Review: The Thirteenth Hour

The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a 3-star review which is a fair estimate of my experience with the book. I picked it up because it was a SPFBO finalist. That contest generally provides some good reading.

I'm not partial to steam punk, but this book had a ton of potential. That potential was wasted.

In this world, everyone is tied to one of 12...well 13...gods. Their lives are ruled by the whims to those gods. When they die, their souls return to the gods who then are able to experience those "human" lives.

There is a hub that is called Chime. Each of the domains of those 12 deities is tied to Chime. In theory, the gods cannot meddle in Chime. In theory, the humans (sort of) can be "recalled" from Chime back to their deity by praying to that deity and thereby attracting the deity's focused attention. This recall is called "death", because that is what happens.

There are other rules. I guess they make sense within the context of the book.

Chime is split into three levels. The top level is reserved for the upper class. The mid-level is reserved for the upper class and associates. The lower level is reserved for most everyone else. A lot of lower class folks want to dissociate from the gods.

As the title suggests, there is a 13th god. The book is the tale of those lower class folks, how they seek to liberate themselves from the gods, and the discovery of the 13th god.

The story is pretty good. There are a few plot holes. Two major ones being the focus and tolerance of class-based biases by everyone involved, and the fact that no one leaves Chime for the hinterlands. They all just accept that they have to stay close to Chime.

No one opts to ignore classes. No one opts to head for the hills.

Other plot holes include the invisible

The book leads off with a strong anti-capitalist vibe that suggests that capitalism causes slavery (or some sort of compulsory servitude). Capitalism is the single strongest motivator against slavery.

The book also features a bit of gender identitarian nonsense. It isn't enough to get in the way of the story, but it's still there.

If you like steam punk, acceptance of class-based structures, and a surfeit of tea, then this book is probably for you.

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