3.5
Godfall
ByPublisher Description
In this riveting contemporary thriller, Sheriff David Blunt is faced with a string of murders following the arrival of a mystery from out space—soon to be a television series from Ron Howard!
"A fully engrossing, genre-bending procedural that will have you staying up long past your bedtime." ―Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author
All David Blunt wanted was to be sheriff of his hometown, Little Springs, Nebraska, population 731. But his days of simply keeping the peace among the locals he’s known all his life are upended by a series of brutal, bizarre murders—all happening in the wake of an event truly out of this world.
One year ago, just outside the town, a being fell to Earth. Whatever it is, it’s three miles tall, seemingly dead, and definitely not human.
Dubbed “the giant,” the being’s arrival has transformed this quaint farm town from the middle of nowhere into the most important city on the planet. Yes, a city, complete with a top-secret government research site and a hundred thousand new residents: soldiers, scientists, bureaucrats, spies, criminals, conspiracy theorists—and now a murderer.
David never thought his job would involve breaking up chanting crowds of cultists or brokering peace with dueling government agencies, all against the backdrop of the otherworldly. And as he faces a murder spree that strikes closer and closer to home, David has to solve multiple mysteries—what fell from the sky, how it’s connected to the killings right in front of him, and who the killer is—before he loses his hometown forever.
"Godfall is a fresh and surprising genre mashup, bringing a laconic small town sheriff together with a crash-landed alien and a series of brutal killings, beautifully interweaving otherworldly images and naturalistic details of rural Nebraska life. Van Jensen is a terrific writer, and I was under the book's strange and extraordinary spell from start to finish." ―Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk
"Godfall is the genre-mashup novel of my dreams. With breathtaking imagery and razor-sharp prose, Jensen gives us a story that is part alien sci-fi, part mystery, with a doomsday cult, a serial killer, and a dash of sandhill cranes, all against the beautiful backdrop of rural Nebraska. I expect Godfall to rocket to the top of many best-of lists for the year." ―Erin Flanagan, Edgar-Award winning author of Deer Season and Blackout
"A fully engrossing, genre-bending procedural that will have you staying up long past your bedtime." ―Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author
All David Blunt wanted was to be sheriff of his hometown, Little Springs, Nebraska, population 731. But his days of simply keeping the peace among the locals he’s known all his life are upended by a series of brutal, bizarre murders—all happening in the wake of an event truly out of this world.
One year ago, just outside the town, a being fell to Earth. Whatever it is, it’s three miles tall, seemingly dead, and definitely not human.
Dubbed “the giant,” the being’s arrival has transformed this quaint farm town from the middle of nowhere into the most important city on the planet. Yes, a city, complete with a top-secret government research site and a hundred thousand new residents: soldiers, scientists, bureaucrats, spies, criminals, conspiracy theorists—and now a murderer.
David never thought his job would involve breaking up chanting crowds of cultists or brokering peace with dueling government agencies, all against the backdrop of the otherworldly. And as he faces a murder spree that strikes closer and closer to home, David has to solve multiple mysteries—what fell from the sky, how it’s connected to the killings right in front of him, and who the killer is—before he loses his hometown forever.
"Godfall is a fresh and surprising genre mashup, bringing a laconic small town sheriff together with a crash-landed alien and a series of brutal killings, beautifully interweaving otherworldly images and naturalistic details of rural Nebraska life. Van Jensen is a terrific writer, and I was under the book's strange and extraordinary spell from start to finish." ―Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk
"Godfall is the genre-mashup novel of my dreams. With breathtaking imagery and razor-sharp prose, Jensen gives us a story that is part alien sci-fi, part mystery, with a doomsday cult, a serial killer, and a dash of sandhill cranes, all against the beautiful backdrop of rural Nebraska. I expect Godfall to rocket to the top of many best-of lists for the year." ―Erin Flanagan, Edgar-Award winning author of Deer Season and Blackout
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesGodfall Reviews
3.5
“Maybe I just completely misinterpreted the book’s synopsis, but this wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I was intrigued by the premise - a giant alien lands in a field in Nebraska, changing the local town, its people, and their culture. I went in expecting a sci-fi/speculative story about a small town’s encounter with something otherworldly. Instead, I got a small-town cop drama centered on a serial killer.
Yes, the killer has ties to the alien and the reason behind the murders connects back to it, but beyond that the alien mostly sits in the background while the investigation takes over the story. It felt more like a standard crime procedural with a sci-fi prop than a true genre blend.
The writing itself is solid, but I never really connected to the characters, and the plot followed a familiar crime-drama rhythm. I kept wanting to learn more about the alien - where it came from, what it meant, how it changed the world - but it mostly just lies there while people scavenge its body and go about their lives.
A cool concept, but I found myself bored for long stretches and was pretty happy to reach the end.
I received this book as an ALC.”
“If I’m not mistaken I’ve read a review saying “everything yet nothing is happening at the same time” and I couldn’t help but agree.
This book really has such an interesting premise but I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters nor to enjoy the plot progress. It was simply not engaging at all and David indeed was also frustrating at times. I admit I had to skim through the last 40% of the book bc I was getting too bored.
Oh well, time to stop reading sci-fi thrillers I guess !”
About Van Jensen
Van Jensen is an acclaimed novelist, screenwriter, and comic book writer. Godfall, his debut novel, is in development as a TV series with Academy Award winner Ron Howard attached to direct. Jensen began his career as a newspaper crime reporter, then broke into comic books and graphic novels as the writer of ARCA (IDW), Two Dead (Gallery 13), and Tear Us Apart (Dark Horse). Jensen has written world-renowned characters, including Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Godzilla, and James Bond. He has served as a Comic Book Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, teaching refugee children to tell their stories through comics. He lives in Atlanta.
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