The Traitor God

Originally reviewed at <a href="https://bookwraiths.com/2018/06/09/the-traitor-god/" rel="nofollow noopener">Bookwraiths</a>.<br /><br /><i>The Traitor God</i> by Cameron Johnston is best described as an action-packed video game come to life; a thrill ride of adrenaline, action, blood, and intrigue wrapped up in a story centered on one man’s pursuit of justice. Not every second of the book will dazzle you, but overall you will find yourself having a fun time and wanting more, more, MORE!<br /><br />Edrin Walker is a liar, a scoundrel, and a damn dangerous magician. His past misdeeds and a deal with the rulers of his home city of Setharis having sent him into ten years of exile; these years spent wandering around the wilds, hiding from daemons who constantly pursue him and attempting to find some form of excitement to pass the time. His dangerous and dull existence only made tolerable by the knowledge that his absence from Setharis keeps his friends Lynas and Charra and their daughter Layla safe.<br /><br />Then tragedy strikes!<br /><br />Edrin and Lynas have always shared a magical connection, able to feel each other, sense the other’s joys and pains, even catch fleeting visions from each other’s eyes. And this is generally a good thing until the night Lynas is killed!<br /><br />Without warning, Edrin is jarred by a vision of his best friends frantic flight from a daemon; the creature stalking Lynas down the alleys of Setharis, finally cornering and taking him down. A mysterious man then appearing to torture and skin Lynas alive. The final thoughts of the dying man that he must get a message to Edrin, warn him of what is going on in the city.<br /><br />Brutal shock. Bottomless grief. Towering rage. And a touch of deep fear and confusion fills Edrin. His first thoughts that Setharis’s masters have broken their part of the old bargain, allowed harm to befall his friend, even though he has stayed away. The next is an overpowering sense that Charra and Layla will be in danger and that he must go to them, protect them. And, finally, Edrin wonders what exactly was his friend doing to attract the attention of such a heartless killer and whether his past deeds were the real cause of Lynas’s death.<br /><br />Naturally, the rest of the book chronicles Edrin’s return to Setharis, his search for Lynas’s family, his investigation into the murder of his friend, and a descent into mysterious matters which will reveal the past to Edrin and cause him to question many things he thought he knew.<br /><br />As I alluded to in the opening, <i>The Traitor God</i> is an action-packed thrill ride where the author drops you down into the middle of the maelstrom, doesn’t waste time explaining every facet of the story, and expects you to ride the wave of controlled chaos as it ebbs and flows from the beginning to the end. Or to put it another way, there is never a dull moment in this story. And it mostly works, providing an exciting tale filled with mystery, twists, magic, and loads of fantastical mayhem.<br /><br />The main triumph of the novel would have to be the main character, Edrin Walker, whom I can’t say I really liked very much at the beginning of the story. Sure, he had some charm and a mysterious feel to him, but his egotistical nature was a bit too much for me. However, Cameron Johnson actually takes this guy on a real character arc, starting at the aforementioned egotistical loner start line before steadily molding him into a much deeper, more complex, and interesting character by the end.<br /><br />The only real complaint I’d make toward the story would be the tendency of the author to tell not show, especially in the beginning of the book. I realize it is difficult to resist the urge to cast out proverbial life preservers in the form of paragraphs of explanation to readers after you’ve thrown them into the middle of a story maelstrom, but if you’ve determined to start in the middle of the action, you really have to let your audience survive on their own. Trying to split the difference between fans of slow, methodical plots and sink or swim lovers only serves to frustrate both types; neither of whom feel you’ve totally committed to their preferred narrative pace.<br /><br />Overall, <i>The Traitor God</i> is a damn fine read. Sure, it is more oriented toward action lovers, having a tendency to skim over intricate plot or subtle character development in favor of more bloody fights or magical explosions, but if you are craving a fast paced, magical fantasy with plenty of action and more than a few twists, then this novel will not disappoint you.<br /><br />I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

