The Black God's War (Splendor and Ruin, #1) by Moses Siregar III

Sep 05, 2011 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, owned-trades

Black God's War is a story propelled by human ambition and desire for cultural dominance, and ambiguous heroes choosing paths sometimes based on misunderstanding and poor information. It's war, and military intelligence is not always what it seems.

Faith and Spirituality is a character in this story, as much as Caio, Rao and Lucia. One side, (the Rezzian) has a much more personal interaction with their pantheon of Gods; there's a lyrical scene where Caio ceremonially chooses, or is chosen by, hi...more Black God's War is a story propelled by human ambition and desire for cultural dominance, and ambiguous heroes choosing paths sometimes based on misunderstanding and poor information. It's war, and military intelligence is not always what it seems.

Faith and Spirituality is a character in this story, as much as Caio, Rao and Lucia. One side, (the Rezzian) has a much more personal interaction with their pantheon of Gods; there's a lyrical scene where Caio ceremonially chooses, or is chosen by, his patron god. In contrast, the Pawelons – a primarily non-theist nation - give lip service to the concept of personal responsibility and profess disbelief in a more personal type of mystical worship of Gods, and yet, they also display an incredibly strong “faith” in the abilities they develop through meditation. It's an adept and respectful handling of spiritual variance, and I appreciated that.

I loved the character of Lucia. She's strong, smart and interesting. As a female long-time reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy, I think I've read every permutation of overwrought, emotional and incompetent female character a man can write. Lucia is anything but incompetent, and even better, she is still emotional, but contextually so. She's passionate, a leader, and her actions have reasons. It's beautiful. She's not a stock male character rewritten to be a woman, she's the kind of intentional woman character that makes you believe that the writer is surrounded by strong, capable, intelligent women, and has taken the time to listen and learn what strengths, motivations, and ideas these qualities drop in his lap for the content of his story. I found this to be the best piece of Black God's War.

I'm torn by whether or not I wanted more fleshing out of the Gods. On the one hand, I think it's an important idea that we are driven by our own desires far more than the desires of our Deities. King Vieri wants to conquer, and he will do anything to accomplish that, even if it places him in direct conflict with the goals of his Gods. The ease at which he drowns out their direction rings true throughout the story. On the other hand, you have a Pantheon of higher beings that work as a single unit, each reflective of a different concept, with different supernatural abilities, which they can confer on their devotees. There are glimpses of a much larger story here. Why are these Beings so interested in this one protracted war? Why are they seemingly unconcerned with a whole nation that denies their existence? Why are they so incredibly powerful in battle, but with the exception of Danato, apparently so unable to directly influence any of their own people? I wanted to know this story.

That brings me to my only real complaint about the telling of this story. Even though I personally love a “wordy” story, I can't even count the number of epic-style fantasy stories I've read that were horrendously overwritten (*ahem* Jordan *cough*) sometime to the degree that I couldn't finish. Still, there is something to be said for the kind of writing that envelopes you in a world, and builds a universe in the mind. I want to feel the heat of the sand coming up through my sandals, and smell the stone and earth. I wish to see the citadel and hear the tent fabric flapping when the breeze comes up. I need to know about the sweat running down his back as he's locked in mortal combat, and the fear in his eyes, and the feel of the horses gathering up their muscles for the gods-powered burst of battle speed.

This story provides some of that, the combat scenes have a life of their own, but many of the other parts of the story feel like they were edited too closely. The soul of the story – the personal conflicts and relationships – were somewhat constrained, and left me wanting more development. Draw me a picture, I want to see it all. Maybe that's really too picky for a debut novel. Maybe I'm criticizing because I liked it so much. Maybe it just didn't otherwise feel like a debut. And yet, it's not a short novel, nearly 400 pages in the print edition, and I've started to really sour on the 700 page epic series debut. So maybe this accomplishes what a first in series should do – give me a story and a tease. It certainly does that, and whatever/whenever Splendor and Ruin, Book 2 exists, you can be sure I will be reading it.
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Aug 29, 2012 Evgeny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I really like this book. The plot is interesting, so are most of the characters. The author claims to be familiar with ancient Greek and Indian mythology, and it shows. I will have to give away some minor spoilers, but nothing that could not be seen in a first couple of pages of the book.

There is a war going on between two sides: Rezzians (think ancient Greece) and Pawelonians (think ancient India). On of the few weaknesses of the book is that the original reason for war is never revealed - or...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Mihir rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: The Black God’s War is an Indie debut that has slowly gained a multitude of reviews and heaps of praise since its release last year. The author had contacted us for a review request and I was very intrigued by its blurb to not give it a try. The book was originally released as a novella that contained the first fifteen chapters and the novella is still free for those interested in giving it a shot.

The blurb details two nations at war. The...more
Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: The Black God’s War is an Indie debut that has slowly gained a multitude of reviews and heaps of praise since its release last year. The author had contacted us for a review request and I was very intrigued by its blurb to not give it a try. The book was originally released as a novella that contained the first fifteen chapters and the novella is still free for those interested in giving it a shot.

The blurb details two nations at war. The Eastern kingdom of Rezzia is ruled by its kings and a theology that involves ten Gods. They are awaiting the birth of a special child who is prophesied and is titled “Haizzem” whose birth will herald the nation’s ascent in the war and finally lead them into victory over the western nation of Pawelon. The main story deals with the two protagonists who are the princes of each nation and who are tasked with resolving the crisis facing their nations. Rao is the Pawelonian prince who has acquired a reasonable command of his “Sadhna” or magical prowess. Caio is the Haizzem prince who has his magical powers and the blessings of the ten Gods to contend with. Lucia is Caio’s elder sister and the one person who understand the enormous pressure on him. She however has bigger problems as one of the Ten, Lord Donato the Black One seems to be hell bent on punishing her for reasons hitherto unknown. It will however be up to these three individuals to figure out their destiny and possibly save their nation.

