Plutocracy of the Gods (The Sendyne Empire, #3) in Review / Write / Read Club (Indie & Self-Published)

Apr 24, 2023 P.L. Tavormina rated it really liked it

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

I puzzled my way through this novel. It is the second by this author I have read, and frankly, I have similar (but not identical) concerns as before: An overly ambitious plot with too many moving pieces for most readers (at least those I know) to immerse themselves within. And a preponderance of male characters in positions of power. I’m simply not the audience for a book like this.

As a piece of data, the average fantasy novel has between twenty and thirty speaking cha 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

I puzzled my way through this novel. It is the second by this author I have read, and frankly, I have similar (but not identical) concerns as before: An overly ambitious plot with too many moving pieces for most readers (at least those I know) to immerse themselves within. And a preponderance of male characters in positions of power. I’m simply not the audience for a book like this.

As a piece of data, the average fantasy novel has between twenty and thirty speaking characters. Some fantasy novels have as few as seven speaking characters, many are closer to thirty or forty. "Lord of the Rings" has seventy-six. (I'm not the audience for LOTR either.) This book has seventy-three.

If that number does not concern you—if that number excites you—this is the book for you. The story relies on time-honored fantasy tropes of battle and political intrigue, multiple factions vying for dominance, “magic” and espionage. You might be looking for that.

I appreciate that one or two of the female characters existed with their own self-directed agency. I’d encourage the author to dig deeper.

Somewhere in recent years, too, I came to dislike an over-reliance on ALL CAPS in stories, and on exclamation points. The author uses both more than is currently advised (styles do change though, so who knows what’s around the corner), and he also appears to have published with numerous line errors creeping through. For a novel that introduces so many characters and plot lines, it’s even more important to give the reader as smooth a read as possible. I also note that this is the third novel release by this author since October of last year. It’s OK to slow down a bit.

Nevertheless, the vision driving the story is breathtaking in scope. My hat is off to the sheer number of balls the author keeps in the air. The overall balance of narrative, dialog, and action is good. The story ties into a broader “world” which is great.

I applaud the blood, sweat and tears that went into this story. ...more

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May 18, 2023 Stella Brennan rated it really liked it

Action-packed fantasy thriller!

Plutocracy of the Gods – the third book in the Sendyne Empire Trilogy – is an action-packed fantasy thriller that does not disappoint. Power, control and greed threaten civilisations across the lands, but who will prevail?

Seth Hobbs’s unique writing style aligns with genre conventions, and effortlessly combines phrases and humour to create an entertaining read. World-building is a stand out feature which immerses readers within the imaginary world. These vivid des ...more

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Dec 07, 2023 P.J. Ashton rated it really liked it

Shelves: epic-fantasy, high-fantasy

Plutocracy of the Gods is the third book I have read from Seth Hobbs, and I really enjoyed reading it. The book is a fast paced page turner. It is filled with exciting battles that are well written. One of the things I enjoy most about Seth's books is the world. The author has a fantastic imagination. The world and story is ambitious in scope and it is clear that Seth Hobbs has taken a lot of time to develop it.

The battle scenes and acts of violence committed are strong points, suitably gory in ...more

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Jun 20, 2023 Ann Birdgenaw rated it really liked it

Plutocracy of the Gods by Seth Hobbs is the 3rd book in the epic fantasy trilogy Sendyne Empire. Since I didn’t read the first 2 in the series I was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters and plot points converging at the beginning. This very ambitious storyline mashes politics, suspense and scifi with dark fantasy on a “Star Wars” level. The evil Udo and his Vannunkye demons vie for control of the state against a large assembly of factions. Greed and intrigue drive the non-stop plot. The autho ...more

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Apr 18, 2023 Loralee rated it liked it

The concept behind this story is extremely creative, and the world building was well done. The map at the beginning of the story was a good addition to give a visual of the world.
Many of the names, while creative, were a bit hard to pronounce. And the writing was awkward. I noticed a lot of passive sentences that would have been stronger, in my opinion, if they had been written as active. And, despite the rich potential of the story itself, I had a hard time getting a picture in my head. There w ...more

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Mar 10, 2023 Seth Hobbs rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

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