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Empire of the Gods eBook David Stag

Download As PDF : Empire of the Gods eBook David Stag

Empire of the Gods eBook David Stag

I just finished reading David Stag's Empire of the Gods based on the glowing reviews on Amazon. As an avid reader of science fiction I have to state that this story is heavy on dialog, leaving the plot twisting in the wind. Linus has been captured by slave traders from space and is transported from Earth via a prisoner ship where brutality rules the roost. If you are expecting interactions with alien species you'd be wrong. This is explained away that basically the human form (two eyes, legs, arms, etc.) is the ideal source for life in the galaxy so, I guess that's that! This brings me to my first complaint. Stag has turned the universe into the slums of Earth with the added exception of deep space travel. You'd think that technology would advance beyond basic plumbing such as toilets but I guess those advancements are light years away. The only hint of advanced tech is the "translators" that, based on their specific color, grant vague abilities to whomever possesses them. This is the crux of the "gods", the Violets, that rule the galaxy as tyrants consumed with power and bloodlust. Linus procures a low level translator, a red, and thus is able to communicate with his galactic compatriots and captors. And communicate he does. This is my second complaint and the main reason why this book was a chore for me. Linus likes to debate morality no matter what, when and where. Ask yourself this. If you are abducted from Earth and thrown onto a prisoner ship with other aliens would your first concern be to debate why people bully each other? This consumes Linus on his looooong trip rather than trying to find a way back home. Instead of the rather natural reaction of panic or fear of his dilemma I get to read about his trips to the toilet. Linus seems more concerned with possible sainthood rather than mere survival eliciting more groans and eye rolls than I can remember. It's one thing if this occurred in only the second chapter but it doesn't stop there. Linus moves from ship, to planet, to ship, to planet and has the same high-horse conversations regarding other galactic minutiae that I couldn't care less about. There's only so much moral high ground one can ascend until he bumps God himself from his perch. When it finally comes time for Linus to confront these gods it is given scant attention considering the filler used to describe our hero's exciting galactic computer programming that he suddenly becomes an expert in. Yes, even in deep space good programmers are hard to find. I'm surprised the ships aren't made out of cardboard boxes and duct tape. I really wanted to like this book however the four-and-a-half stars are very misleading. Perhaps I missed the point and just failed to see Stag's brilliance, though I doubt that, I just feel that this book hyper-focuses on the tedium rather than giving the reader something to ponder.


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Empire of the Gods eBook David Stag Reviews

An absolutely great book. As a previous reviewer said, this book is wonderful for a first time author. One can tell that a great deal of passion went into crafting this story, you truly can tell Stag appreciates good sci-fi and wanted to make his mark on the genre.

Upon first reading about the book I was hoping to be in for something along the lines of Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, Peter F. Hamilton... something good that I could really get into and find myself falling for the characters. Well, this book did just that... Linus is a character that almost anyone could relate to, he's a scared young man in an overwhelming situation.

I don't particularly want to go into any details as I'm not a fan of spoilers, be they unintentional or not so just take my word for it and read this if you like any of the authors I previously mentioned. I truly hope this author continues to write as I want to see far more from his mind.
unexciting
If selecting a book for ToK class, this is a good choice.
It may just be that America's school system is dreary, but this book is way better than all of the books I have read in the last few years. This book covers a myriad of philosophical topics regarding human nature while never feeling ham handed. It shows awful images, but with a clear purpose. It is at no time a bad book. There are a few typos in the version of the text I read, but they were easily interpreted. The biggest thing for me was it didn't make me feel awful. While awful events were occurring, I never felt bad for myself for having read it. This is big deal to me when all we read in school is just negative literature that makes us hate life.
Speaking as an IB Junior in high school, I would highly recommend this book.
About two weeks ago, I was contact by David Stag, author of Empire of the Gods, and was asked if I would be willing to read and review his book. The reviews that I have been posting on were for this very moment, so I gladly accepted and started reading when I finished my previous book. While I am very appreciative of Stag going out of his way to let me read his book, I cannot say that it is a book that I would heartily recommend.

There were a number of things that bothered me as I continued reading Empire of the Gods, so I will do my best to avoid any spoilers, but I do not think I will give my review much credit without some specifics. Issues, such as the character of Linus and some head scratching plot elements make the read, for me, more difficult to enjoy. Allow me to explain.

Linus can be a likable guy, but he can also be obnoxious with his constant taking the high ground approach in almost every situation, except in a few cases where it benefits himself. He is unselfish, overly considerate, naive, and to my chagrin, constantly mindful of what is wrong with society, as if it were the only thing that consumes his thoughts. Not only this, but it seems to be heavy on the thoughts of people he befriends since it largely becomes the focus on most of his discussions. Aside from the topic of discussion, Linus is able to know the right thing to say at the right time, breaking the ice even with the apparently most unsociable person. When comparing his dialog and his thoughts, Linus almost felt like two different people. In an instant, he becomes the perfect person to relate with someone when there is tension between the two, thus diffusing the situation, or at least eventually. On top of all this, he lives the next few years of his life going from imprisonment to joining space pirates to confronting the Empire's gods without so much as a scratch to show for it. Having lived a good life on Earth and suddenly thrust into imprisonment, surrounded by some of the worst people the universe has to offer, and witness gory and grisly deaths and mutilations, Linus is completely unaffected emotionally and mentally. Sure, he is shocked and stunned, but ultimately and for all intents and purposes, walks away just shaking his head. So I ask, is Linus really just an ordinary person?

