"This smart and provocative historical fantasy blends the power of the Roman Empire with climate change as a former gladiator sets out to rescue her abducted charge."
An intriguing and thought-provoking story containing steam-punk vibes, where greed and corruption is pitted against and blended with trust and hope. Former gladiator turned governess Arrow, is hell-bent on rescuing her charge when Livy is abducted during a storm. Climate expert and author Solitaire Townsend, has set this tale within a reimagined Roman Empire of the 19th century where the environment is being choked by fossil fuels.
The importance of climate change sits as a central theme, the difference in the setting and timeframe highlights the danger that comes with ignoring the effects of humanity on our environment. The intimacy of the relationships, particularly between Arrow and Livy are a necessary element to the wider impact of social and political messaging. Differing time frames begin to fill in the complexity of the intricate jigsaw that is Arrow and for me she was the most fascinating of the characters. There is plenty of action including fighting as the tale moves from Londinium to the Amazon. This feels as though it has been set up as an introduction to a wider story, so hopefully there is more to come. Thoughtful yet fierce, Godstorm is a provocative and stimulating tale set in a richly imagined world.
| Primary Genre | Fantasy |
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'Ancient Rome provides rich plunder for fantasy writers...Godstorm is a grand addition to the genre' Daily Mail
'This startling alternative history takes us to a newly-imagined world... The result is a vivid, ferocious adventure' Kim Stanley-Robinson
'A highly original, vividly-imagined fantasy Roman Empire where oil is power' Ruth Downie
LOVE READING SCIFI/FANTASY BOOK OF THE MONTH
A Female Gladiator's Vow. A Stolen Child. A Storm to End Empires
In an oil-fuelled Roman Empire which never fell, Arrow - a gladiatrix turned governess - must rescue Livy, the child she never meant to love, a girl who could tear down the world.
When Livy is abducted during a devastating Godstorm, Arrow must unleash years of the gladiator training she'd sworn to forget in order to save her. Defying her owner, a heartless Consul, Arrow turns to her ex-lover and the illegal druid underworld in a desperate attempt to rescue the girl she has tried not to think of as her own.
Her search will take her across Londinium, a city of petrol-powered chariots, to the pagan Old Town, and eventually the edge of the known world: the Amazon, where destiny and destruction intertwine.
Facing battle and betrayal Arrow must choose: reclaim her past as a killer-or risk everything for the child who might call her 'mother.'
She is the Sword.
Godstorm features in the following genres: eBooks of the Month, Recommendations, Sci-Fi / Fantasy Pick of the Month, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Historical fantasy, Fantasy romance, Alternative history fiction, Historical adventure fiction, Epic fantasy / heroic fantasy
Godstorm is available in Paperback, Hardback
Godstorm was written by Solitaire Townsend and published by Bedford Square Publishers
Godstorm has 352 pages
Yes it is part of Godstorm series
£9.89
