Meeting Strange Gods to Save the World: A Book Review
I want to thank Alison Kimble for allowing me to read the ARC of her fantastic book! Thank you, Alison!
[Spooky] kicked a pebble and it bounced down the road. “Why do you care so much about stories anyway?”
“Does that strike you as a strange thing to want?” [Carcass] frowned and looked at the sky. “You probably haven’t ever imagined what a world would be like without them.”
“Uh, no, I guess not.”
“And I had never imagined a world with them. Until I came to Earth and encountered humans interpreting themselves and the world around them, and then reinterpreting everything, again and again. Forming narratives and explanations for every leaf, every mood, every storm. Out of the smoke from their fires. Out of nothing.”
You Should Read Strange Gods if...
- You enjoy meeting new and interesting characters
- You love to travel to far away places
- You are waiting for something big to happen to you
- You have a thing for the "end of the world" theme
But after getting Carcass on the internet, Spooky becomes the police’s most wanted suspect in the robbery of an electronics store, which threatens Spooky’s chances of leaving Dodgson with a clean record. Apparently, Carcass's godly powers weren't as helpful as Spooky thought. She gets in touch with Carcass for his help in rectifying the matter, but he informs her that Earth is in danger of being attacked and invaded by a myriad of gods. He sends her on a quest to contact Earth’s god to stop the end of the world, but Spooky is sure that she’s not the best choice for the job. Does she choose to save it? Can she even do it?
 |
| Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash |
Brianna "Bree" Van Den Berg: Bree first appears to be a mean girl type and is quite outspoken, which comes across as rude, sharp and even hostile. She has yellow hair, glowing tanned skin, freckles and a swing to her hips. While on their journey to Carcass' winter home, Bree confides in Xanthe about her reason for being at the camp: she had a baby and her parents are doing everything they can to prevent Bree from getting attached to her. But Bree wants to be her child's mother.
Elliot Hall: He has rosy cheeks, blue eyes and wavy brown hair. He is empathetic, adventurous and ready to help. Elliot confesses that he's at Dodgson because he ran away from home for three weeks and his parents don't want him to do it again. He has Stargardt disease, which is a degenerative eye disease, so he runs off to see the world and experience life before he's lost his sight for good. As he travels with Spooky, they develop feelings for each other.
Izeah Dodgson: He is the brother to Adam, co-founder of Camp Dodgson and one of the counselors. He puts a positive spin on everything to encourage the campers to do better. He has a loud personality.
Adam Dodgson: He is the opposite to his brother, Izeah. Adam is the other co-founder of the camp. He stays behind-the-scenes and works with the scuff system for each camper. He's quiet and stern.
Carcass: Compared to humans, Carcass is a giant. He has orange skin and resembles that of a toad with large eyes, a wide mouth and a flat nose. Carcass visited Earth 8,000 years ago and since he has access to the planet again, he has captured Spooky so she may tell him all of the new stories. He is a sadist, always smiling when things work in his favor, which Spooky doesn't like. Although Carcass only wants to save the Earth so he has access to their infinite stories, he is more motivated and determined in doing so compared to Spooky. Like other gods, Carcass has the ability to create objects that he knows through and through. He is used to getting what he wants, even if that means taking it.
Jagbi: He was created by Carcass, so Jagbi calls Carcass his father. He has golf ball-sized eyes and yellow skin with the posture of an old man. Jagbi is a curious creature and appears timid and nice, but because he was made to tell stories and failed in doing so, Jagbi manipulates and tricks Spooky and her friends to inspire stories and reclaim his role as a storyteller to Carcass.
Kru: He is one of Carcass's sons. Carcass actually made three Krus, but secretly kept one for himself and gave the others to Geyegorg as a trade. Kru doesn't speak and acts like a telephone system for Carcass to speak through him to Spooky. Kru is assigned to Spooky and her friends as protection. He has super strength and is a savage fighting machine, saving the trio's life several times.
Geyegorg (of the Extraordinary Sight): He has a lot of personality, but also great power, making him dangerous to cross. His weakness is that he covets what he doesn't have, which includes the people he is trading with. He has an eye for rarities. Geyegorg sits on a stone throne and wears a cylindrical hat. He has an oval head without a nose and a low mouth close to the jawline. He makes deals with creatures and gods and sells beacons to different planets. He is a business man.
Targa: He is a god who refuses to engage in violence. He is the father to Bagoula. Targa can shapeshift and resembles a wooden mask. He has coral skin, red eyes, a small round mouth at the tip of his chin and many roots. When the trio meet him, Targa is on the ceiling of the planet's underground tunnel system.
Bagoula: She is the daughter to Targa, but unlike him, indulges in violence. She wants to be in on the action and rule over Earth. She is a shapeshifter like all Targytes, but she can spit a grey substance that becomes a type of cement when it hardens. Bagoula did trading with Geyegorg on behalf of her father and because she was so powerful, Geyegorg wanted to add her to his collection. She is a devious strategist, having already replaced some humans on Earth with her clones. Bagoula uses her abilities to trick Spooky, so she can't tell which of her friends are real.
 |
| Photo by Santhoshsivan on Unsplash |
What I Liked
I love that Kimble placed the story at a camp because it's a common location where people sit around a fire and tell stories, just like their ancestors did.