Moses Siregar’s debut is a much nuanced one, it basically focuses on a war between two nations that are analogues for Greece and India but the actual story is focused via the individual characters. The story has many strong features beginning with its characterization; which is such a strong facet of the story that makes it that much more of an engrossing read. We get narrative threads from both sides of the field and from both major and minor characters. This gives us a fully three dimensional view into the happenings on the field of war and off it. Not only with Rao & Caio but also with Lucia and Narayani, Moses shows his versatility in showing characters from different social and marital backgrounds as well as gender. The characters are what emphatically power the story and the readers will be strongly enticed to discover what each and every one of them truly wants.

The world and back history is quite vast and makes for an intriguing read. Originally this was supposed to be the first book in a trilogy but the author has recently revealed that this is a standalone book and will serve as a prequel to the upcoming trilogy. The book perhaps takes a while to get into the meat of the story but the author wonderfully utilizes the time to build up the story via the world and its back-story. One thing that I liked a lot about the story was how the author used two of the oldest civilizations and then created dual facsimile nations that share a border and are at war for theological and political reasons. These nations have their own theology which point towards Greek & Buddhist mythological roots and this was a very cool thing to read about. Another plus point of the story is the tight focus provided by the author who narrows the narrative lens to the characters throughout the story and thereby maintains a very intimate view of the events.

The prose is another highlight of this story as not only does the author vividly describe each nation and its practices, he does it with aplomb and while he draws upon real world influences. He gives enough originality to his creations to distinguish them from the real-world counterparts. As a reader it’s always great to see something other than the pseudo-European medieval landscape and in this case, Moses hits a double whammy with his world-building skills. Lastly the story heads to a strong climax a la Kane and Abel however the end twist is something that will be hard to predict.

The story however loses some points because of its lackluster pace in the first half of the story, while the eventual plot is being set up and the characters are introduced. This setup is very reminiscent of Brandon Sanderson’s books wherein the book gains pace slowly and surely. The author also doesn't quite convincingly explain many parts about the back history of the world. Perhaps this was done purposefully as originally this book was supposed to be a part of trilogy and therefore the author would have had further unveiled the world in the future books. This partial non-disclosure however might not go down all too well with some readers. Overall however the negatives are few and are decidedly overshadowed by the positives.

CONCLUSION: Moses Siregar has written a debut that showcases talent and a desire to tell stories that are epic in scope and also incite wonderment. Give this Indie debut a try as it’s one of those that heralds the debut of a talented author, who hopefully will continue to enthrall his readers for a long, long time.(less)

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May 27, 2012 Kim Osborn rated it 5 of 5 stars

While waiting I may have to read this book again, it's a work of art, thank you for the time, imagination and effort you took on this book. I just love a book such as this that takes plenty of time to read, as I've said before I hate a short book, and love long novels. You've done yourself proud and I look forward to reading more of your works. I feel the need to add a Arendt bit more after reading some comments, this book allows you to use your imagination to fill in the areas that need fleshin...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Steve Thomas rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: indie

I spent a lot of time waffling between two and three stars as I read this book. The prologue was unfortunately the best part, and like a modern rock song, once you get past the opening riff, it settles into mediocrity. The writing style was clean and serviceable, but a little bland. The dialog wasn't great, but mostly worked well enough.

In my opinion, there were two major problems that soured me to the whole book:

First major issue:

The world needed a lot more development. I would even argue that...more I spent a lot of time waffling between two and three stars as I read this book. The prologue was unfortunately the best part, and like a modern rock song, once you get past the opening riff, it settles into mediocrity. The writing style was clean and serviceable, but a little bland. The dialog wasn't great, but mostly worked well enough.

In my opinion, there were two major problems that soured me to the whole book:

First major issue:

The world needed a lot more development. I would even argue that the setting is broken. Rezzia is a country based somewhat on ancient Greece, and serves as a stand-in for Western Civilization. Its pantheon of gods are very clearly real and active, and constantly intervene. The problem is, the divine interventions still felt arbitrary and only served to throw plot twists into the mix. I probably would have been fine with this if only the gods were better defined. In Greek mythology, the gods have actual personalities and values. They rewarded and aided people who exemplified those values, and abused those who did not. More importantly, their most common role was to punish hubris. In The Black God's War, the gods, well, don't do any of that. It's actually rather backwards in that people pick their patron god, rather than the other way around, and the gods couldn't care less what happened to their worshipers. There is one pivotal scene where a goddess out-right betrays her prime worshiper, and no convincing reason is given. In short, the gods feel like plot devices, not characters, which is a problem that just a few paragraphs of character development would have solved. The Pawelons, meanwhile, are more based on Eastern spiritualism, and are inexplicably atheist despite facing constant miracles on the battlefield. Neither culture gets the development they deserved.

The worst sin, however, is that the reasons for this war are never explained. None of the characters even seem to care. They're at war because they're at war, and they're going to stay that way until their own side wins. This means that every single action in this book is devoid of context, and without context, how can any of it have meaning?

