Timegods' World: Timediver's Dawn ; The Timegod [Paperback]

In Timediver's Dawn, Sammis Arloff Olon is born as gentry on Query, with a father who is a middle level government official and a mother who is exceptionally well-educated and well-connected. In early adolescence, however, he is orphaned by the Frost Giants and struggles just to survive in a changed world where gentry is hated and stability is provided only by military might. He finds that his ability to timedive is still feared and despised as witchcraft by the common folk, but now is finally appreciated by his superiors.

In The Timegod, a million or more years later, Loki is born into the world that Sammis has helped create. The population is composed of immortals, most of whom can timedive to some extent. The Temporal Guard is continuing to supply the population with high tech bought or stolen from other societies, but fewer of the Guard personnel are able to maintain this equipment. Despite the efforts of his parents to make him aware of its deficiencies, Loki follows in his grandfather's footsteps and joins the Temporal Guard. There he gains mentors, one of whom is Sammis himself. Gradually Loki begins to comprehend the defects and injustices within the system.

These novels depict the rise and fall of a culture that basically becomes parasitic on other societies within reach of its timedivers. Unlike Piper's Paratime culture, the Queryans are not traders, but scavengers. These novels provide examples of other such parasitic cultures for comparision, including the Frost Giants and the Hunters of Faffnir. Unlike those cultures, the Queryans seldom intentionally perform mass killings, but miscalculations occasionally happened.

As with his other writings, the author explores the ethical issues faced by a society in crisis; for example, these novels have much in common with the Parafaith duology. The basis of all ethics must be survival, but the devil is in the details. When is the cost for survival too high?

Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of young people struggling to understand their society and do the right thing while attempting to survive a series of crises.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The main characters, Sammis in "Time Divers Dawn" and Loki in "Time God" are engaging and sympathetic from the very get go. Because of their personal characteristics the reader is willing to follow their development as they battle themselves and others in an extremely hostile world and evolve from bumbling, ignorant young men into the realization of their power and potential and to root for them as they are manipulated by power drunk colleagues and to watch them evolve into saviors of a sort.

Sammis' eventual mate, Dr. Wryan Relorn is a brilliant scientist and the true architect of change on this fantasy world of Query. She helps Sammis directly and later Loki in an indirect manner to become major league heros and slowly they grasp the realization that they are indeed immortals and (somewhat reluctantly) demi-gods.

Modesitt is quite adept at weaving the strands of ecological development in a technology and resource poor world with the norse mythic themes into a logical and believable venue. He shows how barbaric people truly are by nature, under the veneer of so-called civilized behavior, and that when their chief goal is to destroy every resource they have for whatever motivation, that they also destroy their technology and ability to self sustain. Query is just such a world.

His take on Loki is an especially pleasing presentation as Loki has usually been portrayed in the legends as a totally malign being and troublemaker non pareil. Yes, he is still perceived as that, but Modesitt makes Loki far more sympathetic and heroic then one has been led to believe in other tales. The bad guys in these stories are far closer to the hearth and home which is an added spice to the cosmic stew cooking here. Overall, if you enjoy a very well written sci fi yarn with the added charm of mythical gods and goddesses, then this will be a fun read for you. It was for me.

I had not read these novels before I picked up this book, though I'd seen them around at some point. They reminded me in theme and story of an earlier novel by this author called "the hammer of darkness". They all deal with the subject of timetravel, space, power and gods.

These books are pure fantasy. This author has an unusual writing style and creates strange worlds. I would have to say that "the timegod" seemed to go slower than the first book "timediver's dawn". Both are a good read if you like fantasy or this author. Value for money, with 2 books in 1.