REVIEW: The Whisper that Replaced God by Timothy Wolff
The Whisper that Replaced God novellas by Timothy Wolff are unerringly clever, poignant, dark, unhinged and all around lovable pieces. Narrated by our main character, Lord Mute, we’re introduced to a dark world but through the eyes of a “romantic” (read stalker), layered, certifiably insane, tragic, masochistic-and-sadistic psychopath.
Oh, also, he’s a prince who wields a dagger and the power of the reviled god of silence to commit assassinations at the request of his brother, the king. Also, he’s in love with a prostitute who hates his very existence.
Like I said: layered and certifiably insane.
“Prisons contain one of the sadder of truths: the quickest way to make everyone equal is to make them worthless.”
Now, before we get too into this review, a quick disclaimer: these are two novellas that I’m reviewing at the same time. The official titles are The Whisper that Replaced God and The Whisper that Replaced God II: Silent Almighty. The reason I’m reviewing both at the same time is that, in my opinion, they should be read back-to-back and treated as a singular piece. While you could read book one The Whisper That Replaced God and be satisfied with it as a stand-alone piece, Lord Mute’s tale is clearly not done at the end of book one, and Silent Almighty provides a more concrete ending.
With that out of the way … these novellas are simply fantastic. Lord Mute’s narration is sardonic, witty, and unflinching. Except for when he flinches, which is a lot, because he’s deeply traumatized. Little things will phase him while big things will have absolutely no effect. It wraps you in and makes you feel like you understand how a stalker, a psychopath, and a hurt young boy feel.
Wolff’s prose in The Whisper that Replaced God borders on purple but never fully enters the realm of pretentiousness, except for a few tongue in cheek moments that are scattered throughout the novella—including a reference to things like “PleasantReads” and other winks.
The writing itself is sublime. You could pull up any random page and find some incredible writing. For example “We don’t choose what we favor. If we did, the world would be all the more simple, and all the less beautiful. It’s all some strange amalgamation of chaos and nature.” —That’s just a random page I turned to. On a pound-for-pound, page-for-page basis, The Whisper that Replaced God operates at an elite level.
There’s an undercurrent of political and religious machinations beneath the plot that Lord Mute is simply not intelligent enough to figure out. His brother and royal family are up to some things, and the god he worships who gives him the Gift of Silence is hated for seemingly just reasons. Mute doesn’t really know why or how though. We, the audience, know something is wrong, but Mute carries on unbothered. Until it all bites him in the ass. Then he’s bothered.
“I had dared to become God, then wept as heaven became a prison of my own construct.”
Keeping everything together in The Whisper that Replaced God is the humor throughout both novellas. Sometimes it’s biting sarcasm, sometimes it’s “unintentional” in the sense that Mute doesn’t understand why it’s funny, and sometimes it’s slapstick. It’s always there though, just like the silence and disdain Mute sees in every corner of the world.
My only problems with The Whisper that Replaced God is something that stems from the length. Once again, these are novellas, and even though these pieces are jam packed with content, there’s things that most novellas can’t pull off. The ending, while cryptic and foreboding and ambiguous, leaves you wanting more. It’s a perfect appetizer, but still, an appetizer it is.
The good news is these will be supporting Requiem of Dice, book one of the series. It’s not released yet, but it’s my most anticipated book. Until then, I’ll be waiting in an uneasy, unnatural silence.
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