Linus and his interactions, while being the main character and the book's focus, were probably what I did not like most in Empire of the Gods. There were other issues that I had with the book the slow plot progress of Linus "making it up" as he performed repairs while talking about "this" support beam or "that" joint as if he actually does know what he is doing; the utterly pointless brutality highlighted in chapter six; Linus' apparent inability to defend himself when faced with confrontation; the heavily fantasy leaning capabilities of the translators; Linus' confrontation with one of the gods and how the events played out (I would be spoiling things if I elaborated); Linus' decision in the end and cheating to see its effects on the universe. The last part kind of irked me because it does not seem to fit what we had seen of Linus' character. He repeatedly refuses offers of sex, drugs, alcohol, but he takes multiple peeks into the future. Would Linus not consider that unethical, he being such an ethical person himself?

I did not intend on placing so much focus on the negative aspects of the book, but I do feel hard pressed to counter it with the good in Empire of the Gods. I can appreciate that the book wants to make the readers think, and I have no problem with that. Christian Cantrell has written several short stories, and each one leaves you thinking while entertained at the same time. I felt that Empire of the Gods placed too much emphasis on food for thought discussions and not enough on an entertaining and engaging story. I mentioned Cantrell, who I previously compared to Michael Crichton. They both have great stories, but a few chapters can get bogged down with lots of details, like DNA sequencing in Jurassic Park or how a BCI works in Containment; it was information overload and I would have been content with brevity on the subject. I believe the same applies to the topics discussed in Empire of the Gods. I did enjoy the second and eighth chapters and felt most engaged when reading them, while I simply moved along with everything else. I did appreciate space travel having a more realistic limitation; one cannot travel through the galaxy as if they were going to the grocery store because it takes considerable time and energy to travel such great distances. The translators were neat devices, but moved away from science fiction and into fantasy.

I do feel somewhat disappointed with Empire of the Gods since I hoped for a good read based on the feedback of others. However, I find myself at odds with these raving reviews. Perhaps I am being too harsh on Stag, but in the end, I finished this book without feeling satisfied. I again appreciate and thank David Stag for his generosity and coming to me for my honest review. I do see some potential and will give his next work a shot despite my issues with this story. If I may make a suggestion to Stag, I would recommend more chapters or using scene breaks. Most of the chapters can take several hours to read, and no scene breaks makes it annoying to find a good place to stop.
I just finished reading David Stag's Empire of the Gods based on the glowing reviews on . As an avid reader of science fiction I have to state that this story is heavy on dialog, leaving the plot twisting in the wind. Linus has been captured by slave traders from space and is transported from Earth via a prisoner ship where brutality rules the roost. If you are expecting interactions with alien species you'd be wrong. This is explained away that basically the human form (two eyes, legs, arms, etc.) is the ideal source for life in the galaxy so, I guess that's that! This brings me to my first complaint. Stag has turned the universe into the slums of Earth with the added exception of deep space travel. You'd think that technology would advance beyond basic plumbing such as toilets but I guess those advancements are light years away. The only hint of advanced tech is the "translators" that, based on their specific color, grant vague abilities to whomever possesses them. This is the crux of the "gods", the Violets, that rule the galaxy as tyrants consumed with power and bloodlust. Linus procures a low level translator, a red, and thus is able to communicate with his galactic compatriots and captors. And communicate he does. This is my second complaint and the main reason why this book was a chore for me. Linus likes to debate morality no matter what, when and where. Ask yourself this. If you are abducted from Earth and thrown onto a prisoner ship with other aliens would your first concern be to debate why people bully each other? This consumes Linus on his looooong trip rather than trying to find a way back home. Instead of the rather natural reaction of panic or fear of his dilemma I get to read about his trips to the toilet. Linus seems more concerned with possible sainthood rather than mere survival eliciting more groans and eye rolls than I can remember. It's one thing if this occurred in only the second chapter but it doesn't stop there. Linus moves from ship, to planet, to ship, to planet and has the same high-horse conversations regarding other galactic minutiae that I couldn't care less about. There's only so much moral high ground one can ascend until he bumps God himself from his perch. When it finally comes time for Linus to confront these gods it is given scant attention considering the filler used to describe our hero's exciting galactic computer programming that he suddenly becomes an expert in. Yes, even in deep space good programmers are hard to find. I'm surprised the ships aren't made out of cardboard boxes and duct tape. I really wanted to like this book however the four-and-a-half stars are very misleading. Perhaps I missed the point and just failed to see Stag's brilliance, though I doubt that, I just feel that this book hyper-focuses on the tedium rather than giving the reader something to ponder.