Another issue with the setting was the level of power major characters had. The magic system is twofold. Rezzians draw power from appealing to the gods for miracles in their favor, while Pawelons tap into some unexplained psychic power source. The result is that the action is bombastic in an anime kind of way. People shrug off outrageous attacks, only to counter with something even more outrageous. The only way to win a fight, it seems, is to sucker punch someone with extreme prejudice.

Second major issue:

The plot is fueled entirely by stupidity. The character Narayami in particular could be better named the Avatar of Stupidity. She is another plot device, always showing up at exactly the wrong time to ruin other characters' goals and plans, and other characters are foolish enough to enable her. Meanwhile, the princes of Rezzia and Pawelon (Caio and Rao, respectively) both say that they're pacifists, and if they could both just stop and be civilized for five minutes, they could have resolved this war halfway through the book. But no, the gods and Narayami repeatedly conspire (more impulsively interfere than conspire in Narayami's case) to make sure that doesn't happen, and even when they aren't around to ruin it, Roa and Ciao make whatever choices they have to make to sabotage their own efforts. Meanwhile, the King of Rezzia and the Rajah of Pawelon, along with their respective military leaders, seem wholly committed to wiping out the other side, and are too prideful and stupid to see a truce as anything but a surrender. The resolution Siregar landed on was the only possible solution because the characters wouldn't accept any other one. Caio's sister, Lucia, is the most rational character in the book, but her character development is missing a crucial step, leaving her late-game actions a little hard to believe.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on this one. Everyone else seems to like it, but there were just too many issues for me to get over. With more attention to world-building, Siregar could write some very good stories, but right now, his setting is holding him back.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Nina Post rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

A lyrical, unusual, engrossing book with similarities to The Iliad. The Black God's War deserves attention, and his follow-up is a must-read for me. You can read more thorough synopses elsewhere, but one side of a war believes in gods; the other is a Buddhist-like culture that believes in karma, and the characters in conflict are fascinating and relatable. The scenes of battle are beautifully done (though his characters are the strong point) and remind me of the Punic Wars and Hannibal. Well-wri...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Lane Diamond rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Moses Siregar has crafted a compelling, epic fantasy in THE BLACK GOD'S WAR, one that will keep you engaged from start to finish. I struggled a little bit with the name-dropping in the opening segments -- lots of characters to remember quickly -- but once I got into the story, I was anxious to finish it.

That I am not a big fantasy reader, yet still wanted to tear through this book, means, I suspect, that if you're a fantasy fan, you're going to love this book.

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Jan 03, 2012 Simon Royle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: indie

It had been a while since I had read any fantasy, but I'd heard lots of good things about The Black God's War (and the cover and title made me want to get at it), so when I got some time over the Christmas holidays I dived in.
This is a BIG book, truly deserving of the EPIC description. King's, Prince's, Princesses and the Gods that are aligned with them, are the characters, with a supporting cast of soldiers, whores and the masses. All set in a conflict which has been dragging on for decades in...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Darren Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good quick paced read. You learn enough about the characters to maintain your interest, but it is not overly done. The story is interesting and follows a simple plot. In many books it would not be enough, but here it is done well and the reader is left feeling they know enough to be part of the story without having to know everything that is happening across the world, a fine balance most authors fail to find. After reading the 1100 some odd pages I wanted more and went searching for the secon...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This is a story about the tangled web of politics, religion, spirituality, fate and love, set against a backdrop of two ever-warring nations.

One nation, Pawelon, is ruled by rationality, the power of the mind over the body and karmic retribution. The other, Rezzia, is devoted to their ten gods, the Lux Lucis, to whom every citizen has chosen their own patron. The story follows a Princess and her younger brother, a prince born with markings that label him a savior of their people, someone who wi...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Greg Hamerton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A memorable modern fantasy in a classically ancient world, of the burden of great power, the emotional chasms of war and the love that might bridge the divide.

Siregar designed his own cover and it clearly displays his creative talent. You can instantly see what you are getting: a carefully crafted and appealing work about a beautiful girl who is partly shadowed by her classic armour. It promises battles, heroes and love, with the mood of an ancient Greek epic ... and it delivers!

It has a strong...more A memorable modern fantasy in a classically ancient world, of the burden of great power, the emotional chasms of war and the love that might bridge the divide.

Siregar designed his own cover and it clearly displays his creative talent. You can instantly see what you are getting: a carefully crafted and appealing work about a beautiful girl who is partly shadowed by her classic armour. It promises battles, heroes and love, with the mood of an ancient Greek epic ... and it delivers!

It has a strong plot, clear character development and a confident youthful tone. If you want to wield godlike powers against formidable foes yet feel very human, then The Black God’s War is a fine example of indie fantasy that explores classic territory in a new way and blends epic with emotion.

In keeping with the style of the Iliad, there’s an ongoing swords-and-sandals battle, sometimes offstage, that spans most of the book. The action is focused on one citadel and doesn’t really escalate to the scale of a war, but this prevents bloodshed from overwhelming the story. The battles are used more as a setting for the lead characters to have encounters and develop ideas about each other.

Instead we move swiftly towards, then in and out of the front line, learning things from the perspective of the main characters. Although the magic of the gods and those in their thrall strays into mythical territory without much science to convince the sceptics, this is in keeping with the Homeric mythology, where ten gods would perhaps seem economical and their restrained behaviour rather more modern than divine.

The empathy with which we are shown the three main characters allows us to be drawn along in the flow of the narrative. True to the legend that inspired it, the world feels like ancient Greece at war with ancient India, with plenty of clashing swords, bitter kings, discontent royal children and interfering gods. However with Siregar’s modern version we get better character development, enlightening first-person-perspectives and sensitively scribed sex.

