For centuries, the Empire of Tiraas has surged forward in the name of peace, commerce, and political power, evolving from its early days of heroes, quests, and reckless abandon in favor of a more refined, industrious existence. Today, rails connect cities and outposts. Religion is power—even if the gods have gone silent. Magic is a commodity. Dwarves and elves are carefully discouraged from exhibiting any unwanted behaviors. Even the scariest monsters are dealt with diplomatically.
Needless to say, the days in which a person could make a living as a wandering adventurer are long since gone. But a nightmarish darkness looms, and those dormant, discarded ideals of courage, honor, and death-defying heroism must somehow rise to the surface once again. Because a demonic force has returned from the past—and it means to stay.
Meanwhile, at the University of Last Rock on the unforgiving, notably uncivilized frontier, an unruly band of youngsters yearns to show the world what they can do. And they are just about to begin their schooling in good old-fashioned magic, combat, and all-around adventure-seeking. Unfortunately for them, they will need much, much more than that if they have any hope of saving the world. And save the world they must . . .
The Gods Are Bastards is a genre-blending coming-of-age fantasy adventure that feels like a classic tale and contemporary story all at once! What makes it so unique is that it’s part fantasy, part western, and part magical school—all balanced in a character-driven narrative in a slow-burn intricate plot.
The story follows a group of students at a magical university in the Empire of Tiraas—a world where gods meddle in politics and magic is industrialized. Each student comes from a very different background—a pirate princess, a dryad, a dark-elf priestess, and more—and together they’re thrown into a web of secrets, political schemes, and moral dilemmas that go far beyond the classroom. As the empire faces unrest and the gods’ grip begins to slip, the group learns whether to trust each other long enough to survive what’s coming!
The ragtag group of misfits is the real heart of the story. Ruda Punaji is a bold, brash protagonist with a lot of sharp humor that will have readers laughing throughout. Teal Falconer is a much more serious, grounded character who’s always trying to do right even when “right” isn’t the best option to survive! Other crew members include Shaeine, the drow diplomat, who has a good sense of duty and empathy, and Juniper, the dryad, who brings a lot of warmth and heart to the story! The group starts out like a team of rivaling (ragtag) misfits at the magical academy, but as the story unfolds, it evolves into something resembling family. The book has so many intriguing side characters, including Antonio “Bishop” Darling, a charming, morally grey spymaster, and Elilial, the power-hungry Queen of Demons! Relationships and alliances in the story are constantly shifting, which makes this story exciting and unpredictable!
The pacing is deliberately slow-burn, as it’s a character-driven story. The author takes time to develop each thread of the story before tying it into the larger overall storyline of political drama. The mid-section drags a bit, but there’s a lot of character development, and every subplot that is introduced eventually comes together later on—so readers will need to be patient to see the value of everything. The second half has better pacing and higher stakes and a few unexpected reveals. The ending has a lot of emotional intensity and gives readers a sense that a dramatic shift in the world is coming and character arcs are satisfying—but it also leaves a lot of questions unanswered. It feels like this book is only one chapter of a larger saga of storytelling—and hopefully a sequel will follow!
This book is perfect for readers who love character-driven fantasy with witty humor, rich worldbuilding, and a pronounced “found family” trope. But anyone who loves stories with magical schools, political intrigue, and morally gray characters should give this one high consideration!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook is an immersive, entertaining listen narrated by nonbinary queer narrator E. A. Castillo, whose theatrical experience is evident throughout this audiobook.
Castillo does an impressive job handling the massive cast of characters, giving each character their own distinct voices, personalities, and emotional energy. Castile portrays protagonist Ruda with a confident, witty voice that makes the character come vividly to life and practically burst out of the speakers! In contrast, Castillo gives Shaeine a calm, grounded-sounding voice that counterbalances Ruda’s overwhelming presence. Castillo does a great job with pacing the narration, matching the author’s writing—steady pacing during dialogue-heavy scenes and picking up the pace for action or emotional scenes.
Overall, it’s an engaging, dynamic performance that elevates the story, makes the wonderful cast of characters come alive, and brings out the book’s sharp writing and humor—making it an excellent format for reading this book!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook is an immersive, entertaining listen narrated by nonbinary queer narrator E. A. Castillo, whose theatrical experience is evident throughout this audiobook.
Castillo does an impressive job handling the massive cast of characters, giving each character their own distinct voices, personalities, and emotional energy. Castile portrays protagonist Ruda with a confident, witty voice that makes the character come vividly to life and practically burst out of the speakers! In contrast, Castillo gives Shaeine a calm, grounded-sounding voice that counterbalances Ruda’s overwhelming presence. Castillo does a great job with pacing the narration, matching the author’s writing—steady pacing during dialogue-heavy scenes and picking up the pace for action or emotional scenes.
Overall, it’s an engaging, dynamic performance that elevates the story, makes the wonderful cast of characters come alive, and brings out the book’s sharp writing and humor—making it an excellent format for reading this book!
The audiobook is an immersive, entertaining listen narrated by nonbinary queer narrator E. A. Castillo, whose theatrical experience is evident throughout this audiobook.
Castillo does an impressive job handling the massive cast of characters, giving each character their own distinct voices, personalities, and emotional energy. Castile portrays protagonist Ruda with a confident, witty voice that makes the character come vividly to life and practically burst out of the speakers! In contrast, Castillo gives Shaeine a calm, grounded-sounding voice that counterbalances Ruda’s overwhelming presence. Castillo does a great job with pacing the narration, matching the author’s writing—steady pacing during dialogue-heavy scenes and picking up the pace for action or emotional scenes.
Overall, it’s an engaging, dynamic performance that elevates the story, makes the wonderful cast of characters come alive, and brings out the book’s sharp writing and humor—making it an excellent format for reading this book!
