Book Review - PATERNUS: WAR OF GODS by Dyrk Ashton

(Title: Paternus: War of Gods / Author: Dyrk Ashton / Publisher: Paternus Books Media / Publication Date: June 23, 2020 / Total Pages: 852)

Book Blurb

From Africa to Asgard, to an invisible island in the Pacific and the Bone Road of a forgotten world, Fi and Zeke must come to grips with not only their newfound abilities but also who they are - and accept what they are becoming: wielders of ancient and dangerous powers, warriors, and maybe even heroes. But the end of worlds is coming, and time is short.

Titans will clash. Gods will battle. Monsters will swarm.

Can Peter and the Deva possibly defeat their age-old enemy in the face of overwhelming odds against them? There's only one way to find out.

Review

Wow, what an incredible ending to an epic-in-scope trilogy that has every single element you could ever want in a captivating read. In this final volume we catch up with all of the main characters and supporters of both the Deva and Asura as they prepare for what could possibly be the war to end all wars. The Deva and Asura for those who don't know, are centuries-old combatants who either fall on the good side of the firstborn gods, or the evil side. Many are still scattered in countries across our real world, as well as parallel worlds that can be accessed through jumping or "slipping". As each force amasses, the two main protagonists Zeke and Fi must summon all of their courage and raw abilities if they are to ensure that the right side comes out victorious. Getting to experience their growth as characters is half the fun of this book, and entire series quite frankly.

The other half of the fun is the amazingly fast-paced globe trotting and the magnificent mythological creatures that Dyrk Ashton populates this most mesmerizing urban fantasy story with. I mean, what other series can take you from modern day Detroit to Africa, Asgard (yes THAT Asgard), and numerous other historical locations from ancient times. I can't remember a series that takes the reader on such a mind-spinning trip to so many cool places, each significant and vital to the plot. This isn't just window dressing with no connection to what is going on by any stretch. I had an immense amount of fun reading PATERNUS: WAR OF GODS but was kind of sad that I no longer got to tour all of the places I'd always heard about in stories as a child.

Normally I'd make the observation in a final book of a series that the action picks up considerably, but there's never really been a single lull in the action since the first chapter in book one! It's been one non-stop whirlwind of adventure, and it really makes PATERNUS a series that everyone must pick up and read. Focusing on this book in particular, I will say that you can tell just how much Dyrk Ashton has built these characters in such a way that although they are the most fantastical of the fantastical, they also have a deeply relatable human element that made me even more connected to them than I was previously. It's truly a great achievement to pull something like that off.

I've heard many people compare the Paternus books to Neil Gaiman's American Gods and yes there are some similarities, but in my opinion it's even better because it's spread out over more books and the hostilities are ramped up to 11. I'm a huge Gaiman fan but this series made me a believer in Ashton's extraordinary storytelling prowess. 

I'd just like to conclude by saying what a phenomenal finale PATERNUS: WAR OF GODS is. Obviously the title of the book suggests one heck of a climax. All I'll say in that regard is you won't read many last few chapters in any book that will make your jaw drop like these. Heartbreak, anxiousness, hope, so many feelings and emotions passed over me as I took in all that unfolded leading up to that final page. A really fitting conclusion to a stupendous series that I won't soon forget. Ashton is going to have a difficult time topping this, but I suspect that whatever he comes up with will be just as entertaining!

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