This is a fantasy romp featuring the titular Babylon Steel, a brothel madam/swordmistress who lives on the chaotic and varied Scalentine, a tiny plane which is fed by a number of mysterious portals disgorging numerous strange refugees and other travellers. Babylon herself has been one such refugees, but having settled down in Scalentine she will find that she and her crew at the Red Lantern will be drawn into the search for a missing girl which will culminate in a confrontation between her and the mysterious past she's left behind.

I was part of the original workshop for the initial draft, but even then it was clear it was something special. The writing is great - Gaie has a light, lucid prose style and the city shows a fantastic and playful inventiveness. Babylon is a tough but likeable heroine ably supported by a well-drawn supporting cast, and all in all, it's a wonderful fun read. Highly recommended. ( )

Wow, what a great story. I really enjoyed this book. After reading some YA fantasy lately it was definitely time for some grown-up's fantasy and this really fit the bill.

The only thing i'm unhappy about is that i'm utterly skint until i get paid on Tuesday so i can't buy the second book until then, but rest assured, as soon as i wake up my computer on Tuesday morning i'll be on Amazon buying it.

Great writing, great story, great book, what more can a reader ask for?

If you like fantasy that isn't afraid of getting it's hands dirty then i'm sure you'll like this. If, on the other hand, you like the nice fluffy fantasy stuff then just don't look. ( )

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This novel contains a lot of dark and serious content which some readers may find triggering or disturbing. There are scenes of brutally injured and murdered young women, prejudice against sex workers as well as ongoing harassment from religious zealots towards citizens that they deem as “impure”. There is a very disturbing punishment handed out by this religious sect that results in a murderer becoming permanently disabled and disfigured, and psychologically tortured for the rest of their life.

There is a storyline in which young women are groomed emotionally and sexually by men and women in a position of power. The young women are willing accomplices, at least at first. Please note that this is unrelated to the brothel and other than the previously named religious zealots, everything related to the brothel is written respectfully to sex workers. While this novel contains sex scenes, it is not pure erotica, however, it is more on the adventurous side and may not be suitable for all readers.

I was drawn in by the stunning artwork on the cover depicting a host of interesting characters, and I stayed when the story matched the artwork. Intriguing, full of depth, and sexy, Bad Gods is everything it’s cover promises. Join me as we head to Scalentine, the city of portals, where you can find anything…

To say that Bad Gods is the story of one woman doesn’t do it justice. This is a story of many people, all of whom are connected by the illustrious Babylon Steel, a woman who has many experiences under her belt by the time she reaches the plane of Scalentine. There she settles with her travelling companion, finally choosing to stop running from her mysterious past and eventually opening the Red Lantern brothel. It seems like an old choice for someone who came to the plane as a mercenary, but as we find out, Babylon has had many titles under her belt and brothel owner is just the latest one.

The story begins with Babylon taking a job to find a missing heiress when she realises that the books, which she’s been judiciously ignoring, are a mess and the brothel is desperately in need of some money pronto. She’s spurred on by the fact that something dark is happening on Scalentine, and the local religious faction, zealots who hate women, are ramping up their activity. The idea of a young girl lost and alone in the city is a powerful motivator, especially when it reminds Babylon so much of herself. As Sebold leads us on an investigation through the city of portals, we learn all about Scalentine, and its diverse community. There’s weres like the Chief of the City Militia, fey, the reptilian Ikinchi, the human-catapillar-like Barraké and many more.

As Babylon seeks to find the missing girl she finds a connection to the past she left behind a long time ago, and Sebold expertly interweaves chapters of Babylon’s past between those of the current story. It’s a dark story, full of plots and intrigue, and I absolutely loved it. For those who might find alternating stories, especially one from the present and one from the past, being told at the same time irritating let me assure you that there is a point to it, it’s not just a fun gimmick to explain the character’s background. Both do intersect and lead to a brilliant conclusion.

In some ways I found Bad Gods reminiscent of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel Legacy series. While Bablyon Steel is much more of a warrior compared to Carey’s Phèdre nó Delaunay, there are similarities in their stories. This is also the only fantasy novel I’ve found, other than Carey’s work, where sex scenes and fantasy have co-existed without devolving into romance or pure erotica. Bad Gods is very much a fantasy novel, just as Carey’s Kushiel Legacy is a fantasy epic. Likewise, Sebold’s scenes are elegantly written rather than becoming smutty as they so often do in paranormal romance novels.

Humour keeps Bad Gods from getting too dark, reminding the reader that no matter how difficult life has been or becomes, the love and support of found family will get you through your darkest days (and kick some ass too).


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***WHO SUCKED ME IN***
woensdag 26 september 2018

Babylon Steel, ex-sword-for-hire, ex… other things, runs the best brothel in Scalentine; city of many portals, two moons, and a wide variety of races, were-creatures, and religions, not to mention the occasional insane warlock.

Ok in my feed ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans)'s review popped up. And the cover intrigued me. THEN I READ THE BLURB!

TL;DR This book intrigues me.

Ok confession: I like reading about women who are in the sex industry. Hmm wait I like stories in which the women who walk in the sex industry aren't ashamed about or are being shamed for it. Normally I would say people instead of women but men have such a different role in the sex industry that comparing the two genders feels wrong to me.
But the thing is... most of the time those stories aren't happy ones. Because even though those women can give happiness most of the time it isn't respected that they can? ARGH my thoughts aren't coming out well. This will be frustrating to read to Future-Me.

But as a young child who grew up reading her neighbours Harlequin books and boarding schools books it paved the way later on to books like [b:Kushiëls Pijl|2960500|Kushiëls Pijl (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)|Jacqueline Carey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1204801572s/2960500.jpg|2990010] after which I learned to respect the hell out of women who choose to be in the sex industry. Modern bloggers like Girl on the Net really helped me formulate my opinion about this topic. So I'm really looking forward to reading a fantasy (MY FAVORITE GENRE!) with such a character.

I really like this up until the climax. It felt very rushed and there are multiple things left hanging at the end of the story.
I feel it would have been better if it has stayed focused on 1 or 2 plot lines, and left the companion story to be resolved in another book where it could get proper attention. ( )