Risen Gods

De: J. F. Penn, J. Thorn

Narrado por: C. J. McAllister

Can Ben and Lucy battle the Risen Gods to find each other again and save the country from destruction?

When a tidal wave strikes the coast of New Zealand, Ben Henare and Lucy Campion are separated in the chaotic aftermath. As earthquakes shake the land and volcanoes erupt on the Pacific Rim of Fire, Ben wrestles with his Maori heritage as he faces the supernatural powers that threaten the land of Aotearoa. He must fight his way north on a quest through ice caves and oceans, battling the manifestations of the evil god Whiro and the creatures of the sky.

Lucy faces personal tragedy and human evil on her own trek, confronting a mighty demon of the deep as she crosses into the Cook Strait. Then Ruaumoko, god of the volcano, stirs, and the powers of the land threaten to pull the country into the sea.

As the people they love are threatened and Aotearoa begins to crumble in the face of natural disaster, can Ben and Lucy battle the Risen Gods to find each other again and save the country from destruction?

Risen Gods is a dark fantasy adventure set against the backdrop of Aotearoa/New Zealand, rich with the myth and history of the island.

©2016 J.F.Penn and J. Thorn (P)2016 J.F.Penn and J. Thorn

Action-packed thrill ride!

I initially bought the ebook, and then I won a free copy of the audiobook from one of the authors in return for an honest review.
First, I want to comment on the narration. The narrator did a good, solid performance with really good pacing and excellent pronunciation of unusual Maori words. He has a pleasant, slightly gravelly voice. I have one minor complaint that when he is not doing characters' voices he sometimes sounds a too clinical and slightly monotone as if he is reading the nightly news. He does not attempt any New Zealand accents (he sounds American all the time), but I was fine with that. He is as good at women's voices as he is with men's, and he differentiates various characters' voices well. In addiction, the production was almost always very good. However, once in a while, I can tell there are one-sentence-long sections that I can tell were recorded later in a different location that has an unpleasant echo.
This book is an imaginative thrill ride that I loved. It is a natural disaster story mixed with thrilling action and fascinating fantasy based on the religion of the Maori, the native New Zealand culture. If, like me, you love Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", then try this action-packed novella-length story of several people trying to save New Zealand after the sleeping Gods rise up and cause all kinds of natural disasters. There are earthquakes, a tsunami, volcanic eruptions, and storms! It is also a cool travelog of all the most famous places in New Zealand from Auckland all the way to the far northern tip. Unlike crappy action movies, the action in this book makes sense, and the characters' escapes from death sound plausible to me.
FYI, there are no sex scenes, but I would rate it PG-13 or R because of some bloody injuries and some occasional chilling violence. Thankfully, there are no love triangles and very little romance. This is a highly enjoyable fantasy novella and audiobook. I have told all of my finds who like fantasy that they really need to try it.

It is not a good idea to make the gods angry

I always love stories that have the mystical Maori magic and traditions. This has a nice mixture of ritual, magic and the fury of the Gods. The volcanic eruptions are described so well that I felt like I was actually there watching. A tidal wave, earthquakes, tremors and volcanos spewing hot lava all over the place is one good way to get the attention of the clueless humans.

Lucy and Ben are the main characters that are out on the ocean off the coast of New Zealand. They are having a great time. The sky gets dark and a tidal wave hits. When they get separated Ben uses a prayer sea god for protection. Ben has a vision and can see a monster with tentacles in the wave.

It’s the end of the world. The gods are angry. When Ben and Lucy get back together they know that they must stop the gods from destroying humans. Not all gods are good. The gods are pissed off and coming to take back the land. The humans have abused and neglected the gifts and it is time for a grand old fight.

The Maori religion is nature based. Ben’s Grandfather is a Maori Elder. This particular elder has taken on the responsibility of keeping everyone informed. He knows that the balance with the gods is off and not in a good way.
Ben never believed in these stories. He was a full believer after he continues to have encounters with powerful angry gods. His Grandfather wants to appease the gods by taking an offering to a remote place where the veil of the worlds is the thinnest. Ben takes the offering instead. Lucy goes in search of her sister. Then the story gets even better.

I really enjoyed the narrator. I like that he does not butcher the New Zealand accent. There is nothing worse than a crappy accent. He read this with a normal English (American) voice. The action is fast paced. This story is well written and I can envision the scenes with vivid detail in my mind’s eye. I will listen to this again.

This audiobook was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.






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Gods of legends returning, the world's crumbling

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I didn't feel as I got close to the characters in this story. With being a shorter story, it felt as though the story focused on the events happening and not the characters connecting to the reader. Maybe that's something with the audio, but it fell short on that end for me.

I have read a few New Zealand based books with Maori beliefs and legends and enjoyed them. For some reason I wasn't drawn into this book as I thought I'd be. Was it the narration? Was it the writing and style? I'm not sure. Maybe both. It didn't feel as though the characters were expanded and given a chance for us to relate to them. I think it might have been the writing in that token.

Any additional comments?

In the beginning I felt as though the narrator was a bit emotionless in his voicing of the story. When we get news clips sharing the devastation with 'viewers' and information about New Zealand and it's natural events of earthquakes and such, C.T.'s voice fits for them. C.T. does do different voice tones and softness for each character when they speak, different from the story line. The audio was clear and clean sounding.

The story is a journey for Ben and Lucy to find each other again after being separated along with stopping the gods from destroying the humans that have lived here for ages. They never told each other they loved the other, but in the wake of the disasters they realize it. They also know they need to survive and save their families, or what's left of their families, too.

The story dives into the magic of the Maori people of New Zealand. We get to see quickly the enchantment of the prayers when used, and the creatures that are present. There is a connection between the people and to nature, we get to see this with Ben and his Grandfather. Grandfather tells the humans have abused the land of the gods, and they are coming to reclaim it. Grandfather is an Elder of the local tribe and close to the land. Ben knew the Maori believed in many gods and creatures but never believed in them.

*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.

A Must Listen

I want to start off by stating that I am a huge fan of both J. Thorn's and J.F. Penn's work. I have read most of their books as individual authors. I was optimistic that both authors working together would make a lethal combination. And I wasn't disappointed. The story was solid and the pacing and action was perfect. This was my first audio book and it took me a little adjustment time to the different format. But I liked it. The narrator spoke clearly and differentiated the characters which I found helpful. Great job and I highly recommend the audio version.

Enjoyable if potentially problematic

Any additional comments?

I wasn't fully happy with the story (which, will happen from time to time) because a little bit of it felt a bit white saviour-y to me. I did enjoy the chosen one(s) trope in this book (though it's not a true chosen many trope). I can't say that this book isn't culturally insensitive or culturally sensitive. Nor can I say that the author is or isn't Māori.

I did enjoy the narration of this audiobook.

If you aren't worried about cultural sensitivities or accuracy (so sue me. I KNOW it's fiction but it still matters to me when using real life places and cultures) this is an enjoyable read/listen. If you are, proceed with caution and use your own best judgement.