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Gameboard of the Gods Richelle Mead 9780525953685 Books

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Gameboard of the Gods Richelle Mead 9780525953685 Books

Gameboard of the Gods begins with a fist-fight at a funeral. Richelle Mead certainly knows how to make a first impression! Unfortunately, everything just goes down hill from there. I was confused and bored for the majority of the time reading this, which is something I never thought I'd say about a Mead book. Gameboard of the Gods takes place in a futuristic world after the Decline, where religion is banned and races live separately. The technology is super advanced, and RUNA appears to be some type of utopia, but I never really understood how the world worked. The story follows Justin and Mae as they try to solve a murder mystery involving cults, and to a lesser extent, Tessa who has immigrated from Panama on a student visa. Neither plot held my attention.

There is an incredible amount of world-building in Gameboard of the Gods. In fact, I would say it was the focus of the book along with character development. Despite that, I was still confused about this world. The world was struck by the Mephistopheles virus, which left people infertile, with asthma, and damaged hair and scarring. The solution found to protect people from this virus was genetic mixing, which of course doesn't go over too well with everyone. Plebians are the people who are a result of genetic mixing, while Patricians/Castals are genetically "pure." I didn't understand why so many patricians even still existed in RUNA if there was such rigorous forced mixing, in addition to people emigrating to avoid it and the punishments doled out for refusing. Even more confusing is why the patricians are considered genetically superior if they're susceptible to this virus and aren't even suppose to be in the majority. They even have their own land grants that keep them separate from the rest of the population. It makes no sense.

Religion was banned because it apparently makes people do crazy things, and believing in fictitious entities is stupid. At least, those are the reasons given. I actually think religion was banned in order to the make the whole being chosen by a god plot more exciting and dangerous. If you're not even suppose to believe in gods, of course you can't admit that one is essentially stalking you and trying to recruit you! This is the case for both Justin and Mae. He's aware of it, she is not. However, there were still some "licensed" churches/temples around, if they were deemed safe. I didn't understand how that process worked either. Basically all the world-building was a failure. After almost 500 pages, I still have no clue what is going on. And it didn't help that we're bombarded with terms and names at the very beginning but don't get any explanations or definitions until several chapters in.

The characters aren't much better. Justin is a womanizing, drug addicted, alcoholic genius. Mae is a cold and standoffish soldier. Tessa is innocent and boring. Tessa actually served no purpose other than as a world-building tool. There's some culture shock when she leaves her "backward" life in Panama for the glitz and glamor of RUNA, and allowed for comparisons between the two regions. Other than that, she's just kind of there, adding needless pages. As for Justin and Mae, I didn't like either of them. They're both unlikeable from their very first chapters, and it isn't until the second half and last third of the book that we get any explanation of why they are the way they are. I think this is something that should be established earlier, so the readers can connect (or not) with them.

There are a couple of plots happening within Gameboard of the Gods, but they're all in the background for most of the book while the characters mope around, getting drunk. The main one being the murder mystery. Justin is on a strict time limit, but he doesn't really spend much time working on the case. Everything kind of falls into his lap when the time is right. I've already mentioned Tessa trying to assimilate into RUNA, which was useless. There's also Mae trying to find her niece, but the importance of this and the reason doesn't appear until close to the end, and it's never resolved. It's like that plot thread just got dropped. There really isn't much to say about the plots, since they came and went and weren't interesting at all.

It's clear that the author put a lot of thought into creating Gameboard of the Gods. I don't doubt that she knows this world and the characters inside and out, but I felt like she forgot that it was our first time meeting them. There's lots of detail and history, but it seemed jumbled and disorganized. While I didn't enjoy this introduction to the series, there are some intriguing ideas being tossed around. I'll give the second book a read before I decide to abandon this series or not.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review. No compensation was offered or accepted.


