Gameboard of the Gods: Age of X, Book 1

Reviewed by: Rabid ReadsI love Richelle Mead. Everything that I’ve read of hers–Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, even Vampire Academy (though I still haven’t read the last book of that series)—I’ve, at a minimum, REALLY liked. But for some reason, I held out on reading this new series until now. The initial reviews were kind of MEH, and I’ve gotten leery of Mythology-based UF (fad = crap).Silly me.Gameboard of the Gods is one of those genre-crossing books that often turn into my favorites. It’s part SciFi, part UF, and finally, FINALLY someone has done the whole “gods” (Norse and otherwise), and done it well. In the adult genres, I mean. It seems like the combination of Rick Riordan’s immensely popular Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series and the box office explosions of Thor and The Avengers are responsible for the mass influx of mythology-based YA (as with dystopians, some good, some bad), but not as much in books for adults.Not that I’ve seen anyway.I’m admittedly less familiar with the Norse pantheon than I am the Greek and Egyptian pantheons, but so far, I’m liking it. And Mead does more than just create a future, post-apocalyptic world that is beginning to see the influence of the various and myriad gods for the first time since religion was essentially outlawed in the aftermath of the apocalypse. With an often quiet and sly humor, she has satirized MANY of the hypocrisies, contradictions, and over-zealous practices that are wide-spread among the various and myriad forms of organized religion, no matter what form they take.World-building:I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the world-building in this book, and while I can understand and sympathize with a lot of the issues other readers have had, they weren’t problems for me.RUNA is mentioned numerous times before you’re given an explanation of what it actually is (Republic of United North America), but things like that, I just roll with. If I’m being completely honest, I infinitely prefer for information to be doled out sparingly than to be bombarded with the almost universally reviled, but accepted “info-dump” that is a necessary evil in most first-in-series books.But maybe that’s just me . . .So. RUNA is what rose from the ashes of a chemical warfare-reduced world—religious zealots unleashed a disease that took out half the world’s population. In the aftermath, RUNA meticulously guarded its borders, deemed “belief in fictitious entities” as dangerous and in need of government regulation, and implemented a forced relocation of its citizens based on the optimal genetic reproductivity for compulsorily breeding a resistance to the disease.As a result (or perhaps in spite of) of these measures, RUNA became the new world power.The characters:Lots of times in series, you will see initially unrequited love. A typical manifestation of this occurs between partners, often with the lovelorn female MC pining for the womanizing male MC, whom she is perfect for, if he would only realize it . . .I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.This scenario is painfully drawn out over several installments, and the readers wring their hands in frustration and agony every time Womanizer makes eyes at the cute bartender or assistant, and slips away with her, leaving Lovelorn alone AGAIN.So it’s really fun to see Womanizer (Justin) pining away after Lovelorn (Mae), but using his womanizing ways to keep her at arm’s distance.Well . . . maybe not fun, but it’s definitely new and entertaining.Romantic drama aside, Justin and Mae are immensely likable characters. Justin is an extremely intelligent and observant detective/profiler à la The Mentalist‘s Patrick Jane whose mischievousness isn’t dampened by the loss of his family. But the absence of tragedy doesn’t make Justin a less sympathetic character—he has plenty of problems uniquely his own. And Mae (LAWD, I love Mae) is so strong, and so beautifully damaged. I want to give her a hug, and maybe sing “Hang on Little Tomato” while widening my eyes meaningfully at her.So yes, I really liked it.Gameboard of the Gods is the highly entertaining beginning of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series that exceeds the high expectations I’ve developed for her writing. It combines a unique and utterly believable world destroyed by zealots and the resulting anti-religious government with likable and interesting characters that will have you alternately laughing out loud and cringing in sympathy. There are performance-enhanced soldiers, blue blood scandals, and a new world government hellbent on maintaining the status quo . . . and we all know how well that usually turns out (it doesn’t).I recommend this to anyone interested in mythology-based and futuristic Urban Fantasy, and especially to anyone raised in or around strict or stifling religion (ANY religion)—you in particular will appreciate some of the hilariously represented universal truths.

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

Richelle is always good, some nice light-reading with romance and adventure in the mix, all in good prose. But this time she clearly advanced to a new level. This new series is not just good, it's REALLY GOOD. The character definition, workings, and inner dialogues are on a whole new level: smooth, logical, breath-taking and most of all manage to create suspense, mystery, and surprises.A must-read. beginning the second book now... the only thing I fear is that there might be a third, and a fourth in the making... and I don't want to wait!

