Review: Oblivion (The Slayer's Dark Rebirth Book 1) by Andy Blinston
Blurb:
Once a god. Now a target.
Darius awakes on a battlefield, soaked in the blood of slain foes he doesn't recall. Someone stole his strength, powers, and memories, and all that remains are his adept fighting instincts. And he’ll need them to survive.
He finds himself caught amidst a raging war between the gods of the human empire and savage invaders, and is hunted by both sides. He flees with only one woman willing to help him. She claims to be an old friend, but what she says about his past only confuses him more.
He once walked amongst the gods that now hound him. And plotted their downfall.
Why? She won't say, but he discovers that, despite their powers, he and the gods are mortal, and to defeat him they sought out a figure from legend—one that's now coming to finish what began with his memories.
If he's to survive, Darius must rediscover a past he may soon regret knowing, and he must reawaken the powers that once earned him the title he's forgotten…
The Slayer of Gods.
Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It uses the classic trope of the Unreliable Narrator. In this instance, Darius, our hero, has had his memory stolen by the character who becomes his nemesis. He knows nothing about his past beyond what we’re shown in the Prologue. He goes on the run to avoid capture and losing what remains of his mind. His only companion, apart from his ‘escort’, Lyra the panther, is Lex and it’s not clear if she can be trusted either.
Endless suspicion and paranoia sustains the excitement in the first half of the story as we learn more about the two opposing sides in a war which is happening elsewhere but don’t concern us at this point. This is a story about identity. No one is as they seem, trust is seldom rewarded and plot twists occur for these reasons.
Darius is an inconsistent hero, a feature which has prompted criticism in some reviews. This inconsistency comes from not knowing who he really is, and I liked that. He experiences moments which challenge his beliefs and expectations, and with no prior knowledge available, his reactions are all about that moment in time. He has nothing else to go on. This made the character realistic, less of a stereotype in the classic amnesiac role. I’ve used this trope in a story of my own and it’s important to keep in mind how reactions are, like being cast adrift on a sea, dependent on the prevailing current. There is no rudder to direct you because the memories aren’t there to provide one.
Additional characters are detailed, engaging and enable the plot to twist and turn a great deal. The narrative POV switches between several major characters for this reason but it doesn’t do so with any loss of clarity or engagement. I’m deliberately keeping things vague here because to explain too much about any one character is to offer spoilers. Like I said, all you need to remember is no one is as they seem.
The magic system made this story too. Both sides have magic which can counterbalance each other, providing power and strength on one side, speed on the other. Those qualities make for fantastic fight sequences, and they feature on a regular basis in the second half of the story.
Despite all the shenanigans with distrust and treachery, this is a story with heart. Our heroes try to do right, as best they can, against odds that often leave little choice. They suffer as a consequence, ethical considerations are always questioned and consequences are endured. Therefore, when good things happen, albeit at a mighty cost, it is to be celebrated whilst commemorating what has been lost as a result. I like that.
I’ve already downloaded book 2, Viridian Legion. I’m hooked. Thoroughly recommended!
