The Gamble of the Godless
by
David Maine (Goodreads Author)
"Avin del Bors has a problem. His brother Drew has run off to fight in a war against the wolves, even though the wolves weren’t responsible for the vicious attack against the humans on the Free Plains. Avin’s companions—the warrior Ax, one-armed sorcerer Jocen, plucky owl Ulkia, drug-addled cheetah Summon the Wind and raccoon stand-up comic Onesso—all have their own reason...more
ebook, 349 pages
Published
2011
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Avin saw nothing wrong with helping a soldier get back on his feet. He also saw nothing wrong with walking into town with him to hear the news. You see, Avin has dreams and his seem to come true or have already happened. His dream of a fierce battle had borne fruit in the battle that Ax (the soldier) had been in. Most had been slaughtered.
Through various means, Ax and Avin, along with Jocelyn the hired sorcerer, acquire traveling companions of the creature kind: Benn the horse and Ulkia the owl....more
Through various means, Ax and Avin, along with Jocelyn the hired sorcerer, acquire traveling companions of the creature kind: Benn the horse and Ulkia the owl....more
The Gamble of the Godless by David Maine follows the young man Avin as he travels a rather unique world. The races are not defined by skin color or the commonly seen human, dwarf, elf, etc, they are divided by animal species. Each species' language defined by their specific way of viewing life.
When an army is massacred not far from Avin's family farm he meets the lone survivor Ax. Even though Ax would have been his enemy if his army had not been wiped out Avin takes pity on him and gives him fo...more
When an army is massacred not far from Avin's family farm he meets the lone survivor Ax. Even though Ax would have been his enemy if his army had not been wiped out Avin takes pity on him and gives him fo...more
This book follows the adventures of Avin and the creatures he meets along the way. A journey and an adventure is hardly a way to describe this book. I feel the word Epic is the only word to do it justice. The characters that David Maine utilizes are absolutely wonderful. I felt an attachment to the characters that I have not felt for quite some time. I was reminded of how I felt while reading Tolkien for the first time. The creatures that David Maine creates and the way he explains how they act,...more
I read David Maine's The Preservationist a few years ago and liked it a lot, so when I heard he had another book out, I was intrigued. When I heard it was a fantasy novel, I was even more intrigued.
All I can say is—the author didn't let me down. The Gamble of the Godless is a very original fantasy, one that immerses you in a detailed world without sacrificing pace or story. Most fantasy emphasizes either one or the other, either going off on long tangents to describe the world and its backstory,...more
All I can say is—the author didn't let me down. The Gamble of the Godless is a very original fantasy, one that immerses you in a detailed world without sacrificing pace or story. Most fantasy emphasizes either one or the other, either going off on long tangents to describe the world and its backstory,...more
First thing to know, this is a great book. Maybe not 5 stars, classic-like-LotR-classic, but Goodreads doesn't let you give half stars, so 5 stars it is.
I've read a lot of fantasy, and I'm always looking for something that can inject fresh life into old forms, and this book does that. So that's a big part of my enthusiasm here. You might not share my enthusiasm if a.) you're perfectly happy reading the retreads that get published year after year, and/or b.) you're not really interested in a qui...more
I've read a lot of fantasy, and I'm always looking for something that can inject fresh life into old forms, and this book does that. So that's a big part of my enthusiasm here. You might not share my enthusiasm if a.) you're perfectly happy reading the retreads that get published year after year, and/or b.) you're not really interested in a qui...more
I loved this book! The Gamble of the Godless begins when a lone survivor of the Emperor’s army makes a midnight visit to our hero Avin’s farm. He tells the frightening tale of an unprecedented ambush by an army of wolves who have crossed the mountains. Sixteen hundred soldiers, brutally massacred. When the news reaches the human cities men are called to muster for a counter attack on the great wolf cities Alpha & Gamma. Avin’s older brother rushes ahead of the army looking for payback… but w...more
from author
Read 8/7/11 - 8/14/11
4 Stars: Strongly Recommended
Pgs: 347
For those of you who have read his previous novels, when you think of David Maine, you think literary biblical fiction, because in your mind, the two have always gone hand in hand.
And ok, if you're a fan like me, you could argue that his 2008 release Monster, 1959 was a departure from his bible-related past, although I would argue back that it still held it's own in the literary arena.
Well, folks, David has turned the tables on...more
Read 8/7/11 - 8/14/11
4 Stars: Strongly Recommended
Pgs: 347
For those of you who have read his previous novels, when you think of David Maine, you think literary biblical fiction, because in your mind, the two have always gone hand in hand.
And ok, if you're a fan like me, you could argue that his 2008 release Monster, 1959 was a departure from his bible-related past, although I would argue back that it still held it's own in the literary arena.