For me, an outstanding aspect of the writing was the depiction of the intimidating, hardened veterans whose hatred has kept the neighbouring lands locked in a seemingly eternal war, and the fact that the reason for the war has been forgotten (as with many prolonged wars throughout history, the war continues on the momentum of racial hatred guided by stubborn egotistical rulers). The psychic warfare becomes more interesting as the story develops but perhaps offers too much power with too little explanation. The metaphysical elements, if a bit illogical, allow for an exploration of the relationship between humankind and its gods. The gods seemed somewhat undeveloped and appeared to interfere only occasionally, but for simplicity, keeping them in the background is probably wise.

[spoiler alert] -----

There are few flaws, of more interest to writers than readers, and impossible to discuss without revealing crucial plot elements. The cover is perfect, but it defines the lead character so clearly that I had a double-take every time Lucia’s hair colour was defined otherwise in the text. Vermilion? Is that necessary? It clashed with the expectations of classic beauty set up by cover, and seemed to be more suited to an anime series, an influence which surfaces again in combat scenes.

The messianic prince Ciao is well developed and admirable, but he loses credibility when the author attempts to shoehorn his choices into the pattern of the Iliad. If you write Achilles to be someone other, then his choices will reflect his own character. Achilles was propelled by vainglorious wrath. When Ciao wants revenge this is laid upon his deep intrinsic compassion and peace-loving nature, so his behaviour doesn’t ring true at times. It’s perhaps a good idea to use an existing legend only as a starting point, and to allow your unique characters to lead the story along new paths, to a completely different and truer end. This is a continued problem for any author when trying to follow a plot as character motivations drive them in a divergent direction.

[end spoiler ] -----

It could do with a polish to smoothen out the occasional copy-editing slips and inappropriate adjectives. These editorial suggestions are minor, on the whole the story is an engaging narrative that weaves together various storylines in well-balanced imagined world, with a steady progression of events that lead to a smashing climax.
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Sep 07, 2012 Richard rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Written in a very simplistic style, this book was easy to put down. The story line is very confused. Adjectives often appear inappropriate and incongruous. One could imagine that the author laid down the story line using very simple sentences with nouns and verbs. Then, realizing that additional words were needed, a computer program was used to select from lists of adjectives and adverbs to "flesh out" the story. The result is that the book appears to have been written by a very inexperienced wr...more Written in a very simplistic style, this book was easy to put down. The story line is very confused. Adjectives often appear inappropriate and incongruous. One could imagine that the author laid down the story line using very simple sentences with nouns and verbs. Then, realizing that additional words were needed, a computer program was used to select from lists of adjectives and adverbs to "flesh out" the story. The result is that the book appears to have been written by a very inexperienced writer.

On page #376 of the book, the author asserts that "The sun sank too quickly toward the northern horizon." Then, on page #891 the books states that "The sun rise in the north created long shadows behind the little hills and shrubs ..." It seems that, in this strange world created by the author, the sun both rises, and sets, in the north. How does that comport with our understanding of Physics?

Weird similes abound, such as this one on page #574: "His mind had been like a monkey stung by bees since the tragedy two nights ago." Or this one on page #280: "The branches were razor-sharp, curling around in wild circles like an assassin spinning with curved swords." On page #651, the author asserts that "Rao felt a wholesome and cool sensation in his mind, like minty, sweet milk."

Not content with inappropriate adjectives and similes, the author also offers comic book-like sound effects. On page #294 he presents a magical explosion with the word "BOOM!"

This incomprehensible sentence can be found on page #323: "Steaming air pressed against Rao's cheeks, adding palpable sensation to the weight of leading men to face the storm."

On page #340, the sentences: "Their prince is here with us. I feel his presence. It's evil. It's him." are duplicated on the page in two different places. This appears to have been intentional, but it is confusing.

On page #505, one of the characters thinks: "Rao's out of that neurotic hellbox, away from Narayani ..." leaving us to wonder how a character in such an ancient setting could possibly know about neuroses, and what it might mean for a "hellbox" to be "neurotic."

On page #513, the author has one of the characters tell his associate that he must keep a secret "because you know I'd have to kill you." This 20th Century American idiom seemed completely out of place in the setting of the story.

On page #514, the author tells us that "A warm round of contagious laughter bubbled up from Aayu's chest." I'm still struggling with that image.

On page #520 "The goddess halted and watched the three speed along the desert trail." On the very next page, however, "... the horses made it through the sparse forest ..." It appears that the desert magically transformed into a forest.

On page #638, the chapter title appears as "Chapter 58: Silent Misunder-" Misunder- what? Clearly, the editing was deficient for this book. There were more editing errors than one should expect from a full-length novel.