I saved this book to read when I had a decent amount of time off work and I'm so glad I did. It's easy to forget how well Richelle Mead writes adult novels with so much focus on the Vampire Academy ones and you really have to work to understand what is going on this new world she has created. You aren't handed anything on a plate - you have to wait to find out what gemmans, plebians, castes etc are but it is so worth the wait. Stories with Greek, Roman and Norse gods in are pretty thin on the ground - then make it futuristic sci-fi rather than urban fantasy and you've got a new market altogether. The ravens were the clue for me to where we were heading and I can't wait for the second book.I was reminded of Jennifer Estep's 'Frost' series, Diana Wynne Jones' 'The Eight Days of Luke' and Tanya Huff's 'Summon the Keeper'. Unlike Kelley Armstrong who tried a move from urban fantasy to crime (Nadia Stafford stories) which failed miserably, Richelle Mead has made the leap to a different genre superbly.

I think I've said this before but I'm always wary about starting new series even from author's whose works I've adored. Will I like the new characters as much? Can the author repeat the same magic? I honestly don't know why I worry. I mean, really.Set in the future where the planet was nearly destroyed by the Mephistopheles virus unleashed by religious zealots, it's no surprise that what has become the Republic of United North America takes a very dim view of all things to do with religion and has strict licencing laws administered that one of the protagonists; Justin March used to work for. Before he was exiled for submitted an alarming report.It is whilst he is living in exile in Panama that he meets Mae Koskinen, the other protagonist. She is one of RUNAs elite soldiers and there are none more feared and deadlier with their implants to aid them. She's actually in Panama along with his old boss and his old boss' boss to bring him back from 'the provinces' to civilisation to solve murders that have no logical explanation.And so we have the start of a sci-fi/dystopian/urban fantasy/romance novel. I don't normally like dystopian novels but then this can hardly be counted as one because whilst there was clearly a disaster, north America at least has recovered and advanced further than where we are now.Doctor Justin March reminded me a lot of an older version of Adrian Ivashkov from Richelle Mead's Vampire Acadamy and Bloodlines series. This is not a bad thing because Adrian is also a gifted, intelligent character and I like him. Justin perhaps has a little too much arrogance about him to start with but that's somewhat offset by the fact that although he is brilliant, he's clearly out of his depth when it comes to his 'travelling companions'; two ravens.Those two can be a little confusing at first because other than their names and what they are, it's not until later in the book as he explains to Mae that we find out what they are and even then, we're not given all of it.Whilst I'm comparing, Mae did remind me of Rose Hathaway but only because they are both fighters. But that's where the similarity ends. Where Rose has no self control when we first meet her, Mae has an abundance of it, so much so that she is sometimes known as a Nordic ice maiden. I connected with Mae almost straightaway whereas it took a little while to understand where Justin was coming from.Now, of course, being a Richelle Mead book there is, of course, going to be a romance between the two leads but also in typical Mead style, it's not going to be an easy path by any means. Whilst it doesn't actually take Justin and Mae long to get together after they first meet, it's not exactly done under honest circumstances which leads to the inevitable fall out. This actually sets a barometer for their relationship and I do feel bad for Mae because she's the one that keeps being hurt although Justin is trying to do what he thinks is right.Does it work out for them in the end? Fans of other series by RIchelle Mead will know the answer to that one!One final thing to note; unlike Richelle Mead's other series Gameboard of the Gods is told in third person perspective which works well for this series. After all, Justin has his own and two other voices in his head and had it been told from Mae's perspective, we'd have lost that.So, whilst it was a bit of a slow and confusing at the start, it doesn't take long before Gameboard of the Gods finds its stride and you find yourself rushing towards the end just find out what happens next. Unfortunately, doing that just means that it's a longer wait until the next book in this new Age of X series.

I loved this book almost from the get go. The characters are interesting, the world building is well done, and the god plot line was able to draw me in. Justin is a great character, being smart and charming but having enough problems to keep him from becoming dull. Mae's strength and all round kick-assness make her one of my favorite female characters I've read in some time. The one thing I am concerned with though is that Mae and Justin as the main characters seem predestined to be together. While Justin is an amazing character he has made too many mistakes for it to be fair for him to be with Mae. He constantly brakes of there relationship in the most humiliating ways for Mae, and while the reason for it is understandable, it does not change the fact that he could find kinder ways to do it or even tell her the truth. He chooses not to because it would take away from the cool, composed, charming personality that he has envisioned for himself and ever make Mae believe he is crazy or that he actually has a heart. Even at the end of the book Justin could of told Mae why he could not be with her and she would of understood, but instead he choose to act like an ass.Wow some of that sounds rather like a rant, but in a way that is a good thing because it means that this book has inspired strong opinions in me and it will do the same to you. It was amazing

i am already a fan of richelle mead after reading her vampire academy series and her recent bloodlines one. There were undertones of rose hathatway in mae koskinen and others of adrian ivashkov in justin march, but the world around the characters was definitely new and more adult. i felt drawn into the mystery that is the runa and the mysterious cults popping up. Other reviewers have said that the world is confusing with the mentions of runa, however i felt that this was not so and i can tell you that runa stands for republic of united north america. I enjoyed this novel however i felt that it was not as good as her other series which is why it is a 4 star, however i recommend the novel.