Fourth under Sol - BookWyrm

English language

Published Dec. 27, 2019 by Independently Published.

ISBN:: 978-1-0791-4958-6

No rating (1 review)

Isavel was sure she was a gods-forged weapon. It seemed painfully obvious. So with her second life falling to pieces all around her, and nowhere left to go, she stands before them again, one last time - hoping, for once, to be a double-edged sword.

Arguments with gods rarely end well, however. Now thrown so far off the path that no walking or wings could ever bring her home again, she finds the self-destructive legacy of her ancestors stretches far further afield than she could have imagined. The same old bones lie under alien soils, the same wars echo in different blood, the same silent stars twinkle above barren skies.

And looming over it all, the same inscrutable gods - only these ones are within reach. And with every scuff and every broken promise, the visage of these gods crumbles away until Isavel finds herself staring at what lurks in …

Isavel was sure she was a gods-forged weapon. It seemed painfully obvious. So with her second life falling to pieces all around her, and nowhere left to go, she stands before them again, one last time - hoping, for once, to be a double-edged sword.

Arguments with gods rarely end well, however. Now thrown so far off the path that no walking or wings could ever bring her home again, she finds the self-destructive legacy of her ancestors stretches far further afield than she could have imagined. The same old bones lie under alien soils, the same wars echo in different blood, the same silent stars twinkle above barren skies.

And looming over it all, the same inscrutable gods - only these ones are within reach. And with every scuff and every broken promise, the visage of these gods crumbles away until Isavel finds herself staring at what lurks in their hearts and their roots. But these gods still stand, and still the worlds turn, and somehow she must find a path to her home, and a home for her heart.

These old gods may stand in her way, and their wastelands may sap her strength. But she is a weapon, of a kind no god has ever known. And arguments with gods rarely end well.

1 edition

Guerric Haché reviewed Fourth under Sol by Guerric Haché

Review of 'Fourth under Sol' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Author review - no stars, obviously!

This is one of the weirdest writing experiences I've had. In many ways, it was the funnest writing I've ever done - even beyond the adventury pacing and the generous helping of tropes and cheese and drama that I always love, there's strange new stuff going on in this one, and I hope it works for people; but even if it doesn't it was great to explore new ways of presenting and sharing some of Isavel's experiences. And I tried to give her some of the moments she really needed, and I think those work. She often struggles more with herself than with anything outside her, but in either case she's got one hell of a backbone, and she's learning to stand proud.

But there were difficult things to write, too - experiences or feelings I'm at pains to nicely articulate even in everyday …

Author review - no stars, obviously!

This is one of the weirdest writing experiences I've had. In many ways, it was the funnest writing I've ever done - even beyond the adventury pacing and the generous helping of tropes and cheese and drama that I always love, there's strange new stuff going on in this one, and I hope it works for people; but even if it doesn't it was great to explore new ways of presenting and sharing some of Isavel's experiences. And I tried to give her some of the moments she really needed, and I think those work. She often struggles more with herself than with anything outside her, but in either case she's got one hell of a backbone, and she's learning to stand proud.

But there were difficult things to write, too - experiences or feelings I'm at pains to nicely articulate even in everyday life, things I'm still working out, just regular storytelling patterns I'm not sure I pulled off. Some days I've been sure it's the best book yet; other days I've read through bits and wondered what the hell I was thinking. Ada is a wild mess, and that's always fun to watch; but Isavel is a quieter kind of trouble, and while she's way more badass than I'll ever be, I think her struggles hit me harder. Maybe because I haven't quite come out the other side yet, and I'm trying to boost her up before I'm out of the muck myself. Or maybe because I still have a lot to learn as a writer! Probably the latter.

But we're closing in on the end, now. I'm glad, ultimately, with how this turned out. And I think Isavel is, too - which is what matters most. I love these characters, and I can only hope that I'm doing their feelings justice, and setting them and their world up for a finale that somehow, amidst all the bonkers spaceships and dragons and mysticism and corny jokes, has the heart they deserve.

One more book, folks.