Synopses & Reviews
The stunning epic fantasy debut!
Young Talen lives in a world where the days of a person's life can be harvested, bought, and stolen. Only the great Divines, who rule every land, and the human soul-eaters, dark ones who steal days from man and beast, know the secrets of this power.
Now a being of awesome power, whose Mothers once ranched human subjects like cattle, feeding on their souls, has arisen in secret. And her monstrous, murderous pawn, a soul-bound creature created of wood and grass and rock roams the land. A massive and mis-directed hunt for soul-eaters is launched and Talen finds himself a target. Trapped in a web of lies and secrets, Talen must identify his true enemy before the new Mother takes back what is rightfully hers.
Review
Praise for Servant of a Dark God
“A great setting, a smart story.”
--Brandon Sanderson, author of Warbreaker
“In his debut novel, Servant of a Dark God, John Brown adds his voice to epic fantasy with a world I can see and smell and taste and believe in . . . and characters I can cheer for, travel with and want to see again.”
--Ken Scholes, author of Lamentation
“A complex, powerful story.”
--David Drake
“[An] engrossing debut. . . . breakneck-paced and action-packed. Patient readers will be rewarded with a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy adventure.”
--Publishers Weekly
“A classic heroic saga, dealing with the bedrock issues of good and evil and identity. These are classic themes because they matter; and Brown makes them matter both to his young protagonist and the reader. It promises to continue for quite a distance, and I hope it does.”
--Kage Baker
“Browns first novel, the opener in a new fantasy series, creates an elaborate new world with a rich and deep spiritual and political background. . . . Reminiscent of L.E. Modesitt Jr.s ‘Recluce novels and David Drakes ‘Lord of the Isles series and David Farlands ‘Runelords books, this well-wrought tale of families in conflict against both politics and religion represents a welcome addition to large-scale fantasy.”
--Library Journal (starred review)
“Akin to Steven Ericksons Malazan Book of the Fallen, or R. Scott Bakkers The Prince of Nothing. . . . There is the sense, right from the start, that Servant of a Dark God is a tale being told by a first-rate story-teller. It may be his first novel, but … John Brown knows how to grab a readers attention and hold it all the way through the book. Thats a talent that works well in any genre, and bodes especially well for the next two volumes in what promises to be an engrossing fantasy trilogy.”
--New York Review of Science Fiction
“A complex and intricate world, filled with all the permutations of human good and evil, as well as evil that goes beyond the human. Neither heroes nor villains are quite what they seem at first, and where the cost of virtue is high indeed, yet where, in the end, the tenacity of such virtue is what is required to triumph.”
--L. E. Modesitt, Jr author of Arms-Commander
“This intricate story buries the truth under layers of corrupted history, forgotten legends, and deliberate lies… A provocative, suspenseful beginning of a new series.”
--Booklist
"Thoroughly engrossing from the first page to the last! John Brown shows himself to be a writer with remarkable depth and power. I haven't seen a debut novel this good in years!"
--David Farland, author of Berserker Lord
Synopsis
The launch of a towering new fantasy series introduces an elaborate new world, a strange and dark system of magic, and a cast of compelling characters and monsters.
About the Author
John Brown currently lives with his wife and four daughters in the hinterlands of Utah, where one encounters much fresh air, many good-hearted ranchers, and an occasional wolf.