*Full story spoilers ahead*
A note before starting the summary
The God Eater series by Rob J. Hayes is an enthralling fantasy trilogy of trilogies, and Deathless serves as an essential part of this universe. This Annals of the God Eater – Deathless summary delves deep into the early events of the story and its characters.
Before diving into the plot of Deathless, note that the God Eater series consists of three trilogies—Herald (present-day) is the first book of the Age of the God Eater trilogy; Deathless (1,000 years in the past) is the first book of the Annals of the God Eater trilogy, and Demon (3,000 years in the past) the first book in the Archive of the God Eater trilogy. Although you can read the trilogies in any order, I chose to begin with Demon in order to avoid being “spoiled” by Herald and Deathless.
The Decline of King Ertide
Annals of the God Eater – Deathless begins with King Ertide Hostain in the twilight of his life. His body grows frail, and an unseen, icy force periodically grips his heart. Despite this, Ertide remains a cunning strategist. Tensions rise as Mathanial, the Rider, demands Ertide build more ships to lead the age of exploration. But Ertide refuses, explaining that people won’t work without compensation, and ships can’t be built overnight. This marks the beginning of showing the reader of Ertide’s growing distrust of the angels, particularly Mathanial. The relationship between Ertide and the angels, once a partnership forged in war, now crumbles as the king begins questioning their power and motives.
Ertide’s private life reveals his deep connections to his family. He frequently plays a mind-chess-like game with his grandson, Arandon, and engages in discussions about the fate of the empire. But even as he spends time with his loved ones, Ertide is haunted by an awareness of his mortality. It’s during this time that he re-encounters Moon, an enigmatic angel with whom Ertide shares an unusual closeness. Moon has been absent for years, and his return heralds a critical turning point in the story.
The Revelation: Ertide’s Path to Immortality
One morning, after an attempt to create another heir with his wife, Ertide wakes to find Moon lying beside him. The angel shares vital, forbidden knowledge: God is not omnipresent or omnipotent. He can only watch the world through the eyes of one angel at a time, though God would never look through Moon’s eyes as he is a seer. Moon further reveals that angels’ blood grants immortality and flesh can grant humans incredible strength. This revelation triggers a seismic shift in Ertide’s worldview, leading him to begin plotting a rebellion against the angels in order to overthrow God’s rule and to live forever.
Ertide’s son, Rikkan, enters the story through a dramatic sparring match. While facing an angel in combat, Rikkan scores the first hit on the angel he is dueling, and while the angel shows he could’ve cleaved Rikkan in two, this shows angels are not perfect beings that cannot be touched. This demonstration bolsters Ertide’s resolve, and with Moon’s guidance, they begin scheming to overthrow Heaven. Moon departs to gather intelligence on how to kill an angel, leaving Ertide with the message to bide his time and avoid detection by the angels.
The Seer’s Return: War Against Heaven
Moon’s absence gives Ertide time to ponder his next moves. A critical moment arrives when Ertide and his grandson, Arandon, visit the library to get information on the true history of how the angels came to be. The king, seeking a heretical text that only angels should access, encounters Mathanial, leading to a tense confrontation. The encounter ends with Ertide suffering a heart attack, a stark reminder of his mortality.
Ertide awakens to an angel aiming to heal him, and Ertide questions what is wrong with him. The angel shares the unfortunate news that Ertide is simply getting old. He asks where Arandon is since he was in the library with Ertide, and the angel tells him he went to negotiate with the Ice People despite Ertide’s commands not to. Ertide’s distrust of the angels deepens when Mathanial insists that he abdicate in favor of an heir, though Ertide refuses. The king buys time by promising to name his successor at the upcoming Spring Festival. As the festival nears, Ertide’s health deteriorates. Arandon returns, and they play another round of mind-chess, who makes a bargain with Ertide. Ertide lets Arandon in on his plan, and Arandon will reveal what he learned about the real history of the world. Arandon then reveals that the lore-keepers in the Ice Village do not mention demons anywhere in their text. It turns out that humankind are the demons mentioned in their histories, subjugated by God.
