Review: Empire of the Gods
About two weeks ago, I was contact by David Stag, author of Empire of the Gods, and was asked if I would be willing to read and review his book. The reviews that I have been posting on Amazon were for this very moment, so I gladly accepted and started reading when I finished my previous book. While I am very appreciative of Stag going out of his way to let me read his book, I cannot say that it is a book that I would heartily recommend.
Linus is taken prisoner from earth by a barbaric civilization rampaging through our galaxy. He is to be sold into slavery, spending his life toiling in the factories or front lines. Or he may be killed at any time for the amusement of his captors. This evil Empire is ruled by invincible tyrants with limitless abilities. They have powers to make any wish come true just by thinking of it. And the depravity of the rules filters down to every level of society. This empire has vast armies with advanced technology far beyond that of any of the conquered planets. Linus is not a superhero. He is an ordinary person with no special weapons or fighting skills. His journey through this society is a revelation about ourselves and our culture. It’s a study of power, who has it and how they got it.
There were a number of things that bothered me as I continued reading Empire of the Gods, so I will do my best to avoid any spoilers, but I do not think I will give my review much credit without some specifics. Issues, such as the character of Linus and some head scratching plot elements make the read, for me, more difficult to enjoy. Allow me to explain.
Linus can be a likable, but he can also be obnoxious with his constant taking the high ground approach in almost every situation, except in a few cases where it benefits himself. He is unselfish, overly considerate, naive, and to my chagrin, constantly mindful of what is wrong with society, as if it were the only thing that consumes his thoughts. Not only this, but it seems to be heavy on the thoughts of people he befriends since it largely becomes the focus on most of his discussions. Aside from the topic of discussion, Linus is able to know the right thing to say at the right time, breaking the ice even with the apparently most unsociable person. When comparing his dialog and his thoughts, Linus almost felt like two different people. In an instant, he becomes the perfect person to relate with someone when there is tension between the two, thus diffusing the situation, or at least eventually. On top of all this, he lives the next few years of his life going from imprisonment to joining space pirates to confronting the Empire’s gods without so much as a scratch to show for it. Having lived a good life on Earth and suddenly thrust into imprisonment, surrounded by some of the worst people the universe has to offer, and witness gory and grisly deaths and mutilations, Linus is completely unaffected emotionally and mentally. Sure, he is shocked and stunned, but ultimately and for all intents and purposes, walks away just shaking his head. So I ask, is Linus really just an ordinary person?
Linus and his interactions, while being the main character and the book’s focus, were probably what I did not like most in Empire of the Gods. There were other issues that I had with the book: the slow plot progress of Linus “making it up” as he performed repairs while talking about “this” support beam or “that” joint as if he actually does know what he is doing; the utterly pointless brutality highlighted in chapter six; Linus’ apparent inability to defend himself when faced with confrontation; the heavily fantasy leaning capabilities of the translators; Linus’ confrontation with one of the gods and how the events played out (I would be spoiling things if I elaborated); Linus’ decision in the end and cheating to see its effects on the universe. The last part kind of irked me because it does not seem to fit what we had seen of Linus’ character. He repeatedly refuses offers of sex, drugs, alcohol, but he takes multiple peeks into the future. Would Linus not consider that unethical, he being such an ethical person himself?
I did not intend on placing so much focus on the negative aspects of the book, but I do feel hard pressed to counter it with the good in Empire of the Gods. I can appreciate that the book wants to make the readers think, and I have no problem with that. Christian Cantrell has written several short stories, and each one leaves you thinking while entertained at the same time. I felt that Empire of the Gods placed too much emphasis on food for thought discussions and not enough on an entertaining and engaging story. I mentioned Cantrell, who I previously compared to Michael Crichton. They both have great stories, but a few chapters can get bogged down with lots of details, like DNA sequencing in Jurassic Park or how a BCI works in Containment; it was information overload and I would have been content with brevity on the subject. I believe the same applies to the topics discussed in Empire of the Gods. I did enjoy the second and eighth chapters and felt most engaged when reading them, while I simply moved along with everything else. I did appreciate space travel having a more realistic limitation; one cannot travel through the galaxy as if they were going to the grocery store because it takes considerable time and energy to travel such great distances. The translators were neat devices, but moved away from science fiction and into fantasy.
I do feel somewhat disappointed with Empire of the Gods since I hoped for a good read based on the feedback of others. However, I find myself at odds with these raving reviews. Perhaps I am being too harsh on Stag, but in the end, I finished this book without feeling satisfied. I again appreciate and thank David Stag for his generosity and coming to me for my honest review. I do see some potential and will give his next work a shot despite my issues with this story. If I may make a suggestion to Stag, I would recommend more chapters or using scene breaks. Most of the chapters can take several hours to read, and no scene breaks makes it annoying to find a good place to stop. I give Empire of the Gods 5 out of 10.
