God of Nothing is a work of fiction in the epic fantasy genre and serves as the first installment of the ALL series. It is aimed at mature readers and was penned by author Shane Scott. Set in a fantasy world in which God and the Devil conceived a child together, the book follows their daughter Aja Ashe as she returns from the dead, having been murdered by the God of Death. Now forced to leap without thinking into a new world of friends and enemies, Aja must make terrible choices to protect the world that she loves.

This book does a wonderful job of creating a compelling fantasy world in the form of the ALL, a veritable universe full of interesting planets and places. Populated with creatures both familiar to fans of fantasy literature and original beings that capture the imagination, the ALL makes for a wonderful backdrop to this coming-of-age story about a young woman discovering her power in a confusing and vast universe. Author Shane Scott’s prose is wonderful to read, using point-of-view storytelling to create both universe and character in one move. The scale of God of Nothing is excellent, and the universe of the ALL has clearly been painstakingly researched and devised by the author. Big questions are asked and answered throughout the story in what feels like a dance throughout time and space, addressing the philosophical quandaries that religions and great thinkers have been pondering for millennia. I would absolutely recommend this book to fans of mature fantasy literature.

Now and again, a brilliant fantasy epic sets the bar high where readers of the genre can sink their teeth into and marvel at the wonders of the characters and the new world they have entered. God of Nothing by Shane Scott is a prime example. Aja Ashe Jensen may look like your ordinary teenager, but unlike mortals who are created, she is the first one to be conceived as the product of God and the Devil’s union. Aja is unaware of her extraordinariness, but a winter trip to Maine with her foster father and her friends changes everything. Being the offspring of a celestial and an infernal entity is a burden of a secret and it weighs heavier when you are not aware of it. And at some point, something’s got to give. When Aja ventures into a storm and attracts the attention of lightning, a sinister force named Silver discovers her whereabouts. Aja’s parents have been hiding her to protect her from Silver’s malicious intent. What follows is an epic tale that will take you back and forth in time and introduce you to Aja’s powerful family.

God and the Devil having a child is an intriguing concept when you think that it is far cry from the biblical account of their adversarial nature. But such an idea is very welcoming because Scott is meticulous in his narrative as if he is on a quest to write the best thing in fantasy fiction. Aja is an utterly appealing character, and as the plot shifts into different timelines, you want to get to know more about Aja and her family. Each time period contains character revelations that add dimension to Aja and her lineage. It’s very easy to care for these characters, especially when Scott writes dialogues that are realistic and the storyline generously offers fascinating scenes. More importantly, the high-concept plot is not squandered as far as the exploration of love and hate is concerned. Read it and see for yourself. It’s a high-adrenaline genre treat. God of Nothing bodes well for Scott as a new author to watch.

Eva turned to Cassy. “Did you know God is a woman?”

“Everyone knows that. What’s wrong with you people from Earth?” [Cassy replied]

Welcome to “The All”. A unique universe created by the brilliant author, Shane Scott. Just like Terry Pratchett’s dazzlingly brilliant Discworld and Tolkien's marvellously magical Middle Earth, “The All” is literally a wondrously bejewelled creation filled with a range of diverse characters including mortals, aliens, devils, Titans, werewolves, vampires, and dragons to name but a few. Unlike Discworld’s Grim Reaper character; however, Silver, the God of Death in “The All”, is not a sympathisable individual and represents the main antagonist of the story.

Encapsulating an awesome, epic cross-genre mix of science fiction and fantasy, ‘God of Nothing’ quite aptly has a third person, ‘omnipresent’ point of view narrative chronicling the struggles of the ultimate family over four generations and countless millennia or ‘cycles’ as they’re referred to. What is a cycle? Well according to Miranda, God of Knowledge, in Earth years it is approximately ten to the power of eighty-five and based on the half-life of the very rare element Theddium!!! What is Theddium, well, ostensibly, amongst other things it can aid instantaneous communication across the universe by quantum entanglement of its atoms!!!