4.5 out of 5<br /><br />Click here for full review:<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-traitor-god-by-cameron-johnston.html">https://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.co...</a><br /><br />Angry Robot Books is a publishing company that just keeps churning out quality authors and books lately. It has gradually become one of my favorite publishing companies and I have read quite a few amazing titles over the past few years from them. So when I first saw the absolutely gorgeous cover art of THE TRAITOR GOD written by Scottish author Cameron Johnston, I already had an inkling that I wanted to know more about it. When I found out that it was being published by Angry Robot, to be released in the United States on June 5th, that took me a little bit further. When I read the synopsis of the book and quickly learned that it contained daemons, sorcerers, magicians and gods! Well that only solidified my resolve to search out an advanced reader copy before the impending release date. And when Angry Robot was gracious enough to supply that very advanced copy, I was ready to jump in feet first. This is Cameron Johnston's very first full-length book, which makes what I believe he accomplished with this story all the more impressive. So without further adieu, let me introduce you to this exceptional debut novel, THE TRAITOR GOD.<br /><br />Cameron Johnston wastes no time in throwing the reader immediately into the action of THE TRAITOR GOD. Edrin Walker is a magician with a not so sterling reputation in his home city of Setharis. When you're rumored to have killed a god in your past, this sentiment is fairly easy to understand. Couple that with a few other shady events in Edrin's earlier life and he has found himself a reviled exile from his home town for the last ten years. Edrin has the ability to connect minds with other gifted magicians that are like himself and this is introduced very effectively in the story when he senses that his best friend Lynas is in mortal danger back home in Setharis. This is troubling to Edrin since as the main condition of his exile, the Arcanum leaders of the city promised not to harm his good friends Lynas, Charra and their daughter Layla as long as he didn't ever return. Things quickly ramp up when Edrin can sense Lynas being stalked by a daemon and ultimately sees him brutally murdered through their connection. Before Lynas meets his violent end, he sends out one last ditch message to Edrin using his skill. This mysterious message forces Edrin to return to the home city that shunned him. The magician is now fueled not only by the desire for revenge at all costs for the treachery and betrayal done to him, but also a by the desperate mission to find Charra and Layla and make sure that the same fate does not befall them as well. It is now obvious that the terms of his exile have been wantonly disregarded for some reason with all bets now being off, but Edrin seems to like it that way. First he must sneak into the city undetected, which is not a small task considering that the docks are tightly guarded by Arcanum "sniffers". Then he must somehow unravel the mystery of who murdered his friend and for what purpose. Did it have something to do with Edrin's past deeds that caused him to be exiled in the first place? Or was the murder just a ploy to somehow get Edrin to return home and face one last judgment of sorts? And what exactly was the mysterious message that Lynas transmitted to Edrin seconds before he died? We are ultimately left wondering if there is a greater conspiracy at work among the higher-up Arcanum of the city and whether Lynas may have stumbled across something that he shouldn't have. And now Edrin is thrust headlong into the middle of a maelstrom of battling factions and deceitful interests. The only question that remains is will he survive and can he save Charra and Layla who also are being hunted by the same evil forces.<br /><br />This book is like a video game, wrapped inside an action movie, brilliantly told in written word form. A quick disclaimer: Cameron Johnston does not hold your hand and info dump you to death, so you'd better strap yourself in and get ready for one whirlwind of a fantastic story that does not slow down. Edrin is a complex main character in that he starts off as an unsympathetic egotist but as the story progresses, his character does as well and you actually can't help but root for him by the end. It's weird to have such conflicting emotions when dealing with a main character like that. The mysteries unravel slowly and are only hinted at as the book goes on. So as the reader, you really have to remain focused on what is going on throughout because this is not a book that allows for many distractions. I love books that drop you right into the story from the beginning with minimal build-up. I know that I might be in the minority in that regard, but I just don't enjoy a book that sets things up very slowly. I guess it might be the impatient reader in me in that I am always looking for the next book to read, so I don't want to feel like I am being spoon-fed a ton of information to the detriment of the story development. THE TRAITOR GOD was just what I look for in a reading experience. Tons of action, incredible world-building, bad guys who are reaaaally bad, an intriguing mystery at the heart of it etc... This book just worked on so many levels for me and I was left wanting more by the end. I say that not with respect to being unsatisfied with the book's conclusion, but because it was so incredibly good that I wished I had book number two in my hands and ready to go. By all means, do not cheat yourself by skipping this book. It has so much to offer for anyone who loves breakneck action in their Fantasy as well as cool villains and magic aplenty. And for those who like a little bit of mystery in their reads, it has a good deal of that too.<br />

It's taken me forever to get this review up, and it's short, but don't let that be an indicator of how much I did or didn't like it. Because it's fantastic. The Traitor God is a super refreshing and fast-paced fantasy that breaks from the epic journey and focuses on a simple plot but a thrilling story of redemption and revenge. Gruesome and funny at the same time, which is a difficult thing to pull off, but Johnston does it. Highly recommended!

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.<br />An assured and complex debut novel with a main protagonist of questionable loyalty and morals that, despite yourself, you can't help but love. <br />It's not often you come across a fresh voice and a fresh take on magic, but The Traitor God gives both. Moments of absolute horror sit cheek by jowl with humour of the blackest kind and some of the monstrous creations in this book are nauseatingly wonderful. After a slightly slow start I found it increasingly difficult to put this book down.<br />I dearly hope we get to see more of Magus Edrin Walker in future books.

