Godly Heathens: A Novel

H.E. Edgmon

Nov 2023 · The Ouroboros Book 1 · Macmillan Young Listeners · Narrated by Avi Roque

About this audiobook

"Avi Roque is the perfect narrator for this queer YA fantasy...The novel hits all the expected beats of YA fantasy, and Roque infuses it with even more life and drama." —AudioFile

Godly Heathens is the first book in H.E. Edgmon's YA contemporary fantasy duology The Ouroboros, in which a teen, Gem, finds out they’re a reincarnated god from another world.

Maybe I have always just been bad at being human because I’m not one.

Gem Echols is a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia. Known for being their peers’ queer awakening, Gem leans hard on charm to disguise the anxious mess they are beneath. The only person privy to their authentic self is another trans kid, Enzo, who’s a thousand long, painful miles away in Brooklyn.

But even Enzo doesn’t know about Gem’s dreams, haunting visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real. So how the hell does Willa Mae Hardy? The strange new girl in town acts like she and Gem are old companions, and seems to know things about them they’ve never told anyone else.

When Gem is attacked by a stranger claiming to be the Goddess of Death, Willa Mae saves their life and finally offers some answers. She and Gem are reincarnated gods who’ve known and loved each other across lifetimes. But Gem – or at least who Gem used to be - hasn’t always been the most benevolent deity. They’ve made a lot of enemies in the pantheon—enemies who, like the Goddess of Death, will keep coming.

It’s a good thing they’ve still got Enzo. But as worlds collide and the past catches up with the present, Gem will discover that everyone has something to hide.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

Ratings and reviews

This is a very dark, fast-paced, contemporary, queer romantic fantasy set in small town Georgia, with flashbacks to past lives in other places. The main characters are transgender BIPOC teens who discover that they're reincarnated gods from another realm. I enjoyed seeing how their magical powers manifested and changed. The book is surprisingly dark and violent right from the start, includes discussion of casual sex and substance use, and depicts serious mental illness, so proceed with caution.

About the author

H.E. Edgmon is an author of queer speculative fiction across genres. Once a stray dog in the rural south, he now makes his home in the Pacific Northwest with a family of his own design. Haunted and hopeful, his work aims to offer levity without flinching from hard truths. In his writing and his daily life, H.E. will always prioritize the pursuit of an Indigenous future, the safety of our most vulnerable, and making a terrible joke whenever possible.