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Chimera #1
A God Among Thieves
For the first time in history, an empire of muskets and cannons is gaining ground in the war against living, breathing gods. Entire armies have been massacred in a conflict which, at times, seems to be absurdly worth it.
Thousands of miles away, the principality of Moqara lies on the verge of being crushed by every neighbor around them. At the center of the crisis are reports that the empire has set its sights on acquiring the oasis city at any cost, convinced that its trade lines may be the key to securing victory for the human race.
A former resident, Kes, stumbles through the Moqaran desert, barely alive, carrying a message no one wants to hear: one of the gods wants to defect to the human side. It is not known who the message is intended for, and the only person who can vouch for Kes, Lazden Dadario of the Prince's Guard, doesn't trust a word she says.
Thousands of miles away, the principality of Moqara lies on the verge of being crushed by every neighbor around them. At the center of the crisis are reports that the empire has set its sights on acquiring the oasis city at any cost, convinced that its trade lines may be the key to securing victory for the human race.
A former resident, Kes, stumbles through the Moqaran desert, barely alive, carrying a message no one wants to hear: one of the gods wants to defect to the human side. It is not known who the message is intended for, and the only person who can vouch for Kes, Lazden Dadario of the Prince's Guard, doesn't trust a word she says.
- GenresFantasy
444 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2017
23 people are currently reading
554 people want to read
About the author
Jackson Lear
19 books134 followersJackson Lear grew up around the world and has developed an accent that can sometimes be described as mostly Irish, a fair whack of English, and a hint of American. That's pretty handy for someone who lives in Australia. He considers 8am to be the middle of the night, has a habit of buying more books than he can ever read, and might have a go at being Batman if his writing career never really takes off.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 26, 2017
A ripple of skin knotted itself along the back of Andraz’s neck. For the first time in his life he was face to face with not just a god, but a ghost as well. He wasn’t sure which one should be more impossible than the other.
Every childhood story charged at him. She now knew who he was. She was picking apart his soul and judging him on behalf of the afterlife. And there was no question; he would die within a day.
For the first time in history, an empire of muskets and cannons is gaining ground in the war against living, breathing gods. Entire armies have been massacred in a conflict which, at times, seems to be absurdly worth it.
I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be a beta reader for this novel. Jackson Lear brought me back to what I love about fantasy novels. I love his world.
Every childhood story charged at him. She now knew who he was. She was picking apart his soul and judging him on behalf of the afterlife. And there was no question; he would die within a day.
For the first time in history, an empire of muskets and cannons is gaining ground in the war against living, breathing gods. Entire armies have been massacred in a conflict which, at times, seems to be absurdly worth it.
I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be a beta reader for this novel. Jackson Lear brought me back to what I love about fantasy novels. I love his world.
June 7, 2022
It's not often I find myself giving up on big books. In fact, the bigger the better, I actually find it much more satisfying to have a lot of story content to read.
But this one just didn't make it. It was all fun and excitement, until it crashed.
It wasn't so much the story, as it was the characters. A certain character in particular. Kes. I was all in for the lore, and the dialogues, and the character development, and any other character BUT her. Unfortunately, she's one of the main leads, so I had to see her almost at every turn of the page.
Kes was a disaster of a lead character. She was petty, and whiny, and she was difficult to deal with. She kept being distant, lashing out at anyone who dared to try and help or console her. She wasn't just a loner - she was a brat. She got into trouble every other page, and if she was alone, that would have been fine, but she had others in her group who got to experience crap because of her, and there was a whole nation depending on said group succeeding on their mission. The readers kept being promised that there was more to her, the trauma and the tragic past, but we never saw more than glimpses, and it was frustrating. It did nothing to alleviate my anger at her attitude, or explain why she had it in the first place.
I hoped there would be some kind of growth as the story went on, but I was disappointed to find out that, by the mark of 52% of the book, there was none. I stopped reading right when she brought those men to their inn and they had to separate. At that moment, I really felt for Lazden, because he was right: she kept dragging them in her own schemes with no consideration, but had no qualms in being bitchy when they tried to do the same. Honestly, it got tiring at that point and I had to step back and away before I threw me laptop outta the window.
I won't be reading anymore of this or the rest of the series, I don't think it's for me.
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com
But this one just didn't make it. It was all fun and excitement, until it crashed.
It wasn't so much the story, as it was the characters. A certain character in particular. Kes. I was all in for the lore, and the dialogues, and the character development, and any other character BUT her. Unfortunately, she's one of the main leads, so I had to see her almost at every turn of the page.
Kes was a disaster of a lead character. She was petty, and whiny, and she was difficult to deal with. She kept being distant, lashing out at anyone who dared to try and help or console her. She wasn't just a loner - she was a brat. She got into trouble every other page, and if she was alone, that would have been fine, but she had others in her group who got to experience crap because of her, and there was a whole nation depending on said group succeeding on their mission. The readers kept being promised that there was more to her, the trauma and the tragic past, but we never saw more than glimpses, and it was frustrating. It did nothing to alleviate my anger at her attitude, or explain why she had it in the first place.
