Slow Gods - Claire North

SLOW GODS

CLAIRE NORTH

*****

My name is Mawukana na-Vdnaze, and I am a very poor copy of myself.

In telling my story, there are certain things I should perhaps lie about. I should make myself a hero. Pretend I was not used by strangers and gods, did not leave people behind.

Here is one truth: out there in deep-space, in the pilot's chair, I died. And then, I was reborn. I became something not quite human, something that could speak to the infinite dark. And I vowed to become the scourge of the world that wronged me.

This is the story of the supernova event that burned planets and felled civilizations. This is also the story of the many lives I've lived since I died for the first time.

Are you listening?

MY REVIEW

*****

I love reading Claire North’s books, and upon hearing that her latest read was a space opera, I couldn’t resist requesting it!

Mawukana na-Vdnaze is a pilot, however when they are found on a ship with a dead crew and a newfound love of the dark, it seems as though they may have been changed into something else entirely…

Slow Gods is such a well-plotted book with an awful lot of world(s)building. We learn about so many different species, cultures, customs and habitats across the universe. Everything feels so intricate and detailed, and I would love to see Claire North’s notes – I bet there are a lot of them! The idea of gender is very fluid, with some cultures having eight of them, and the chapter asides delve into additional detail on all of this as well. Each system has their own set of pronouns, which I haven’t seen explored in a book format before, but actually made it slightly easier to follow who was being referenced at all times.

I loved the main character of Maw, sometimes it’s hard to empathise with a main character who is basically immortal, and the plot spans many years with characters and worlds living and dying whilst Maw never changes. I liked the idea that they were corrupted by the dark in ways that even they didn’t seem to know the full extent of. I enjoyed these little peeks of horror and uncertainly framed around the lights going out.

The main plot is about a warning of a catastrophic event happening in 100 years which will wipe out life on many planets. We see how these different governments choose to react to this and essentially how some of them decide who will live and who will die. There’s also an uncurrent of rebellion of a tyrannical regime and challenging questions of how much immortal beings should intervene in what is going on around them. Maw also has some very human dilemmas of grief and heartbreak which makes it easier to empathise with them.

I’ve not read anything like this book in a while – it’s one of those stories which sits with you for a long time after you put it down. If I was to compare it with something, it reminded me of an Adrian Tchaikovsky novel and even in places of Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward series (but in a much more grown up fashion!).

Overall Slow Gods is a triumph of world-building and epic storytelling. Thank you to NetGalley & Little, Brown Book Group – Orbit for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LINKS TO BUY

Amazon UK

Waterstones