![]() ![]() It suits the story, which is reminiscent of one told around a campfire over the course of many days. Many of the characters read like archetypes rather than people, especially the deities. Hall of Smoke is well-written and compelling, even if slightly predictable at times. Combined with this is a story about colonialization, and the tension between old and new. Long weaves an intricately crafted narrative around the fall of gods, a pantheon on the brink of extinction. A world in which deities walk among mortals and come when called, full of supernatural powers, Hall of Smoke draws you in quickly and doesn’t let you go again. Off on a mountain to offer prayer and sacrifice to the Goddess, Hessa is absent when her town gets raided and comes back to devastation. But when the story sets out, she is in disgrace because she failed to follow Eang’s plan to kill a visitor. Hessa is an Eangi, a priestess of Eang – the Goddess of War. Many thanks to Titan for sending me an early review copy. Long is an exciting debut set in a Viking-inspired world of gods and warrior priestesses. Out in January 2021 from Titan Books, Hall of Smoke by H.M. ![]()
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