I hoped there would be some kind of growth as the story went on, but I was disappointed to find out that, by the mark of 52% of the book, there was none. I stopped reading right when she brought those men to their inn and they had to separate. At that moment, I really felt for Lazden, because he was right: she kept dragging them in her own schemes with no consideration, but had no qualms in being bitchy when they tried to do the same. Honestly, it got tiring at that point and I had to step back and away before I threw me laptop outta the window.
I won't be reading anymore of this or the rest of the series, I don't think it's for me.
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com
September 30, 2018
A God Among Thieves had promise, but I soon found that I was reading a different book than I expected. The first line of the back-cover synopsis states: “For the first time in history, an empire of muskets and cannons is gaining ground in the war against living, breathing gods.” When I read this, I was like “sign me up.” Unfortunately, the chaotic and bloody action that I thought I was promised was not to be. The story was more of a road trip/spy caper than the violent fantasy story that I envisioned. This does not make the book “bad,” it just makes it “bad for me.” As a self-published author myself, I understand how every bit of criticism is useful. I’ll try to minimize the spoilers, but some mild ones will follow.
First, I’ll give you the dessert:
I like to read books by self-published authors with minimal reviews (I feel like I’m paying it forward and earning good karma), however, many authors skip the editing stage entirely. I’m happy to say that is NOT the case here. The book is clearly professionally edited. I look for mistakes and can only recall a single missed quotation mark. Considering the length of the book and fact that nobody’s perfect, this is great.
The use of muskets and cannons, although minimal, was a great change from the normal sword and sorcery genre. The detail in how to operate the weapons was also spot on. The author clearly knew what he was talking about. I just wish actual battles were detailed to show how a fight against gods would go down.
That being said, I found myself far more curious about the Great War that took place in the past. That was the book I thought I was getting and it has me intrigued. If the author needs a new story, take my advice and write the prequel.
Although there aren’t really any full on battles, there are a few small skirmishes involving the main characters. Many authors shy away from the heroes harming kids, but not this author. One character has to deal with the fact of shooting (and killing) a child soldier from the other side. As a soldier myself, I appreciate that these characters don’t have the luxury of the typical pure morality that many protagonists are afforded.
The actions of the characters have consequences. One character who I found very annoying gets in a situation late in the book. The other characters should just continue their mission, but they attempt to help instead. This leads to serious casualties. The blame of these casualties is also (possibly unjustified by some readers) planted on the foolish character who was helped. Normally an author would let everything be hunky dory, but not this time.
Finally, the price of the ebook is beyond generous. A $0.99 book is the type that I expect to have typos and far more clichés. This book could easily be sold for five or ten dollars. The sequel books are cheaper than the price this one is worth. Clearly the author is giving the reader a deal to drum up customers. This is a good thing. Do not be fooled by the low price, the book is professionally prepared.
Now for the veggies.
I like a lot of action in my book. Unfortunately, there are only about three fight scenes. The first one happens early on, but I was 63% through the book until I got to a second one. I thought I was getting Star Wars, but I ended up with Star Trek. A lot of people like Star Trek, so you must ask yourself whether you prefer action or dialogue. If you enjoy character building through dialogue, this is probably your book. If you want action in equal amounts to the character building, then you should pass on this one.
The surprising thing is that for all the talk of danger ahead of them, there were only about three or four times when the danger presented itself. The book takes place over many months. Two of the main characters are elite guards for a city, yet the main characters are able to just walk across the country without much interference. Either their definition of “really dangerous” is different than mine, or they were all lying to each other to get some more hazard pay. Don’t get me wrong, the few instances that were dangerous do qualify as “really dangerous,” but so was the first fight in the desert, which took place well before the main adventure began.
I mentioned how the book spans many months, but often we just get abrupt time jumps of a month. Despite being in the super dangerous “real world” we are able to transport a few weeks later without many details on what just happened. Considering how much exposition we got at the beginning before the main characters began their adventure, it feels like a lot of this could have been spread out along the trip. This would have made the time jumps stand out less.
Finally, here is some technical information.
The book is written in the 3rd person omniscient. I personally don’t have an issue with knowing what every character in the room is thinking, but some readers do. If you want a single POV character, or you want the POV to shift with the chapters, then this will be an issue for you.
There is swearing in this book. I appreciate that. I can’t take my salty veteran or my escaped slave seriously if all they ever say is “Boy, am I cross right now!” However, if offensive language puts you off, then you should know that everything including the F word is used throughout.
The book is part of a trilogy. The ending of the first clearly leads into the next. The resolution is nothing more than finishing step one of the plan. If you hate an unfinished story, either buy all three books (the price is right) or skip entirely.
I know this review is long, but I hope that the author can take my opinions and use them for his next book. When it’s all said and done, the book is well written and a good story for some people. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good story for me because it wasn’t the story I originally thought it was.
First, I’ll give you the dessert:
I like to read books by self-published authors with minimal reviews (I feel like I’m paying it forward and earning good karma), however, many authors skip the editing stage entirely. I’m happy to say that is NOT the case here. The book is clearly professionally edited. I look for mistakes and can only recall a single missed quotation mark. Considering the length of the book and fact that nobody’s perfect, this is great.
