Like many of the other LTER contributors, I found myself diving into Volume 2 of the "Bladesmith" series without first having read Volume 1. In my case, that did not pose any problems with my enjoying this book ... though it HAS left me wanting to go back and read Volume 1, as well as other books by James Hetley/Burton.

Has there ever been a time when we have not shared stories with one another about gods, their relationships with one another and their relationships with us? It is an ancient and colorful tradition ... one that I studied closely in my youth, and later in college as I pursued majors in anthropology and English literature. After reading "Dominions," I have to say Hetley's knowledge of those topics is deep and wide. Couple that with his experience and expertise in such diverse fields as wood and metal working, martial arts, mechanics and electronics (not to mention his skill at writing) and you have the foundation for some VERY good storytelling.

And "Dominions" IS good storytelling, as Mel and Al find themselves navigating dark alleys and dangerous battlefields in their own world and in alternate worlds they find through inter-dimensional Doors. In the course of their travels they encounter a variety of characters, and that includes a variety of gods ... but that's something Mel and Al are well-equipped to handle ... or are they?

And while their quest for a safe return to their own world continues throughout the book, there is also a growing quest for peace and justice, for a new standing in their relationship to one another, and for a good meal with a cold beer.

Whether you jump right into "Dominions" or start with Volume 1 ("Powers") of the "Bladesmith" series, I strongly recommend this read. My summer has been filled with more leisure time than I had wanted ... and I'm going to fill that time with more books from James Hetley/Burton.
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NOTE: I received a free e-copy of this work through LibraryThing in exchange for a review. ( )

This is book two of a series, and I've not read book one. Usually, there's enough of a recap that this is not a problem; in this case, however, it felt as if I was dropped into the middle of a car chase without knowing who was chasing whom and why.

In this story, the gods Albericht (Al) and Melissa el Hajj (Mel) are, for some reason I never fathomed, in a dystopian world inhabited by other gods. Al is a blacksmith god and forged a knife from Solomon's star that apparently draws gods to it and then kills them. A sheath created by a demon shields it (and also has healing properties). At the start of the book, Al and Mel are separated. Al finds a young girl whose family has been killed in war. Mel finds a blue goddess, who appears to be a stand-offish bitch. The knife is stolen. Gods are killed. Al and Mel unite. Mel tells Al she thinks she's pregnant with their divine love child. The kid is killed by a poisoned bullet, but brought back to life by the sheath. Then she too is a god, kills the blue bitch and gains her powers. In the meantime, Mel discovers Al is a violin virtuoso. The godling is born. The end.

There is virtually no plot, aside from a desire to be rid of the knife and to get back to their own world. This read more like the script of some role play game than an actual novel. A synopsis of the first book might have been helpful, I don't really know.

That synopsis ( )

I received this book from library thing early review in exchange for an honest review. Not having read the first book in this series, it took me a while to get into the story. I was a little confused at the beginning but the details from the first book didn't seem to matter too much fir this story. I didn't enjoy the first few chapters but once I got farther into it, it did get more interesting. Overall I didn't look be the book but I did like it. ( )

I got this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Overall, I really liked the book. The characters are likable and well-developed and the story keeps moving throughout the book. As all of the main characters are gods set in the modern world, it takes an interesting if jaded view on religion from the perspective of a "forgotten" god. All in all, a great book and recommended.

The present novel, "Dominions: the Bladesmith Book 2," by James Burton, was rather unique, and I found myself enjoying the story. Ordinarily, I would not delve into a fantasy book-- but in this case, I received a complimentary copy in exchange for a review, and in such instance, wished to provide an overview of my thoughts. The author wrote in a manner for more engaging that I have recently encountered. I oftentimes felt drawn into the world Burton created, where gods of all shapes and sizes exist, and where their powers are not uniformly distributed. I did not feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked, which definitely dampers the impact of the story. The world building efforts too were acceptable-- though not up to a level that I felt as though I truly knew the location I was reading about. I should note that I read this copy without first reading book one in the series-- a confounding variable that most likely has impacted my perceptions. Still, the book is one that I felt I could recommend. It may perhaps be best to start with book one, but do give Dominions a chance. ( )