This novel had a pretty good premise, decent characterization, and an engaging narrative voice. It was, in general, pretty well written, and I kinda liked quite a few characters.

A couple of those characters I liked got killed off like throwing out old socks that had developed holes in the toes, which wasn't exactly fun. Some of the villainy stuff involved felt a bit thin at times, but at other times it felt like it had some depth to it. All in all, this was a solid three stars ("liked it") on the Goodreads scale, until the end.

The climax resolution felt a bit half-assed, and was not terribly vivid at all. It fell flat, and the denouement was no great revelation, either. In fact, while the actual events of climax, resolution, and denouement were fine, the delivery was disappointing enough to drop a star from the book's rating overall. There were a few other weird details that did not really work well for me, such as one of the protagonists being a golden-haired man with a deep tan (golden haired people always look weird with deep tans) and the other major protagonist's description and background coming off a smidgen Mary-Sue-ish, but these things weren't enough to significantly detract from the story. The ending dragged it down to two stars all on its own.

The cover of the book, by the way, seems like it was painted by someone who went to some pains to make the characters true to their descriptions in the book, but the painter either did not read the whole book in its final form or forgot some very obvious details about one of the two central protagonist characters, because things clearly don't match up in Dhulyn's coloring. I know it's all the rage to ethnicity-bend characters in film or television adaptations of novels these days, and sometimes it works quite well, but this is the cover art for the novel. I really don't think it works in this case. This doesn't contribute in any way to my rating; I judge the book by its contents, not its cover, when reviewing on Goodreads. It's just an amusing failing that stood out for me. ( )

A very enjoyable swords and sorcery tale! Interesting characters and world, and a well-thought-out magic system. ( )

Rather than sitting the characters down for a history lesson they already know, Violette Malan introduces her world through the actions and personalities of her protagonists. And the actions begin with a well orchestrated scape goating campaign by the New Believers, a sect of the Sleeping God’s priesthood, against the Marked, those with special abilities to Heal, Find, Mend and See. Enter Dhulyn Wolfshead, mercenary partner of Parno Lionsmane and a carefully hidden Seer. They have returned to Parno’s homeland, where unknown to them, the priesthood is coming to greater power. Their job to escort Mar-eMar to the capital takes several unexpected turns involving kidnapping, assassination and mob violence.

As heroic fantasy goes, this book has a fair amount going for it. Well-built world and mythology that fits together rather well, badass mercenary protagonists who are more than just caricatures, a sprinkling of secrets and intrigue, and of course, a sleeping god. Our heroes are mercenary brothers Dhulyn Wolfshead and Parno Lionsmane, who take a job escorting a young girl back to her noble house but soon find themselves targeted by an ancient menace.

What I loved about this book is the portrayal of Dhulyn and Parno’s relationship. This is a partnership in every sense of the word, built around a core of love and trust. As mercenary brothers, the two of them are bound to one another in a relationship as sacred as marriage.

Most fiction tends to show us the beginning of relationships, the eagerness and the passion and the fumbling and clumsiness as people learn more about one another. All too often, this leads to fairly predictable tension and conflict, misunderstandings and mistrust. The Sleeping God brings us a more mature relationship, and one of the healthiest relationships I’ve encountered in fiction. They talk to each other. They trust one another. They’ve got each other’s backs. They’re romantically involved, but the romance isn’t a neverending font of angst and drama.

I also liked that the characters go beyond being “just” fighters. Dhulyn is also a scholar, hunting for new books and theorizing about the evolution of children’s songs. Parno is … well, that would be telling. Suffice it to say, he’s also more than he first appears.

It took me a chapter or two to really get into the book, and the plot itself may be familiar to long-time fantasy fans. Mercenaries and ancient gods, dark priesthoods and scheming rulers … there’s almost an old-school fantasy feel to the book. But then, I enjoy old-school fantasy ;-) ( )

My main issues are with Dhulyn & Parno being billed to among the greatest warriors known ,but there are only a few fight scenes. Malan makes it clear in the book and builds the prowess of the Dhulyn and Parno but just doesn't deliver or back it up enough. The few battle scenes in the book are glossed over and end quickly which doesn't seem to be consistent with her two battle loving main characters. The pacing was also off amd again I have to point to the main characters not being involved in as much action as you might expect. At times the story moves slow enough where a reader could very well lose interest, but luckily the plot is good enough to give it time to unravel. A patient reader will be rewarded.

In the end I can recommend The Sleeping God to those who enjoy a good political intrigue fantasy. The characters and plot are strong enough to make you stick around even if the action that the reader is expecting never materializes. I would not recommend this to anyone who is looking for an action packed slug fest. Overall, Malan manages to pull off an intriguing story of politics, love, and the fate of the world without being clichéd and should not disappoint readers in those aspects. ( )