A rag tag crew of assassins, a man with a past he wants to forget, dark magic, dead gods, an evil ruler, fantastic creatures – and some arab spices. Sounds like the ingredients for one hell of a stew, right? Let’s dig right in!
If the cover has you expecting swordplay, delivered with a wicked smile (look at that guy on the cover – just look at him!) and a sarcastic commentary, then you’ve come to the right bar, my friend. The Crew has you covered there.
That wicked smiling man is Varcade, by the way, the hero of our book – and a former Educator. And that doesn’t mean a teacher, rather a warrior monk, enhanced as a young child by experiments. (Anyone else get some Witcher vibes here? Because I certainly do – what with the white hair and all.) And he’s hired to kill a very powerful ruler, a lady who’s protected by the Dusters – people sniffing bone dust from dead gods to gain magical power. Sounds crazy, but is also a fresh and new idea.
We also have an interview with Sadir!
It’s actually one of the strong points of this story – Sadir brings a fresh take on fantasy to the table, seeing new angles. His world building is excellent, a rich and detailed hitherto unknown world to explore for the reader.
Humour isn’t short, either. There’s this bad ass group of criminals snorting the dust of dead gods, and they have names like Bonky-Bonk or Gloomy Glen. Or Dog-Man, but that last one is fine, because he’s a dog. And apparently a good tracker.
This story is full of crazy characters and creatures, like a fun ride, and once it starts it never stops. Everything’s a little over the top, but that’s by design and half the charme of the story. It’s made out of weird and great ideas. What do you say, Varcade?
I’m not sure weird and great belong in the same sentence, but you do you. I can see you’ve put a lot of effort into this.
Varcade and his usual live-and-let-live approach
And the craziness goes on, right until the end. Which is, of course, an open end, the story points where the sequel will get in quite plainly visible. Not a bad thing – I’m ready for a second round!
This was a fantastic ride, full of humour. But there also lies a small problem: Often enough, the humour was light-hearted and fit quite in, but on several occasions, it clashed with the dramaturgy of the storyline. Sometimes, less is more. So I’m taking this up to 4.5 stars (rounded up where half stars are not supported).
Crossing the Pond Reviews 
2 replies on “The Crew [The God Dust Saga #1], by Sadir S. Samir”
I admire your stamina, Stefan. You have so much going on in your life but you still somehow find time to read and then post these great reviews! Bravo!
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I always find it easier to read when dark, so winter is the natural season for reading, me thinks.
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