Book Review - THE SLAIN DIVINE by David Dalglish

 

(Title: The Slain Divine / Author: David Dalglish / Publisher: Orbit / Publication Date: January 9, 2024 / Total Pages: 528)

Back Cover Blurb

In the thrilling conclusion to USA Today bestselling author David Dalglish's new epic fantasy trilogy, a usurped prince must master the magic of shadows in order to reclaim his kingdom and his people.

The Everlorn Empire's grip on Thanet is tighter than ever. The God-incarnate himself has arrived on its shores to crush the struggling rebellion and carry out his final, sinister plan; he will sacrifice the entire island in order to rise, reincarnated from its ashes.

The rebellion is struggling to separate allies from enemies, and to figure out a way to stop the slow destruction of everything and everyone they care. Meanwhile, Cyrus is disappearing deeper beneath the vicious mask of the "Vagrant". Under the mantle of the legendary assassin, he may be strong enough to take down the Empire, but at what cost?

Review

The first two books in David Dalglish's Vagrant Gods trilogy absolutely blew me away and cemented Dalglish as one of my favorite fantasy authors writing today. With every book it just seems like he continues to top himself and so I honestly could not wait to crack open this final entry and hopefully get the fabulous ending that I suspected was about to unfold. Turns out the climax of this series was even better than I could have hoped for and it more than fulfilled the promise of the previous books, as the breakneck events leading up to the grand finale simply dazzled me.

As this is the conclusion of the series I will try to steer away from anything that could be viewed as spoilery, so I will mostly stick to my general feelings about the series and this book in particular. The story picks up pretty much immediately following the tumultuous events of the second book. Suffice to say The Sapphire Altar not only forwarded the plot considerably but also avoided the usual "middle book syndrome" by throwing a lot of unexpected curveballs into the mix. That book in particular really upped the ante with regard to the pacing and in my opinion did a lot to successfully lay the groundwork for a truly epic finish. Will the pocket groups of resistance organizing themselves within Thanet be able to overthrow the occupying force of The Everlorn Empire once and for all? Or will they be resigned to their fate as ineffectual slaves to their new leader's strict and unforgiving religious beliefs?

The mark of a really great series is how sad you are to see it all end and I was utterly beside myself as I passed the midway point of THE SLAIN DIVINE. I began to read just a little slower, reread certain passages, and just really soak the entire book in. There are very few books that affect me that way but when you are immersed in a fantastic story like this one and feel like you have lived in this world with these characters for the past two years, it's both a little bittersweet and wholly rewarding/satisfying at the same time. Ultimately though I know that David Dalglish will have another banger of a series brewing hot on the heels of this one so I take solace in the fact that I have that to look forward to.

THE SLAIN DIVINE checks off every box that you could want for the conclusion of a fantasy series. The characters get put through about the toughest situations imaginable, the action sequences are vivid and hit you viscerally, and the engaging plot keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time up to the breathtaking final pages. This series should be a must read for anyone who loves in-depth fantasy that delivers bigtime on the magic and mayhem. Do yourself a favor and check this trilogy out if you haven't yet. You just might discover a brand new favorite fantasy series. Author David Dalglish seems to have that effect on readers and the great news is he seems to write these highly entertaining tomes almost faster than we can read them. 

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