Our Lady of the Artilects by Andrew Gillsmith

I am very much looking forward to the next installment and will be reading anything Mr. I would absolutely recommend The Hand of God for anyone who loves classic, metaphysical sci fi. Once I got 15% in, I knew this was a book I would finish VERY quickly. And the plot cracks along with rising action and deliberately accelerated pacing right up to the climax. The characters are fully developed and distinct (especially the AI character!). Much as I appreciate tight theming and innovative prose and meticulous worldbuilding, there has to be a *story* and characters that hold my interest. There are layers upon layers, and one is constantly straining to see just beyond the edge of the map.īut I am a simple man at heart. I have heard that he worked out some of the details by making it a setting for his own RPG, which makes complete sense.

This is a completely three-dimensional, complex ecosystem that Kordov has created. The world-building (gack, I'm coming to hate that term) is also extraordinary. His place descriptions as well as his ability to convey the visceral, eldritch horror of the demons were particularly notable. Kordov's prose is wildly imaginative and at times almost experimental. If that weren't enough, God has withdrawn from the world, leaving it open to literal demons as a chastisement for mankind's 'mass suicide.' The book is set long after a nuclear apocalypse has all but ended human civilization.

I think I can reveal the premise without spoiling anything. There doesn't seem to be any 'black and white' here, as far as I can tell, and the story is much the better for it. In this case, it is the Deadlands, a physical and spiritual wasteland with a life- (or death-) force all its own.Īlso like Herbert, Kordov gets deep into the promise and danger of Messianism. Like Herbert, Kordov excels at making a 'place' into a character. There are some much-appreciated nods to Frank Herbert (particularly w/r/t a sect called the Revenant Sisters). There is faith and doubt (which need each other) and there are powerful human connections being formed, connections that cross generations, belief systems, vocations, etc. Thematically, it ticks all of my favorite boxes. I was not disappointed! The Hand of God is an outstanding first entry in his planned Dark Legacies series. To call him a mensch does not do justice! He is a wildly original thinker with a generous and contemplative soul. And so, before I read the first page, I knew I was in for a treat. I'll admit to having a slight advantage over (most) other readers of The Hand of God: I've gotten to know the author, Yuval Kordov through a network of like-minded writers of metaphysical sci fi.

Our Lady of the Artilects by Andrew Gillsmith