Review by Ian Keogh

While Ho Che Anderson supplies a brief couple of paragraphs with necessary information opening the conclusion to Godhead, starting here means missing out on the considerable mystery, intrigue and weirdness of the set-up in Volume 1. Basically, you shouldn’t.

Anderson perpetuated the mystery of what the Oceanus Corporation was developing for most of the first volume, although the back cover blurb too casually revealed that they’ve developed a means of communicating with god. Anderson begins this volume with a team under orders from the Vatican planning an assault on Oceanus, but before it can go ahead there’s the matter of picking up a couple of packages in other places.

Even more so than the opening volume we’re in action thriller territory, with assorted groups with different aims making life tricky for each other. Anderson delivers this in stylised precision, black bands rather than white separating the panels, and kinetic action sequences. He doesn’t apply the greytones himself this time, but makes exceptionally solid use of some colour to emphasise moments.

As the armed squad are on their mission Anderson drops one hell of a shock amid the confusion. He’s straddling a very fine line, as given the types of personality involved in armed missions his plot choices could be farcical if not delicately handled, such as the conversations between two people reunited after a long absence. However there’s also a feeling that he’s now following the wrong plot. Readers will have experienced the tension of assorted action thrillers in numerous ways, but the set-up of the first book hinted at more than mention in passing of what constitutes humanity, and sidelining it in favour of action isn’t fulfilling in one respect. Treat this as an action thriller, though, and it transcends the formula with intense, ramped-up action and twisting, shifting priorities eventually delivering a pay-off.

Godhead 2 does continue naturally from the first, but also isn’t what you might have expected. Accept it on those terms, and Anderson delivers again. As before, he also supplies an interesting and wider-ranging essay at the back considering Godhead and its creation.