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In Godkiller, gods are common, arising at every crossroads, demanding sacrifice and worship. Some are new, some have hardly any power at all, and some are both ancient and powerful. This ecology of divinity has given rise to a profession specialising in getting rid of gods that people want not to have to deal with: the veiga, or godkillers. 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. Mortals were a riot of thoughts, and gods could see the colours they made, twisting the air about them with their more powerful emotions. Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.
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. Godkiller by Hannah Kaner is a dark, gritty and highly immersive debut. This is a tale where gods and mortals collide, where myth and legends are brought to life, where having faith could get you killed. The power of belief is strong, worship can bring peace to many but believing in Gods can be deadly. To seek a God’s favour, to have their light shine upon you, is to pay a high price. 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. 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.I didn’t want to tokenise, isolate, or undermine Kissen’s story, so it was most important to me that Kissen would have community, people she sought out, who understood her, that she didn’t face the world alone.
One of our favourite questions here on the Fantasy Hive: which fantastical creature would you ride into battle and why?
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I also loved Kissen, who was such a fierce, and tenacious character whose gruff, standoffish exterior hides a deep well of compassion and protectiveness for her loved ones. She can be impulsive at times which does lead to some not so stellar results, but her ability to own up to them, learn and move on was something that really impressed me. As did her Geralt levels of attitude and badass-ness (and the matching feistiness of her horse, Legs also gives Roach competition for fave fictional horse of all time.)
It’s a very vigorous, violent, and fraught climax, let’s just say. And recalls, satisfyingly and unexpectedly, elements from the prologue. The world building was a huge part of what I loved most, it’s exhilaratingly atmospheric and threaded with uncertainty. I loved how vividly detailed the lore surrounding the dwindling gods were and how intrinsically linked their (and the world’s) magic was to the worship and offerings of desperate people, torn between their faith and the king’s new laws.Hannah loves the histories and mythologies shared through our cultural histories, the stories we tell ourselves about being human. She also likes s Hannah has her heart in Scotland and her roots in the north of England. Let’s talk about your characters! Both Kissen and Elogast are skilled warriors, yet they are both so different from each other. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind their personalities?
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