Titanica (The Ruined Gods #3), by Alex Robins
The Book
Synopsis:
All Things Must End.
Zeus’s plan for vengeance has failed. Blinded by hubris and petty hate, the greatest of the Gods unwittingly released his father, Cronos, from the bowels of the Underworld. The Titan now rules Olympus while his son lies imprisoned within, shackled to a throne that is no longer his.
For the inhabitants of Tyrris, there will be no redemption. They have spread too far; changed too much. They riddle the land like a disease, clinging tenaciously to their deluded ideals of freedom. Such a plague cannot be cured, only excised. Burnt and bloodied until there is nothing left. A clean slate from which to start anew.
And so, the human race begins to fall apart. Swallowed by the corruption of The Citrine Wastes. Slaughtered by the relentless myrmidon army. Strategos Dexios and his allies have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. They are alone.
Unless. There are others who still resist. Who still believe. Frail and weary, but not yet broken.
They are the Exiled.
The Banished.
The Ruined Gods.
My Review
Titanica is the third and final book in the Ruined Gods series, a fantasy inspired by Greek mythology written by Alex Robins; Cronos took advantage of his son Zeus' hubris, and got control over the Olympus. After shackling Zeus to his throne, Cronos' next steps involves eliminating the inhabitants of Tyrris, as they are too attached to freedom; the situation is catastrophic for the human race, but there's still a hope if they join forces with the Gods. A new reenactment of the Titanomachy.
Multiple turns and emotional moments await you in this final book. Strategos Dexios is trying to command the human forces in a futile attempt to stop the advancement of the myrmidons; Malkar and Helena sneak their way into mount Olympus and manage to liberate Zeus, but paying a high prize in the process.
Cronos seems unstoppable, and that will drive all our characters to form a final alliance to resist against the Titan and his forces; Thena will be the place for that final battle. Robins gifts us with some of the most emotional moments of the trilogy in this context, such as the family reunion between Dexios and Keres and the final acceptance of their destiny.
All the character arcs that were nurtured and developed during the two previous books have taken us to the great finale; a series whose scale has growth with each book, until the end is inevitable, in one direction or another. With Robins' clear writing style, you can almost picture the tension and the gravity of those moments, and still, you can get surprised at points by the unexpected.
In comparison with the two previous books, while the worldbuilding is still expanded a bit, Titanica prefers continuity, using the foundations to embrace the epicness. Pacing is excellent, alternating different POVs, allowing to discharge the pressure at many points before continuing with the plot.
Titanica is the culmination The Ruined Gods deserved; I totally recommend you to pick the full series as soon as possible if you enjoy mythology or if epic fantasy is your jam. I loved this series, and can't wait to see which next project Robins has for the future.
The Author/s
Alex Robins
Alex Robins was born in Norwich, England back when it was still trendy to wear lycra tracksuits and bright pink headbands. Norwich School Library was where he first discovered his love of reading, an old converted undercroft packed to the rafters with books. The first fantasy series he read was The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman, quickly followed by The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and David Eddings' The Belgariad.
At the age of twelve Alex moved across the channel to Nantes in France. Speaking very little French, the first few years were difficult and sometimes lonely as he scrambled to get a grip on the intricate grammar and vocabulary of the French language. His taste in books branched out from epic fantasy to science-fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and historical fiction, but he always came back to his favourite fantasy authors when looking to escape the outside world.
After degrees in agronomy, project management, and computer sciences, Alex founded his own company dedicated to online voting. He met his wife during a game of badminton and they spent several years getting trounced in various regional tournaments before getting married. Alex now lives in the sunny Loire Valley in western France, surrounded by imposing castles, sprawling vineyards, and two children. After reading fantasy books for the last thirty years he decided to write one. The Broken Heart of Arelium is his first novel, and the first in the War of the Twelve series.