By Meghan Mazzaferro
Content warning: murder, violence, gore, child death, rape
Temple of No God is the second novel in H. M. Long’s Hall of Smoke series of standalone fantasy books, and follows Hessa, now a High Priestess of the god of the north. After bringing tentative peace to the north, Hessa discovers a new god in the south with a frightening power, and she is recruited to back one of the three heirs vying to unite the Arpa empire. While marching her army south, Hessa must navigate the rising threat of the Arpa empire and shifting loyalties within her own camp, all while journeying to unlock a buried magic that will bring the new Emperor unimaginable power. But even Hessa herself does not know what she will do once she reaches the heart of the empire: crown a new emperor, or destroy Arpa from within its heart.
Hall of Smoke is a fantastic novel, and I was curious to see how a sequel following the same main character and set in the main world, but which could be read as a standalone, would play out. While I definitely recommend reading Hall of Smoke first, I do appreciate how Temple of No God can be read on its own. This book has its own worldbuilding and explains enough of the events of book one for a new reader to understand what’s happening, while also crafting a new plot unrelated to the first one.
Hessa is an incredibly complex and compelling character, and I enjoyed following her in this story. She is a fierce barbarian queen while also being a wise priestess, and I enjoyed the way Long balances Hessa’s status as a legend in her world, grounded in several fight scenes where we get to see how Hessa has earned her reputation, and with a deeper look into the character’s psyche, wants, and insecurities. I found her magic in this book really interesting, and I loved the way the fight scenes were written. These books have cinematic action scenes; they’re intense and visceral, and absolutely suck you into the story. They’re also an interesting tool to develop the characters, particularly Hessa—she is a warrior priestess with the power of the gods in her veins, but she is also mortal, and watching her fight in different settings demonstrates both her powers and her limitations in an interesting way.
Most of the other characters are also well developed, and I particularly liked Uspa, an outcast Eangen whom Hessa takes under her wing and who worms her way into Hessa’s affections. The only character I wish I knew more about is Imnir, Hessa’s estranged husband. He is crucial to the plot and to Hessa’s character, but I found him difficult to connect to and a bit underdeveloped. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this book, and it was through them that I got invested in the plot.
This story has a new setting, and I enjoyed the journey through the Arpa empire. I could visualize the scenes and felt immersed in the world. I also found the plot interesting, and the new god, their priests, and dark magic were frightening and intense. I enjoyed the mystery and background scheming, and while I do feel like the mystery progressed a bit slowly and the reveals were a little rushed, the novel was still well paced, and I was invested the entire time. I found the climax really interesting, and it had me on the edge of my seat. Long does an excellent job of developing the power and skill imbalances between mortal and immortal warriors, and that imbalance and Hessa’s disadvantage were particularly interesting in the final battle.
Overall, while it didn’t quite captivate me as much as Hall of Smoke did, I found the story really enjoyable and intense, and I would definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of Viking-inspired fantasy and intense, standalone stories.