Welcome to my tour stop! Check out this new sci-fi, read my review and enter the giveaway below...
Steal Fire from the Gods
By Clint Hall
Christian Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Fantasy
Hardcover, Audiobook & eBook, 288 Pages
November 7, 2023 by Enclave Publishing
Summary
The Human Alliance knew the war was over when the machines started using magic to cast fire, shake the ground, conjure storms, and part the seas.
We fought back anyway.
22-year-old soldier Gunnar Graves lost his faith and his family when a platoon of AI-driven war machines—led by an android fire mage— destroyed his unit. Forced to live in a machine-controlled village and hiding a dark secret, he spends his days trying to learn elemental power so he can take his revenge. After years of failure, his ability ignites when he least expects it.
On the run and hunted by the war machines, Gunnar discovers that an ancient, life-based strength has awakened to help humanity fight back. Joined by the other life mages, Gunnar is thrust into a mad world of android overlords, cyborg clans, and evil forces bent on his destruction.
To protect his newfound family, Gunnar must discover the truth behind a power he doesn’t understand and wage a war he doesn’t believe they can win.
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My Review
STEAL FIRE FROM THE GODS is a book about a society surviving after a war with AI machines who harnessed elemental magic. The humans are no longer free as they once were, but now live in controlled communities. Readers will get to know several characters while they follow the main hero, Gunnar, as he lives in such a community and tries to find his own way of fighting back. There is wonderful world building, with an interesting juxtaposition between machines and magic, giving this book a very dystopian fantasy feel.
I'm always looking for new sci-fi books that spark my interest and the premise for this one sounded very intriguing. I also felt that the publisher did a fabulous job with the cover as that totally caught my eye as a sci-fi/fantasy fan. The writing, especially as a debut, was fairly well done and edited, which you don't always find and which I very much appreciated. I think there is only the potential for future books to get better, which is something I'm excited about.
I enjoyed the characters in this story. Gunnar has a lot of history to work through to be able to grasp on to his future. Lots of baggage since he was in the middle of the war and lost everything. He's not the only one. Everyone he meets has their own scars and story. It's a scarred landscape with different people trying to survive while under AI rule. I liked how there is a mix of different backgrounds and diversity with the characters. They each feel unique and have their own strengths and weaknesses. The plot is interesting and a very unique concept. There is fairly consistent danger for these characters as the story progresses and I enjoyed seeing all the twists and turns, some unpredictable, to a climatic end.
As far as flaws, there were several places where I thought the religious aspects felt forced or overly strong. I'd recommend to readers who like a stronger religious aspect in their stories. There were some places where a bit more development was needed or further explanation needed. A few places it seemed some actions or conclusions were jumped to that didn't quite resonate or work for me. I think overall the story just needed more time for development in-between each plot point.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an overall intriguing story in an interesting world that I am planning on visiting again.
Content: Some violence.
Source: I received a complimentary NetGalley through CelebrateLit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Tour Schedule
Texas Book-aholic, November 14
Artistic Nobody, November 15 (Author Interview)
Exploring the Written Word, November 15
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, November 16
Guild Master, November 17 (Author Interview)
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 18
Through the Fire Blogs, November 19 (Author Interview)
Wishful Endings, November 20
Beauty in the Binding, November 21 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 22
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 23
Simple Harvest Reads, November 24 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, November 24
Blogging With Carol, November 25
Labor Not in Vain, November 26
Fiction Book Lover, November 27 (Author Interview)
Tour-Wide Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Clint is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and signed copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Are you a fan of dystopians with magic? Have you read any other books like this? Will you be reading this one?
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