The book opens with an idyllic winter trip to near-present Maine by seventeen-year-old Aja Ashe Jensen, who as it happens and unbeknownst to her, is the daughter of God and the Devil sent forward in time to protect her from the unwanted attentions of Silver. Holidaying with her “foster” father and some friends, she feels something stirring in her heart and goes into a storm and summons lightning. Accidentally discovered by Silver, she is subsequently ‘murdered’ a little later when her snowmobile goes through ice. Does she survive or doesn’t she? The reader is inexorably drawn into the story as the author skilfully then moves the narrative forward in time a couple of hundred years and we are introduced to Aja’s grandson, Jaxx, on the planet Gella, then moved back millennia to Before the Beginning to learn about Aja’s parents, then back forward in time to learn more about Jaxx’s parents. I confess I was completely hooked!

What I found really helpful about Shane’s book was between chapters two and three, the provision of a timeline which showed all the major events and how all the main characters were related to each other. Also, like the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, I found Miranda’s (or M, GoK) voice very strong and humourous giving lots of insights into “The All” and probably a more-deeper meaning to “life the universe and everything” than Douglas Adams’s equally brilliant creation, the computer “Deep Thought”. I never knew for example that “nothing is incorrectly defined as the absence of everything” and “life is the only thing that self-orders from chaos”. These gems and many others like it make the book wonderfully endearing and will no doubt form the basis of many a literary or existential PhD thesis for many ‘cycles’ to come.

It was clear to me reading “God of Nothing”, years of love and intricate development had gone into the novel. I simply adored the unique fashions like the “Ebezz Ejekas”, the flawless “Tekosh Gravity Diamonds”, the means of interspecies communication, the sinister “Department of Transformed Humans” and best of all “The Upstairs Bar” where whilst the wages and tips are literally “to die for” staff can routinely expect to get blown up, stabbed, or shot to death at least a couple of times in a year!!! In summary, “God of Nothing” is an awesomely amazing artistic masterpiece of epic proportions on a par with Adams, Tolkien, and Pratchett’s finest works. Read it on the beaches, in cafes, coffee bars, caravans, cruise ships or curled up in front of the fire with your significant “Next” – just read it! You will be doing yourself a great disservice not to!

What a ride it has been reading Shane Scott’s book “God of Nothing”!
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I feel like I straddled a tsunami and rode the whole way to the shore and even further at lightning speed.
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I won’t try to retell the plot. First of all, I think readers should make that discovery themselves. But in this particular case, it wouldn’t even be possible. Simply listing dry facts and names wouldn’t be enough to do this book justice.
Shane Scott does an amazing job at first lulling a reader into seemingly one type of a story and then – wow… well, you have to read it to feel it!
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The author – just like one of the characters of the book, but I’ll tell nothing more :) – creates a universe, where the creatures from different mythologies become realistic and alive. I could see the vivid colours, feel the energy, wonder, and even the pain of every character, whom Shane Scott has turned into a real person.
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There are a few plot lines, a lot of characters and settings, but all of them the author masterfully weaves into an intricate canvas, where each thread takes its place. There are some controversial ideas in the book, and I absolutely loved the way the author handles them.
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If this book would ever be made into a movie – and I would definitely love to watch it – AC/DC’s legendary “Thunderstruck” would be a perfect soundtrack for it. The story felt like a scorching fire to which I wanted nothing else but to submit.
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I would recommend “God of Nothing” to all fantasy lovers, who appreciate the fast-pacing narrative, versatile characters, battles of the titans, and action. I’ll be waiting for the next meeting with Dragons, Titans, Bool, and all the vivid inhabitants of the ALL.

"God of Nothing: The All" by Shane Scott is a psychedelic, heterogeneous, absolutely wild ride through an awe-inspiring universe, both celestial and mortal. It is a fantastic book, that has me still absorbing all its incredible aspects, long after I have finished reading it.

