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Risen Gods Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 271 ratings

The old gods will rise. Humanity will fall.

Ben Henare has forsaken his Maori heritage: choosing the modern world over a life following the old ways. His best friend, Lucy Champion, is a woman of logic: training to become a doctor, she believes only in science. Neither of them has room in their lives for the fantastic, the unexplained, or the supernatural.

But when a tsunami floods their city, killing Lucy’s parents and endangering Ben’s people, their beliefs must change. The tsunami has awakened powers, ancient and deadly. The old gods have risen.

Long have they watched people’s abuse of each other and the natural world; at last the gods have had enough. They will protect the world… by destroying all humankind.

Now, Ben and Lucy have only days left. To fight their way across a country shattered by devastation. To protect the magic artifacts now entrusted to their care. And to deliver those artifacts to the gods themselves: offerings that might — just might — appease the powers of destruction.

Pursued by human traffickers who have kidnapped Lucy’s sister, hunted by the gods’ warrior spirits and supernatural assassins, Ben and Lucy must forget all they know, and sacrifice everything they love to protect their country from the greatest threat ever known: the wrath of the Risen Gods.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J.F. Penn teams up with acclaimed dark fantasy author J. Thorn to bring you a thrilling adventure. Mixing the Maori mythology of Aotearoa/New Zealand, supernatural thriller, and high-stakes suspense into an adventure you don’t want to miss, Risen Gods will take you to places you’ve never dreamed. Get your copy today!

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J. Thorn is a Top 100 Most Popular Author in Horror, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure and Fantasy. He is an official, active member of the Horror Writers Association and a member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers. Thorn earned a B.A. in American History from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. from Duquesne University. He has spent the last twenty years researching mysticism and the occult in colonial American history.

J.F.Penn is the Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the ARKANE thrillers and London Crime Thriller series as well as other dark fantasy stories. Her books weave together ancient artifacts, relics of power, international locations and adventure with an edge of the supernatural. Joanna lives in Bath, England and enjoys a nice G&T. Try a free thriller at: www.JFPenn.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B018GEKCE0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Curl Up Press (November 23, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 23, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1400 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 271 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
271 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
I initially bought the ebook, and then I won a free copy of the audiobook from one of the authors in return for an honest review.
First, I want to comment on the narration. The narrator did a good, solid performance with really good pacing and excellent pronunciation of unusual Maori words. He has a pleasant, slightly gravelly voice. I have one minor complaint that when he is not doing characters' voices he sometimes sounds a too clinical and slightly monotone as if he is reading the nightly news. He does not attempt any New Zealand accents (he sounds American all the time), but I was fine with that. He is as good at women's voices as he is with men's, and he differentiates various characters' voices well. In addiction, the production was almost always very good. However, once in a while, I can tell there are one-sentence-long sections that I can tell were recorded later in a different location that has an unpleasant echo.
This book is an imaginative thrill ride that I loved. It is a natural disaster story mixed with thrilling action and fascinating fantasy based on the religion of the Maori, the native New Zealand culture. If, like me, you love Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", then try this action-packed novella-length story of several people trying to save New Zealand after the sleeping Gods rise up and cause all kinds of natural disasters. There are earthquakes, a tsunami, volcanic eruptions, and storms! It is also a cool travelog of all the most famous places in New Zealand from Auckland all the way to the far northern tip. Unlike crappy action movies, the action in this book makes sense, and the characters' escapes from death sound plausible to me.
FYI, there are no sex scenes, but I would rate it PG-13 or R because of some bloody injuries and some occasional chilling violence. Thankfully, there are no love triangles and very little romance. This is a highly enjoyable fantasy novella and audiobook. I have told all of my finds who like fantasy that they really need to try it.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2017
Ben Henare (son) & Lucy Campion (daughter/sister, medical student) were in separate dinghies bouncing on the waves.
Christchurch, New Zealand. A 7.3 earthquake had hit, followed by a tsunami.
Bodies & debris were everywhere. Houses & cars were in shambles or in total disarray.
Sirens & explosions could be heard & seen.
Ben wasn’t sure if he was dead/alive.

Lucy was frantic looking for her mum & dad.
Lucy’s mum & dad were buried in the rubble of the family house.
Amber Campion (14, sister) had somehow survived.
Tamati (Ben’s grandfather) had escaped death also.
The Red Cross had finally arrived.
Amber had gotten separated from Lucy.
Sitona (m, cousin, trafficker) had found her wandering around.
An elderly woman had told Lucy an evil man had taken Amber to Kaikoura.
Rangi Anahera (boat taxi driver) had helped get Amber away from Sitona.
Lucy & Amber were finally reunited.

Ben & Gina (American, barmaid) were doing their best to locate Lucy & Amber.
Lucy & Rangi went over the Bombay Hills & ended up in Auckland.
Ben, Lucy & Amber were back at the Pegasus Bay Sailing Club.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written dark fantasy book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great fantasy movie, or better yet a mini TV series. It ws just OK for me so I will rate it at 4/5 stars.

Thank you for the free Curl Up Press; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; Author; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
I wasn't sure I'd like a book of this type, but I was completely blown away. What a mixture of horror and the mystical, characters and their relationships, and thundering thrills at every turn. I couldn't stop reading, ran down the battery on my Paper White and immediately ran to read it on my phone. I've *never* done that before.