The use of muskets and cannons, although minimal, was a great change from the normal sword and sorcery genre. The detail in how to operate the weapons was also spot on. The author clearly knew what he was talking about. I just wish actual battles were detailed to show how a fight against gods would go down.
That being said, I found myself far more curious about the Great War that took place in the past. That was the book I thought I was getting and it has me intrigued. If the author needs a new story, take my advice and write the prequel.
Although there aren’t really any full on battles, there are a few small skirmishes involving the main characters. Many authors shy away from the heroes harming kids, but not this author. One character has to deal with the fact of shooting (and killing) a child soldier from the other side. As a soldier myself, I appreciate that these characters don’t have the luxury of the typical pure morality that many protagonists are afforded.
The actions of the characters have consequences. One character who I found very annoying gets in a situation late in the book. The other characters should just continue their mission, but they attempt to help instead. This leads to serious casualties. The blame of these casualties is also (possibly unjustified by some readers) planted on the foolish character who was helped. Normally an author would let everything be hunky dory, but not this time.
Finally, the price of the ebook is beyond generous. A $0.99 book is the type that I expect to have typos and far more clichés. This book could easily be sold for five or ten dollars. The sequel books are cheaper than the price this one is worth. Clearly the author is giving the reader a deal to drum up customers. This is a good thing. Do not be fooled by the low price, the book is professionally prepared.
Now for the veggies.
I like a lot of action in my book. Unfortunately, there are only about three fight scenes. The first one happens early on, but I was 63% through the book until I got to a second one. I thought I was getting Star Wars, but I ended up with Star Trek. A lot of people like Star Trek, so you must ask yourself whether you prefer action or dialogue. If you enjoy character building through dialogue, this is probably your book. If you want action in equal amounts to the character building, then you should pass on this one.
The surprising thing is that for all the talk of danger ahead of them, there were only about three or four times when the danger presented itself. The book takes place over many months. Two of the main characters are elite guards for a city, yet the main characters are able to just walk across the country without much interference. Either their definition of “really dangerous” is different than mine, or they were all lying to each other to get some more hazard pay. Don’t get me wrong, the few instances that were dangerous do qualify as “really dangerous,” but so was the first fight in the desert, which took place well before the main adventure began.
I mentioned how the book spans many months, but often we just get abrupt time jumps of a month. Despite being in the super dangerous “real world” we are able to transport a few weeks later without many details on what just happened. Considering how much exposition we got at the beginning before the main characters began their adventure, it feels like a lot of this could have been spread out along the trip. This would have made the time jumps stand out less.
Finally, here is some technical information.
The book is written in the 3rd person omniscient. I personally don’t have an issue with knowing what every character in the room is thinking, but some readers do. If you want a single POV character, or you want the POV to shift with the chapters, then this will be an issue for you.
There is swearing in this book. I appreciate that. I can’t take my salty veteran or my escaped slave seriously if all they ever say is “Boy, am I cross right now!” However, if offensive language puts you off, then you should know that everything including the F word is used throughout.
The book is part of a trilogy. The ending of the first clearly leads into the next. The resolution is nothing more than finishing step one of the plan. If you hate an unfinished story, either buy all three books (the price is right) or skip entirely.
I know this review is long, but I hope that the author can take my opinions and use them for his next book. When it’s all said and done, the book is well written and a good story for some people. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good story for me because it wasn’t the story I originally thought it was.
March 22, 2018
This is the first fantasy story I've read set in a Middle Eastern setting. It was very good! The characters were well developed and the motivations were consistent throughout the book. Imagery was clear and vivid. I recommend this one and find that I've added another series to my must-read list.
November 17, 2020
This was a great read! I can’t wait to read the next book of this series.
I really enjoyed meeting all the people/characters. They really came to life in this book.
I’m typically not a slow reader, but many life events were happening during this read. But thanks for the ride!
I really enjoyed meeting all the people/characters. They really came to life in this book.
I’m typically not a slow reader, but many life events were happening during this read. But thanks for the ride!
August 8, 2018
This book was the only real bust this month. It wasn't bad per say, I just didn't really enjoy it. Set in a world where humans have recently created muskets and cannons are now fighting (and very rarely) killing the gods that they are fighting. This entire book revolves around the idea of one of these gods wants to defect to the human's side and our band of main characters has to journey to bring her back to their city. But where this one fell flat is the characters. I didn't care for any of them. One of the main characters, Kes, is such a little brat that I couldn't stand her. So much of her history is cloaked in mystery. And so little is given out even though she continues to hurt the other characters. I'm all for characters being shitty people, but you better give me a reason. It also took me quite awhile to figure out which person was which. Some of the names are sort of similar and there wasn't really an expatiation of who the people were. You just had to figure it out along the way. But for me it took too long. I doubt I will pick up the next book.
c/o Netgalley
c/o Netgalley
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March 20, 2019Abandoned
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews