Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
On the pilgrim road, among other pilgrims, they each have their secrets. But with demon-like constructs in pursuit of at least one of them, keeping their secrets from each other turns out to be the least of their problems, especially when circumstances separate them from the other pilgrims—the real pilgrims—of their small travelling group. They have to figure out if they can afford to trust each other: a hard choice, when one of them is a godkiller, one of them’s a god, and one is a former knight who might be expected to look askance at either. Add to that Inara discovering that she has very unusual powers all of her own, intimations of civil war in Middren, and and the tension can only rise.
Kissen came first, inspired by this wandering mythological hero, but I wanted her to be all her own. Full of anger, and full of love, and competent as hell. Perhaps a reaction against feeling there were so many helpless female characters in books I had access to as a kid, though now I’d say she’s part of a pantheon herself. Her fighting style had to come out of who she fought – using cunning, brawling and boxing. She’s never been on an even playing field, so she uses every resource she has. Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This review has been postponed in support of the HarperCollins Union Strike. Congratulations to the union! Whilst reading Godkiller, we follow four different points of view. Two of them are reluctant legends in their own fields, both were active and influential throughout the god war, and are now just generally plodding along. They find themselves in a position that is similar to how Ringil begins in The Steel Remains. Kissen is the titular Godkiller and her occupation is pretty self-explanatory. She doesn't like gods much and will kill them for a fee. Elogast is currently a baker, yet his previous occupation was as one of the King's most trusted Knights. We also follow Inara, a young noble lady who the majority of the nobility don't seem to know exists, and finally her bonded god companion Skedi, the god of white lies. Other than the MC, the other characters perspectives did not interest me much at all. As Inara is a younger girl, it is told from a younger perspective and I found it slightly irritating to read. However, I am curious about where her journey may go. This is a very strong debut, offering compelling characters whose problems mount from the ordinary to the epic in the space of the novel. I enjoyed it, and I’ll definitely be looking out for the sequel.It has the ease of writing of a YA fantasy book, while being entirely an adult fantasy in topics and themes. Kit Griffiths' dynamic narration, which enriches the story's emotions, pace and tension, grabbed my attention within seconds. Also, the different voices used for the characters bring them to life and strengthen the listening experience. Inara is a young girl with mysterious powers and a magical friend (who, I would say, definitely counts as an animal companion). She wants answers to the secrets she has had to keep for years, she wants to understand her place in the world and perhaps create a new one. She goes to Kissen for answers and discovers more than she ever would have guessed. Tom Roberts is exceptionally talented and meticulous. I love his dark, mythic aesthetic, and knew it would be perfect for the books.
In contrast to Kissen, we have Elogast, our knight turned baker. Immediately we see Elo is kind, gentle but he is also traumatised by his past. Throughout the novel we see that he is suffering from PTSD, the battles he has fought have left their emotional scars and knowing this we realise just how much strength, loyalty it took for him to help King Arren. These are the kind of characters I am fond of, ones who find the strength to face their personal demons and ones who have a firm sense of honour. However, my most beloved characters were Inara and her tiny god Skediceth. Though Inara is young, she shows as much resilience and courage as Kissen. She knows she’s the daughter of a powerful noble house, her mother has taught her well and she always strives to act accordingly. I loved her bond with Skedi, how this connection allows her to see people’s emotions through colours and how she could always sense if they were lying. Skedi’s form is a cross between a hare and a deer with wings and antlers, always changing his size to become noticeable or stay hidden. Though I found Skedi adorable, I also liked that he was the god of white lies and that power made his character rather untrustworthy throughout. Kissen is a perfect main character, a perfect driving force throughout this story. She’s a veiga, a godkiller, in a world brimming with gods of old and new. She has ghosts that haunt her, the flames of her past contending with the brightness of the future beneath the ever-watching eye of the sun. She has a purpose in her life that directs her across this wide world, but all that changes when she meets Inara. One of our favourite questions here on the Fantasy Hive: which fantastical creature would you ride into battle and why?
Need Help?
A richly rendered world . . . Kaner writes action that's both fun and intelligible . . . If "The Last of Us" didn't slake your thirst for stories of a grizzled fighter taking a tough kid on the road, then Godkiller should be your jam.” — Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post I liked the characters well enough, but I wanted more from them. I was never invested enough to really care about this romantic subplot, and we never get enough information to really get why Elo is so loyal to his childhood BFF. Hannah Kaner is a Northumbrian writer living in Scotland. She works as a senior digital consultant in Edinburgh, delivering digital healthcare, tools, and services for the public sector. She has a first-class degree in English from Pembroke College, Cambridge, and a Masters of Science with distinction from the University of Edinburgh. She is inspired by world mythologies, angry women, speculative fiction and the stories we tell ourselves about being human. As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too.
I loved writing Inara and Skedi and their relationship. I mean – Inara felt pretty easy at first, possibly because I was that wilful and intensely vulnerable know it all as a child. Hers is a journey of self-discovery, and finding her grit, which is such a delight to write. Tempted to say dragon, but everyone wants a dragon these days. I’m going to go with a huffing great griffin. A big, vicious, epic catbird. In a kingdom that slaughtered the gods and criminalized their worship, two god-slayers—a mercenary and a knight—join forces on a pilgrimage to save two other lives. Godkiller is set in the aftermath of a God War, where our characters are trying to survive in a dark and gritty world where gods and monsters roam. It reminded me very much of The Witcher, was this a source of inspiration to you? What other aspects influenced your worldbuilding?And then, understanding I would be writing a disabled character, it was my responsibility to write a decent one. I did a lot of reading, and raised my awareness of frustrating tropes, challenges, and biases there were in writing disability, and worked with authenticity editors. Inara and Kissen’s relationship is so beautiful to behold and watch as it grows and contorts, fitting around old wounds and scars, shifting amongst their newfound care and shared resilience. It’s a relationship that parallels and reminds me of Geralt and Ciri in the Witcher, a bond of family that refuses to break.
I can’t talk about endearing characters and not mention the adorable-ness of Inara (the young noble) and Skedi, the little god bound to her. The bond they share was a genuinely sweet highlight for the most part and I liked that (alongside Kissen and Elo) we also got to experience both of their POVs—though Skedi’s did surprise me a little! If you loved Lyra and Pan from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, then you’re most likely going to adore these two. Unlike Kissen, who turns her anger and energy outward, Elo turns it inward. In many ways he’s more complex; he’s smart, educated, could have been wealthy, but has enforced penance on himself. While Kissen needs to learn to see other people (and gods) as worthy, capable, able to make mistakes, Elo needs to find his own worth, his potential, and his power. Godkiller delivers an impressive fantasy world, the way the gods are presented is unique, and, as previously mentioned, the fact that the mythology and history are delivered at a steady pace hints that this series has a lot more of its secrets yet to reveal. Kaner’s debut reads similar to one of Sapkowski’s short stories or the stand-alone Season of Storms in that it’s self-contained, follows a few main characters on an adventure, and that it feels like we’re only witnessing a small yet exciting part of what’s going on in a massive, vivid world. Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon. The book had a really strong prologue, and then I lost interest. It follows Kissen, a GodKiller (basically similar to Geralt of Rivia but instead of chasing and hunting down monsters for coin, she kills Gods), whose life becomes entangled with a strange girl called Inara and her little god, Skedi. Inara and Skedi’s bond reminded me of the bond that Lyra has with her Daemon in His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman.
Customer reviews
The world is absolutely fascinating and allows for a lot of depth while bringing in something new and mystical to the already crowded fantasy scene. I really find the different gods fascinating, and the concept of humans making them exist through their wishes and offerings is maybe not entirely new but definitely rarely used.
Great Deal 
New Comment