this is grittier than I expected, but still well written

This is a wonderful book with a well-thought-out world, the characters were well fleshed out, and the plotlines were surprising. I have to warn people that this book won't stand alone without the first book, In the Wake of the Gods. That was a ripping good book, and this one is, too, after a slow start. It's impossible to predict any of the activities, so it's best to just read along and try not to spend time guessing.

The author has a vivid and organized imagination that makes for an amazing world of flawed gods and the men and women who are at their mercy. ( )