Godblind Is a Grimdark Debut That Lives Up to the Name

We enter the ruthless world of Gilgoras via the exiled Mireces, followers of the vicious Red Gods, whose worship is outlawed. Clinging to survival in the harsh, freezing mountainous region that borders the lush, fertile kingdom of Rilpor, which banished them, the Mireces are primed for war, gathering under the banners of a newly crowned king. After nearly a millennia of exile, the Red Gods have grown restless, and centuries of sowing plans for revenge are finally starting to bear fruit. High-ranking individuals within Rilpor’s border reveal their true devotion, turning against their country and the Gods of Light to align with the Mireces King. Between the Mireces and Riplorians stands a small city, Watchtown, comprised of Watchers and Wolves—civilians dedicated to patrolling the border. Dom, a powerful seer and skilled Watcher, knows war is coming, but will foresight be enough to help save Watchtown, and safeguard Rilpor against the coming of the Red Gods?
That’s a lot of ground to cover in a relatively slim page count, and Stephens economizes by spreading the action across 10 different characters, each jumping across time and distance to give us small slices of the story in short point-of-view chapters. Admittedly, the first two or three jumps forced me to go back and reorient myself to the action, but the writing is sharp and clear enough that I quickly found my rhythm. With the cliffhanger flair of George R.R. Martin, Stephens times the switches perfectly to keep you reading, and I found myself looking forward to the chapters featuring Rillirin, an escaped Mireces slave, and Tara, a captain within the Riplorian military, the most.
Without a doubt, Godblind is a savage read; there is bloodshed in nearly every chapter. The Red Gods are aptly named; they feed on the sacrifices of blood spilled in their honor. Stephens doesn’t shy away from graphic gore, whether in scenes of battle or ritualistic slaughter. And yet, it never feels gratuitous. It is clear from the opening chapter how merciless the Mireces are, and how insatiable the Red Gods’ thirst for blood. This is a grimdark fantasy that truly lives up to the name. A bit of gallows humor between scenes of bloodletting is about as light as things get.
Yet even as they traipsed through rivers of blood, it was the characters who really convinced me to keep reading, They bring heart and light to  this dark world. The evil Lanta—the Red Gods’ high priestess, traveling with the Mireces as they march to war—is intriguing in her ruthless machinations towards power. Gilda, Lanta’s opposing counterpart for the Gods of Light, brings needed warmth to the story. Despite the seemingly overwhelming odds, there is still a sense of hope throughout. Yes, forces of evil are gathering, and loved ones are lost, but there is still a bit of fight left in the good guys. Because this is the first in a new series, the end comes just the pieces have been moved into place on the board. We’ll have to wait for the next installment to see how far the Red Gods will go to get revenge against the Gods of Light. Odds are good it’s going to get ugly.
Godblind is available now.