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've spent the last couple years telling my gaming friends, secular friends, and random people on the internet to read Death's Heretic. And I have an unhealthy fondness for Kaer Maga, so my expectations could be accurately described as "sky high."
And this was everything I wanted and a few things I really should have remembered to ask for. There's a good mystery, interesting characters, and a central philosophical question that actually makes you think.
One thing that still took me by surprise was the quality of the planar scenes. There are seriously things about the planes that have been bugging me since TSR was running the show... and get neatly tied up here like it was the plan all along.
I could pick nits, but my only real regret is that the central question of Death's Heretic speaks to me more than the central question here. I don't think it's actually a weightier issue, just one that's more important to me.
Short Version: If you've read Death's Heretic, read this. If you haven't, go read Death's Heretic, then read this.
I read the Redemption Engine or rather consumed it over the last two days and enjoyed it very much. The Pathfinder Tales line continues to provide enjoyable entertaining reads and I find that Salim is fast becoming one of my favorite characters. That being said, I do hope he is (as appears to be the case) moving away from his "I must be alone" stance and accepts a few friends into his life on a more regular basis.
A quick note on how I review. I give a score based on my enjoyment and how well the product holds up in its category.
I took a break from The Malazan Book of the Fallen and dove into this quite enthusiastically. I had been looking forward to more from Salim the moment that Death's Heretic came to a close. The Redemption Engine picks Salim back up in the wonderfully odd(alien?) city of Kaer Maga. The locations and descriptions as Salim moves about are where Sutter is at his strongest, the first half of the novel gets a ton of credit for this. (It is no surprise given Sutter's background with the Pathfinder Setting.) The Redemption Engine manages to be fast paced all the while juggling a cast of characters and elements that all manage to blend wonderfully into Salim's journey, both physically and emotionally. Succinctly, it was a fun read.
Well, it's been a while since I read this and posted my review, but a recent discussion about the book with a friend prompted something I didn't notice before but felt needed bringing up, so I've edited my commentary. Hopefully a bit of criticism won't hurt too much in an otherwise-stellar product, and will go toward making whatever might come next all the better. =)