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Gameboard of the Gods Richelle Mead 9780525953685 Books Reviews

This review was originally posted on Avid Reviews www.avidfantasyreviews.wordpress.com

Gameboard of the Gods is the first novel in the new Age of X series by bestselling YA author Richelle Mead. When starting this novel, I expected a typical YA romance filled with static characters with clearly defined morals, and a plot line revolving around a “love at first sight” relationship, and maybe even a love triangle. Thankfully, my expectations were quickly dashed when I encountered a novel in which the two main characters are both deeply flawed and morally ambiguous. I also failed to anticipate the engaging setting for the novel; the story is set in a future where religions are outlawed, and a highly advanced society revolves around logic and sensibility. This novel is bound to elicit polarizing opinions among Mead’s fans, as it is not a typical YA story, and it is very different than her other novels. I found this story to be a pleasant surprise, but many of Mead’s readers may be dismayed by the sudden change in style.

This novel follows the stories of Justin March and Mae Koskinen, two very different people living in a futuristic world that was once nearly destroyed by the outbreak of a deadly disease. Justin lives in exile in South America after failing in his job as a government investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. Mae is a member of an elite military group whose members are altered to have enhanced reflexes and skills. She is one of the most deadly women in the world, and her country means everything to her. Justin and Mae’s worlds are both suddenly turned upside-down when Mae is tasked with brining Justin back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA), and working with him to solve a string of ritualistic murders. As their investigation races forward, they soon realize that their discoveries have led them to unknown enemies who display inexplicable powers. Soon they both find themselves in the middle of a game played by powerful and supernatural forces, and it will take all of their wits and strength to come out of it alive.

As I mentioned before, one of my favorite parts of this novel is the character development. I cannot remember the last time I read a dystopian novel that had characters that felt as real as those in this story. Justin is a particularly flawed character; he is a self-deprecating man who acts like an egotistical one in order to hide his own weakness. He also covers his insecurities with an excess of drugs and alcohol and, despite his vast intellect, he is completely unsure of what is happening in his own head, let alone his place in the world. Mae comes from a harsh family, who had her whole life planned out for her in advance. She defies their wishes to become a soldier and fight for her country, but it sometimes seems as if it is the act of violence itself that drives her. The plot of this story is relatively slow paced, so there is plenty of time for Mead to show the reader the intricacies and equivocality of her protagonists.

I also found the setting of the book to be very interesting. At a first glance the RUNA seems like a relative utopia, where order and logic rule. But the RUNA is a deeply flawed country, were creativity and faith are both stifled. The RUNA has lost the heart of its civilization, and over time it has become more concerned with conformity than order. This is a unique take on YA futuristic novels, which are almost always set in a world that is obviously and exclusively dystopian. With this series Mead has created a unique world that is subtly thought provoking and engaging, and I am curious to see what Mead does with this distinctive story in further installments in The Age of X.

I did have some problems with this book, the foremost being that I would have enjoyed a little more action in the story line. For much of the middle of the book, the plot moves slowly, and though this gave some exclusive insights into character development, I would have liked the pace of the plot to be more consistent throughout the novel. The ending of the book also seemed a little rushed, and I would have liked to get more detail from the author of the reason behind the murders that Justin and Mae were trying to solve.

Despite the pacing of the book being uneven, and a minor amount of explanation for the events at the end of the book, I thought this was a well-written and engaging story. I would recommend this book to fans of Mead who would not mind reading a more mature and slower paced novel, and also to anyone who would like to read a unique quasi-dystopian story with morally ambiguous protagonists.

