Book Review - Empire of the Gods - David Stag

Title:    Empire of the Gods

Author:  David Stagg

Review:  I’m not a huge Sci-fi fan, but this was on my Kindle To Read for the Blog list and so I started reading.  I contract with myself to give every new book at least 10% before putting it down the first time.  I realized I was well over 20% when my kids yelled, “Whats for dinner?”  Well that got me moving and I put the book down only to pick it back up a few hours later and finish it the next day.

Linus is a character you can really enjoy, one that is innocent and yet not stupid in any way.  Life and death are everywhere and who knows what is best?  I enjoyed the different worlds, and the explanation about Humans….very convincing.  Ta was a character I liked and yet knew something more had to be going on with her.  The many different characters you meet and get to know are interesting and varied.  Lots of death and goodbyes that made me sad at times, but a good ending.

At 90% I wondered how the book was going to come together and end.  Well it did and the author wrapped it all up really tight.  I love the idea that we all have the ability inside us to become anything we wish, and yet we usually end of aiming so much lower than we should.  What do you want to be, do, write, achieve?  Well than put the work in and do it.  I loved the end of the book and really think that we all have the gift to become what we want…but we have to work at it.  Nothing comes for free, everything has a cost. 

One quote from the book that I’ve heard before was, “It’s not that we don’t like what we have…it is just that we want what we don’t have more.”  How true is that?  Look at your neighbors do they have things you wished you had and yet I’m sure you have things they wished they had.  When you stop looking to get more, is when I believe, you find what you have been looking for all the time.  A simple happy life with family and friends is all I really need and yet all the images around me say I should want more and so I do. 

Read this book if you love Sci-fi and read this book if you like a good story with interesting characters and ideas.  I think you will be surprised by the depth of this authors vision.

Publisher:  September 17th 2011

Copyright: 2011

Pages:  Kindle

ISBN:    B0061C3ER2

Quick Review: 4 Stars out of 5. 

Why I Read It: Sent by the writer for review.

Synopsis:   Linus is taken prisoner from earth by a barbaric civilization rampaging through our galaxy. He is to be a slave in an Empire ruled by invincible tyrants. They have powers to make any wish come true, just by thinking of it. And the depravity of the rulers filters down to every level of society. The rulers control vast armies with advanced technology far beyond that any of the colonized planets. Linus is an ordinary person, not a superhero with fantastic powers or fighting abilities. His journey through this society is not just a thrilling adventure, but a philosophical analysis of people and the power they covet.

This novel is 157,000 words (about twice the average sci-fi book). It is not intended for children or teenagers, but will be entertaining to thinking adults.

Author Biography:  Now retired, I've been a scientific/technical person my entire life. I have degrees in engineering, 11 patents and have designed industrial machinery used around the world. I play guitar, have raced and restored cars and am a video game fanatic. I am not married, and the inside of my house shows it. Empire of the Gods is my first novel, written mainly because I now have plenty of time on my hands, and I rarely find a book (movie, tv show) that I consider enjoyable. So, rather than engage in the time-honored tradition of retired curmudgeons who constantly complain about the state of things these days, I decided to take my own shot at improving the culture. It wasn't easy, but it was enjoyable. The best part is that I can spend the afternoon daydreaming and fantasizing, and whenever anyone asks me what I was doing, with a straight face I can say I was "working" (LOL).

Other Reviews:  Laurie's Thoughts, Frontlaven, J Keith Jones