The Bookwyrm's Review of God Ascended by Jeffrey Speight

 

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Rating: 9.75/10 Stars

Plot Synopsis

Even gods can die.

God Ascended is the stunning and powerful conclusion to Jeffrey Speight's acclaimed Archives of Evelium trilogy.

Umhra the Peacebreaker has ascended to the heavens of Kalmindon. He follows the wake of destruction Spara leaves as she pursues the annihilation of Vaila's pantheon in her bid to become the One God. To thwart Spara's ambitions, Umhra must travel the planes of existence to consolidate untold celestial powers.

In Evelium, there are whispered hopes of the Peacebreaker's inevitable return as future queen Turin Forene struggles to lead the remnants of mankind against the Grey Queen, whose army of blights has wreaked havoc across the continent for the last two decades. Turin hatches a daring plan to bring her enemies to their knees with the support of the Barrow's Pact. But they face impossible odds.

Review

God Ascended by Jeffrey Speight was one of my most anticipated reads. I was so impressed with the first two books in the series that I couldn't wait to see how he completed the trilogy. I am happy to say that he ended it in an epic way that completely satisfied. It was such an organic completion, not being rushed or contrived just to get the story finished. There is tragedy and triumph in equal measure, and the ending was very much in doubt right up to the climactic final scenes. The best part? Although Umhra the Peacebreaker's arc is completed, there are still many more stories to tell in this universe.

The world building is such a strength. Whether the action takes place in the terrestrial world of Evelium, or in the celestial wold of the gods, Kalmindon, Everything seems realistic for the time and place. Its consistently portrayed throughout, with the world changing drastically over the arc of the three books, going from a fairly typical medieval fantasy realm to a post apocalyptic wreck, as the forces arrayed against Umhra's allies have destroyed large swaths of society in Umhra's absence. As a reader, you always hope the world doesn't seem contrived just for the sake of the story, and in this case, that's not a worry. The world he has created is just fits perfectly.

The characters are, as always, fantastically written. Umhra Peacebreaker, half-orc paladin of the goddess Vaila, has  has become one of my favorite fantasy characters. Not something I expected out of a paladin, but that's how well he is written. So many paladins are written as sanctimonious prigs, but not Umhra. He spent years running from his legacy as a paladin, hiding as a mercenary with the half-orc troop of mercenaries called the Blooodbound, and is much more sympathetic and realistic about the way of the world than you would expect. Now that he has fully embraced that legacy, and even ascended to become a mystic (think demigod), he has so much more power and responsibility. The life he has led is actually perfect for him, since it keeps him grounded as he has to deal with the new power, and has to make decisions that will literally effect all of Evelium and Kalmindon. The fact he can remain humble is a testament to his life experiences and his faith, which has been tested but not broken. We even get a look into his past, and find out where he thought he came from wasn't as he always thought. It really adds another layer of depth to his character, making him even more sympathetic. 

The other main POV character is Turin Modene, the crown princess who has grown up in a kingdom under siege by monsters, watching as humanity is pushed to the brink of destruction. She is supposedly cursed, being born with grey skin, but she has a connection to land of Tyveriel that allows her to communicate with the land itself, which lends her it's power and protection, and she will be the hope for the future of the kingdom, and humanity in general. She is a great combination of strong and vulnerable, wanting to do the best for the kingdom but unsure if she is up to the task. That being said, she is willing to lay it all on the line for the future of the kingdom, and i think she really adds a lot to the story.

The secondary characters all get some attention as well. The mercenary group known as the Barrows Pact really shine. They are essential to the story, and even though they have some major setbacks throughout the story, they still continue to charge to the sound of battle, putting their lives on the line to support Turin and the kingdom every day. The events on Kalmindon have a serious effect on the Pact, especially Gromley and Naivara, both clerics who's connection to the gods allows their magic, and the loss of that magic has some tragic results. This author is just so good at fleshing out his secondary characters, and I can easily see them having more adventures in the future.

The antagonists are also given a lot of attention. The two main villains are Spara, an ascended mystic who aims to end the gods once and for all for what they did to her thousands of years earlier. She is powerful and totally dedicated to her cause. She truly is the hero in her own mind, having no second thoughts or regrets as one god after another is killed and their power absorbed. She is a creation of the gods though their treatment of her, so it's an interesting dynamic, and the reader is kept in suspense if she will be defeated in time. The other antagonist is the Grey Queen, a dragon that is seeking revenge for the defeat of the dragons so long ago. She really is that character that wants to watch the world burn, and will do anything to make her goals a reality. She is the greatest of the non-metallic dragons, even rescuing more colored dragons from the lands of the fae and bringing them to Evelium. She is evil by human standards, but by dragon standards, she's just ambitious and vengeful. She isn't sympathetic, but is still a good antagonist, that overwhelming force that had the reader in doubt of the outcome until the end.

This has to be one of the most satisfying endings to a trilogy I've ever read. The combination of detailed world building, fully fleshed out characters and faced paced plotting really comes together in one final epic that really satisfies. There is so much to appeal to fantasy fans, and even fans of cultivation type stories may find the magic system and progression intriguing. I highly recommend this story, and series in general. You won't regret it.