Risen Gods

By: J. F. Penn, J. Thorn

Narrated by: C. J. McAllister

Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

Man vs. Man vs. Gods

Risen Gods is a great supernatural thriller. Ben Henare and Lucy Campion are two best friends living in New Zealand. Both have grew up together. Ben is from a Maori heritage while Lucy is Western. Lucy is enjoying her vacation from medical school with Ben. When a tsunami separated Ben and Lucy, both hoped to regroup back on land without realizing that the ancient gods of Maori have awaken and are very angry of how the native islanders have mistreated their land. The gods needed to be appease.

Ben has grown up with his grandfather's teaching of heritage. Ben has never believed that the ancients gods of Maori are true. When the evil god Whiro has taken his grandfather, Ben has to make the journey north. Ben is assisted by Gina, a Westerner to make the journey north.

Lucy returned home in search of her family. The tsunami has taken her parents but her sister Amber survived the natural disaster. With Amber, Lucy searched for a Red Cross shelter. With the rumbling of the volcano, Amber became separated from her. Lucy searched for Amber and stumbled upon a Maori named Rangi. With Rangi's help, Lucy is reunited with her sister. However, having been warned by an old woman, Lucy has to go north with Rangi to make an offering to appease the gods from destroying the island.

What I love about this story is the myth and history of the Moari culture. I love the background description of New Zealand and how the myth is interwoven into the story. I love the element of how the gods are angry with the people of not respecting and taking care of the land when they decide to slumber and woken up of how the land is abused by the people. This is the reflection of how we can be so selfish and careless in destroying nature (hence the Greenhouse effects).

Another thing I love about the story is that it shows how human nature is. While there are decent people who help each other in a natural disaster, there are also people who profit for their own gains.

This story has so many elements presented. When the readers read and analyze the story, it is the true reflections of human nature. The storyline is predictable but the story truly captures the readers' attention. I couldn't put the book down because I want to take the journey with Ben and Lucy knowing that Ben and Lucy would be able to save New Zealand from the gods.

The narrator, C.J. McAllister does a good job. He does give life to the characters but the narration voice and the broadcast voice sounds the same. It is a fact stating voice that doesn't give the listeners a feel for the story except through the characters. His pronunciation of the Maori language is excellent. It gives that native feeling to the story.

I was given this ebook by the author in exchange of an honest review. I was not compensated or influence in any way for writing this review.

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.

Great story.

Thorn and Penn combined to write a great disaster book that kept me entertained seeing what would happen to the main characters. The narrator did a good job also. I will definitely read more books by these authors in the future.

A Great Story

I've always enjoyed novels based on Ancient Gods and Risen Gods will be added to the list. I've been a fan of J.F. Penn for years and always enjoy her novels. I was intrigued when I saw she was co-writer with J. Thorn. I like the result so much that I've looked up some books by J. Thorn to give them a try. I listened to it in one sitting, the fast pace of the story line just kept me from turning it off.

RISEN GODS

RISEN GODS is a story of modern day New Zealand as seen through the eyes of native people and longtime residents who remember and still believe in the old gods of the land, air and sea. Having lost their families and friends, Ben and Lucy discover they have always been destined to be together and to protect their homeland.
Well written and professionally delivered. RISEN GODS is a book of love and inner strength, a book of discovery you will want in your library.

Interesting but could be better

I have read some of J Thorns work before, but not Joanna's. There were a couple times I lost track of what was happening, not sure if it was slow writing or the delivery. The story wasn't bad, but not what I expected. I did like the setting. I was given this for free and chose to write a review

Thrill ride!

supernatural, survival, suspense, action-adventure, New Zealand, indigenous-people, thriller The gods of the Maori in New Zealand are angry with the humans who ignore the sanctity of the land and sea and are seeking vengeance. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruption, and beasts from the sea. Many are dead or severely injured, but two young people who love their land are destined to fight for it. Ben receives his orders from his Maori grandfather, Lucy receives hers from a Maori priestess while looking for her younger sister. Lots of action and terror, good people and villains in this exciting read. Author's descriptions of the beauty of the South Island are wondrous. Loved it! Narrator C.J. McAllister was great in differentiating characters and narrative as well as providing pronunciations of words I haven't heard on Brokenwood.

Bleh...

Medio & predictable. Narrator's delivery is almost monotone & his voice is creaky. I found it annoying.

Action-packed, fast-paced supernatural thriller

Risen Gods follows two main characters, Ben and Lucy, as they navigate the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in New Zealand. While at first, it seems like a normal natural disaster, Ben and Lucy soon realize that it's actually supernatural. The ancient gods have awoken, and they're ready to take back their land.

The action begins in the first chapter and doesn't let up throughout the novel. Ben and Lucy are separated and thrust into different journeys, where they must face the devastation caused by the earthquake, learn the truth about the disaster, and attempt to save New Zealand with the help of unlikely allies. The various obstacles and twists kept me guessing, as every time Ben or Lucy made progress, something else stood in their way. While I enjoyed the fast pacing, once the end came, it seemed to come very quickly and without as much resistance as the rest of the book. It was still satisfying, but not what I was expecting.

My favorite aspect of this novel is how it grappled with two central themes. First, the authors did a fantastic job of weaving in New Zealand mythology (I learned so much without feeling like I'd read a textbook), and showing the tension between modernity and folklore. Second, the authors encapsulated the best and worst of human nature. Some people offered help and compassion after the tragedy, while others took advantage of weaker individuals in the worst possible ways. This theme gave the novel a gritty realism that many authors are afraid to touch.

Last, I should note that I listened to the audiobook version. Though I would have preferred a New Zealand narrator, I do understand that the authors probably chose an American to make listening easier for the majority of their audience (myself included). The narrator held my interest, was articulate, and did a good job with both male and female voices (so often I think male narrators make women sound silly).

TL;DR: Risen Gods is a supernatural thriller in which the characters attempt to survive and save New Zealand after a divinely caused earthquake. Fast-paced and action-packed, it holds modernity and folkore, as well as human goodness and evil, in perfect tension. One hell of a fun ride, with an articulate narrator to boot.

Fast-moving and gripping

This was a good story overall, with a mix of apocalyptic and paranormal horror. I was on edge the whole time because there were no guarantees about who was going to make it. However, I felt the story was rushed and I would have liked to have known the characters a bit more in their "normal" lives before they're thrust into the horrific events that happen. I'm not familiar with Maori culture and religion and found the mystical underpinnings of the story fascinating. The idea of mighty deities and the earth itself turning against humans gave the book a truly dark and terrifying tone. There were quite a few side characters who seemed to know the full reasons behind what was going on, but all they did was give the main characters rushed hints and no full explanations, leaving me as a reader frustrated and wanting to know more as well. The inclusion of some human non-mystical villains added another powerful layer of suspense. At first, I didn't like the narrator at all. His delivery of the narrative portions felt monotone and robotic. However, he did much better with the dialogue portions, adding more life and emotion when the characters were speaking. The only reasons I haven't given this five stars are because I felt the story needed more time and space to be told, and because the narrator's delivery wasn't my cup of tea.

When you can no longer deny the monsters

Any additional comments?

Risen Gods weaves the natural elements with the supernatural. Locations are so vivid they feel like characters. The story follows three kinds of people. Those who believe in what they see, those who believe in what is unseen, and those who struggle as they move from no longer being able to deny the monsters a rationale mind can't comprehend. I enjoyed the characters who fell into each category as I wondered what I'd do if put in their shoes. Great if you are looking for a thrilling story you can consume in a short amount of time.