The first chapter eases the reader into the setting, time of year and era, as well as the circumstances of the camp. It's clear and well organized. Invented information, such as the scuff system, was interesting and clearly explained.
As a Whovian, there were several scenes in here that made me think of Doctor Who, which made me love the book all the more! Some examples are:
- My favorite god encounter is when Spooky must face off with Bagoula, the daughter of Targa and one of many gods who wish to invade Earth. The scene where Spooky realizes the pillars she's been weaving and bobbing through actually contain creatures was a classic Doctor Who moment where you gasp out loud at the realization. I enjoyed this whole scene so much AND it also contained a twin scene where Bagoula and her minions shapeshifts into Bree and Elliot.
- When Spooky, Bree and Elliot wake up after sleeping in a cave that Jagbi found for them, Spooky and Bree see some deer nearby. As the girls have a moment, the deer are mentioned now and again, getting closer as they graze. I saw this twist coming and LOVED it! My favorite part is when the deer change into menacing creatures and Elliot wakes up with this response: “Oh, look, a deAAHR!” I laughed so hard at this realistic response. Beautifully captured!
- Since I've watched almost all of the seasons of the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who, I've come to recognize the signs of when a character is going to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. But while the ending was no surprise to me, it did move me to tears and the uncertainty of what may happen if or when the next time Spooky wakes up is tantalizing. I actually don't know if there will be another book! Strange Gods works as both a standalone and the beginning of a series.
I love anything and everything Egyptian, so when Spooky was placed in Geyegorg's honeycomb-shaped collection, it reminded me of her being placed in a sarcophagus and in suspended animation, unknowing of the next time she would see the light of day.
I enjoyed learning about Bree and Elliot's reasons for being at Camp Dodgson. I didn't notice any clues hinting at them. I was thinking claustrophobia for Elliot, and I had no idea for Bree. There are times when I like being able to figure out clues, but surprises are also fun!
I wasn't sure what to expect once Spooky contacts Earth's god since I could see Kimble going in both directions: creating her idea of Earth's god or having them not appear. While it is a little disappointing to not see the god, it does match our reality since there are so many religious and non-religious people. No one knows whether or not "God" is alive and here, "God" is dead, "God" is a fabrication of humans or "God" has abandoned us.
 |
| Photo by Chris Blonk on Unsplash |
What I Didn't Like
This isn't that big of a deal, but I was waiting for someone to say, "Get the hell out of Dodge" in reference to Camp Dodgson. But this never happened.
Offscreen Event
During the long walk to Carcass's winter home, Elliot mentions to Spooky that he was the one who set the alarm off in the second week of camp. But this is something that isn't mentioned early on, which I feel should have been included. It's introduced, explained and resolved within a few lines because it happened off-screen. I feel that Elliot's attempt to escape could have been mentioned in the second chapter when readers learn about Adam Dodgson's demonstration of the camp's alarm system.
Cameo Appearance
We get to briefly see Victoria when Spooky teleports to her home. I was hoping to meet Victoria as a character. In this scene, Victoria seems unmoved by Spooky's appearance out front and I really wanted to know what was going on in her mind and know how she sees her sister. Although, I guess her indifferent reaction to Spooky's appearance is self-explanatory.
Saving the World
Spooky’s
continued lack of urgency for saving the world surprised me. Her freedom in her
own world is much more precious to her, but she doesn’t seem to make the
connection that her freedom is meaningless if the world ends. As an avid
watcher of Doctor Who, I have grown accustom to the human companions
understanding the danger when Earth is threatened and having a “we-have-to-do-something-to-stop-this-now”
attitude. Spooky is hung up on her freedom and called out by Carcass who points
out that he seems to be more interested in saving the planet for the internet
while Spooky keeps stalling.
But on the other hand, she is a high school kid whose view of the world is small since she is not ambitious and has kept to herself while in wait for something momentous to happen to her, aka “The Change.” Additionally, Spooky grew up in an unemotional home environment with people who don’t care for anything except image and accolades. She’s had to look after herself because no one else does. In that way, I can understand that she can’t imagine the world ending, even though she has met and interacted with a god in another world. Spooky expects this Change to occur in college, but she fails to realize that she’s already going through it.
I can
relate to Spooky, though, because I had that same hope in high school. I didn’t
know what I wanted to happen, just something great and life-changing. There was
always that hope with each new year, which probably explains why I read and
write as often as I do. People may say that I, too, didn’t notice that I was
actually living in The Change, but it was all so ordinary and expected
according to the norms of parents and the society.
 |
| Photo by Scott Warman on Unsplash |
Conclusion
I highly recommend Strange Gods by Alison Kimble. It's a book that I feel would appeal to both fantasy and sci-fi lovers alike. It focuses on stories and human relations while following Spooky's own coming-of-age story.
You can get the novel on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and other Amazon stores for e-book and paperback formats. View Alison Kimble's website for more information on her and her book!
Check out my other book reviews in the library.
Comments