Customer Reviews

The Breath of God: A Novel of the Opening of the World

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a Turtledove fanatic for years and thrive on his alternate (whys isn't it alternative?) history stories. This book and its predecessor, "Beyond the Gap," are more fantasy than alternate history, but great reading. What makes them so good is more due to the great characters; Hamnet, Ulric, and Gudina(sp?); but the stories are good. I am awaiting the sequel.

Thanks to Harry for not reminding us every thousand words what he says on page 1.

The Breath of God is a wind that flows from the great glacier that - up to now, divided the world. Now there is a crack, and the protagonists are going exploring to see what's there. Turtledove as usual paints a great picture of what might have been, and this one is very plausible. The book is good enough that I immediately bought and read the second book in the series. Now, please hurry up with book three.

Turtledove does it again; he earns his money. This is a great book, but too short. Question: how does he write so many books a year? Does he use helpers?
Read this book, but be prepared to wait for the ending.
Johnthebookman

The Breath of God (2008) is the second prehistoric fantasy novel in The Opening of the World series, following Beyond the Gap. In the previous volume, the Emperor -- Sigvat II -- refused to believe Hamnet's report on the Rulers. Hamnet ignored orders from the Emperor and returned to the Three Tusk Clan range.

On the way North, his group were attacked several times by the Ruler shamans. Then they found that the Rulers have invaded the Clan range. The Bizogots raided the invaders and captured some prisoners, but were still pushed off their land.

In this novel, Count Hamnet Thyssen is a Raumsdalian nobleman. He has riden beyond the Gap with Bizogot clansfolk to search for the Golden Shrine, but instead found the Rulers, nomadic people who herd people as well as animals. Now he is trying to unite the Bizogot clans to fight against a Rulers invasion.

Ulric Skakki is an adventurer. He had been through the Gap and seen the Rulers before any other Raumsdalian. Then he went back with Hamnet's expedition. He seems to know almost everything about the Bizogot plains.

Audun Gilli is a Raumsdalian wizard. He has been exchanging magical expertise with Liv.

Trasamund is the jarl of the Three Tusk Clan, or what remains of it. He is an inveterate optimist about fighting the Rulers. His clan has hurt the enemy, but sustained great casualties in doing so.

Liv is the shaman of the Three Tusk Clan. She is barely able to counter the magic of the Ruler shamans, but she is always willing to try again. She is Hamnet's lover.

In this story, Hamnet, his friends and the surviving Three Tusk clansfolk flee from the invading Rulers. Hamnet intends to return to the Raumsdalian Empire to warn them again about the Ruler invasion, but their pursuers catch up with them and cut off the way south. So Hamnet leads the group up an avalanche spill onto the glacier.

The glacier is inhabited with people much like the Bizogots, but they speak an older form of the language. Ulric recognizes their language and is able to speak some phrases. Still, the men take the party captive and lead them across the ice.

When another larger group approaches, Hamnet has Ulric tell their captors that they will fight with them if their weapons are returned. Their leader agrees and Trasamund leads the charge. The other group has a shaman, but Liv and Audun are able to counter his spells. Hamnet kills the enemy shaman and Trasamund enjoys a few moments of brisk exercise, killing off his enemies.

After the other group is defeated, the first group starts gathering loot. The leader offers Hamnet the better parts of the shaman's body. The glacier dwellers are cannibals! Naturally, Hamnet politely refuses the offer.

Their new friends lead them across the glacier to a place where green plants are growing. There they meet Marcovefa, the shaman of this tribe. Liv and Audun start exchanging magic spells with the shaman. Ulric becomes their interpreter, much to his despair.

This tale gives Hamnet another chance to fight the Rulers. He starts out fine, but the chances of war go against him again. He begins to consider other tactics.

This story is the second volume in the series. The sequel is The Golden Shrine. Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Turtledove fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of ice age adventures, political intrigue, and sexual relationships.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I have enjoyed all the books this author has written.
The book came to me in a timely fashion and in the condition promised.

I enjoyed this second in the 3 book series. These books are slow moving but still a very good read.

I really like good historical fiction with real heroes and heroines and am particularly interested in ancient civilizations with powers that we no longer have. I felt that the author did a good job of presenting a believably authentic 10,000 BC civilization with interesting and sympathetic characters.

The book had what I was looking for and I very much enjoyed and quickly finished it. My only complaint is that I didn't at first realize it was part of a series, and I felt it left me hanging a bit at the end.

I will have to say that like many of the books by Turtledove it started slow. It took until chapter 5 and the scale up the cliff for the book to get intersting.

Basically the book takes place in either Roman or the Stone age. It seems to be a mix of the two eras. It vaugly follows the Huns incursion into Rome but the evil army rides Mamoths. Most of the tribe of the north seem to be out of 10,000 BC. As usual Turtledove has a more suble and intersting magic I find more appealing than most fantasy.

The characters are itersting and some of the charaters and culturs that are found are very disturbing but intersting. The book is rational and respond to their environment.

This book is an excellent continuation of Harry Turtledove's latest saga. As always, reading his work is rewarding and engrossing and this story is no letdown from the quality of his work.

Any reader of alternative history, or alternative worlds will enjoy this series.

This, the second book in the series, is a most entertaining read with well-developed charaters (read the first book first, of course). I would recommend both.