The Brass God

The Gates of the World #3

by K.M. McKinley

War is coming to Ruthnia. As ancient, inhuman powers move against one another, Rel Kressind finds himself in the company of the fabled modalmen – giants who regard themselves as the true keepers of humanity’s legacy. Far out in the blasted, magical wastelands of the Black Sands where no man of the Hundred has ever set foot before, Rel comes face to face with the modalman’s deity, the Brass God. What Rel learns in the Brass God’s broken halls will shake his understanding of reality forever.
Magic and technology combine in an epic fantasy like no other, where lost science, giant tides and jealous gods shape the fate of two worlds, and the actions of six siblings may save a universe, or damn it.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

645 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 27, 2018

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is creative, sprawling, and intricate. It is the third in its series, and if you have not read the first two then I would highly recommend reading them in order as there are many concepts that are gradually revealed and that the story will be hard to follow without.

The series takes place on a complex world with two moons and a sister planet. There are multiple plot lines that are related but that do not always intertwine in obvious ways, and the author presents them through different characters by alternating between their various viewpoints. Most of the focus is on a set of six siblings, though other major viewpoint characters are also utilized heavily. The siblings have all gone down distinct paths in life, and are therefore able to provide unique perspectives of the world and the events that are unfolding. One is an engineer/explorer, one is a high ranking government official and diplomat, one is a "Guider" whose job is to help ghosts into the afterlife, one is a soldier, one is a playwright who struggles with mental health issues, and the only female sibling becomes a businesswoman/industrialist who quickly finds herself fighting for workers' rights. Their varied paths gradually build a picture of a world that is complex and facing change and threats on multiple fronts.

Magic manifests itself in this series in several ways that are seemingly unrelated at first, however as the books unfold it becomes clear that they are interrelated and stem from a common source. One of my favorite parts of this series has been to see the magic systems develop and slowly intertwine into a cohesive set of ideas. This book includes ghosts, elf-like supernatural beings, mages who can bend reality to their will, industrially applied ritual magic, powerful creatures who are worshipped as gods, and other fantastical elements against the backdrop of a civilization facing the upheavals of an industrial revolution. At first it felt like the story is filled with a mismatched hodgepodge of fantasy ideas, but with some patience you will be able to see them come together brilliantly.

I would offer one word of caution to potential readers, and that is that with the expansive scope of these books, the pace can seem slow. Particularly, I had some trouble getting into the first book because the first few chapters felt like a firehose of introductory information with little action. Once I got past that, I was very happy that I persisted, but I could understand if some people do not make it that far. The plot also felt slow in The Brass God, with major developments for a couple of the characters but only a few incremental steps for many others. This might be inevitable given the wide scope of the plot, but I could understand if some readers became frustrated. Also, with the large variety in the characters and their adventures, it is safe to say that most people will find at least one or two characters/plot lines that they enjoy, but that very few people will love everything that this series offers. This means that readers might feel like they need to push through the less interesting (to them) chapters to get to the characters that they can't wait to hear more about.

That being said, The Gates of the World is a highly ambitious fantasy series that touches on a variety of societal and philosophical issues while providing surprises around every corner. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a challenging and thought provoking read and who is willing to put in the time to become acquainted with the characters and the universe that they exist in.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was tempted to give this a higher rating but upon reflection after slogging through 645 pages and hoping against hope for some sort of resolution or better yet that something would actually happen I find I am once again disappointed by an author who writes relatively well, particularly, (but not unexpectedly so, as form still tends to follow function when it comes to character development) with the female and even some of the alien characters developed well enough, but fails to actually deliver any resolution or closure. I know its a series but hey this is the third book and really nothing is happening other than a very few characters are killed off while the author and publisher make a few more bucks off of the gullible. The book is even misleading to a degree, for instance the title really needs to be changed to something like the ‘dreary never ending lives of a bunch of theoretically related Kressinds’ since the Brass God plays such a minor role. In fact given the dire circumstances hanging over everyone’s heads its amazing how little killing or other action scenes there are. Sort of like the writing, hate the lack of action or plot development. I can’t recommend this gibberish even if the 4th book promises to bring everything to an end one way or the other.

