An extremely complex world that is easy to dive into.
Fitting in can be tough. For Kayl, it isn’t her towering height nor her stunning purply-blue skin or even her role among the ranks of the Godless that leaves her feeling disconnected. Admittedly, she is reckless, scatterbrained, impulsive and has an insolent inner voice that demands her attention. She is never on time, isn’t particularly deferential and is most definitely a sinner. But Kayl does care for the downtrodden residents of Chime, those whom their gods have overlooked, forsaken and abused. The goal of the Godless is to end the forced servitude to the gods that favors only a few and takes advantage of the masses. Their organization runs on anonymous donations, cryptic visions, well-placed spies and courageous volunteers. The work is dangerous and the price for blasphemy couldn’t be higher. But strange things are happening in Chime beyond the mistreatment of mortals, and that’s saying a lot in a place where time can be manipulated, gods can be vindictive and souls are disappearing. Kayl wants a bigger role with the Godless, but what she discovers about herself will put everyone she loves at risk.
Trudie Skies has an almost superhuman ability to set a scene, to paint a picture, to richly tell a story. It is as if The Thirteenth Hour: Book One of The Cruel Gods was written in 3-D. The world, comprising twelve distinct domains centered by a clock-gate, is painstakingly realistic, down to even the smallest details in temperament and personality of the different types of mortals. Fortunately for readers, the names of each domain and their people are fitting for each group (Wardens are the enforcers, Glimmer glow radiantly), making for an extremely complex world that is easy to dive into. For a completely immersive fantasy saga set in a precise world like nothing you’ve ever seen before, The Thirteenth Hour is time well spent on a story cleverly told.
