From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

The Rifter Book One: The Shattered Gates (Rifter #1-3)

Ginn Hale

Start date: December 1, 2013

Finish date: December 31, 2013

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Dec 12, 2014 Jordan Lombard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-favorites, a-own, g-romance-m-m, g-fantasy, a-own-print, z-2015-challenge-jan-reread, y-2015read, bpl-staff-pick, a-when-i-must-clean-out, y-2023reads

The fate of an entire world rests in the hands of an ecology grad student as the Payshmura church searches for the god incarnate, known as the Rifter, in order to destroy those who would oppose them. The Rifter series is a portal fantasy with a complex nonlinear timeline and plot including a corrupt church, revolutionaries, warrior priests, witches, assassins, oracles, mystics, blood and bone magic, supernatural gifts, and queer love.

This was a reread of an old favorite with superb world-buildi The fate of an entire world rests in the hands of an ecology grad student as the Payshmura church searches for the god incarnate, known as the Rifter, in order to destroy those who would oppose them. The Rifter series is a portal fantasy with a complex nonlinear timeline and plot including a corrupt church, revolutionaries, warrior priests, witches, assassins, oracles, mystics, blood and bone magic, supernatural gifts, and queer love.

This was a reread of an old favorite with superb world-building and characters you can’t help but love and root for from the beginning. (Paperback = 3 book/eBook = 10 novellas)

I must have reviewed the eBook version, but this time I grabbed the paperback off my shelf. I wish it was made more clear where the original novellas begin and end. Not that it really matters. I’m really glad I got this series in print before all the copies were sold.

It’s a long slow start, which I’d sorta forgotten. It’s also hard to read because I know the secrets John doesn’t know, and presumably the new reader too. But it’s still really good. It’s been too long since my last reread. I wanted to save it for a proper vacation where I could do nothing but live and breathe this series for a week, but I needed a good comfort read and so I’ve been reading this first book in dribs and drabs on my commute and in between the other books I’m reading and it’s been good like that too. Now I’m looking forward to the next book.

I remember now from my first read, how annoying it is (in the best way) to have to swap such large portions of story from John’s POV to Kyle’s POV. You get sucked into the story, then comes a major plot point, and then we switch to the other timeline. Rinse and repeat. 😂

I’m really just rambling here. Apologies. I do absolutely love this series. Whenever I get asked “what books would you take to a deserted island?” This series is top of my list.

I find myself pouring over the dictionary on the back of Basawar words just for fun and to understand them better, even though I don’t have to. I wish the dictionary was more extensive and that there was more text about the language. Even though I'm bad at learning new languages, I want to know more about this one! The world building is phenomenal. I’ll say it again. And the characters, even the side characters, are rich and nuanced. ♥️ and the best parts are yet to come… ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Susana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Any act can have terrible consequences: Even opening a letter addressed to your flat mate. That's what John Toffler, a biology postgrad student, discovers when he suddenly finds himself and his two best friends stranded in a strange world, with completely alien culture and language. John feels responsible, and he'll do any thing to take his two friends back to the world where they belong. But he does not realise that this new world is slowly changing them, and that will also have unexpected cons ...more

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Nov 07, 2014 Arch Bala rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, not-here, supernatural

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I ought to write my individual reviews for each book in the series but I figured that it’s more proper for me to consider each book as part of a whole saga (containing seven arcs) encompassing thirty years in the life of John, a human transported into another realm – a world where his housemate Kyle came from.
The epicness of this series is just beyond me! I enjoyed and loved every second of reading this ten-part series. What I appreciate most though is the fact that as much as possible, the auth I ought to write my individual reviews for each book in the series but I figured that it’s more proper for me to consider each book as part of a whole saga (containing seven arcs) encompassing thirty years in the life of John, a human transported into another realm – a world where his housemate Kyle came from.
The epicness of this series is just beyond me! I enjoyed and loved every second of reading this ten-part series. What I appreciate most though is the fact that as much as possible, the author tried solving all the loopholes in it. What totally bugs me is the conclusion which I would be discussing a little later on.
So John along with his friends (a couple named Laurie and Bill) were accidentally transported into Basawar (think of a Narnia-like world minus the talking animals), the place where his odd housemate Kyle “apparently” came from. Kyle is the “Kahlil” who was destined / ordained to kill John who’s the incarnation of their god. He’s the human seen by the oracle who will be destroying all of Basawar.
The plot of the story thickens as John meets the young handsome priest Ravishan who is training to become the next Kahlil. Meeting Ravishan made their tumultuous entrance into Basawar more bearable but their world is about to get more complicated as John and his friends found themselves under the Bousim household where John was forced to accompany Firiki (The son of the lady in Bousim household) into the doors of Rathal’pesha to train as an ushiri (in contention of becoming a Kahlil). There, John meets Ravishan again and has shown potential to become a priest himself. Due to discrimination, he was relegated as some sort of a medic priest. As the story goes by, John was able to piece everything together coming to the conclusion that Ravishan and his housemate were one and the same, although John first meets Kyle as a Kahlil and this kahlil in training – Ravishan is the guy he fell in love with.
At times, the story tends to be a tad bit confusing because of the interchanging timeline in it especially during the second arc but as it went by, it’s just like reading some sort of backstory although at one point – the past and the present (see, Kyle followed the trio into Basawar) meets (ala Lake House meeting of some sort) and their reunion was truly one for the books.
I actually cried a little for John who is now known as J’aitbaya. I cried because he’s been living in Basawar for 30 years and was still nursing his broken heart from his separation from Ravishan. Although one and the same. Kyle still felt different from Ravishan. It’s like he’s simply a replacement of his young self. But all the same, John still love Ravishan and gave the same affection to Kyle.
Now the question bugging me at the end, is Kyle immortal now like John? After he passed on, he was possessed by the holy bones of the young Ravishan. Did he become immortal himself the way the oracles are immortals? I sure hope so because these two more than deserved to be together especially after what they have gone through.
To conclude this, I wished that more people would read this series because of its exceptional story that you’d regret missing. The humanity in it is truly heartfelt and the way John and Kyle have proven their love and devotion for each other was truly an amazing feat. It’s just so beautiful it almost hurts.
‘tis definitely one of my favorite series – another great feat to achieve by one of my new favorite authors – Ginn Hale who brought us the amazing Wicked Gentleman and the stunning Lord Of The White Hell. Indeed, Hail Ginn Hale!
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Apr 10, 2015 k reads rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2015, queer, fav2015

Intriguing. Interesting characters. Good world building.
It's hard for me to really rate this as it is the first three installments of a 10 part serial but I liked what I read enough to continue on. ...more

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