At the Spring Festival, Ertide’s entire family from around the world come to celebrate and hear news of his new heir. Ertide shocks everyone by naming Arandon his heir, despite Caran, Ertide’s brash and politically savvy son, expecting to take the throne. Caran’s outburst and the angels’ surprise are only momentary as Arandon delivers a clever acceptance speech despite no one being aware of anyone but Caran being considered for an heir.
The Battle Begins: Ertide’s Immortal Rebellion
Shortly after the festival, Moon returns, and the real planning begins. Moon explains that angels are immortal due to a protective shield, which can only be broken if an angel kills enough humans. The first-age angel’s shield is much stronger than the fourth-age angel’s shield. This sets the stage for Ertide’s rebellion. A bold plan is devised with Moon and his closest family members: lure Oronesus, the librarian angel, into the palace courtyard under false pretenses and break her shield through human sacrifice.
*Side Note: There’s a prophecy from Moon on page 131 that could potentially become important in later books of the series.
**Side Note: The meeting has a lot of names I didn’t memorize on page 141ish in the paperback version of the book in case you need to look back on it.
Ertide orders Rikkan’s guard to attack Oronesus, knowing full well they will die. As predicted, Oronesus slaughters the first wave of soldiers but is overwhelmed by a second volley, and her shield shatters. Desperate, Oronesus summons her sigil, turning the soldiers near her into statues made of book pages. She tries to fly away, but Rikkan throws his spear through her chest, making her fall. He grabs her sword and finishes her off.
In a gruesome ritual, Ertide drinks Oronesus’ blood, followed by his family and guards, consuming her flesh to gain power and immortality. Ertide carves out her heart and gives it to Arandon, sealing his role as heir and transferring Oronesus’ power over books and pages to him.
The Final Plot Twist: The War for Heaven Begins
With Oronesus dead, Ertide orders the construction of a new structure over the courtyard, where the angel’s sigil burned the ground. Moon creates a special alcohol to preserve the angel’s blood for future use. Meanwhile, Ertide’s grandson, Emrik, returns from a meeting with God. Moon warns Ertide not to trust Emrik, as the young man claims that God has anointed him for greatness in a new kingdom, God giving him his true name as a sign of trust. Ertide tries to get the name, but Emrik won’t tell him, hinting at his future betrayal. Ertide realizes that Moon is right and that Ertide cannot trust his grandson.
The book ends on a tense note, with the war against Heaven only just beginning. The power of the angels is revealed to be not as insurmountable as once believed, but the cost of rebellion is steep. Ertide and his family now face the monumental task of bringing down God’s order while contending with betrayal from within their own ranks.
Character Index
Ertide Hostain: The aging king of the Sant Dien empire, protagonist of the story. His growing distrust of the angels leads him down the path of rebellion and immortality.
Arandon: Ertide’s clever grandson and heir. He learns the hidden truths about humanity’s origins and quickly adapts to his new role as the chosen successor.
Moon: A mysterious angel who reveals the key to immortality and the truth about God’s limited powers. He becomes Ertide’s ally in the plot to overthrow Heaven.
Mathanial, the Rider: The impatient antagonist, an angel who pressures Ertide to accelerate the empire’s shipbuilding and eventually abdicate in favor of a puppet ruler.
Caran: Ertide’s brash and politically adept son, initially expected to be the heir but passed over in favor of Arandon.
Rikkan: Ertide’s eldest son, a skilled warrior who proves that angels can be defeated in combat.
Oronesus: The librarian angel who becomes the first casualty in Ertide’s rebellion. Her death allows the humans to gain power and sets the stage for the war against Heaven.
Emrik: Ertide’s grandson who returns from meeting God, hinting at future betrayals.
