Name: Two Serpents Rise
ISBN: 9780765333124

Max Gladstone

When his father, the last priest of the old gods and leader of the True Quechal terrorists, is wanted in connection to the attacks on the water supply, Caleb Altemoc and crazy Mal, bound by lust, must play a dangerous game where gods and people are pawns.

Two Serpents Rise

"[A] taut and unique blend of legal drama, fantasy, and noir." —Publishers Weekly, starred review Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence chronicles the epic struggle to build a just society in a modern fantasy world. Shadow demons plague the city reservoir, and Red King Consolidated has sent in Caleb Altemoc—casual gambler and professional risk manager—to cleanse the water for the sixteen million people of Dresediel Lex. At the scene of the crime, Caleb finds an alluring and clever cliff runner, Crazy Mal, who easily outpaces him. But Caleb has more than the demon infestation, Mal, or job security to worry about when he discovers that his father—the last priest of the old gods and leader of the True Quechal terrorists—has broken into his home and is wanted in connection to the attacks on the water supply. From the beginning, Caleb and Mal are bound by lust, Craft, and chance, as both play a dangerous game where gods and people are pawns. They sleep on water, they dance in fire...and all the while the Twin Serpents slumbering beneath the earth are stirring, and they are hungry. Set in a phenomenally built world in which lawyers ride lightning bolts, souls are currency, and cities are powered by the remains of fallen gods, Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence introduces readers to a modern fantasy landscape and an epic struggle to build a just society. For more from Max Gladstone, check out: The Craft Sequence Three Parts Dead Two Serpents Rise Full Fathom Five Last First Snow Four Roads Cross At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Sheila

I enjoyed this book a bit more than the 1st one, but I can't put my finger on the precise reason why. I think I was more entranced by the Mesoamerican society that was the focus of Two Serpents Rise, and also COATLS!!!! 8D Caleb the MC was irritating in his indecision and obvious adherence to the status quo, but I loved his friend Teo SO MUCH; a takes-no-shit lesbian who's an honestly great friend to Caleb (and Caleb admits as much).

With this second book I'm starting to see the theme that must be overarching for all four books in this series: Deicide + sudden & massive societal changes influenced by said deicide = pretty cool theme that I'm interested in enough to keep reading. I'm going to put this series aside for the moment though since this month has a billion books I want/need to read 8D