I read HE Edgmon’s debut, The Witch King and immediately knew he was an author to keep an eye on! And his newest duology, The Ouroboros, shows so much growth and development as an author and story teller.
Godly Heathens is currently available, and I’d recommend this duology more for older teens than a crossover audience, especially as there is significant violence and gore throughout (content notes are provided in the front matter). Merciless Saviors releases April 16, 2024.
Logistics out of the way, let me talk about the books. Godly Heathens introduces Gem, a teenager living in a small town where everyone knows everyone, and they’re just fine being seen as a sexual awakening for the people around them. The only person they like is a trans guy living in New York who they share everything with. One day, though, a new girl moves to town and their entire world is shifted on its axis. The dreams they’ve been having of an alternate reality where they’re a god aren’t dreams at all, but memories, and Willa Mae tells them they’re the god of magic (she’s the god of earth) and Death and War are coming to kill them in the hopes of returning to their original world.
This deals with so many different themes, from religious trauma to chosen family, and the messy experiences of queer teens. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of this book, and the ending had me screaming (and extremely glad I had the sequel at hand – fair warning!). One of the things that recurs is this idea that Gem had to suffer in order to gain some humanity and bring them closer to mortal experiences, because when they were a god, they always had so much power and the Ouroboros knife was a weapon they created to kill the other gods. Seeing their struggles with the reality of what they’d done in past lives and their desires to be someone other than the monster just, oof, it’s so masterfully explored.
Merciless Saviors picks up immediately after the ending of Godly Heathens, and it delves even more into themes of morality, goodness, and the corruptible nature of power. Gem is able to return to the world of their dreams, and while there they have to contend with the ripple effects and repercussions of their having left, and taken the other gods with them, over a hundred years previously. I don’t want to share too much about this book, especially as it isn’t out until April, but when I tell you Edgmon’s writing goes to new levels, this book is such a prime example. There are so many threads from the first book that tie back together and so many revelations that reshape the entire understanding of everything that had happened so far. It is also such a perfect book if you’re interested in stories with morally grey and morally complex characters. This is not a series where I would claim any of the characters are “good,” but they are all interesting with fully realized motivations and complex connections.
All in all, I highly encourage people picking up this duology, and especially if, like me, you like the stories with messy characters, unreliable narrators, and chosen family out the wazoo. I really cannot wait to see where Edgmon’s writing will go from here, because the way they grow just leaves me in awe.