Well, folks, David has turned the tables on...more
Gamble of the Godless is a fun and inventive fantasy story that avoids a lot of the genre cliche. This is a fun a world where animals talk and your head can explode if someone looks at you funny. It makes good use of animals - their social structures and speech patterns vary widely enough to make them unique. They do not fall into the usual traps of talking animals; these are not cutesy, and they are not just humans in animal clothing. Some speak in metaphor, and others use awesome dialogue tags...more
This was quite a departure from Maine's usual books. It was a respectable YA adventure story the first in a proposed series. The premise was very clever--man has destroyed the world. The various gods of birds, apes, reptiles, etc. get together and agree that God screwed up and now they will be in charge of starting over again.with new rules. When o e of the groups of animals breaks those rules it is up to a motley group of humans, a snake a cheetah, a horse, and a raccoon, to put things right. A...more
WHAT I THOUGHT
Impressive is what I thought.
Picture this – human beings have destroyed the earth, they stuffed up and put a huge dent in creation. The gods (yes, plural, I will get to that in a minute) have decided all creatures should live separately and not seek dominance over one another, all are equal. Separate territories are created for each set of animals and each territory comes with its own language, or way of speaking, and its own way of living. Each territory also has its own god: ther...more
Impressive is what I thought.
Picture this – human beings have destroyed the earth, they stuffed up and put a huge dent in creation. The gods (yes, plural, I will get to that in a minute) have decided all creatures should live separately and not seek dominance over one another, all are equal. Separate territories are created for each set of animals and each territory comes with its own language, or way of speaking, and its own way of living. Each territory also has its own god: ther...more
I will start this all off by declaring that I was given an advanced copy by the author. Half way through, I bought a copy. 4.5 out of 5 stars for some reason it’s not an option.
If you want a synopsis there are a few here already, I’m not going to bother with one.
David Maine first caught my attention sometime around 2006 with his novel ‘The Preservationist’. Truthfully, it was the handsome hardcover that attracted me, then I realized I was a take on the Noah’s Ark story and I was sold. I was a w...more
If you want a synopsis there are a few here already, I’m not going to bother with one.
David Maine first caught my attention sometime around 2006 with his novel ‘The Preservationist’. Truthfully, it was the handsome hardcover that attracted me, then I realized I was a take on the Noah’s Ark story and I was sold. I was a w...more
OMG Great book!! Wasn't sure I liked it at first because it was all about war and armies and blah blah. I thought there were supposed to be animals, what is this Game of Thrones??? lol. Anyway the animals shows up pretty soon, along with sorcerers and all kinds of world-building and it turned out to be a terrific book to get lost in. The world is way too big for just a single book so I'm glad there are more on the way! My favorite characters were Summon the Wind (a badass cheetah lol) and Jocen,...more
Yup, it's tacky to rate my own book but oh well. I just wanted to let people know that the price for Gamble has dropped to 99 cents for now, as I prepare to launch Book II in the series.
Oh and it's a great book BTW! Sorcerers, animal territories, drug addicts, decent farm kids, shifty raccoons, blunt-talking warriors with secrets in their past... You name it, it's in here (somewhere).
Oh and it's a great book BTW! Sorcerers, animal territories, drug addicts, decent farm kids, shifty raccoons, blunt-talking warriors with secrets in their past... You name it, it's in here (somewhere).
This was a great story. It's like a cross between Sword of Shannara & David Eddings' Belgariad/Mallorean series. I loved the characters and their interactions w/ each other. It has been awhile since I've read a good fantasy book. It was very hard to put it down-especially towards the end. I am very much looking forward to reading the next one!
Good book. Not quite 5 stars but I liked it a lot. Funny in some places but pretty dark in others. People are saying it's not grim like GoT, but I don't know, it gets pretty intense at the end!
it's the first of a series so I'll check out the others when they come out. I like that this story is complete by itself though, no cliffhamger endings!
it's the first of a series so I'll check out the others when they come out. I like that this story is complete by itself though, no cliffhamger endings!
First book I've read by this author and really enjoyed it. I've done a full review here -
http://croftfantasyreads.blogspot.com/20...
http://croftfantasyreads.blogspot.com/20...
I review this book on TheOpenEnd http://theopenend.com/2011/08/23/book...
Review to be found at http://sallyella.tumblr.com/post/9931...
Jun 10, 2012
Tony
marked it as to-read
Could someone please buy me a Kindle or Nook or whatever so I can finally read this book? Please? Anyone?
Apr 23, 2013
Corey
marked it as to-read
Mar 28, 2013
Nicole Del sesto
marked it as to-read
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I was born and raised in Connecticut but spent much of my adult life overseas, living in Morocco from 1995-98 and in Lahore, Pakistan from 1998-2008. Since 2008 I have been living and teaching in Honolulu. I began getting published in 2004, with The Preservationist, a retelling of the Noah story from Genesis. This was followed by Fallen, which reexamined the stories of Eve/Adam and Abel/Cain. In 2...more
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Mar 24, 2012 03:08pm