Blown away, yes, but also scared out of my wits. That...er...animal seen in the face of the wave . Creepy. The volcanic eruptions were spot on in detail (we recently watched a documentary) without a single bit of that staggering force of nature overlooked or not given the full force of their power in the writing. And what good writing this was. The pace was unrelenting with full imagined scenes that were compulsively readable. I also enjoyed the relationships between the main characters and the evil human mixed in with the fury of the risen gods. And that smoke and ash and...Better stop. Don't want to spoil anything.

Meticulous attention was given to places and names that are often confusing. It's one of the main problems I have reading fantasy and books about foreign lands, but in this book it was well edited to give the reader a heads-up that kept everything in mind for the next time it came around.

I'm a fan of J.F. Penn's other series, and now I'll have to give J. Thorn a try. As a team writing together for the first time, this far exceeded any expectations I had, except for Penn's deft fingers on the pulse of ancient gods and mysteries.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2022
I tried this book out based on the overwhelming positive reviews. I felt like it was trying a bit too hard to let you know that he authors are familiar with New Zealand. It had the classic issues I've seen with Kindle Unlimited books: overly descriptive, excessively convenient escapes/solutions for the main characters, no sense of urgency, lack of connection. Pair this with the overt explanation of local roads, lakes, words, etc and it just grew tiresome. Easy enough to read, but hard to stay captivated.

Top reviews from other countries

Ajith Antony
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and brilliant!
Reviewed in India on October 6, 2017
It took me only about 3 hours of waiting time in a hospital to complete this book, and it was a time well spent. The conflict of the old ways and the new ways of New Zealanders splashes colour into this paranormal thriller.

The Gods have risen to claim their lands back and this time it's much worser than the Tsunami.
Diana Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars A huge shout out to J.F. Penn and J. Thorn for their brilliant collaboration! Absolutely Five Star Material
Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2015
A Captivating story, gripping from the first to last page!

I was completely pulled in to this amazing mystical world!
As the story unfolds an unlikely pair are doing what they both love the most, sailing on the ocean that has been their playground since they met at the age of 9. Here they've always been equals despite their different stations in life. Ben suddenly feels a cold breeze and Lucy notices a huge tidal wave touching the horizon, they both turn to try to outrun the wave and make it alive to shore becoming separated!
A BBC World New Report is detailing the devastation wrought by the massive earthquake, causing a tsunami and destroying Christchurch. The report also tells of several more earthquakes that have destroyed much of the south and of phone shots and video showing many dead and wounded!
Neither Ben or Lucy knows if the other has survived!
Ben Henare, a descendant of the ancient Maori spent the majority of his life listening to the tales told to him from his grandfather Tamati, an elder with the tribal Moko Tatoos; the black lines across his face depicting the ancient paths. He is now aware that perhaps the tales were closer to the truth than he could ever have imagined!
Lucy Campion, a Pekeha, her family one of the first white settlers in New Zealand has somehow become someone that the gods have chosen for a very special purpose!
The journey towards appeasing the Risen Gods is fraught with danger, possibly death, and they both need to make it to save mankind!
Risen Gods will take you an unbelievable journey! Magical, mystical and filled with tales of the Time Before and the goddesses and gods who claim the land as theirs! A Captivating story, gripping from the first page to the last! I also have to add that I was quite impressed with the amount of research that went into the writing of this book!
Ms. L. Haycocks
5.0 out of 5 stars Hold onto your hats, you're in for an exciting read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2015
I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy too !

Bloomin' heck !! The first couple of pages is nice, calm and gentle, then before you know it all hell breaks loose ! I was glued to my kindle, I kid you not. The start of this book is truly EPIC and the rest is no gentle stroll in the park either.
I hate spoilers , so I don't want to go into minute detail about the story in case I let something slip.
This book manages to bring the gods of Maori Mythology into a modern world. The interlacing of different cultures and beliefs involving the different characters is really well done. The authors have managed to weave an exciting adventure with many threads into a book that would be fit for a blockbuster movie.
I really recommend this book to anyone who is into mythology, and fans of books and films such Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
writer2050
5.0 out of 5 stars Gods are angry
Reviewed in Australia on January 2, 2016
Risen gods by Penn and Thorn is a combination of macabre and mythical with a high probability given that New Zealand is part of the Pacific rim of fire. The story concerns two characters, a Maori and a white New Zealander who are thrust apart by a tsunami on the South Island. When their paths meet again, volcanoes are emptying. They are believable and fit YA fiction. A riveting story in the Penn tradition.
Risen gods by Penn and Thorn is a combination of macabre and mythical with a high probability given that New Zealand is part of the Pacific rim of fire. The story concerns two characters, a Maori and a white New Zealander who are thrust apart by a tsunami on the South Island. When their paths meet again, volcanoes are emptying. They are believable and fit YA fiction. A riveting story in the Penn tradition.
5 stars
K11
4.0 out of 5 stars Great bit of dark urban fantasy.
Reviewed in Australia on April 5, 2017
Great read. Tight pacing, great characters, cool action. Very satisfying.
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