Book Review: Deus Ex by Miles Watson

Many men dream of becoming gods. Magnus Antonius Magnus achieved this dream, conquering half the globe and ruling it with an iron fist. Now, however, he is learning a painful lesson: gods, like men, can go too far. They can blunder. They can even fall. But does the story of Magnus end with the destruction of his empire…or is that where it begins?

GENRE: Political Fantasy (Novella)

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Miles Watson is one of the most successful independent writers of his generation. He holds undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and History and a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction, and served in law enforcement for nearly ten years before moving to Los Angeles, where he has worked on over 200 episodes of television and half a dozen feature films. But his first and last passion is writing. His various works have won the following:

• CAGE LIFE – Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Runner Up (2016): Zealot Script Magazine “Book of the Year” (2017); Best Indie Book Award – Mystery & Suspense (2018)
• KNUCKLE DOWN – Writer’s Digest S.P.B.A. Honorable Mention (2019); Best Indie Book Award – Suspense (2019)
• DEVILS YOU KNOW – Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing Finalist (2019)
• THE NUMBERS GAME – Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Novella – (2019)
• NOSFERATU – Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Novella – (2020)
• SINNER’S CROSS – Best Indie Book Award – Historical Fiction – (2019); Book Excellence Award – Action (2020); Literary Titan Book Award – Gold Medal (2020); Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards – Finalist (2020); Readers Favorite Five Stars (2021)

Review & Recommended Listening

Deus Ex is an adult political fantasy novella, but it's suitable for mature teens age 16+. There's graphic violence, homicide, suicide, and a whole deal about war and destruction.

First though, let's talk about the title. According to the Urban Dictionary, deus ex is short for deus ex machina (Latin phrase meaning “god from the machine”), which is the literary term for an event or person coming out of the blue and doing something miraculous or unprecedented. The term originates from theatre, in which an actor is lowered from the upper stage (or more often, rises from the lower stage probably for financial and technical reasons) by a device called... yes, deus ex machina. It was a technique used to present a character as being godlike or from the gods, and it particularly produced an immediate emotional response from Greek audiences, since they would have a feeling of wonder and astonishment at the appearance of the gods.

The deus ex machina device is often criticized as inartistic, too convenient, and overly simplistic (let's not talk about the time travel plot in Avengers: Endgame, cough), but this novella takes it almost literally, and I was pleasantly surprised by the irony of it all. It's fitting, though - Magnus believes himself a god, and has held himself up and lived most of his life like one. More importantly, though, his people believe it, especially the most loyal and closest to him.

I love how I got modern/futuristic Roman Empire vibes from this one, which is just the right blend for my tastes. The story packs a punch even with the limited word count, with great worldbuilding and superb character development. The latter's the best part, if I may say so; in just a few pages we're introduced to Magnus and a couple other very interesting individuals. I ended up loving Yaro after what, just how many paragraphs? But yes, Magnus. He held the story up like the god that he's supposed to be, and despite all that's happened and all that he's done, I was rooting for him until the very end.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, I’ll now be adding a song to my reviews! It’ll be one that either sums up the book for me, what I’d imagine in a trailer were it a movie, something that I associate with the story or one of the characters for whatever reason… or maybe even an original inspired by it 😉