The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt (The Godless Saint Book 1) by Thomas Galvin

Front Page

Synopsis

A controversial new story from a former believer.  

Caden Lyndsey was a Man of God. He battled demons, saw visions of the future, and wielded the fire of Heaven. 

He lost his faith, but not his power.

Now, his visions drive him toward rural Washington. A madman seeks to summon the Norse god Wotan and unleash the Wild Hunt on an unsuspecting populace. If he succeeds, hundreds will die. Caden must battle witches, monsters, and ancient deities in order to stop him.

My Review

I know its been awhile since I last posted a review. And for anyone who follows this blog - which I'm doubtful of - I apologise for my lack of activity. The reasons why has been partly down to work, but if I'm being honest, it was mostly down to not being interested in reading any books. I sometimes go through periods, which normally lasts for a few weeks, where I have no interest in books. And, I don't actually see it as a bad thing, rather, I see it as chance to recharge my battery and it's like that saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.'

Well, anyway getting back to this review.

The story revolves around Caden, a magic user, who after a personal tragedy, is suffering from a crisis in faith and is seeking his own path in life. He has visions of the future which usually portend to some supernatural disaster. And in his last vision he witnesses the pagan god, Wotan, rampaging through a small town.

It's been awhile since I've read an urban fantasy book, and after reading the blurb, I wanted to like this book. I really did. But, I finished the book glad to have gotten to the end, with little care to knowing what happens next in the series.

The main reason why I didn't enjoy the book as much as I wanted to was simply down to the storyline. If the storyline doesn't interest me then I struggle to read without getting easily distracted. Characters and prose can only take a book so far.

Also, the author at times tried too hard to make his main character witty, which, nowadays, seems to be a trait for most urban fantasy novels, much to my annoyance. I know I sound like a grouch but that's one of the main reasons why I don't read too many books from this genre. 
I mean you can pick up an urban fantasy book with a male protagonist in it and pretty much guarantee that the guy will be a P.I or something similar (is it that hard for an author to think up a different job), and he'll try his damnedest to be a wise ass, especially when in danger, and then proceed get beaten up every time he's in a fight but somehow win by luck. *Sigh* rant over.

One big positive is that the norse mythology was interesting, as well as the magic system. Also the main character has a mysterious past that did pique my curiosity.

Conclusion

The actual book is well formatted and I can't fault the writing. I can see this being an enjoyable read to fans of urban fantasy. And so I won't end this review by telling you to avoid this book - just read the sample first, and see what you think.

Out of 10 Stars:

5 Stars

Buy it here:

Amazon UK

Amazon US