Why You Need to Read: “The Discord of Gods”

A Chorus of Dragons, #5: The Discord of Gods

By: Jenn Lyons

Published: April 26, 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Thank you Tor for sending me an eARC of this book.

NOTE: There are a few spoilers from the previous books in the series.

            Kihrin—once called Vol Karoth, and before that, S’arric—will break free from his prison. Janel and Tereath will return to the Manol to reclaim a throne. Thurvishar and Senera will try to recover Urthaenriel. Empress Tyentso will struggle to save an empire that’s always hated her. Relos Var will begin his final plans to control the dragons, enslave Vol Karoth, heal the dimensional breach, and make himself a god. And Xaltorath will attempt to steal enough energy to unravel the universe, (Precis). 

            The end of any narrative series is not without anxiety and expectations. The anxiety is two-fold because the audience is split into wanting to know how the series will end, and wanting the ending to be “good.” The expectations for the series’ conclusion is based on what the audience thought of the previous entries in the series, which contributes to the anxiety. In this case, both the anxiety and the expectations are directed at ALL of the characters in A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons, particularly in the final book in the series, The Discord of Gods. The expectations are for how the series will end, and the anxiety will be for the Dramatis Personae and what will happen to all of them. Nevertheless, the author delivers a complex, yet action-filled, conclusion to her series. 

            All of the protagonists: Kihrin D’Mon, Janel Theranon, Thurvishar D’Lorus and Tereath, and most of the other main characters: Senera, Talon, Qown, Talea, Xivan, Galen and Sheloran D’Mon, Jarith and Kalindra Milligreest, and Emperor Tyentso, are ready to face off against the antagonists: Vol Karoth, Relos Var, and Xaltorath, to stop the war in the Quuros Empire and to rid their world of the demons. The protagonists and the main characters have come up with several plans in order to accomplish all of their goals (re-read The House of Always). However, while they all know part of their plan involves staying a few steps ahead of the hostile forces, all of the antagonists have been working on their plans for millennia; and, they’re not about to lose to the reincarnations of their foes. ALL of the characters have spent their lives preparing for the final showdown. All of the parties know what they must do in order to win and to achieve their goals. The questions are not only about who will succeed and why, but also what the characters are willing to do in order to win. All of the characters continue to develop as the final steps to war take place. 

            There are 3 plots in this story, and they involve 3 conflicts. The first plot focuses on Vol Karoth about to break free from his prison in order to challenge the Eight Immortals, which will cause him to devour the sun and to destroy the world (according to the prophecies). Kihrin does everything he can in order to keep Vol Karoth’s destructive powers under control. The second plot involves Xaltorath and her plan to “steal” enough energy to “unravel” the universe. She has proven to everyone else she is NOT someone to be underestimated, and her foes know she has done this before, which makes her even more dangerous. The third plot delves into Relos Var’s final steps towards achieving his goals. He hopes both Xaltorath and Vol Karoth fight each other to the point where they will weaken one another. This will give Relos Var enough time to finalize his plans, kill Xaltorath, enslave Vol Karoth, control the remaining dragons, and turn himself into a god. There are 2 subplots, which are essential to the plots to the point where both are close to being plots. The first subplot is the war that is about to begin outside of the border of the Quuros Empire. Empress Tyentso gathers and prepares her army for battle. However, something seems off. Her troops are too eager to fight and are following ALL of her orders without question. In addition, the opposing army is forcing a siege instead of a battle. What is going on? The second subplot surrounds the Devoran Prophecies. Some of them have been fulfilled, but several of the characters—including a few of the antagonists—do not believe they are nothing more than “embellished” histories. Yet, could there be clues as to what the characters can expect to happen according to those “prophecies”? All of these plots and subplots are necessary for the narrative to reach its conclusion, and lets the audience know what the cast of characters will be facing during the final showdown. 

            The narrative in this book is presented in the past tense in 3^rd person limited points-of-view from ALL of the characters. Expect chapters from Kihrin, Tyentso, Qown, etc., as they provide their account of events throughout ALL of the conflicts throughout the Quuros Empire. It should be mentioned this narrative is presented in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER! There are no flashbacks, or ANY time jumps in this book! Everything is told by the Dramatis Personae—with side notes (a.k.a. footnotes) from 2 of our favorite snarky characters! Not to mention, each part breaks down the course of action. Part I focuses on the final preparations before the battles begin. Part II presents the outbreak and the fighting of the war across all fronts. Part III is the immediate aftermath of the end-of-the-war. All of these chapters are from the streams-of-consciousness of all of the characters. This narrative structure can be followed easily by the audience. 

            The style Jenn Lyons uses for The Discord of Gods continues with the chronicler. All of the characters have written their accounts of the events, and they have been arranged in chronological order for presentation. Another thing the author does is present the buildup of the events before the final battle. The Dramatis Personae have spent too much time planning out everything they need to do in order to win. So, it makes sense for the narrative to start with the final preparations before going into the final battle(s). This is the reality within the fiction. The mood of this novel is ominous. The Quuros Empire is about to experience war from a mortal army, while 3 immortals fight amongst themselves for domination with dragons to aide them, and a handful of “heroes” to thwart them. The tone in this novel is conviction. All of the characters believe they are “doing the right thing.” In fact, many of these characters are willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice so that their plans and their desires are fulfilled. Please know because all of the characters, the settings, the events, etc., from the previous books are mentioned in this one, it is recommended you refer to the maps, the glossary, and the appendices (and the previous books in this series) whenever you need to (and you will). 

            The appeal for The Discord of Gods is expected to be positive. I received an eARC of this book and fans of this series are going to appreciate the way everything ends. Yes, you’ll need to recall EVERYTHING that happened in the previous books because even a brief mention from The Ruin of Kings does reappear in this book. I should mention I did NOT listen to the audiobook edition of this book because I couldn’t wait to learn how this series would end. That being said, audiobook listeners should know Feodor Chin, Lauren Fortgang, and Vikas Adam are back as narrators for this finale. If they’re as good as they were when they narrated the previous books in this series, then listeners have nothing to worry about. So far, those who have read this book have given it 4- and 5-star ratings on Goodreads. My description of this book is that it’s part Marvel’s Cinematic Universe’s Infinity War Saga, part A Song of Ice and Fire, and part The Legend of Zelda all rolled into one entertaining reading experience! 

            The Discord of Gods is an amazing (and complex) conclusion to A Chorus of Dragons. Jenn Lyons wrote a narrative that connected ALL of the pieces mentioned throughout the series and made sure they all connected in the end. This series is an excellent addition to the fantasy canon! I can’t wait to read the author’s next project. 

My Rating: MUST READ IT NOW (5 out of 5)!!!