What is the book about? Essentially, an otherworldy war, between deities, and those who follow them. In "God of Nothing: The All", the "All" is the cosmos is created by the altruistic, compassionate, wise female God, called Ashe. In the story, Ashe has also created, mated with, and is in love with the Devil, Satan / Memnoth. For the purposes of the book, this Satan is not to be confused with Lucifer, God of Evil, whom the reader will later discover is Satan's enemy.

So, Satan is not a malevolent villain in the story, but rather a just god, caring, doting father, who loves above all else the offspring of he and Ashe: Aja. But he has turned to hate, after something happens to Ashe.

"His heart withered and died, becoming a cold, dead, black thing. It no longer pumped blood through his veins. It pushed hate, rage, and vengeance through his body."

And make no mistake, Satan is all-powerful, capable of horrific violence, extreme despite, and stunning retribution. Yet he is not pure evil (Memnoth is actually credited initially as being the God of Love, prior to becoming the God of Hate) - that is Silver, God of Death.

Although she is a creation of God, Silver conspires to kill her creator, in order to have Memnoth for herself. This sets off a chain of events that leads to Silver, in her voracious lust for death and pain, to target Aja too. Yet woe betide Silver, and her minions, because Memnoth is not a foe to be trifled with. He will do anything to protect Aja, and his wrath is incomprehensible. One of my favourite passages from the book is when Satan curses Silver:

"...You are cursed by my hand, for all eternity, for each forever to come. Your sustenance now comes through pain, misery, and suffering you brought to others. Share those emotions with those you hurt. Find each drop more vile than the one before. You are forbidden love and compassion. If they touch you, they will burn in fire."

After his beloved Aja is born, Satan utters this chilling warning. "The Devil finished with a hateful promise, 'No one will ever hurt you. If they try, there will be Hell to pay.'"

Aja is the main character of the book, her point-of view forms the bulk of the narrative. However the novel is told from a multitude of perspectives and POV chapters. Those perspectives are of gods and demi-gods, and mortals, both good and evil.

The plot jumps back and forth, but never in a confusing or hard-to-keep-up-with manner, between the different POVs, different timelines, and different players in Scott's infinite domain. One thing the reader will quickly glean that drives the plot are the various heart-felt, passionate, and compelling love stories that permeate the novel: Ashe and Memnoth, Aja and Yennifer/John/Gia, Sel and Lilith, and many more. All the timelines are interlinked with the primary story of Aja, her journey of self discovery and love, her quest to comprehend and harness her own empyrean capabilities, and to better understand and appreciate who her parents really are, and what talents and traits she shares with them.

The book is filled with wit, even belly-laughing-type black humour, monumental fight scenes, tender, poignant and tear-jerking moments, terrible defeats, and dazzling triumphs. To say the characters are incredible is an understatement. While Memnoth was my favourite, there are so many to be fascinated with. Miranda, Beelzebub, and other Demons, Bol, Gods, Titans, humans all inhabit a universe that is fraught with hubris, danger, death, mercy, sacrifice, and heart, and ultimately proof that divine power will always win over lesser ones. The overall outlook of the book is one of hope, and that love will always overcome hate, and it is the parental love of Ashe and Memnoth for their daugther, and their romantic love for each other, that for me is the heart of the novel.

"God of Nothing: The All", has it all - page-turning plot, astounding characters, enthralling conflict, and magic / godly powers. Scott has successfully married Biblical / classical mythology, with modern-day legend, into a wonderful book of fantasy fiction.

I am very much looking forward to a sequel from Shane Scott to "God of Nothing: The All."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Packed full of complicated characters, new worlds, species, cultures and ideas you'll never have previously considered and with a massive timeline to follow, Shane Scott's 'God of nothing: the ALL' somehow manages to do it all in a compact but clear tale that is still beautifully written. The story is full of surprises and twists. If you want something truly out-of-this-world to read, I absolutely recommend this book.