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Gideon Ira in Castle Bloodghast is not being sold at this time, per the author Adam Lane Smith. You can still read what we thought of this heavy metal novel, or you can check out another review below.
Review: Gideon Ira in Castle Bloodghast by Adam Lane Smith
Katie Roome- March 11, 2021
Gideon Ira in Castle Bloodghast is a heavy metal Christian campaign to bring a lost lamb out of a stronghold of evil and back to the fold. This fourth installment of the Deus Vult Wastelanders series continues to deliver hard-hitting action.
This review contains minor spoilers.
Here at the Periapsis Press blog, we only post reviews of works we recommend, so you already know I enjoyed Gideon Ira in Castle Bloodghast. I encourage you to check it out!
Gideon Ira in Castle Bloodghast Publisher Description:
You can feel Castle Bloodghast seething around you.
This ancient castle is the grave of many a hero. When a fearful angel appears to him in a vision, Gideon is charged to enter the cursed fortress in search of his childhood friend. But demons are the least of the denizens lurking in the heart of the castle. Gideon must battle the fruits of the most depraved genius as he struggles to reach his old comrade.
Abominations lurk in every shadow, and the worst atrocities are those committed by bloody human hands. Will Gideon put the corrupted experiments to the torch as they rampage out of control? Will he find a way to escape the curse and free his friend? Or will he break under the unrelenting horror at the heart of the fortress?
Enter Castle Bloodghast, where even angels fear to tread.
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Chilling Setting
This time, Gideon Ira spends less time traversing the apocalypse-ravaged countryside and dives straight into a shiver-inducing dungeon crawl.
Castle Bloodghast provides a more structured feel to the pace of this story, alternating detailed battles with monsters and suspenseful exploration of dark laboratories. The juxtaposition of mad science and the deeper malevolent character of the castle itself gives the story a layered tension. This made it difficult to predict the sorts of evil the characters would have to face as they proceeded towards their goal.
Straight-forward Action
One of the unique attributes of the Deus Vult Wastelanders series is the stark nature of the story. No matter where you open the story to, something exciting will be happening, and there are no great complexities of character, plot, or theme, that detract from the entertainment value of the simple action.
Gideon Ira, for example, although confronted by demons with guilt and temptation, is in no great danger of submitting to them. He is a model knight of strong character. His companions are stalwart and true.
Furthermore, he was charged with his task by God, making it impossible that he should fail, as long as he remains faithful, which is under no doubt. In fact, the greatest uncertainty is how the characters will be able to prevail as they continue to rack up the injuries.
But we didn’t come to read about Gideon struggling to do the right thing. We get enough of that in our own spiritual life. We came to experience the righteous battle and undeniable victory of the Lord in glorious, bloody action!
Theme
The theme is, therefore, impossible to miss. Christianity is not tucked neatly under the surface to take the reader by surprise or present itself only when looked for. There are numerous confessions of faith and two conversions, both of which emphasize that anyone is redeemable by God.
The one that is central to the plot, Gideon’s childhood friend, is actively participating in the evil plaguing the region and is even possessed by a demon. He does not desire God, but God uses Gideon to confront him and change his heart.
Catholicism
It should be noted, that this book is very Catholic. Obviously, Catholics will not take issue with this, but what about a Baptist girl like me?
Adam Lane Smith is diplomatic, but as with all elements of the story, the religion is worn on the sleeve. However, the prayers and confessions, most of the theology in fact, are universal Christian beliefs. Nothing to violate the conscience of a firm Protestant.
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Gideon Ira in Castle Bloodghast is a great addition to the Deus Vult Wastelanders series. Although it is technically the fourth, each story stands well on its own, making it easy to jump in at any point!
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Thanks for the shoutout Katie!
I do love Gideon Ira. This is pretty much my definition of a good bad book, which to me really just means a fun book with no literary pretensions that firmly seeks to do good and avoid evil.