series and it uses action to introduce the reader to the dangerous New Lands in which life is not precious. Readers get a sense of the differing species competing for power. For instance the Divines want more power to strengthen their hold at the top of the food chain. The monster who creates monsters out of humans wants to go back to where humans were herded like cattle. The Order is mankind's only hope for a free life, but many doubt the lords and the commoners will believe in their cause due to prejudice against magic users who are not Sleth. John Brown has written a compelling but bleak fantasy world filled with a complex and convoluted social structure that will grip readers from the onset. Harriet Klausner

Servant of a Dark God is about a world where human "Fire", can be bought or stolen. The magic system is based on the use of Fire. The Divines are the leadership of the various kingdoms, and they ruthlessly hunt down anyone else who would use magic. Anyone who uses unauthorized magic is branded Sleth, or Soul Eaters, and are destroyed as heretics. But the truth comes in layers, and not everything is as it seems. I read Servant of a Dark God in two days. I found it to be a solidly constructed epic fantasy, with an original world and back story. As soon as it was described to me as a having a plot where people are ranched like cattle, but not for their bodies, but for their souls, I was hooked. I enjoyed that the author actually did his research, and created a believable fantasy world, with compelling characters. This is more the story of families and individuals than anything else. The previous reviewer commented that the main protagonist was annoying at first. Personally I thought that John created a believable teenage boy trying to become a man. Of course he isn't perfect, and he doesn't always make the best decision. That was why he was believable. My favorite character was the bad guy, Hunger. I can't say too much about him, but you've got to love when you find yourself feeling for the antagonist. Overall, I really liked this, and look forward for the rest of the series. -Larry Correia Author of Monster Hunter International

It starts out with Talen sitting pantless at the kitchen table, plotting revenge. After some whirlwind antics between Talen and his two older siblings -- revealing much of their situation and personalities -- Talen heads out to the next village for some normal chores. But nothing will ever be so simple again. Terrifying magic is affecting people who had appeared to be normal, and rumors are flying. Talen himself is accused, though he is as ordinary and suspicious of the dark arts as any teenage farm boy. Or is he? And this question leads to one of the most appealing aspects of SERVANT OF A DARK GOD: the mystery. Talen's people live in a colonized land, remote from their imperial overlords, still marked with the ruins of ancient, extinct powers. Magic which grants vast power through the consumption of both people's lifespans and their souls is undeniably real. But who really controls it? Who is using this power for good, and who for evil? Is anyone telling the truth? As Talen's life crumbles around him, he, his family, friends, neighbors, and even their leaders are all are in for some surprises -- at least the ones who survive. The style is pleasant, elegant, easy to read, and occasionally quite humorous. This is a long tale, appropriately epic, but it never drags. The story is told through multiple points of view, but mostly centers on young Talen. Descriptions are vivid and precise. All the characters are distinctive and interesting, without being ridiculous caricatures typical of some fantasy fiction. The characters themselves don't know much about the powers of their world, and as they learn, everything is also clearly explained to the reader. So, while the events are complex, they're never confusing. The story has a complete plot arc and a satisfying conclusion, even though there are sequels on the way. No need to wait for the series to end to enjoy this story now. Overall highly recommended, especially if you're a fan of epic fantasy.

This book struck me as falling into the mold of classic fantasy somewhat, while at the same time doing everything just different enough to be seen as original. Sure, there's a young boy with a destiny of sorts, but his interaction with his family and their involvement in that destiny are very different than other fantasy offerings. Yes, there's an evil power seeking dominion over the entire world, but it's basically already got it, and we're looking at the beginning of a rebellion. This, too, has been done, but I think it was just different enough with the political intrigue and terrible power of the evil forces to keep things fresh and new. The story revolves around The Order, a group of people who want to give the power to the people. The magic power, that is. The Divines rule the land with an almost godlike status, hiding the reality that magic is for everyone in order to hold onto their power over the people. The story mainly revolves around two families who are caught up in the trouble brewing between the Order and the Divines. I really enjoyed the emotional attachment that I developed to the characters, particularly to their interaction with one another. From the outset I was drawn in as Talen embarked upon the noble quest of finding his pants. It was a fun way to start a book, and a good way to see the humor in the characters before the try/fail cycles of the novel kicked in and we got to see the deeper side of each character. For me, the interaction in the emotional scene between Argoth and his son Nettle was particularly heart-wrenching, and signaled strong writing on the part of Mr. Brown. I also enjoyed the inner demons of Sugar, having to deal with the terrible things that she saw, particularly her reaction to them. Hunger was an excellent sort of anti-villain, someone you felt terrible for and routed against almost at the same time. In short, characters make a book, and this one is full of quality characters. Rather than start with the young boy who gathers friends along the way for the great quest, this book begins with a well organized group, and that was refreshing in a way. Readers who aren't as experienced in the genre might struggle a little bit to understand everything that's going on, since Brown doesn't just hand it out to everyone. However, it's not nearly as difficult as, say, Gardens of the Moon by Erikson, where as a teenager I remember reading the entire first book and still asking myself, "What's going on here?" In fact, I now enjoy this approach, where the author doesn't explain every single detail of the world or the magic system. It should, in my opinion, come in parts, just like everything we learn in life comes in chunks that build together to become total knowledge. Think about it, when was the last time you went to Pep Boys for an oil change and the mechanic talked with you for nine hours about exactly how the car runs? The book did have a couple of slow spots, where I felt like my emotions, fears and trust