Book Review: The God King’s Legacy (God King Chronicles, #0.5) by Richard Nell
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Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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The God King’s Legacy by Richard Nell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: God King Chronicles (Book #0.5)
Genre: Fantasy, Flintlock Fantasy
Pages: 294 pages (Paperback)
Published: 10th June 2019 by Richard Nell (Self-published/Indie)
The God King’s Legacy comprised of two flintlock fantasy novellas that provide glimpses into Nell’s future books.
I didn’t expect to start reading The God King’s Legacy this soon. This year, I finished Nell’s Ash and Sand trilogy, a series that has become one of my favorite trilogies. By finishing The God King’s Legacy, the prequel to the upcoming God-King Chronicles series by Richard Nell, it would mean that I have no more Nell’s books to read. However, I needed something short to tide me over until Sanderson’s Rhythm of War is published today, and so here we are. For those of you who don’t know, the God-King Chronicles series takes place in the same world with Ash and Sand trilogy. This, however, doesn’t mean that you have to read the other series first; the same situation is applicable for Ash and Sand as well. The connection between these two series hasn’t really been made yet, but yeah, I’m sure it will appear in the future. As for this review, I will be doing a mini-review for the two novellas inside this collection.
Rebellion of the Black Militia: 3.5/5 stars
The story in Rebellion of the Black Militia follows Johann Planck, a bastard and a scribe of the god king’s tower who’s suddenly taken away from his academia life to capture a demon named Sazeal. Accompanying him is a more than a hundred years old knight named Lamorak. I liked this novella; Johann and Lamorak have a relationship development that’s well-realized. I also think that the contrast in their personality and the changes in Johann’s character were gradual and developed nicely. Plus, this novella exhibited the potential that the series has to offer in the future. My qualm with it is that it is too short; the novella is only 130 pages long, and I felt that the story ended too quickly.
“This is not a story in one of your books, Johann. In this world the strong gnash at one another with bared teeth. They twist and use and devour the weak, and justice is an endless war that can’t be won.”
Devil of the 22nd: 2.5 stars
As for this particular title, I have to admit that it didn’t really work for me. I felt that for its short length, it contained too many actions without giving enough focus on characterizations first. Kurt isn’t a particularly likable character, and for me to feel invested with his story, more pages focused on his motivation and background were definitely needed. The actions were well-written, but the overall story was forgettable to me.
“Life is the flame, he thought, touching the rough cloth. One moment it’s controlled, even beautiful, then in the next, chaos.”
The God King’s Legacy is a good appetizer for what’s to come in the future of Nell’s books. However, if you want to start reading Nell’s books, I strongly recommend you to start with his Ash and Sand trilogy. Kings of Paradise is a far more superior start than this, and I personally think the two stories contained here doesn’t show his storytelling strength and capability as a grimdark fantasy writer. That being said, I’m sure the main books in God-King Chronicles will live up to my high expectations. I am, without a doubt, looking forward to reading more of Nell’s books in the future.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
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