Monday 1 February 2010

Lex Trent Versus the Gods - Alex Bell

Lex Trent Versus the Gods - Alex Bell

Pages: 344
Publisher: Headline
Release Date: 4th February 2010

Cheats never prosper. At least that’s what everyone else would have you believe. But Lex Trent knows better. Lex knows that, with a bit of luck, the quickest route to success is a lie, swindle and cheat all the way to the top.Unfortunately Lex has taken his scams a step too far… Rather than see his neck in a noose, he’s forced to go on the run in a world of irritable Gods, fearsome magicians and strange beasts.But luck is still on his side, just.The Gods’ favourite pastime is The Games… and Lex has just become one of the human playing pieces. With fame, glory and untold wealth at stake, Lex isn’t going to lose (especially as that so often means dying) - in fact, he fully intends to beat the Gods at their own game.

Lex Trent Versus the Gods is an epic fantasy adventure full of extreme danger, high-octane chases and elaborate schemes. It was such a fun read that I didn’t even mind the lack of a love story!

The first thing that I have to mention about Lex Trent Versus the Gods is the world that Alex Bell created for Lex and the rest of her characters. I’ve never read about one like it; she physically changed the world! It was split between the Gods and the humans and the two halves were joined by ladders, the weather was controlled by the Gods and mythical creatures and objects were around every corner.

Another of my favourite things about Lex Trent Versus the Gods is the Gods and mythology. All of the Gods have churches and followers, they take human form and play with humans like chess pieces. Fantastic creatures from myth and folklore such as magicians, a griffin, Medusas and even a village of retired fairy godmothers popped up on Lex’s travels around The Globe. The were always new elements of the myth to be discovered.

Lex Trent is one of the most interesting main characters I’ve read about in a long time. He’s arrogant, selfish, a liar, a cheater and incredibly sneaky. And yet I still liked him! I don’t know how she did it, but Alex Bell made a despicable so likable and gave him much more depth than I expected. As we got further into the story we found that his ruthlessness has limits, he’s afraid of getting old and that Lex has serious height issues. He really is a brilliant character.

Lex Trent Versus the Gods is a fantastic start to a new adventure series and I’ll definitely be keeping up with Lex’s future escapades.

Sophie

3 comments:

  1. Brilliant review Sophie! I can't wait to read this, it sounds amazing. Love that the world has been physically changed.. how cool is that?

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  2. Great review, Sophie, it sounds so intriguing! And not minding the lack of a love story is a very good sign!

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  3. Ooh you've got me interested in this. I said I would review it but I wasn't convinced it was for me. Now I'm thinking maybe!

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