Name: The Writer and the Throne
ISBN: 9781736109519

Caleb Ortega

Mythological fantasy with philosophy and adventure.

Warfare of the Gods

The Writer and the Throne

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

Mythology lovers, this one is for you.

THE WRITER AND THE THRONE is the first book in the Warfare of the Gods series. The title suggests exactly what you can expect from this book: Gods. Lots of them.
The story follows Aaron, a young man who is chosen by the gods to be the new Writer. His task is to chronicle the actions of the gods without prejudice or manipulation and to put his work in service of humanity. Aaron’s work, however, is immediately put to the test when a conflict ignites between the gods…and well, to know the rest, you’ll have to read the book!

I will admit that, though I am very intrigued about mythology, I’m no expert. There is just so much material on mythology out there, so I’m absolutely boggled by the amount of research the author has put into this work. The Writer and the Throne focuses primarily on three mythologies: Greek mythology (Immortals), Norse Mythology (Asgardians) and Egyptian Mythology (Duati). Though there is obvious creative liberty taken for the sake of storytelling, I was pleasantly surprised by how well these mythologies could co-exist, and how much drama could be generated from their fusion. The narrative is not without surprises. Unexpected alliances, plot twists and betrayals abound and were I you, I’d prepare myself for a dash of pain because not everyone makes it out unscathed from the conflict. 

Aaron was the perfect protagonist to wade through all this information. Not only did he add a “comic relief” element in the midst of the political and belligerent parts of the novel, but his ignorance on all things divine allowed us to learn to navigate the history of the gods and the complex world-building of the novel with far more ease. 

While the world-building fanatic in me is blown away by this novel, I admit that I would have liked a little more on the character department. Because of the massive cast of characters, I sometimes had a hard time remembering all of them and telling apart their personalities. I also think it could have added to the narration if the gods had a more formal register compared to Aaron, who is a nineteen-year-old from our time.

Apart from that, this book was absolutely epic. Though there aren’t any particularly triggering subjects, there are violent moments throughout so I would recommend this read to mature readers who are passionate about political intrigues, battles and mythologies. 

Thank you to the author for sending me a e-copy of the book to review!

Ashley Ramirez

“People deserve better from their Gods.”

Let’s get the bad over with because there was so much that I loved.
What I did not like: From the beginning we the readers are shoved into the action right away. I wanted a little more world building. A little more description of a place that resembles what we would call Heaven. From line one we are dropped into a conversation and are expected to go along with it. For the first couple pages I wanted to scream “what is happening”. But maybe that was the point. Maybe we were to feel like Aaron, lost and completely confused. The beginning, I felt needed to be more focused on world building. But that could solely be my preference. 
What I loved? Everything else. Asherah is rude, snarky, and filled to the brim with sass and I loved her so very much. 
That battle scene was epic. I wanted to see a little more of Zeus in action, but his whiny self probably couldn’t’ve stood very long against Thor anyways. A war containing gods, Spartans, and Vikings had to be on point and my heart was pounding the whole time. 
If you are into mythology of any kind, I would highly recommend picking up this series. Ortega has done his research and it shows through his characters and plot. 
Final point: Can I be apart of the Duati and live with Osiris forever?

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

The Writer and the Throne is the first book in the Warfare of the Gods series. It has an interesting premise. The gods choose 19 year-old Aaron to be the Writer, the person who is supposed to chronicle the deeds of the gods. Unlike other Writers who came before him, however, Aaron is asked to write the truth, so that people are aware of what the gods are really like. And, as one can imagine if they know even a little bit of the various mythologies, it’s that the gods are hardly the perfect beings they were made out to be by those who worshipped them. 

Why do I say mythologies? The Saggilmut, the realm in which the gods reside, sees gods of different historical mythologies co-exist in the same universe. There’s the Egyptian gods, the Greek gods and the Norse gods, led by the Most High. It was interesting how the author combined all these different cultures. Personally, I’d never read anything that had more than one mythology represented, so seeing them simultaneously on page was fun and intriguing. There’s many surprising twists in the plot. Alliances, betrayals, conflict. Everything that makes a book a great read. Fans of mythology would certainly have their fun reading this. 

Aaron served as the perfect protagonist to wade through the history and relationships between the gods. He’s your typical guy, which made him very relatable. One could almost imagine being in his place, studying the gods. I do admit, however, that I had a difficult time remembering all the gods and differentiating some of them. It might be because I’m not a huge expert on the subject, and it’s also true that sometimes these gods do act the same throughout the different mythologies. Also, there was a pretty long action scene that I had a difficult time concentrating on. Obviously this is something that are expected in a book about gods, but personally I prefer scenes where the characters scheme and interact. 

I recommend this read to fans of mythology. This was an interesting read and I’m curious to see what the author has in store for the other books in the series.

Thank you to the author for sending me an e-copy of the book to review!

The Writer and the Throne Warfare of the Gods

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