The Whisper that Replaced God Part II: Silent Almighty by Timothy Wolff

Blurb:

Ruling as king does not suit a man like Mute. The boredom. The monotony. The permanent stagnation...

Until he arrived. The one with the Gift of Silence. The one wielding a dagger. The one who would mold Balewind into a temple to the Silent Almighty. Lord Deaf intends to be the scream that replaced a whisper, offering one final message to the realm before it never hears again:

Bestow upon me your pain, your illness, your sorrow. Silence will absolve them all.

Review:

The release of this sequel pretty much made it clear that I had to read both The Whisper That Replaced God novellas before the year’s end. I just didn’t expect to pick this up the very next day after finishing the last one. That should tell you how much I enjoyed being in Lord Mute’s twisted mind. 

But is the sequel better or worse? 

SPOILERS AHEAD!

What I liked:

Years have passed since the ending of the first part, and King Mute has become quite complacent. As you’d expect of this narcissistic misanthrope, who very clearly doesn’t deserve the crown. Or even the Silent Almighty’s powers, for that matter. So, how does Wolff justify the need for a sequel? By introducing a ‘new prophet’ of the Silent Almighty. 

Lord Mute faces off with an adversary who’s basically a better, more deserving version of him. Also, he comes from a humble background as opposed to Mute’s royal lineage, giving him more brownie points. Lord Deaf has been directly responsible for the increasing cult following of Lepock, something that used to be Mute’s divine responsibility, but that narcissist has been slacking off. What follows is a tension-filled chess match, a strangely compelling face-off between two clearly disturbed people fighting over who gets to lead their silent god cult. 

For a change, Mute actually seems to care this time around. After the events of the first novella, he seems to have become a marginally better man. He even tries to retain his position as sole prophet, leading to much of this story’s conflict. And the things that came up because of it were just… interesting. 

I even loved the way this book ended. I won’t spoil it for you, but it was the perfect ending to this duology, if you ask me. 

What I didn’t like:

Like Part 1, Part 2 also has some issues. I’ll admit that I found both the plot as well as the secondary characters in Part 2 much more interesting and compelling. The plot in particular—despite being straightforward—was quite the thriller. It wasn’t just Mute’s voice that kept me hooked, but also the struggle between him and Deaf that kept things lively and tense. Even the characters of the General and Deaf’s mother seemed to have more personality than any of the secondary characters from Part 1. 

All that being said, the plot and secondary characters still aren’t a significant improvement. Mute’s unique voice and personality continue to dominate the novella’s good, making everything else pale in comparison. Deaf came close to being a complex character, but not enough.

Also, small complaint, but like many sequels, I felt like the meta-jokes with Pleasant Reads and Rainforest were a tad overdone. 

However, like in Part 1, I absolutely loved Part 2 to the point that I actually did finish this one in a single sitting. I knew I would want to and made sure I had enough time on my hands before diving in. And it was well worth it. 

Spoiler Alert: Mute is going to make an appearance in a new series, and I really can’t wait to find out what Wolff has planned for this character. 

Conclusion:

Twisted in a good way, Lord Mute’s story ends in a fittingly absurd fashion in this second part. A novella that you can’t help but read in a single sitting. 

TL;DR:

WHAT I LIKED: Wolff’s writing style, unreliable narrator, Lord Mute, magic system, Lord Deaf

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Despite being improvements, the plot and secondary characters remain overshadowed by Mute’s voice and personality