Deathless Gods

Political infighting and battles between gods dog the Kencyrath people as they continue their 3,000-year war against Perimal Darkling in Hodgell’s byzantine 10th Kencyrath epic fantasy (after 2019’s By Demons Possessed). Jame, the lone female Highborn of House Knorth, takes command of the house troops to fulfill mercenary contracts with the native Rathillien king, Mordaunt, who schemes to raise himself to godhood. Meanwhile, Jame’s brother, Torisen, Highlord of the Kencyrath, worries that a poor harvest and a lack of payments from the Rathillien will leave his people fighting over food, and fears he’ll be left unable to help as the larger Houses push for more prestige and power on the High Council. Throughout, both siblings continue to manifest the power of the Tyr-ridan, avatars of the Three-faced God who abandoned the Kencyr ages ago. Hodgell’s intricate web requires careful reading—and extensive knowledge of the previous books—to follow, but the author repays her fans with a saga that flows neatly between the mythic and the mundane. There’s plenty of life left in this series. (Oct.)