Monday 28 January 2013

Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods - John Michael Hileman

RATING: FIVE STARS

Imagine waking up and suddenly finding that you are a god. Well, that's exactly what happened to Jason Tardin when he became Sam De'jal - the god of reason! One moment Jason was quietly reading a book in his study and the next his eyes start glowing and he has the power to mould and influence the world around him!

Jason doesn't have much time to enjoy his new-found powers however, and within moments of unlocking them his life is great danger and he is thrown into the midst of the gods' brutal war to shape and rule Vrin as they see fit. Jason knows that he has to learn to use and understand his new powers quickly if he is survive and, as he struggles to comprehend the complex politics of the Gods, he stumbles upon a shocking secret - a secret that allows him to understand the true nature of Vrin, why it exists and why it must be saved at all costs.

The Good
One of the best aspects of Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods, is in the uniqueness of the story and John Michael Hileman has used an interesting blend of science and theology to create an original and complex idea of the formation and structure of the universe, which I found was fascinating to read about.

The story itself is very complex (although this could also be considered as a negative point, I suppose), and is full of twists and turns that make any of its events very hard to predict. This, along with the book being well written and narrated with a light-hearted air that helped me to engage easily with the story and its main characters, makes Vrin an enjoyable read that is very difficult to put down.

The Bad
Throughout Vrin, sleep features prominently and (without spoiling the book by going into too much detail), is very important to the events of the story. The human sleep cycle in particular is very important, so you would think that Hileman would have invested in researching it properly. Sadly, he hasn't and there is one paragraph where he explains the human sleep cycle for the readers and gets it completely wrong. 

And although moaning about this error is slightly trivial on my part, I bring it up for two main reasons. Firstly, I am a biologist and find factual errors such as this extremely irritating. And secondly, I found that this error diminished my confidence in Hileman as an author, which slightly disengaged me from the rest of his story. This is a shame really because it marrs an otherwise superb book, but I think that it is a big deal - it is important for authors to spend time researching the backgrounds of their stories properly to give their books a greater sense of credibility!

My Thoughts
Overall though, Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods is a very enjoyable book to read and provides a gripping and imaginative telling of the celestial workings of the universe. I think that the book will be enjoyed by fantasy and science fiction fans alike, and recommend that you add it to your reading list!

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