The Traitor God cover art

The Traitor God

Age of Tyranny Series, Book 1

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The Traitor God

By: Cameron Johnston
Narrated by: Paul Woodson
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About this listen

A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut.

After 10 years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magician Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened to devour the entire city. He tried to warn the Arcanum, the sorcerers who rule the city. He failed. Lynas was skinned alive and Walker felt every cut. Now nothing will stop him from finding the murderer.

Magi, mortals, daemons, and even the gods - Walker will burn them all if he has to. After all, it wouldn't be the first time he's killed a god....

©2018 Cameron Johnston (P)2018 Tantor Crime Dark Fantasy Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Murder Magic Magic Users

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All stars
Most relevant  
I loved this. It was dark, Violent and full of drama. It was everything I wanted I a fantasy book, and I didn't even know it. As silly as this sounds, it was very "real". No flawless heros.

Dark and Gritty

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Having listened to the authors most recent book and really enjoyed I thought I would try this one…

Lots of reviews stating the narration is bad and I thought…. It’ll be ok.. but no..

The narration is terrible.. it sounds like the narrator is English so he should know what a London accent sounds like.. he has no clue.. this is sick van dyke ‘cockney’ thrown in with Mary popping and Oliver.

I gave up after 3 hours.. the story is ok, little bit weak and predictable.. it may have got better but it was an early abort due to the performance.

Tried to get through it..

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A great, original story. I do wish they’d chosen a better narrator. This one has a weird accent and pronunciation which becomes more and more noticeable and irritating as the book goes on.

Good story, but that accent!

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If you like an anti hero you'll enjoy this. He's really only come back to take revenge on the person who killed his friend and he isn't exactly a good guy. I loved it, loved the main character Walker and even though the setting and people are grim it's a fun ride figuring out what's going on and seeing what happens. I did feel like the middle got a bit slow but I sped up to 1.2 speed and all of a sudden the action began. Highly recommended.

loved the narrator he had the perfect gruff voice for the character and I could always tell who was talking.

exciting action packed

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Enjoyed the story, but I wish I had bought the book and read it. The narrator is absolutely appalling, butchering pronunciation of the English language so badly it's painful at times.

Thoroughly Enjoyed the Story

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What a great story. A great level of coarse sarcasm without it being too ‘edgy’ or annoying. Great characters with a sense of realism, really brought to life with the voice acting. Just a damn good listen.

A callous man kills a god

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I loved the world building. I have always loved fantasy books and only just started listing to audiable. I loved the character building. I do however wish there was more than one pov but other than that I really did like the book.

the traitor god

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yea, I loved the story. the main character is a great antihero who you can really get behind.
I feel like the story would have been better served had the voice actor not committed to a baffling accent for the duration. sounds like a watered down Jack Sparrow. got used to it in the end but nearly turned me off the book.

great story. questionable accent.

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I've been meaning to read The Traitor God for a while now, but the timing was never quite right for that. I've read samples of Johnston's other works which just made me want to read it even more. Finally the time has come and I have to say, it was worth the wait. I'm just sorry, I haven't made time for it sooner. I partly read, partly listened to it on audiobook, and let me just tell you, Paul Woodson did a great job giving this book a voice.

Edrin Walker spends the last ten years of his life in exile thanks to a deal he made to keep his friends safe and sound in Setharis. Until one day the game suddenly changes. He not only has to solve a murder mystery, but also has to save the city and keep his head on his shoulders long enough to do so. That's plenty enough to ask of someone who prefers to stay in the background, minding his own business. The fact that he is a rare type of magus the others hate and fear does not help either. He likes to call himself peoplemancer, others prefer tyrant. No wonder he is not all that fond of the Arcanum.

The Traitor God operates with a couple of well known tropes, such as the Underrated Special One or the Partially Lost Memories, but it's done in a pretty enjoyable way. It also made me realise - well, it's not like I didn't know already - that I indeed prefer books that have one main setting, which I can explore and learn about along with the MC or through them. Also that I love a well established already existing relationship between the MC and other characters. In this case it's Charra, one of Walker's friends he wished to keep safe. Oh and let's not forget about Harailt, his childhood bully. Talking about childhood. I liked how Johnston linked past and present events together in the plot. That definitely was a nice touch, and made a very realistic flaw in Walker's character. Though flaw might not be the right word for it. I think what I liked about him is that he could be just almost anyone with an attitude, he just happens to be a magus as well. He is not a hero, just a man, whose decisions has serious consequences but he doesn't hesitate to make them. Come to think of it, this might be the description of a hero. Where am I even going with this? Anyway, he is also a good example at how prejudice can affect a person's life. That, and plain old manipulation.

The Traitor God has a lot going on for it: murder mystery, magic, friendship, backstabbing, monsters, intrigue and some well placed gory scenes - usually accompanied by fighting which will leave your heart racing. Spiced with humor, though I definitely would have liked to see more of that, I know for a fact Johnston has it in him. I especially found interesting the society of Setharis with the gods, the magi, the gifted and everyone else. How this city was built on the remains of a long gone Empire and still didn't learn from it.

In terms of criticism, at the beginning, it took me a bit to get into the book. I found the first couple of chapter repetitive, as we kept being told over and over and over again how Walker couldn't remember that night when he left Setharis. But then we got over that bit of awkwardness, like the beginning of a new relationship, it took a bit of trial and error to find out we actually are a good match. And I very much look forward to our next date in God of Broken Things.

Cameron Johnston doesn't shy away from making his characters suffer, or get them into impossibly looking situations and splashing a good dose of blood on everything, but he still manages to make his characters painfully real. The Traitor God is a grimdark journey into a city's (and humans') deeply buried secrets. Just make sure you don't run into the Smilers while you walk the streets of Setharis.

A grimdark journey

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An imaginative storyline, well rounded characters and relationships, and great narration.

I thoroughly enjoyed both tales in this series.

Ignore some of the mispronunciations

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