Aaron PogueRezensionen

Honestly, until the last 50-60 pages, I was fully prepared to give this 1 star. I enjoyed the first books in the series, but there was not a single scene involving him throughout the book until the very end that didn't make me want to put the book down.

The ending did wrap up the series, and even did it in a decent way. Honestly, I wish I had never read this book and simply left it at the end of the last one.

Boring.

This book is the second in the Godlander Series by Aaron Pogue. If I have to tell you by now that there are spoilers ahead, I’ll be very disappointed. (My review of the first book in the series, The Dreams of a Dying God, was written pre-blog, but you can read it here, if you like.)

______________________________________________________________________________

I read the first book in the series several years ago, started this book, and promptly became distracted by something shiny. The poor thing has been sitting on my shelf ever since, and as I’m trying to be good about getting through long-timers on my TBR, I thought it was high time to give the book another try.

Corin Hugh has returned from the ancient city of Jezeeli and emerged in the present day with the favor of a God. Tasked by Oberon himself to kill usurper god Epithel, Corin first sets his sight on some satisfying revenge. Corin sets his sights on killing Ethan Blake, his mutinous first mate who left him to die in the ashes of the great city’s ruins. Unfortunately, it seems that Blake may actually be one of the Vestossis, powerful politicians and rulers who enjoy the favor of Ephithel himself. With the help of a druid ally, Corin must learn to use the magics given to him by Oberon to exact his revenge.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: time travel makes for messy book keeping. While an interesting concept, Corin’s traveling 1000 years in the past in the first book can only complicate the plot from here on out. Fortunately, Pogue seems to sidestep most of those issues by placing Corin’s first adventures in something analogous to a dream, as envisioned by the God Oberon (kind of a literal deus ex machina).

The story itself is engaging. However, it does take about 70-ish pages before you start to feel like you’re having fun. Once the book settles into its rhythm though, it becomes a rather entertaining swashbuckling, monster-fighting, ship-exploding, revenge-seeking, pirate-killing extravaganza. I would recommend reading the first book prior to this one, but, as I didn’t reread it prior to reading this book, you may be able to get by reading this book as a stand alone.

I would recommend this book to fans of straight-up fantasy. It does take some work, but once you muddle through the first few chapters, it really does become quite a bit of fun.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book enough to give it 3.5 stars if i could.


The dialogue is well written, and the plot is interesting. The characters, while not the most three dimensional, are at least memorable and sympathetic. The plot, after beginning close to expectations, veers off in an unforseen and strange direction. While I ultimately enjoyed the tale, I harbor a personal wariness of time travel, alternate dimensions, and the collision of these two things. Overall the author handles the weirdest plot elements he introduces well, but I feel the book could have been just as interesting without some of the more outrageous elements. Bot, as this book is a fantasy, ultimately this comes down to my own tastes and preferences.

In all, this book is enjoyable, but definitely for established fans of the genre

Our hero, Daven Carrickson tells us his story in first person. We meet him as he is teaching sword fighting to his peers - Daven is a shepherd, and his peers are the boys of the town. He wasn't raised here, though, so he's a bit of an outsider, so it isn't quite fair to call them his friends. He learned his skills from an old fencing manual, and he uses a little bit of magic to keep score, without anyone actually getting hurt.

All this changes when one of the boys is invited to become a Guardsman. And then an actual Guardsman, hearing how great this shepherd boy is, comes out to teach him a lesson. But things don't actually go the way the Guardsman expects. And then an old man shows up at the fighting field, aking Daven to go with him and become a magical weapon of some sort. It all sounds a bit fishy and too coincidental for Daven, but he goes along with it. And thus we start the quest.

I found the book fascinating. It is well written, yes, but also unpredictable. As soon as it settles down into the direction I thought it would go, well, things change. There are wizards, and dragons, and rivalry, and school, and desperate struggles. There is also a small dollop of romance. Things doin't come easily, which is more like real life than a fantasy story. Daven has to struggle, and fight, and heal, and figure things out.

A fantasy story that is a cut above the run of the mill. I enjoyed it a lot.

The author has taken an old trope and made it interesting. Poor farm/beggar/otherwise outcast boy, turns out to be a hero.

In this story, the first of three, we find Daven in a small village teaching his friends to sword fight. When a king's guard shows up to take Daven to the King, things start to go pear-shaped. Magic, dragons, and wizards populate this tale of power, politics, and war.

Daven's path to saving the world is barred by lies and misunderstandings that seem to flow naturally from the action.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes the story of the unlikely hero faced with seemingly unsurmountable obstacles. If you enjoyed The Blacksmith's Son, you'll love this story.

Boys' club, by-the-numbers fantasy.

All the guards, mages and apprentices are male.
The only female characters with some page time seem to the wife of a noble landholder, and a young woman who for all the insistence on her being brave fulfills the role of "damsel in distress" and "get the girl at the end".

The dragons might be it as far as salient characters of some interest go.

Cleanly edited though someone spends a lot of time growling.

An average unremarkable book. The characters need considerable fleshing out. Too much was either glossed over or just not explained while others didn't make any sense. There are slivers of story that show creativity and parts that show potential, it just needs more work. That said, I've read much worse.


I received Oberon's Dreams through goodreads FirstReads. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and to offer an honest review.

This, the fourth installment in the Katie Pratt series, was easily one of my favorites. While hunting for a group of rebels who use an illegal device to stay off the radar, Katie ends up wandering the woods. With her cushy office far away, she must rely on her instincts for survival.One of the things I liked most about the book was how human Katie was in the story. As a cop who lives distanced from her family and friends and solves her problems on her own, Katie is one tough woman, and I admire her for that. But this story shows her human side as she struggles to solve the crime without the help of all her nifty techno gadgets.I highly recommend it!

This is a great collection of short stories from the indie authors in the Consortium. There's something in it for everyone who has a taste for fantasy, science fiction, and all of the sub-genres within. This is a great way to sample works from various authors and find who you might like to read more from.

The writers of the Consortium have a thing for super powers and it especially shows up here in the second volume of A Consortium of Worlds. Even better than the first edition, this collection of short stories delves into alternate worlds where unexpected things happen. Genetically-altered superhumans, immortal strangers, and thriving super villains are a few of the things you'll encounter, in addition to a couple of mysterious fantasy tales. Don't miss this great e-book.

I had read the other two books and had been left wanting more. I downloaded this once I saw the title , only to be disappointed that it was such a short read, barely took me half an hour to read and had little links to the main story in the other two books. To be fair , the author acknowledged this in his after word but still, not fair to tease the fans you know.
For all that it was a good read, captivating but SHORT.

Ghost Targets #1

Dragonprince Trilogy #1