The link to my review.

I almost didn't buy this book because of the price. But, self-published works usually cost more and the story sounded promising. So I took a chance. Thank goodness--it turned out to be a bargain!

I cannot express how wonderful this book was (but I'll try). I stayed up until midnight to finish all 452 pages, it was that good. Hajicek has created a work of epic fiction with the God Eaters. Imagine a world not unlike the American Western Frontier of the 1800's--trains, guns, outlaws. Only here, the "Ivainians" are the persecuted minority, instead of Native Americans. In this world, people have Talents (pyrokinesis, empathy, etc.) The Commonwealth is determined to control everyone, especially Talents, with an iron hand. They use the White Watch to do so. Ivainians cannot hold certain jobs that whites can, and they have their Talents "burned" out of them. This is the world of Ash Trine and Keiran Trevarde.

Ash is sent to prison for writing treasonous pamphlets against the heinous actions of the government. Keiran is sent to prison for murder. In prison they are treated as guinea pigs for experiments on their Talents. They are tortured - as prisoners they are considered less than human. Yet, these two unlikely men will escape to confront reincarnated gods battling for supremacy over this world, and the freedom of all people. And maybe find the power to love again.

This book should be a bestseller! It confronts many issues faced by society in a very subtle fashion, but also tells a gripping tale. Fans of Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage will find a treasure here. I hope the author writes a sequel, or at least more books. He's gifted. ( )

Set in a world where magic manifest in the form of talents. Those are either drafted by the strict totalitarian government and harnessed or, if practiced unlawfully, the subject is taken into incarceration and experimented upon. The setting is a Western like reality, steam trains and wide-scope desert, gun slinging and a land taken from the natives that for all intents and purposes are not un-like native americans. The main villain is presented as the ruler of this regime and there is some talk about him absorbing all the gods into himself... all apart from three - one is incaptivity and the other two escaped him by means of re-incarnation.

Enter our protagonists: A nervous and helpless underground propaganda writer (who is freckled - something I have a HUGE weakness too - I confess... connect the dots with one's tongue as one web-comics once put it ^_^) and a rough and tough native gun-slinging outlaw (WHAT a spectacular character!)... both on their way to a secret top security jail, where the first part of this story takes place. They share a cell and our rogue makes successful attmepts of intimidating our bashful and weak propaganda writer... until they begin to be mentally experimented upon and he is taken by an un-explained urge to protect him. This is mostly prison drama where strength and weaknesses of spirit explored and relationships forged tentatively in confined spaces on the backdrop of restraint violence and blunt degredation. Always, ALWAYS a good setting for springing an unlikely romance. Close walls make barriers brittle and facades crumble as the inner self claws its way to the surface.

I am trying hard not to get into details here so all I will say is that by the harvesting of certain supernatural and intelectual abilities our heroes join forces and make a spectacular break for freedom.

The second part of the book sees them on the run from the law and slowly getting closer and closer in body and soul. Love blooms under pressure and sex explored under open sky as tough gunslingers discover their sensitive side and sensitive bookish weaklings learn to be tough.

This is where this book is really magnificent - the character developement is so gradual and two sided - it blossoms before your eye as they start on two sides of the casm and slowly build that bridge that meets in the middle. They are truely two halves of the same thing and when they join you feel as if you are completed as well. This is how much this book made me feel a part of it - I lost myself in it somehow.

A lot of things happen on their way to freedom, there are all the markings of a western - a whore house and an ambush in a canyon, a priest in an abandoned church and chases through the desert. and then comes the third part in which our protagonists realise that if they want to stop running they have to face the enemy and fight back.

This is when the fantasy gathers force and the plot takes a twist into the heavily supernatural. Gods are awakened in abandoned temples. Storms summoned. Souls possesed. All leading to that final battle and the conclusion.

You might find this all a bit rapid. But since Strom Constantine hit me with that whirlwind finale to the first Wraeththu trilogy and had me groveling at her feet in admiration despite that - I learn to accept those kind of endings... providing the journey to them is filled with treasures. And here - it is crammed with them.

The style of writing is vivid, full of a beautiful balance of evocative emotions and witty humour. Original and thoroughly honest. It make me want to write - I found it that inspiring.

Yup - this book seem to change its mind as to what it is... I wish it was permitted more. I wish authors weren't so scared into branding their creations and categorising them so much. ( )

Wellwritten fantasy novel. In an agressively expanding teocracy where 'talents' are closely monitored and homosexuality a sin, two talents from vastly different environment and recently annexed countries meet in prison. Their escape and subsequent destruction of the incarnated 'god' of the teocracy is a great action adventure and merges seamlessly with the lovestory that unfolds between them. ( )