Hall of Smoke

Written by H. M. Long

Narrated by Samara Naeymi

Hessa is an Eangi: a battle-hardened priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy’s bones to dust with a scream. Banished for disobeying
her goddess’s command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness—but while she is gone, raiders burn her town to the ground.

Grieving and alone, Hessa—the last Eangi—must find the traveller and atone for her weakness. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear
through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path, Hessa strives to win back her goddess’s favour.

Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey
reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa’s trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer.

Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death.
Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they’re about to wake up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781980080954

H. M. Long

H. M. Long is a Canadian fantasy writer, author of HALL OF SMOKE and TEMPLE OF NO GOD, who loves history, hiking, and exploring the world. She lives in Ontario, but can often be spotted snooping about European museums or wandering the Alps with her German husband.

Reviews for Hall of Smoke

[carl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the characters, the magic system and the twists in this book. Beautifully written and easy to read. I will definitely be continuing.

[sunyidean · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Impressive and atmospheric debut that gives a really cool sideways slant on "relationships with gods" in a way that you normally only see in contemporary settings.

[allison_krajewski-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From the first page, it was clear that this was a high-stakes book.In Hall of Smoke, we follow Hessa, an Eangi warrior priestess of Eang (Goddess of War), who returns from the mountain - after asking her goddess forgiveness - to find that her village and all of the people in it (including the other Eangi) are slaughtered. Hessa must journey to find the traveler who she failed to kill in order to win back the favor of her goddess. On her journey, she discovers a war brewing between the Old Gods and the New Gods, and she is thrust into the middle.Hessa was a likable character. Tough and strong, if a little unsure of herself - which makes sense, as she spent her whole life as part of a group and now found herself alone. For a book that mostly follows an isolated Hessa, there were a lot of interesting side characters, both human and god alike. Ogam was a favorite, as he reminded me a bit of Morozko (which makes sense, as Ogam was the son of Eang and the God of Winter).The plot was interesting and well-written. The last 10-15% or so of the book really flew by as everything came to a climax, and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. I really liked that the author tied everything up at the end (which makes sense, as it's a standalone), and I'm excited for the next book in this world: Temple of No God!! Hopefully the cover is as shiny as this one!Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

[sandra_gibbons-15538 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this. I feel like the options for finding an adult fantasy novel written by a woman is a bit harder to come by in a genre so traditionally dominated by men, but Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long is a FANTASTIC debut read—one worth a reread or few. If you want to learn more, I did a non-spoilery video review on my channel to add some color, but in short, this was a wild, fun ride, and I very much enjoyed the author's style of writing.If you dig Viking influence and stories that feature strong women at their helm, give this one a shot. It’s similar to Sky in the Deep (which I found lacking), only way more grown-up. Better writing, more immersive world-building and lore, captivating storytelling and plot, and an epic cast of characters, which includes monsteresque creatures, zealot priests and legionaries, and brutal, brutal gods.The lore, the stakes, the fight scenes, battles—they were all superb in Hall of Smoke. I got major Skyrim vibes reading this book (the shouts, the setting, the weapons). I’ve put an embarrassing number of hours into that game LOL.Though it took roughly a quarter to one-third of the way into the book for it to really get going for me, once I passed that 25–33% mark, it had my undivided attention. If you’re looking for a romance sub-plot, you won’t find it here. HoS is not that kind of story. This is about one woman’s struggle as she examines her beliefs and, ultimately, avenges all she’s lost.H.M. Long is an author I’ll have my eye on for her forthcoming work. Can’t wait for more books set in this world. Very respectable debut!