This author needs to master the English language before undertaking another book. He also needs to spend more time on preparation, using solidly-structured sentences to present his story. Parsimony is not, necessarily, a vice when writing good fiction. Unless, of course, this is a simplistic and direct translation of a story originally written in a different language, which seems unlikely. It is difficult to explain, however, the inclusion of so very many inappropriate and unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, and the inappropriateness of the many odd similes. (less)

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Apr 11, 2012 Melinda Le Baron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy

This book is a very interesting juxtaposition of Eastern and Western religion battling to rule their part of a fantasy world. The Western religion like Greek or Roman mythology has a pantheon of male and female gods and goddesses that rule over every facet of life. The Eastern religion is much more cerebral, with meditation and mantras, other planes of existence, out of body experiences and spirit traveling. The two couldn't be more different. They've been fighting for over a generation and now...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Ryan Lawler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first come across The Black God’s War back in April of this year. It was a free to download novella, a 15 chapter excerpt from the novel of the same name due to be released in August of this year. I was very impressed with the novella (see my review here) and as Moses can probably tell you I had been waiting impatiently for him to hurry up and release the completed novel. Now that I have finished reading the full release, I can say that The Black God’s War easily eclipses my already high expec...more I first come across The Black God’s War back in April of this year. It was a free to download novella, a 15 chapter excerpt from the novel of the same name due to be released in August of this year. I was very impressed with the novella (see my review here) and as Moses can probably tell you I had been waiting impatiently for him to hurry up and release the completed novel. Now that I have finished reading the full release, I can say that The Black God’s War easily eclipses my already high expectations, and I am now impatiently pestering Moses to hurry up and write book two.

The Black God’s War is a familiar story set in a familiar world. We are introduced to the tale of two nations, locked in a seemingly unending war have forgotten the reasons for why they are still fighting, and now that their young and powerful heroes have come of age the end of the war is finally within sight. At the same time we are introduced to a world with an amazing breadth and depth of history, religion and culture, a world that has taken much influence from our own world to create something that feels both familiar and alien at the same time. This familiarity upfront is a good move and Siregar uses it to ease you into the story, drawing you right in and allowing you to explore and become comfortable with two immensely rich cultures until reach the end of the first stanza, at which point the carpet is pulled out from under your feet and you are sent rocketing through the story at breakneck speed. The classic sucker punch – I saw it coming at the last minute, I was not ready for it, and I did not expect to be hit so powerfully by it. And the punches keep coming, the twists and turns keeping you on the edge of you seat right up until the conclusion, and when you turn that last page you can finally take a breath and wonder whether or not that really just happened. When I look back on it, I wonder whether or not Siregar was trying to do too much with the story. There was so much going on, so many characters in motion, so many little twists and turns that it can at times become overwhelming. It is a quality that I really like in a book, but one that can be an issue for readers who do not like to be overwhelmed.

While the story and its events may be lacking in subtlety, the characters have been more carefully crafted with the layers upon layers of complex emotions and relationships providing balance to the story. Siregar, taking a lot of influence from classic Greek poems, has decided to give us two sympathetic heroes in Caio and Rao – one from each side of the war (think Achilles and Hector). Both are spiritual leaders of their own religions, both have immense powers, both are quite spiritually enlightened when compared to their military counterparts, and both want the war to end but can see no way for it to happen unless one defeats the other. They only meet once or twice, they speak very few words to each other, but their relationship is by far the most frustrating yet rewarding one in the entire book. I was physically vocal while reading this book, shouting at both men that they could solve the worlds problems if they would just sit down and talk to each other. Both Caio and Rao are ably supported by friends and relatives whose own stories are so complex that any of them could easily take over as protagonists and you would not feel cheated. All these characters are so diverse, all share the same goal, but are all so stubborn in their beliefs that it is only through severe adversity that they come to sympathise with each other, even though we the readers are sympathising with all characters and sharing all of their emotions from the very start of the book.

The Black God’s War is an exploration of the nature of duality in every facet of life. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the magic provided by the gods of Rezzia complements the abilities achieved through meditation by the Pawelons, karma must be satisfied. Siregar is a scholar in religious studies and The Black God’s War is something of a case study into the nature of spirituality, using elements from many of our own religions as foundations for both the Pawelon and Rezzian religions. Something that was completely unexpected was the way that some of the concepts explored really challenged me and my own spiritual beliefs. I’m not a particularly spiritual person but much of the dialogue in this story really resonated with my way of thinking, and challenged me to expand the scope of how I define the world. What made this challenge work for me was that it came without being "preachy", rather it was a side affect that came from the exploration of what happens when you throw two religions at each other head first. I enjoyed the challenge and I hope that Siregar can continue to weave similar challenges into his future story telling.

When it comes to writing style, Siregar is very fluid. His pacing is a bit slow to start with while he introduces us to the world and culture, but it is very consistent and that makes the book easy to read. When he shifts gears at the end of the first stanza, he does so without you even realising – you go from a couple of a chapters a sitting to three, four, ten chapters a sitting and before you know it the book is finished. The dialogue is solid, the witty banter between characters and thought provoking conversations with gods balance each other nicely. Given the quality of the writing, you would not know that this is Siregar’s first novel and he set the bar quite high for any other indie authors who wish to follow.

I enjoyed this book, immensely. It had style, it had substance, and it had a lot of heart. For an independently self published novel, Siregar easily defies the stigma that you can only get a quality book out of a recognised publishing house. From the cover art he designed himself through to the words put down on paper (or e-paper for e-book readers), Siregar has produced a full package of the highest quality and I will definitely be going back for more.(less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Livia Blackburne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mr. Siregar writes a compelling epic fantasy about two very different nations at war and the people leading them. The dramatic storyline drew me in immediately, and Siregar's world building is fantastic . We step into the heads of characters on both sides of the conflict -- the Rezzians (reminiscent of ancient Greece) with their pantheon of Gods, and the Pawelons, who trust in karma. Some of the best moments in the novel are the haunting scenes of the Rezzian gods as they walk invisible amongst...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Sven Nomadsson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Note: Copied from my blog -

Moses Siregar III is one of those few independent published authors making a successful go of the new realm of publishing, and his novel The Black God’s War is a superb initial offering. Not only is it formatted well but it is an excellently written work that walks that fine line between literature and fantasy.

