A review of
War of Gods
By Dyrk Ashton
The hugely anticipated War of Gods, the third and final book in Ashton’s Paternus series, was a book I have been eagerly awaiting since he announced its completion. This series is now easily one of my favourite examples of urban fantasy, and its conclusion is rather breath-taking.
The plethora of fantastic mythical creatures is one thing that has impressed me with the Paternus book’s and no less in War of Gods. He seems to have used every mythical creature and piece of folklore out there, and populated these books with a staggering cast of amazing creature characters.
This book joins Fiona, the Deva and the remaining forces of good against the terrible Asura. We get all the answers to all the questions we have been waiting for. We finally discover more on the true nature of Peter, Zeke’s character arc comes full circle as his secrets are unveiled, and wow, his story is so so good. Fiona embraces her heritage and trains to stand shoulder to shoulder with her brothers and sisters in the final battle. All as the Asura, led by the formidable foe that is Iblis Thevetat, unleash a final master plan to destroy humanity and seize all the worlds for themselves in the final stages of the war to end all wars.
Like the previous books, there is plenty of humour despite the harrowing and often heart wrenching events that happen in War of Gods. The huge cast of characters are well rendered and I found myself very invested in each and every one of them. I quite enjoyed the theological musings that bind the world together and weave various theologies together into one world. Ashton writes in present tense, which took a little adjusting from the more common past tense most fantasy is written in—I’ve had the same thoughts every time I’ve read a Paternus book—but as usual, I quickly adjusted and became engrossed in the story.
Ashton is a bit of a maverick and a rule breaker with his innovative writing style, which I find both refreshing and a little inspiring—he proves if done right rules can be bent, and in this case with excellent results.
As mentioned this has been one of my favourite series in recent years, masterfully crafted and insanely epic, I would recommend any fan of fantasy through to urban fantasy gives this a read—you will not regret it. I look forward to seeing what Dyrk does next.
Thanks for reading,
Lee