Spoiler free review.<br /><br />There are certain themes that I've always deeply enjoyed in fantasy, and while they do not exist to the exclusion of others and I have enjoyed a wide range, The Traitor God hit upon several themes that hark back to some of my early idols.<br /><br />Power, magic and terrifyingly unstoppable wizards. Fans of Glen Cook's The Black Company are going to get right behind Johnston's take on magic and the mages of the Arcanum. From lowly sniffers, whose gifts are mundanely workaday, to the towering gods who could probably take an atomic bomb on the chin if they were fresh, there's also much that Steven Erikson's fans are going to get their teeth into here. The hero occupies something of a low to mid ground, which is a nice place to observe events from, whilst enabling him to participate effectively. In some ways the magic occasionally doesn't make sense, but then, I'm rather fond of that too. When magic becomes too believable, to me some of the mystery is lost.<br /><br />There is a noir, detective thriller air to some of the investigations that Edrin Walker is required to go on before the last 20% of the book hits a gas-up, non-stop rush towards a series of progressively more and more deadly climaxes. I was at times reminded of Akira, The Thing, various modern vampire fiction (there are no vampires), a particular Tolkienesque moment, and we enter a flurry of 'wrap up' moments that play on a good deal of what has gone before to reach a satisfying conclusion.<br /><br />This book shimmers between Grimdark and Grimheart for me, but ultimately I felt that the split was very much 85-15 in favour of Grimdark. I'm not sure that anyone who survives the first chapter of the story is ultimately a good person, even those that show care for one another. There's a LOT of gore in this book (it's entirely central to the plot). And poop (used in a unique fashion at times). And mud (covering everyone most of the time). And violence. A lot of violence. But despite that, the book never really felt bleak to me; the tone remains quite light, even during times of great ordeal, largely due to Walker's narration.<br /><br />Fans of the Grimdark subgenre will enjoy The Traitor God, and the book is left nicely open for the forthcoming sequel.

Beautifully dark and disturbing! Strapped full of action and mixed with an enticing story. Edrin Walker is one of my new favorite grimdark characters. Some of my favorite heroes are the ones that don't act the part and never wanted to be one in the first place. <br /><br /><blockquote> <b> <i>"Nothing is ever quite as terrifying as your own mind."</i> </b> </blockquote><br /><br /><b>Actual Rating: 4.5 stars ****</b>

This book wasn't bad. It started out really well- the narrator had a dark sense of humor and the first-person perspective reminded me a lot of Jim Butcher's writing. The book got into the head of the main character quite a bit, which was good at times, but sometimes the plot seemed to stall while the narrator alternated between flashbacks and insights into the world around him which was elaborately developed and dumped quickly through the narrator.<br />I would've liked to have the other characters fleshed out more. They felt fairly stock, and when one disappeared another would appear with a new name, but it seemed like the same character. The other characters weren't extremely likable. <br />After a certain point the book became all combat for around 150 pages or so. It was good if you like page after page of fighting, spells, creatures and close calls. It reminded me of a combat heavy D &amp; D session with very little role playing. There wasn't much interaction between the characters until the very end of the book once the fighting started.<br />It wasn't a bad book, and I will probably read the next one in the series, but I have other books pressing their way up my tbr before I spend more money to continue this series.<br />3 stars

Edrin Walker is coming home.<br /><br />Ten wretched years of exile have been shattered by the howl in his head; the agonized cry of the friend to whom he had secretly (and illegally) gift-bonded before he left. It was part of the condition of his banishment, that the friend and his family would be protected throughout the course of his absence. Promises had been made. Promises were broken. All bets were off.<br /><br />No one wants Edrin Walker swaggering back down the streets of Setharis. A rogue mage with the rare talent of turning minds to his personal use was trouble from start to finish. Those circumstances surrounding his departure were nothing short of disturbing. Rumors of an underground battle, an ancient spirit-laden weapon, the death of a god, made the man a risk not even the great Arcanum, in all its wisdom and power, considered worth the taking. If only they knew what he'd done that night. If only Edrin, himself, could remember it...<br /><br /><i>The Traitor God</i> is a swash-buckling feast of a tale that hews to the lustiest of fantasy's traditions - which in this genre, as you well know, has less to do with the erotic than it does the size of the egos in play, the stakes set, the challenges met. Our first-time author is ambitious, and passionate, and capable on this score. While the climactic lay-up tottered a bit - plenty of rim before it hit that net - Johnston's game was worth attending.<br /><br />I'll be reserving a seat for the next.

Visceral and gripping fantasy, horribly and hugely enjoyable.

3,5 Stars <br /><br />I especially enjoyed the main character who is not a good guy, but also not actually evil. I clicked with him very early on and loved his character development over the course of the story!<br />The side characters were also interesting and well enough fleshed out to stand in their own and not feel like cardboard cutouts as a backdrop.<br /><br />Some parts of the books felt a bit stretched out to me and could have been a bit tighter.<br />The violence and fighting especially sometimes felt like a very over the top Hollywood horror movie and instead of taking me to the edge of my seat I was instead smirking a bit.<br />I think the "monsters" were just too big and too powerful, so the people had to be even more over the top powerful and it spiralled a bit out of control from there.<br /><br />Aside from that one major annoyance I really enjoyed the book and all the little and big twists and turns it took! A cool world and intriguing plot will make me pick up the second one too!