Created as a homage to Homer’s Illiad the novel is unlike any other piece of fantasy literature I have read to date. Not concerned with the standard tropes of...more *Note: Copied from my blog -

Moses Siregar III is one of those few independent published authors making a successful go of the new realm of publishing, and his novel The Black God’s War is a superb initial offering. Not only is it formatted well but it is an excellently written work that walks that fine line between literature and fantasy.

Created as a homage to Homer’s Illiad the novel is unlike any other piece of fantasy literature I have read to date. Not concerned with the standard tropes of the genre the story, much like the Illiad focuses on one war within one small region between two countries. It is not epic in its scale nor is everything threatened by the developments within – the only consequences of the characters’ actions is that the war in which they are engaged will continue.

So often too are the gods and other forms of magic such a distant element but Moses Siregar has decided to do differently. Like the original Greek story the gods, themselves, play a part and are characters of some importance. The interactions between the mortals and immortals plays a decisive in the development of the stories and really sets it apart from others in the same genre.

The fact that religion is inherent to the story is a nice change from so much that can be found today. The magic system for one of the countries is intimately tied in with their religions, the gods and the prayers of the people where as the opposing force is more meditation centric. But all of that has been explained not just by Moses on numerous podcasts and blogs.

What really got me and kept me thinking about the novel long after putting it down for the night was one of the characters. She’s a minor character but still an essential element to the story. Her behavior and the way she interacted with others I found so annoying and obnoxious that I have to concede that she is in fact supremely well written. Part of me almost wants to argue that she is in fact the main character and the one person on which everything is hinged as it’s her behavior that drives the twists and turns of the story. Simply because her own selfish, childishness and desires push her into situations that force the others to act.

It’s rare that I come across a book with such a character and they do tend to be female – the last of which was I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe a book that to date I still think about and want to find someone else who has read it so I can actually discuss it. I have that same feeling about this novel and so I have to commend Moses for creating something that will pester me for years to come.

At under 450 pages the novel is of an excellent length and does stand alone quite well, even though it is set to be part of a series – what the future books hold will be interesting and something I look forward to. So if you want a fantasy story that verges into the realm of the ancient classics and without elves, dwarves or any other such things then I heartily recommend The Black God’s War by Moses Siregar III. (less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Donna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, fantasy

This wasn't a bad book but it just never clicked for me. The idea of the gods influencing the lives of mortals is an old one of course and there's nothing wrong with that but there wasn't enough of a fresh twist on the idea for me.

The Black God tortures the psyche of Lucia and we wonder why. I was as frustrated as Lucia was in her final confrontation with the Black God as she struggles to understand why she has to suffer for someone else's sins and is told that's just the way it is and there are...more

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Nov 30, 2011 A.E. Marling rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I met Moses on authonomy.com, where I was known for my pitch workshops, he for his helpful first first-five-pages clinics. Not only is the opening to the Black God's War breathtaking, with Spartan prose and wracking tension, but I also recognized improvements made by the author in later sections as well. Moses is a writer who cares about perfecting his craft, about innovating on the sentence and plot levels. He is not content with rehashing trite story elements, and the result is a book full of...more I met Moses on authonomy.com, where I was known for my pitch workshops, he for his helpful first first-five-pages clinics. Not only is the opening to the Black God's War breathtaking, with Spartan prose and wracking tension, but I also recognized improvements made by the author in later sections as well. Moses is a writer who cares about perfecting his craft, about innovating on the sentence and plot levels. He is not content with rehashing trite story elements, and the result is a book full of surprises. A man you think is an assassin turns out to be simply accosting the young messiah for healing. The boy destined to rule the battlefield would rather set up a hospital. His sister may be the true war hero, and she is constantly tormented by the god of the underworld, who wishes her to strive for her full bloody potential.

Speaking of the underworld, this book is a tribute to the Iliad, or rather, this book is what you would hope and expect the Iliad to be. The actual Iliad can be summed up in two sentences: "Achilles throws a hissy fit, pouts, sulks, then comes to and kills a few thousand people. Also something about a city." Sprinkle in a few dozen "Zeus, who loves the lightning," and you have the definition of an epic disappointment.

The Black God's War delivers on a titanic struggle during a siege, gods pitted against willpower and magic. The battles are fireworks of words, dramatic and engaging, visceral in expression. I relished the descriptions of clouds behaving violently, one slumping downward like a slouching belly. "The sky breathed with wild contractions, moving lower and lower to the ground."

The conflict also has nuance. Both sides are at fault, and to a degree sympathetic. The combatants feel locked in a war, with uncertain gain, fearing to lose honor but wishing to escape the bloodshed and search for greater meaning. The Haizzem has great destructive power, but he risks himself to save an enemy soldier's life after gaining insight into his humanity.

Yes, you will want to read the Black God's War, as well as keep an eye open for all of Moses' future works.(less)

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Aug 29, 2011 Ron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Remember when I reviewed The Black God’s War – a novella? Remember how I said it was an elegant, great tale and I’d be looking forward to the whole novel? Well, finally, I got my hands on it.

And I couldn’t let it go.

Most of what I said about quality holds in this stand alone novel, but on a different level altogether. For example, characters were deep, well developed and had a purpose, a reason to act as they did beyond “fulfilling the plot”. But after reading the first instalment of Splendour a...more Remember when I reviewed The Black God’s War – a novella? Remember how I said it was an elegant, great tale and I’d be looking forward to the whole novel? Well, finally, I got my hands on it.

