Book Review: "The Sapphire Altar"
The second book in David Dalglish's Vagrant Gods series is a triumphant return to a world of gods, heroes, and blood.
Hello, dear reader! Do you like what you read here at Omnivorous? Do you like reading fun but insightful takes on all things pop culture? Do you like supporting indie writers? If so, then please consider becoming a subscriber and get the newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. There are a number of paid options, but you can also sign up for free! Every little bit helps. Thanks for reading, and now, on with the show!
Warning! Spoilers for the book lie herein. Proceed accordingly!
I remember being quite blown away by David Dalglish’s The Bladed Faith, the first in his Vagrant Gods series. With this novel, he managed to breathe fresh life into the traditional fantasy trope of the epic hero’s journey, giving us a story that was at once heartbreaking and laced with adrenaline. Now, he returns us to this bloody and grim world, one in which the Everlorn Empire grows ever more determined to bring the world under its dominion, even as a brave group of heroes, including our main character Cyrus, try to defend their island of Thanet.
As was the case with the first book in the series, The Sapphire Altar is about several weighty philosophical questions, particularly the nature of justice. Much of this centers around Cyrus, who continues to wonder whether his pursuit of vengeance against the Empire is truly the best course of action or whether he has become the very thing he once opposed. Dalglish does an exemplary job in allowing us access to Cyrus’ thoughts, particularly as he has to contend with the presence of the Vagrant, the being that he is supposed to become so as to be able to defeat the Empire. We’re asked to join Cyrus as he grapples with the weighty moral questions that always attend the hero’s journey, and it’s to Dalglish’s credit that he doesn’t provide us any easy answers.
For the truth, as Cyrus slowly learns, is far more difficult than he had ever dreamed. While he has spent his entire life believing in the sacred nature of the gods of Thanet, the truth is that their own history is laced with bloodshed and betrayal. This truth weighs heavily on him, but it also has a significant impact on Keles, a once-devout worshiper of those gods who finds her own beliefs challenged and subverted by new revelations, particularly about her own family’s history. Dalglish handles her storyline with particular grace, and though we may not agree with every choice that she makes–particularly since we know more than she does at any given moment–we can nevertheless understand them. Like so many of the other characters, she’s simply doing the best that she can with a less-than-ideal set of circumstances.
On the other side of the scale is Arn, who is an apostate from the Everlorn Empire. This book gives us more insight into the path that led him where he is today, and his are some of the most heartbreaking scenes in the book. Like everyone else who has decided to take the fight to the empire, he has had to do some terrible things, and he is haunted in particular by the moment in which he killed a goddess in cold blood while his brother slaughtered innocent children. It’s a wrenching scene, but Dalglish handles it with grace, and makes it clear how much this moment haunts Arn and shapes his perception of the Empire and its mission.
The sisters Mari and Stasia are once again key players in this drama, and each of them serves a very different purpose. Stasia at first appears to be just the brawn, capable of wielding her axes to devastating effect, but she also has her softer side, though she tends to only show this to her partner, Clarissa. One of the things I loved most about The Sapphire Altar was the extent to which the queer relationship felt so natural, rather than something that was shoehorned in. Likewise, I love the insight we continue to get into the toll that being the conduit for the gods is starting to take on Mari, for whom this act is both a duty and a sacrament. Like all of the characters, however, she also has to contend with secrets that have been kept from her.
On the other side of the conflict there is Shinsei, the daughter of the Emperor and, as such, a major villain. Though she has fewer viewpoint chapters than some of the other characters, Dalglish still allows us insight into what makes her work. Unlike her brother, who is a bit of a blustering fool–so puffed up with his own arrogance and power that he can’t see his own vulnerabilities–she is much more clear-eyed about things. Even so, it’s unclear to what extent she believes her own spin about wanting to make the Empire a more just and fit place, and one can’t help but wonder whether she is simply out for power.
Justice, then, is a key theme running throughout the novel, as even the “bad” characters have to reckon with the consequences of their own choices and how these can have unexpected effects. Furthermore, The Sapphire Altar also asks what it means to be a moral member of a religious faith. Those who willfully belong to the Everlorn Empire and support its goals–including Arn’s brother–do so for the most part with honest intentions, in that they believe it is a force for good. Even though we as readers are meant to ally ourselves with Cyrus and his allies, we can’t help but wonder whether everyone has been misled and whether some terrible revelation is about to strike us in the third and final volume.
Though The Sapphire Altar answers several of the questions and enigmas raised by the first book, it also leaves us with a number of enduring mysteries. To take just one example, at the end of the novel it’s revealed that Soma, Sinshei’s mysterious and taciturn warrior attendant is none other than a god long thought banished, determined to exact his own form of vengeance. At the same time, there are still many things that have yet to be revealed, enticing us to rejoin Cyrus and company once the third volume hits shelves.
The Sapphire Altar is a beautifully written book, and Dalglish’s muscular prose and ability to capture the brutal beauty of hand-to-hand combat is truly a beauty to behold. However, he never lets us forget that it is the characters that keep us drawn into this drama, and each of them are carefully crafted and fully realized, with their own flaws, dreams, and hopes. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in the final volume in the series.