Gameboard of the Gods

Age of X, Book 1

By: Richelle Mead

Narrated by: Emily Shaffer

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military's most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

©2013 Richelle Mead (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"After years of YA, the author has finally returned to her adult roots with an ambitious (and sexy!) sci-fi outing." (EntertainmentWeekly.com)

"This brilliant book is a miracle. Think American Gods with the romantic heart of Vampire Academy. What's the point of world-building if you aren't building something and someone to love? I'm in love with every character in this book. How do I know? When I got to the last page I turned to the first and started again, thinking this is why I read." (Margaret Stohl, New York Times best-selling author of Icons)

"Vivid world-building, whip-fast pacing, and a layered plot combine to make Gameboard of the Gods a riveting read!" (Melissa Marr, New York Times best-selling author of The Arrivals)

Interesting!

Not bad, but I'm accustomed to Narrator Emily Shaffer's voice performing as teenage characters where as in this book the characters are in their mid to late twenties. The character of Mae (in my opinion) should sound a bit older and more mature.

Wonderful Start

Where does Gameboard of the Gods rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10. Worth picking up for anyone that is a fan of gods interfering in the affairs of mankind.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gameboard of the Gods?

The conversations between the Ravens and Justin. The realizations of characters that come to discover gods exist.

Have you listened to any of Emily Shaffer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard her before, but she was fantastic. The main characters are distinct, and alive. Minor characters sometimes fade into the background, but it doesn't detract from the book at all.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Very much so. My wife and I started it on a 14 hour road trip, and immediately purchased the second when we were two hours away from home and just finished the first.

Any additional comments?

Great book, excellent concept, superb delivery, and I believe it is set apart from many other books out there.

Interesting idea

Nice book with an interesting premise. Good narration and fast enough read. I thing this has potential even if the story line is a bit predictable. May is a very interesting character. We'll have to see how the story unfolds.

Marvelous!!

I love Richelle Mead, her series are all different from each others, yet they all captivates me. But I think that this one it is the most complete, complex and interesting of all!
The fans of VA will be a little lost at the beginning, I advise you to forget it completely to be able to appreciate this story. The only thing they have in common is the author's talent. She managed to create a new, very rich and complicated universe each time. And in the end, it's so ... simple! So obvious! I do not know how she does that, it's crazy! She's a genius!
Emily Shaffer's performance makes the story even better, she did an excellent job for this one.

one of my faves by Richelle Mead

I love this book and the next one. I hope the third book comes out soon!

Always enjoyable

Awesome book. Can't wait for the next one. Still waiting for book 3 to be released.

great read!

loved the whole thing! I love all Richelle Meads books and grew up reading them and I'm so happy to have Audible and access to all of them!

Love it

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. I love Richelle's imagination; I've read every series she's written except the Georgia books, and I guess it's just a matter of time before I break down and get those too. Her writing style is familiar and comforting as well. I've come across few writers who manage a good balance between writing well and sounding natural.

What did you like best about this story?

Once again, I'd have to say the creativity that went into laying out this brave new world. I love history, and the idea of a new, more 'enlightened' world clashing with Gods older than humanity itself is brilliant in my mind.

What three words best describe Emily Shaffer’s performance?

young, familiar

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yes. I'm on my third listen currently.

Any additional comments?

My one regret for this book is the narrator choice. I enjoy listening to Emily Shaffer, but I can't help but compare the characters in this book to those in VA and Bloodlines when listening to her. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled when I found out the VA narrator was doing Bloodlines, but Sydney is still young enough for Emily's voice to match, and VA went through so many that she can't really be counted as 'the voice of VA'. She's a great narrator, but I feel that her voice is too young for the characters she portrays in Gameboard of the Gods.

Wanted to get into, but couldn't.

I love the author, but couldn't really get into this book. Good narration and had some good tense scenes. But overall, personally, it just didn't grab me.

This is a FANTASY novel set in the [near] future.

As a fan of Science Fiction for 50 years, I kept waiting for the science to wow me. Nope. Have some magic.
The writing is competent enough and the narrator is ok, if you want FANTASY, but as soon as I hit the "submit" button for this review I am getting my money back.