When murdered sinners fail to show up in Hell, it's up to Salim Ghadafar, an atheist warrior forced to solve problems for the goddess of death, to track down the missing souls. In order to do so, Salim will need to descend into the anarchic city of Kaer Maga, following a trail that ranges from Hell's iron cities to the gates of Heaven itself. Along the way, he'll be aided by a host of otherworldly creatures, a streetwise teenager, and two warriors of the mysterious Iridian Fold. But when the missing souls are the scum of the earth, and the victims devils themselves, can anyone really be trusted?
From acclaimed author James L. Sutter comes a sequel to Death's Heretic, ranked #3 on Barnes & Noble's Best Fantasy Releases of 2011!
400-page mass market paperback
ISBN–13: 978-1-60125-618-8
ePub ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-619-5
The Redemption Engine is also available as a digital edition on the following sites:
I don't even know how to begin heaping The Redemption Engine with all of the effusive praise it deserves. I've read a lot of the Pathfinder Tales novels, and this one is among the very best. James Sutter knows his way around Golarion, and he's picked one of its most flavourful components (the city of Kaer Maga) as the starting point for this awesome adventure. Sutter's writing just pops with excitement, humor, and intelligence, and he's created an original plot to drive the story. Even the way he describes things familiar to gamers, like channelling energy, has so much verve to it (while still being faithful to the RPG) that one can't help but admire the talent that went into the novel. I'd definitely recommend this one to Pathfinder fans, but also to fantasy readers in general (there's even a helpful glossary to explain setting terms).
SPOILERS
Salim Ghadafar, atheist priest of Pharasma (it makes sense!) is back for another adventure, having previously appeared in Sutter's excellent novel, Death's Heretic. Forced to serve the goddess of death due to choices made in his past, Salim is called in to investigate a great story hook: the souls of 53 murder victims have not turned up in the Boneyard (the afterlife) like they were supposed to. So where are they? Or, perhaps more to the point, who has them? Salim's investigation covers the memorable streets of Kaer Maga, the City of Silence below, the heights of Heaven above, and even a detour to Hell. It's all handled extremely well, and I particularly appreciate how a place that may seem dull like Heaven becomes a fascinating place for story-telling. Angels may not be what you expect! And the ending is genuinely exciting. This is one of those books to read, and then pick up again a few months later to re-read. It's really that good.
A great follow-up to Death's Heretic, and in my opinion, an improvement on what was already a pretty good book. Great cast of characters, a mystery, twists, action, and wonderful visits to Kaer Maga and some of the Outer Planes. Plus, some welcome character development for Salim. It would have bothered me a little if he stayed too static over the course of the 2 books.
The only thing I didn't care for was the interaction w/ the Aeons, but that's only b/c I think they're a rare misfire in Paizo's otherwise great collection of planar races. Conceptually, I find them ridiculous. But that's not the author's fault (unless he's responsible for them, I guess). The editing was not too bad. Like pretty much every other book in this line, there's always room for improvement.
If the Tales line ever continues, I hope it includes another book w/ Salim. This was one of my all-time favorites in the line.
Having been a long-time reader of Forgotten Realms, I have recently delved into the world of Pathfinder. I enjoyed the first book in the Salim series, Death’s Heretic, and this one was even better. I love seeing the different planes, and the theological debates. Salim is a flawed but fascinating character. I’m not a religious person, but I don’t really understand the Rahadoumi (sp?) philosophy. Paying tribute to the gods doesn’t mean you have to be yoked to them. They would rather spend eternity in the atheist graveyard than in a true afterlife, all for the sake of pride? It doesn’t make sense to me, but it adds to Salim’s character. In The Redemption Engine, we see him continue to grow.
Aside from Salim, my favorite characters in this book would have to be Roshad and Bors. I loved the idea of the Iridian Fold, and the inclusivity of this book (I hope to read more like it). Their love for each other was palpable, and it was refreshing to see.
And of course, there were the angels. Being a fan of angels, I enjoyed seeing the Pathfinder’s take on them, and the idea of “redeemed devils” is something that comes into play in my own writing. Aruzethiel was an interesting character, and I wish he had been featured more prominently.
All in all, a great read, and I hope to read more about Salim’s adventures in the future.
Nice to see that my favorite characters are getting multiple books. I really liked Death's Heretic and Salim was a relateable character. Although I'm not sure if he should be called an atheist or an anti-theist.
@Eric Saxon: I think that's a point they've actually made in a few places, that atheists in Golarion don't disbelieve in the gods, they just don't worship them and try to do without them. To be fair, yes that does make them more anti-theists, but within the context of the gameworld, atheist has just been chosen as the general term for them.
Oh wow! I somehow didn't notice this thread until just now. Thank you everyone for all the kind words, and I'm really excited to finally be releasing the next Salim book!
As for sending him to Kaer Maga--you've got Erik Mona to thank for that. When I was wracking my brain for what to do next, he was the one who said, "You know, there are a lot of fans of your Kaer Maga stuff..." And suddenly everything fell together.
I would pre-order it right now but sadly i won't (european customer and shipping costs and all of that), i will surely either get the pdf or the actual book from the european market.
I am really looking forward to see Salim in Kaer Maga (although i wish this book came out sooner because my players in Shattered Star are finishing book 2 and head to Kaer Maga next), but more importantly i am really looking forward to see Salim in other planes. I really enjoyed the plane hopping in death's heretic and i hope to see as many different realms in this book (i think it was 5 planes in death's heretic if i am not mistaken).
Thank you James Sutter for writing a story about Salim again.
It looks interesting. This will reveal new information on Kaer Maga right? Because the first one seemed as if it expected you to know nothing of Golarion and it's cosmology, beside some little tidbits I hadn't seen anywhere else.
The cover looks good and unusually bright for the figures.
It looks interesting. This will reveal new information on Kaer Maga right? Because the first one seemed as if it expected you to know nothing of Golarion and it's cosmology, beside some little tidbits I hadn't seen anywhere else.
The cover looks good and unusually bright for the figures.
I definitely try to make all the Pathfinder Tales books accessible to folks who know nothing about the setting. So in that sense, we'll certainly be covering some ground that people familiar with Golarion and Kaer Maga already know. There won't be a lot of totally *new* elements invented, but there'll be a lot of deep-diving, elaboration, and questions answered on existing elements, in the sense that things that get a paragraph in City of Strangers will get whole chapters and be major characters, etc.
Oh, and there'll also be some pretty major planar revelations and sightseeing. Hold on to your hats. :D
The book I'm most looking forward to this year! Death's Heretic was my introduction to the Pathfinder Tales Novels, and quickly worked it's way to my most recommended book. It was an instant favorite of mine, as I'm sure The Redemption Engine well be!
The book I'm most looking forward to this year! Death's Heretic was my introduction to the Pathfinder Tales Novels, and quickly worked it's way to my most recommended book. It was an instant favorite of mine, as I'm sure The Redemption Engine well be!
Wow, thanks Ny! Glad I was a good entry point, and I hope you enjoy The Redemption Engine! :D
The Iridian Fold? That's really piqued my interest! I've been wanting to know more about them for ages.
I really must pick up both this one and Death's Heretic, plus more of the Varian Jeggare/Radovan novels.
And that blood-weeping angel on the cover ... that makes me think of a certain person from the Chronicles of the Righteous ... And that's some interesting decor in the background ...