Markus Heitz’s epic AERA: The Return of the Ancient Gods was originally serialised across ten novellas, first published in German and then translated into English by Emily Gunning and Charlie Homewood, and it’s now available in a single 800+ page omnibus courtesy of Jo Fletcher Books. A strangely compelling mix of Europe-centric urban fantasy, mystery and mythological adventure, it’s set in an alternative world in which the old gods returned to Earth in 2012, and subsequently set about reclaiming their worshippers and setting themselves up in positions of power (more than a few turning to business to take full advantage of the modern world). Into this mix steps Malleus Bourreau, Interpol agent and avowed atheist, who refuses to believe in the gods and is determined to find out who or what they really are. Given the circumstances, and the potential for god versus god rivalry, this leads to some interesting conflicts of opinion.
While each ‘book’ (apart from the scene-setting prologue) provides a cohesive story in its own right, the overarching narrative covers Bourreau’s ongoing, often highly dangerous investigation into the theft of several artefacts with supposed religious relevance, stolen from a dealer in black market relics. Working initially on his own and subsequently alongside an overly-keen assistant and several associates of dubious morality and authority, and trailed by a mysterious figure – part stalker, part guardian angel – Bourreau travels far afield seeking answers, fitting in private cases around his official Interpol work, and taking great pleasure in riling various gods and their followers. Along the way he pits his wits, weapons and debating skills against opponents and enemies both human and otherwise, to largely very entertaining effect. There are a few moments which feel a bit narratively convenient and easily wrapped up for the sake of momentum, but for the most part it’s pacy and good fun.
Bringing back the various regional pantheons – minus the ‘Big Three’ – and seeing what would happen to the world is a genuinely great concept, and the sceptical Bourreau is the ideal viewpoint through which to explore what the return of the gods might mean. In this case, among other things it leads to a pretty messed up world in which all manner of awful things can be justified (for lack of a better word) as the will of the gods – it’s not all bad, but there’s certainly food for thought, and Heitz doesn’t pull any punches. Bourreau himself is calm, self-assured and ruthless with a few careful, unusual habits (be prepared for a lot of culebra cigars to be smoked), secure in his authority but prone to a little over-confidence, and makes for a quietly engaging protagonist. Beneath his unruffled surface there are mysteries and traumas, some of which become clear over the course of the book, but this isn’t the sort of story that wraps everything up nice and neatly by the end.
The episodic nature of the linked novellas lends itself well to maintaining a page-turning pace across such a long story, with plenty of variety and lots of semi-contained adventures, but it really is long and things do get a little repetitive at times, with the middle sections in particular dragging just a touch. That’s when read as a single story though, so breaking it up a ‘book’ at a time might well help with that. There’s a degree of ambiguity – it concludes well, but leaves plenty of questions unanswered ready for a future addition to the series – that might not be for everyone, but all told this is an engaging story which takes an intriguing idea and explores it to good effect, posing some genuinely thoughtful questions about religion and what it can mean. Heitz’s European focus offers something a little different too, and for anyone who enjoys a good urban fantasy, with a fairly grounded protagonist exploring a well-realised and cleverly thought-out world though, there really is a lot to enjoy here.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Markus Heitz for sending me a review copy of Aera: The Return of the Ancient Gods in exchange for my honest opinions.
Aera: The Return of the Ancient Gods is out now in ebook and paperback. Check out the links below to order* your copy:
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