The Slighterman Channel

I admit, I didn’t know squat about Celtic gods — nor American ones — before reading War Dog. The Nordic gods are more on the front these days (yes, it’s Thor I’m thinking of), so I was curious what powers other gods possessed.

The story of War Dog takes off well with action and mysteries. The idea of gods returning to our world was compelling, so I kept reading. Dru, the protagonist isn’t like your everyday hero, he has dark secrets in his past which hunt him. Discovering these secrets is part of the journey the book takes you on. The other characters were interesting as well, and I found myself among people who might look like normal everyday persons but actually were part of a world beyond what is in front of our eyes. A world behind the veil, where gods and druids fight with magic.

The middle of the story slowed down a bit and I could have appreciated less dialogue, but by the other hand, they reflected the personality of the characters well and helped to learn them better.

The story really picked up speed in the last third, and made me turn the pages — or rather, swipe from right to left on my e-reader — faster. Mysteries were solved and backstories revealed while magic tricks were followed by deadly fights. Then it peaked in a crescendo, magic and blood and major reveals, and I couldn’t stop reading until the end.

I need to warn you, this book is not for the light-hearted because blood flows freely in the fight scenes. So, if you want a romance novel, you better look elsewhere. Oh, wait, that’s not entirely true, romance and love is interwoven into the story, just not the same way as in a “they lived happily ever after” book.

This is a good start to a series, and I would definitely read the sequel.