The Empire of the Dead

A promising start to a new epic fantasy trilogy. It's a medieval heist novel where the rogues in question are a ragtag group of demigods struggling to find themselves after an end-of-the-world type event years prior to this story.

There used to be nine powerful gods walking the world, but they were betrayed and only their demigod children remain. Anyone with a hint of godsblood is hunted down by the empire to be sacrificed for their necromancer ruler.

Speaking of necromancy, the undead are everywhere in this book. It's not unusual to see hordes of them shambling by, but they are typically unintelligent and only capable of basic tasks. There are also super creepy masked assassins called Deathless, but it's not clear whether these are actual undead, magically augmented, or just skilled warriors.

Most magic derives from godsblood, and the strength of magic is affected by how much people believe in the god or goddess whose blood runs in a magic user's veins.

There's a relatively small cast of core characters to this book. I'm also definitely butchering these names, since I listened to the audiobook and can't find most of these names anywhere.

* Acharsis: The womanizing, charismatic son of the god of fertility. He's been through a lot and feels guilty for the deaths of the original nine gods. His sense of humor provides some great comedic relief throughout the book.

* Jarek: He's basically the demigod version of a mega-lumberjack. He's an honorable warrior who's spent the last few decades living an isolated life on a mountain after the gods were betrayed, but he reluctantly agrees to join Acharsis on his heist.

* Annara: A badass ex-priestess of a dead god, her determination to save her son from the empire is the driving force behind the entire plot.
Plot

After seventeen years, Acharsis reunites with his former love, Annara. Unfortunately for him, she's moved on with her life, happily married and mother to a teenage son, Elu. Shortly after Acharsis's arrival, Annara's village is raided and her son is kidnapped.

Acharsis vows to rescue Elu, who might actually be his son. Anarra comes along, and the two of them recruit Jerek to help them on their mission.

The majority of the story is a magical heist in which the group of heroes attempts to break into an impenetrable fortress to save Elu.

This was a somewhat lighthearted, fast-paced adventure story. The banter between characters was fun, the action was immersive and intense, and overall this was an enjoyable read.

The narration of the audiobook was serviceable. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly memorable. The narrator was able to convey each character's quirks effectively and had decent comedic timing for the humor.

Target Audience

People who enjoy:

* Lots of magic, especially necromancy
* Witty banter
* Fast-paced action
* Likable characters
* Recommended Beverage Pairing