Overall, I would rate this novel 7.5/10.
A brave new world is featured in Gameboard of the Gods. This isn't an easy book to review or explain without writing an essay, but I shall try. The world is Earth in the future after a deadly virus has devastated the world and it's populace. A virus that attacked homogeneous people the hardest, survivors were scarred, infertile and asthmatic. New governing bodies have sprung from the ashes of the world most significant RUNA and EA. The rest of the world is seen as Provencial areas, which means low technology and violence. In RUNA, where religion is licensed readers are introduced to Justin March ex servitor, a person whose job it was to license and investigate religions. Why religion, because genetic manipulation, religion and cultural separatism are seen as the three problems caused the outbreak of the virus. Only problem is that the rich people the Patricians that funded this world have seperate rules and areas where the live homogeneous lives and still show signs of the virus ravage. The female protagonist Mae comes from this patrician world, that she shuns and has devoted herself to the military. As a reader I experienced the world via Justin, Mae and Justin's Ward Tessa who is very new to RUNA.
This book is a mixture of urban fantasy romance, American Gods, and the X files, as Mead blends science fiction, religion and philosophy in a book that was hard to put down. This is not a quick fantasy Romance and if you think that is what all this book is or that is what you want you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a book that will push you to consider larger questions in the guise of fantasy, then this is a book that should be read.
Mead does use world Mythos as her framework and anyone who loves history and lore will figure out the unnamed God
Gameboard of the Gods begins with a fist-fight at a funeral. Richelle Mead certainly knows how to make a first impression! Unfortunately, everything just goes down hill from there. I was confused and bored for the majority of the time reading this, which is something I never thought I'd say about a Mead book. Gameboard of the Gods takes place in a futuristic world after the Decline, where religion is banned and races live separately. The technology is super advanced, and RUNA appears to be some type of utopia, but I never really understood how the world worked. The story follows Justin and Mae as they try to solve a murder mystery involving cults, and to a lesser extent, Tessa who has immigrated from Panama on a student visa. Neither plot held my attention.

There is an incredible amount of world-building in Gameboard of the Gods. In fact, I would say it was the focus of the book along with character development. Despite that, I was still confused about this world. The world was struck by the Mephistopheles virus, which left people infertile, with asthma, and damaged hair and scarring. The solution found to protect people from this virus was genetic mixing, which of course doesn't go over too well with everyone. Plebians are the people who are a result of genetic mixing, while Patricians/Castals are genetically "pure." I didn't understand why so many patricians even still existed in RUNA if there was such rigorous forced mixing, in addition to people emigrating to avoid it and the punishments doled out for refusing. Even more confusing is why the patricians are considered genetically superior if they're susceptible to this virus and aren't even suppose to be in the majority. They even have their own land grants that keep them separate from the rest of the population. It makes no sense.

Religion was banned because it apparently makes people do crazy things, and believing in fictitious entities is stupid. At least, those are the reasons given. I actually think religion was banned in order to the make the whole being chosen by a god plot more exciting and dangerous. If you're not even suppose to believe in gods, of course you can't admit that one is essentially stalking you and trying to recruit you! This is the case for both Justin and Mae. He's aware of it, she is not. However, there were still some "licensed" churches/temples around, if they were deemed safe. I didn't understand how that process worked either. Basically all the world-building was a failure. After almost 500 pages, I still have no clue what is going on. And it didn't help that we're bombarded with terms and names at the very beginning but don't get any explanations or definitions until several chapters in.

The characters aren't much better. Justin is a womanizing, drug addicted, alcoholic genius. Mae is a cold and standoffish soldier. Tessa is innocent and boring. Tessa actually served no purpose other than as a world-building tool. There's some culture shock when she leaves her "backward" life in Panama for the glitz and glamor of RUNA, and allowed for comparisons between the two regions. Other than that, she's just kind of there, adding needless pages. As for Justin and Mae, I didn't like either of them. They're both unlikeable from their very first chapters, and it isn't until the second half and last third of the book that we get any explanation of why they are the way they are. I think this is something that should be established earlier, so the readers can connect (or not) with them.

There are a couple of plots happening within Gameboard of the Gods, but they're all in the background for most of the book while the characters mope around, getting drunk. The main one being the murder mystery. Justin is on a strict time limit, but he doesn't really spend much time working on the case. Everything kind of falls into his lap when the time is right. I've already mentioned Tessa trying to assimilate into RUNA, which was useless. There's also Mae trying to find her niece, but the importance of this and the reason doesn't appear until close to the end, and it's never resolved. It's like that plot thread just got dropped. There really isn't much to say about the plots, since they came and went and weren't interesting at all.

It's clear that the author put a lot of thought into creating Gameboard of the Gods. I don't doubt that she knows this world and the characters inside and out, but I felt like she forgot that it was our first time meeting them. There's lots of detail and history, but it seemed jumbled and disorganized. While I didn't enjoy this introduction to the series, there are some intriguing ideas being tossed around. I'll give the second book a read before I decide to abandon this series or not.

*Disclaimer I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review. No compensation was offered or accepted.