Godspeaker

Empress of Mijak

Empress of Mijak first edition cover.
Author	Karen Miller
Language	English
Series	Godspeaker
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	HarperCollins
Publication date	1 June 2007
Publication place	Australia
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	576 (first edition)
ISBN	0-7322-8451-1
OCLC	174101036
Followed by	The Riven Kingdom

The Riven Kingdom

The Riven Kingdom first edition cover.
Author	Karen Miller
Language	English
Series	Godspeaker
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	HarperCollins
Publication date	2007-12-01
Publication place	Australia
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	592 pp (first edition)
ISBN	0-7322-8452-X
OCLC	190843984
Preceded by	Empress of Mijak
Followed by	Hammer of God

Godspeaker is an adult trilogy of fantasy novels written by Karen Miller set in a fantasy world full of political intrigue, magic, and ancient prophecies.^[1]

The novel follows the journey of a young slave girl named Hekat as she rises to become one of the most powerful and feared leaders in the land.

Born into a life of hardship and suffering, Hekat is sold into slavery as a child and forced into mining work. When she discovers that she possesses a rare and mysterious power that sets her apart from those around her, she begins to plot her escape from slavery.

As the book progresses, Hekat's power and influence start to grow, and she becomes increasingly ruthless and single-minded in her pursuit of dominance. Her actions ripple throughout the world, then she quickly gains both loyal followers and bitter enemies. While Hekat's destiny unfolds, the world she inhabits is forever changed by her presence.

Empress of Mijak (known as Empress in North America and the United Kingdom) is the first novel in this Godspeaker series.^[2]

The first novel introduces Hekat, the protagonist, a girl, born as unwanted burden to her family. Her father beats his wife and threatens to rape Hekat on the insistence that she should birth him more sons to plough the fields in the dry desert wasteland known as the savage north.

Hekat is sold to the slave traders Abajai and Yagji. Once sold, she begins her journey to the south, through a changing scenery to Mijak, to reach the traders' home city of Et-Raklion. Along the way, Abajai teaches her how to speak courteous Mijaki, how to dress, and how to sing and dance, and keeps her away from the rest of the slaves. Hekat realizes too late that Abajai still sees her as just a slave who would fetch a good price from the warlord Raklion.

Heartbroken, Hekat vows to be a slave to no man. She escapes and joins Et-Raklion Warlord's warhost with the help of the nameless god. Hekat's zealous devotion to the god fuels her every decision, placing her on a path no woman has before tread, chosen by the god.

Empress of Mijtak received mixed reviews that pointed out both its strengths and its challenges for readers. Reviewers noted how different it is in tone from Miller’s previous “Kingbreaker” duology, and praised the book’s dark picture of Mijak as a brutal, blood filled violent society, and the way it shows religion shaping people’s everyday lives. Many critics described Hekat’s character as a hard to like main character since her journey starts from an abused likable slave, to a power lust ruthless leader as uncomfortable to follow. At the same time, some reviewers felt that the graphic violence, frequent swearing, as well as sexual content with sexual violation scenes, may be triggering for some. According to critics the writing style of the book contains a lot of repetitive ritual scenes, repetitive phrasing, and a lack of a clear hero made the long book tiring, and hard to “read it all at once” even though they still recommended Empress to readers who enjoy dark and detailed epic fantasy.^[3][4]

The Riven Kingdom is the second novel in this Godspeaker series.

For hundreds of years, the small island kingdom of Ethrea sat in the middle of a precariously balanced treaty agreement that ensured peace. With the king on his deathbed, and no male heirs, Princess Rhian must find a way to keep the kingdom out of the hands of the evil Prolate Marlan, and prevent a war.

Hammer of God is the third novel in this Godspeaker series, it concludes the trilogy.

The story follows Empress Hekat of Mijak, who hears the voice of the god and believes the god commands her to conquer the known world. In Ethrea, Queen Rhian is finally on the throne, she must convince her counterparts of surrounding nations that Mijak is a very real threat. The third novel describes the final epic battle between Mijak and Ethrea, and Hekat attempts to trust Zandakar, the exiled son of Mijak's Empress.

Hammer of God received mixed reviews, with critics praising the epic conclusion  and at the same time criticising its length and rhythm. Reviewers noted that the novel successfully expresses the ongoing conflict between Mijak and Ethrea, highlighting how prophecies, faith, and family tensions shape the final confrontation between Zandakar, his relatives, and Queen Rhian. At the same time, noting the book feels longer than necessary, with relationship conflicts and political negotiations in the same cycle with repetitive, both prose and style patterns from earlier in the trilogy, which made the story seem to circle around the same issues before reaching the final battle. Review also referred to the fact that characters feature similar types of anger and arguments. Despite these remarks, reviewers described the ending itself as one that provides a logical conclusion that “makes sense” and provides a good close to the Godspeaker trilogy.^[5]