[Neal Syrette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This being the third book in the series, I was sort of hoping it was merely a trilogy and not some sort of ongoing series (since now I have no clue as to when the fourth, or even fifth books will come out).

None the less, it was an enjoyable read. The entire world reminds me of something out of a video game (which is probably more or less one of the intented end results of this series, or at least I can see it as being such). Comparative to other fantasy/sci fiction world building it is rather uniqe in its makeup and pieced together rather well. A declining of "magic" in the realm while there is also a good mix of technology. It seems to adapt a lot of themes rather well, (fantasy, steam punk, sci-fi) due to this being an alien world (though also called earth) where the third book sheds a little more light on overall origins. I did like the fact that it was an odd twist where the main character of the series turned out to be an entire family of siblings, which lend to a greater surface area over the planet in a smaller amount of time. You got to see the entirety of the makeup of the world (as well as conflict) from different angles/perspective, simultaneously (or by the chapter to be more precise). Though, one hundred kingdoms is a lot of perspective to cover, so there is obviously room to develope.

I would heartily recommend this series, yet to the uninitiated to the world would advice cautious approach since most concepts in this book series are a little awkward to comprehend at first (even to the veteran fantasy, sci-fi reader). The writing is good, the phrasing is coherent and even the interplay between characters regarding the differing languages of their kingdoms and their use is easily travelled. The magical creatures are a little difficult to place within your imagination in the beginning but after reading the third (after the first two), things fall into place easily enough.

I think the next book should be a good one, after everything that was built up to within this last one.

[Eva Müller]

This is not going to work out. I have forgotten too much of what happened in the previous books. Perhaps I do a re-read of the whole series one day and then give this one another try but while I did enjoy the first two books I also found them a bit unrewarding. There was so much set-up and I kept thinking "this will lead to something amazing" and I expected the something amazing to happen in the third book because...yeah I expect fantasy-trilogies which is on me. But it seems this isn't the final book after all and I honestly don't want another doorstopper of set-up that's not paying off.

[K Saju · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started off with this and it was interesting enough for me to want to read the earlier ones in the series. Good cast of characters and plot.

[Darren McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly epic

Usually a story or the world it describes only gets so big , then everything winds down to complete the book. The author here oviously knows no bounds. The characters and events are expanding and getting more complicated. If you like multiple characters and events, this series is definitely for you. Unbelievable detail is applied e to everything,but in a positive way that doesn't slow down the pacing of the story. Events are highly interesting with a detailed background for each. The characters are absolutely fantastic. Every type of personality is represented,from villians to hero. A epic story in the making, full of heart and rich in detail.

[Canaan Merchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

After packing in books 1 and 2 with a ton of mysteries we finally get to see some answered.

The writing and the world building is still spectacular and it's amazing to see where the Kressind siblings are in relation to where they started.

I thought this was the final book but it obviously isn't based on how it ends. That's simultaneously frustrating and exciting since I really do like this series.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait to find out what happens next.
Some events or meetings are a bit too convenient, the reading can be slow and there are some informationdumps but all in all a very good book. Great characters, lots of action, some politics, the writing is engaging and I enjoyed the story.

[Philippe Hyndrikx · Rating 5 out of 5]

a brilliant series with lots of cliffhangers, I hope the next part will be coming soon

[Pavlo Tverdokhlib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every four thousand years, the Earth and its dark Twin come close to each other as their orbits intersect. Each time this happened, recorded human history notes catastrophes that toppled civilizations. As the next such conjunction approaches, multiple powers plot to take advantage of the upcoming chaos as the Gates of the World awaken.