And I couldn’t let it go.

Most of what I said about quality holds in this stand alone novel, but on a different level altogether. For example, characters were deep, well developed and had a purpose, a reason to act as they did beyond “fulfilling the plot”. But after reading the first instalment of Splendour and Ruin, I feel they are more than just three-dimensional characters. They are human. They change and evolve and mature in reaction to the plot, and they take believable action. Because of this, we have a hard time deciding who’s evil and who’s the good guy: in fact, by the time the book was done, I had switched sides about four times! Why? Because there’s no conflict for conflict’s sake: there’s people who is trying to do the best they can, and whose goals happen to collide. Fantasy is leaning towards this view as of late, perhaps, but it’s still rare to see an author who can make us feel for both sides with equal sympathy.

That is not to say I didn’t have a favorite character, or a character whose death I’d not regret (or, more accurately, would plot for) but I could understand them even when I screamed for them not to do something. And that’s another great point: when the plot took a nasty turn or my favourite character... didn’t have much going for him, I’d not wonder, “Why did you have to do this, Mr Siregar?” but “Damned, stupid war!”. It was that kind of real, if that’s the right word for an outstanding fantasy.

While characters are fundamental, the story was fast-paced and action-filled, with short respites and ever-building tension. As I commented before, Moses Siregar III is touching some very thought-provoking themes in his book but he’s not forceful about imparting a message: he allows the story to move forward, weaving it with threads of the reality of war, of fanatism, of what it takes to break one’s innocence, of how far one would go for revenge, or (my favorite) whether love comes before doing the right thing. And then, you can choose to see those threads and to follow them on your own, or to just admire the tapestry (which is one hell of a masterpiece, if I may say so). I particularly loved this aspect, and I’d probably enjoy just pointing out different thoughts and aspects I picked up or I ended up reflecting upon, but I think it’s better if you pick up the book yourself and let it talk to you. I’m sure it’ll tell you something different from what I learned.

Now, to indulge my inner geek, a side comment on references. Remember when I said that chapter titles and flow, as well as the gods, reminded me a bit of classic literature? Well, after writing that review I went and listened to this interview, and I learned that Moses Siregar loves the Illiad (almost as much as I do, apparently) and had actually planted small homage-like references in his book. If you don’t like Homer this won’t sway you one bit (though I don’t know why you’d not like him), but if you do, it was a pleasure to read and try to find those bits and pieces, and wonder whether this scene might refer to that other scene, and so on and so forth.

Okay, now that I said that and I’m happy, I can say in short that I, obviously, recommend reading this book. There’s not a single thing I’d change about it (except, perhaps, I’d have liked the part of Caio’s romance to take a bit longer). The editing is very good and you won’t find bothersome mistakes or typos. The style flows and is well paced, catering to action and development.

And it should make you grow as a person or, at least, think.

So, what are you waiting for? (less)

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Aug 04, 2011 D.P. Prior rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review is for the full-length novel; I reviewed the novella last year, but since then, Moses Siregar has completed the novel and polished this refreshing new fantasy to a very satisfying degree.

I should note that I provided some editorial support on this book in the early stages of redrafting, but since then the author has rewritten extensively under the guidance of two more editors. The book I am now reviewing barely resembles the drafts I was asked to comment on, and I am, to say the leas...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Robert Duperre rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

(Reviewer’s note: I received this book as an ARC from the author)

Spirituality and religion. These words have been the salvation and bane of human existence since we first formed coherent thought. From the tribal convictions of the earliest African nations to the ancient Greeks to the world as we know it today, we have celebrated them together, found solace through their teachings, fought and killed each other over their differences.

What Moses Siregar has sought to do in The B...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Ala rated it 4 of 5 stars

What if you had a Death God visiting you almost nightly since you were a child? Now add in a father who barely acknowledges your existence and a little brother who happens to be near divinity and a savior to your people as well. How screwed up would that make you? Talk about a rough upbringing.

This is Lucia's life as the daughter of the King of Rezzia. A devout and religious people who worship a pantheon of Gods that actually answer their prayers. Sometimes, at least, and not always in ways tha...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Biiku rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

A really loose interpretation of Greek myths, tho perhaps Greek ideals and themes is a better word choice. A re-imagining of Greek thoughts between city states maybe.
But the myths, or themes, or ideals, aren't the point. Just a medium to tell a day-in-the-life-of kind of story centering around spiritual leaders. And each leader is a slightly different explanation or definition of spirituality and religion.
Since gods do exist and miracles do happen in Sigegar's world, here's three ways to see the...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Cheryl M-M rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hmmm this is a hard one to pin down. Let me start with what I liked.
The author has quite obviously got a flare and talent for the fantasy genre. He has created memorable characters and plots which are set in intricately woven scenarios.
He is astute at casting out the fishing line and drawing the reader in with just the right amount of bait. The book is a full of beautiful prose and creative meanderings.
However that is exactly the problem. Those wonderfully crafted words hide very little story. T...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Daniel Gizzi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book overall was an OK read and I am not entirely upset to have taken the time to read it. However, it had some serious problems that could have made it a great book. First of all, the book is entirely focused on a war between 2 nations and the involvement of one nation's gods. We are never given any background as to why each people hate the other except that one believes in the gods and the other does not. While that can be a definite reason for war as demonstrated in our world, I still wou...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Doskoi_panda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook

