Book review: The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish

Longtime fantasy author David Dalglish is kicking off 2023 with The Sapphire Altar, book two of his Vagrant Gods series. Combining all the elements that worked from the first book with far higher stakes and more deific magic, The Sapphire Altar is a satisfying sequel that vastly expands the world, mythology, and characters from The Bladed Faith.

Read on for our spoiler-free review of The Sapphire Altar.

Book review: The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish (Vagrant Gods #2)

One of the big questions I always ask with sequels is: “did it live up to the first installment or expand on it in an interesting way?” With The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish, the answer to that question is a resounding “yes.”

Picking up right where The Bladed Faith left off, The Sapphire Altar follows the further efforts of deposed prince Cyrus Lythan and his band of allies as they try to free the island of Thanet from the clutches of the conquering Everlorn Empire. As with the first book, this is an ensemble tale; Cyrus is a fascinating character and has a great arc, but he’s only the first among equals in this cast. The Bladed Faith reminded me a lot of a Final Fantasy game in how it explored its found family dynamics among Cyrus’ group of comrades. The Sapphire Altar continues to do this while making each character feel even more integral to the story. It’s honestly hard to pick favorites, but a special nod needs to be given to newcomer Eshiel Dymling, a priest of the butterfly goddess Lycaena who pushes the series in some interesting new directions.

The Sapphire Altar also expands drastically on the mythology laid out in the first novel. The Bladed Faith introduced a fascinating world ruled over by various gods and goddesses, and The Sapphire Altar  further explores the natures of these divine intrigues. The secrets and natures of divine beings are key to the arcs of several characters. What we learn totally upends some important aspects of Thanet’s history established in the first book.

The stakes feel raised. Cyrus grows farther and farther away from the boy we met in The Bladed Faith; he grapples with divinity as well as the complicated secrets of his family legacy. The end of the first book contained a handful of jaw-dropping twists that totally changed the nature of the story, and The Sapphire Altar spends a lot of time exploring their ramifications while introducing some fantastic twists of its own.

We’re staying away from spoilers here, but it suffices to say that The Sapphire Altar is a very worthy follow-up in this regard, keeping things interesting right down to the last page. It’s rare that I want to immediately re-read an entire series upon finishing a book, but it happened here, because the twists totally reframed the rest of the story.

The expanded scope does have one downside, which is that the book spends a less time on quieter character beats than The Bladed Faith. There are still plenty, and they’re highlights, but so much happens in The Sapphire Altar that at times it felt hard to digest; the book moves very quickly, especially in its middle section. I found myself wishing it was slightly longer to give those moments more time to breathe.

Dalglish’s writing is conversational, accessible and earnest. While the book’s many action scenes are all a blast to read, there’s something special that comes out during the heartfelt moments. I enjoyed all of the battles, but one of my absolute favorite chapters in the novel is just a simple conversation about faith between a priest and a paladin. It’s a testament to Dalglish’s character work that these moments stand out even amidst the literal clash of gods and goddesses.

Verdict

The Sapphire Altar is an excellent sequel that broadens the scope of the story. The conflicts are bigger, the characters much deeper, and the worldbuilding thought-provokingly complex. But the twists absolutely make the book. This is a series I will definitely be re-reading before the third book comes out to catch all those little extra details. A satisfying read to kick off 2023!

Book grade: A-

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