The inventor Trassan Kressind is dead. His crew is stranded in the polar southern continent, pursued by the metal creatures Draathi, who have begun their invasion from the blasted hellscapes of the Twin. Across Rithnia's Hundred Kingdoms the rest of the Kressind siblings and a host of other actors carry on their own struggles, few of them aware of the looming threat. And deep in the Glimmer Wastes, Captain Rel Kressind and Tuvacs are both travelling with the hordes of the inhuman Modalmen, who go to seek guidance of their enigmatic Brass God before the arrival of their ancient enemy...

McKinley does everyhting right with the excellent sequel to "The City of Ice". The main focus is shifted from the icy continent and the capital of Maceriya to Rel travelling along with the modalmen host, and a few other locations. The other plot threads are still addressed, but not all of them get an equal share of details and focus. Despite that, I found what we do get to be exhilarating, and it left me wanting more. McKinley delves deeper into the world's cosmology, building further on the ideas of the conflicting worlds of Will and Form, but remarkably this is done without any significant dry info-dumps, and the details are filled in fairly organically. There were a few interesting plot twists that involved characters making patently stupid decisions, but these were written in such away that they didn't irritate me--and I usually find the "tragically flawed" character trope to be extremely annoying, so I was pleasantly surprised, on multiple occasions to find myself nodding along with plot development that would normally have me mentally hurling the book at the walls in disgust. Very well done imho.

I have very little other than praise for this book. I liked the pacing; the characters, as mentioned above, were multi-layered enough for their flaws to seem organic; the world-building kept me turning the pages; the action was restrained, but well-written. And the plotting makes me want the sequel. Yesterday.

[Dob Bobalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been an action filled, tense and thrilling end to what has been a very good series. Unfortunately it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it's a great read, but I suspect this is another sad case of a great trilogy being turned into an average four or five book series, George.

To wit: Here, the author takes a majority of her characters and plots, woven into a tight pattern with a certain endgame in mind, and unpicks those threads one by one. Characters undergo change - of course an arc is desirable, but we are talking big, sudden, physical or emotional change - plots veer off into totally new, seemingly random, directions, and new characters and plots spring up from nowhere. Time will tell how well this all works, and I trust the author's skill and imagination to make itworthwhile, but there's no closure to anything here. No satisfaction for the reader. Just a feeling of, well, now I gotta wait for the next one. Which hopefully shouldn't be too long, Patrick, as the gap between this and its predecessor was only two years or thereabouts.

This one did have some good action - a fight here, an argument there, inclement weather over here - but overall it plodded a bit. Even something so simple as keeping with the same character for a few more chapters at a time would have helped because a. POV shifts can be quite taxing on a reader, and b. each POV shift is accompanied by paragraphs of tedious description and set-up. Here's an idea. You know location shots in film? When one shot provides a bunch of info; office block, night, rain, Steve arrives. Yeah, more of that, please.

All that said, I like the world and its characters, and the writing is great.

[Christian Freed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this better than book 2. The story flowed, even if felt disjointed with so many main characters being developed. One thing that continues to irk me is the almost casual disregard during the story. So many characters are developed and then wind up dead- in ever book. All in all, not a bad read and it advances the story of the war between races approaching.

[Dave Ford · Rating 2 out of 5]

As noted below Mckinley is a very good writer with lots of character development and world-building details. But... # 3 in the series stops abruptly in what one would think is a cliffhanger but it ain't so. No number 4 book followed. It's been going on 4 years now. Lots of unresolved issues left waiting for resolution.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third in a series of as yet indeterminate length, this is slightly less convoluted than its predecessors and thus a slightly better book. Each volume reads more easily and the characterization is improving. I look forward to the next.

[Sathish · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the story spirals out into larger world building, I am torn between loving the world building and looking for some resolution in at least one of the story lines.

Looking forward for the next in the series..

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Sigurgeir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just might be my complete favourite series ever.

[Jason Malkoske · Rating 4 out of 5]

sigh good series, sadly unfinished and may never be completed , hope one day the author returns and completes the rest of the books