Moses Siregar III's "The Black God's War" is an unusual fantasy novel - utilizing mostly non-western names in a story of a long two sided war reminiscent of tales of wars in Greek or Persian classics. The gods take an active part in the novel, albeit mostly silently, supporting the (apparently*)aggressive Rezzians. The other side (Pawelon), who appear to be defenders in the war, rely not on gods but instead on a sort of magic, not dissimilar to some of the purported powers of yogis or mystics (t...more Moses Siregar III's "The Black God's War" is an unusual fantasy novel - utilizing mostly non-western names in a story of a long two sided war reminiscent of tales of wars in Greek or Persian classics. The gods take an active part in the novel, albeit mostly silently, supporting the (apparently*)aggressive Rezzians. The other side (Pawelon), who appear to be defenders in the war, rely not on gods but instead on a sort of magic, not dissimilar to some of the purported powers of yogis or mystics (though with magnified effects.) The novel focuses on the children of each kingdom's ruler and their closest friends, and their struggles to end the war favorably for their respective people.

My main problem with the novel is that it relies heavily on the reader gleaning information/inferring about the religion and culture - I found it difficult to understand or care for characters so heavily armored in a religion whose pantheon is presented only in terms of "x, the god/goddess of y" without the mythology or story to understand them. As a result, for me, Lucia was not really a strong character; she was made too remote through the lack of cultural understanding, and rendered weak by her reliance on external aids (gods, people). I felt much more in tune with the Pawelonians as they felt so much more real and human, despite their abilities.

The author mentions that he has a love of the grand anime space opera, Robotech, and in many ways he's acheived writing one himself**; it will be interesting to see where the rest of the story goes.

3.5 stars, 4 if a whole star system.

*It's never made clear what started the war. I guessed that, because the Rezzians are crossing a desert to attack, and because the Pawelonians refer to defending their walls/cities, Rezzians would be most likely to be the aggressors.
**Weirdly, I kept thinking of the Arslan Senki series (Heroic Legend of Arslan) when reading this - not for the story, but for some of the battle elements, and the use of sages/mystics.

This review refers to the ebook edition, and was supplied to me by the author as part of LibraryThing's Member Giveaway program.(less)

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Jun 18, 2012 Flora Bateman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I did really enjoy this book and I might even stretch it up to 4.5 stars. I had only a couple of minor issues but over all it was a good one, even tho it was a bit long.

This story seems drawn on Homer's Illiad. There is a great war and a pantheon of gods that took part. However, its not really clear for the reason behind the war. With the Illiad it was because of Helen of Troy with Rezzia and Powelon its not so clear. There were four characters that countered each other: Ciao and Lucia were Rez...more I did really enjoy this book and I might even stretch it up to 4.5 stars. I had only a couple of minor issues but over all it was a good one, even tho it was a bit long.

This story seems drawn on Homer's Illiad. There is a great war and a pantheon of gods that took part. However, its not really clear for the reason behind the war. With the Illiad it was because of Helen of Troy with Rezzia and Powelon its not so clear. There were four characters that countered each other: Ciao and Lucia were Rezzian brother and sister and they countered Prince Rao and Narayami. Ciao was the boy born to be the war priest and healer and in the begining he only wanted peace and to end the war. As the war progressed it seemed to twist his mind and he seemed to believe that this war was the will of the gods. Lucia was definitely a strong female character. She was also born to be a spiritual healer but kept this gift from the gods a secret out of respect for her brother. She was very strong and independent and fought alongside the soldiers. She was a definite leader and someone to be respected and a natural leader. Prince Rao was also strong in spirit and also desired peace but his father pushed him to be strong and to believe they were doing right by the war instead of trying to find a way to end it. It seems like in any book there is one character that will get on your nerves, Narayami is just such a character. She is beautiful and spoiled and seems like she feels like no one loves her quite enough. She wants someone to stay right there with her 24/7 and just be with her. And when they don't she goes out of her way to get in the middle of things that she has no business in.

The cultures of these two countries seem to be very different. Rezzia is very religous based and the people are very intertwined with their dieties. Powelon is based more on Karma and doesn't believe in gods but they have developed powers within themselves. Both are formidable adversaries. The Rezzians are the aggressors in this war, wanting to impose their religion on thte Powelons. They feel like they would be improving the lives of the Powelons even tho they are happy with the way things are.

The ending kinda surprised me. Not that it was a bad ending, I just expected it to end differently. I won't risk a spoiler by expanding on that just wanted to say it was not what I expected.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I look forward to the next one in this series. I would recommend this especially to anyone who enjoyed the Illiad or who enjoys fantasy.(less)

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Mar 02, 2012 Adrian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I came across this book, and Moses Siregar III, utterly by chance via twitter, and after a quick bit of research I decided to give it a try on my kindle.

And i am glad i did, i found it to be an enjoyable story with some interesting ideas on the common fantasy themes of magic, divinity, politics, and bloody conflict between nations.

Being given the opportunity to see the story from both sides with equal measure, and seeing the mis-understandings, heresay, and political machinations that have driv...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Nicole Trainor rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regretted-reading

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 26, 2011 Spencer Pranger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those books that is difficult to write a review about for many parts. There were absolutely moments of genius involved with the book, but then there were things that made me shake my head. I really was a fan of how fast the pacing was of the book, it didn't seem to go slow or drag for long periods of time. I really enjoyed the concept of deities mingling with their human counterparts which lead to the intrigue of the book. The magic system seemed to be there and exist but lacked d...more

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