Gunmetal Gods
By Zamil Akhtar
I’ve often heard it said that grimdark is a genre focused on exploring the darker side of the human condition. What lengths can a person go to? How far can they fall? Where is the line between beast and man? What is good, and what is evil?
Gunmetal Gods is very much a prime example of this.
As I read it, the story is about the corruption of faith. Both about how faith corrupts man, and how man corrupts faith. It’s about how man twist his faith to justify the atrocities he commits to satisfy his own desires, and it’s about how incomprehensible injustice drives man to forsake his faith.
It’s about trying, and failing, to make sense of cruel fate.
Sure, there’s more to it than that, but the corruption of faith is so central to the story that, as a theme, it overshadows everything else.
On the surface, the story is about war. A war between two empires, each with their own faith, over the same holy city. We follow major characters on both sides of the conflict, and we learn of their pasts and their personal struggles. We see them as they face inner turmoil and outer resistance, and we see them in victory and in defeat.
It’s complicated, bloody, and dark.
If the cold blooded murder of children sounds like a deal breaker, you probably shouldn’t even start this.
Even then, I dare say this is a good story. It asks some pretty big questions and it gives no clear answers. It’s not unfortunately, a story for me, but it’s still good. The plot is clear. The writing is excellent. The world building is rock solid.
What I’ll whine about
Culture. I mentioned it’s not a story for me, and I think this is largely because of the way the characters behave. The book is full of people making bold, proud proclamations about the righteousness of their faith, the purity of their valour, and the unshakable steadfastness of their courage, but seemingly without an ounce of self-reflection.
This type of behaviour is in line with the cultures portrayed (patriarchal, militaristic, religious), but it’s something I have a very hard time relating to or respecting. It’s not a flaw in the storytelling, as it’s clearly intentional and consistent throughout the story, but it’s something I get hung up on, and which annoys me, so I’ll whine about it.
What I’ll gush about
This story does not pull its punches. The author shows early on that he’s not afraid to kill off important characters or have his Point of View characters perform horrible deeds. Everyone is at risk. Anyone might die at any time for any reason. It puts everything into question, and it pulls a veil of uncertainty over all that happens.
A story that so heavily features faith is made even more interesting by the fact that the gods are shown to be real and active parts of the setting. It changes the questions asked, and it creates a sense of uncertainty that makes everything feel a little more real and believable.
Final Words
Gunmetal Gods is dark, brutal, and unforgiving, and it gives you a lot to think about.
