A Darkness Forged in Fire (Iron Elves, #1)

May 10, 2008 Abigail rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2008, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It amazes me how many different ways people can write about elves. Everyone has their own opinion to what elves are like, but one thing that remains constant is the tie of elves to nature. And "A Darkness Forged in Fire" is no different.

The thing that really stood out to me was the fact that some elves use muskets, and the main character, Konowa actually hates the forest. It really helped make the Iron Elves or the "fallen ones" stand out among other elves I have read.

The book had a strong ope...more

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Feb 03, 2009 Cynth rated it 2 of 5 stars

There are so many things wrong with this book that frankly I'm surprised I was able to finish it. I'll tell you from now, there was a lot of eye rolling on my part.

1. Some fantasy authors do a great job introducing the readers to a different world filled with magic and mythical beings. Evans does a poor job. His fantastical world is barely believable. This is probably due to the way he introduces readers to the story and of course his poor analogies (eye roll and "oh please"). You eventually bu...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Dale rated it 3 of 5 stars

An elf that has committed a crime, a dwarf that is wise, and a cowardly human. Not your typical Tolkien knock off, especially considering it's placed during a colonial era type setting where gunpowder technology is favored more than swords and bows -- although they are still prevalent in this world. A Darkness Forged in Fire has done what all other fantasy after Tolkien should have done with elves; invert the stereotype. Not only is the main character, Konowa Swift Dragon, the only elf I know th...more An elf that has committed a crime, a dwarf that is wise, and a cowardly human. Not your typical Tolkien knock off, especially considering it's placed during a colonial era type setting where gunpowder technology is favored more than swords and bows -- although they are still prevalent in this world. A Darkness Forged in Fire has done what all other fantasy after Tolkien should have done with elves; invert the stereotype. Not only is the main character, Konowa Swift Dragon, the only elf I know that reacts to the limb between his legs, but elves, or some of them -- elfykans to be a exact, a sub race of elves -- are the enemies! And orcs are even still present in this universe too.

If there's one thing that A Darkness Forged in Fire will guarantee you, it's that it's not your typical fantasy novel. The plot is simple; Konowa led the famed Iron Elves against the antagonist the Shadow Monarch, but was exiled for his part in murdering the previous viceroy. A red star has fallen from the sky, reawakening dreaded powers of the past, and the empire looks to Konowa to look the Iron Elves, who are not very elvish, to finding this lost power for themselves. The plot is not too terribly hard to follow, and it's rather simple, all the way down to its single plot twist.

The pacing is one of the greater highlights of the novel. The narrative switches between various characters, and all of them are part of the same caravan, so often the chapter and the chapter after it offer insight on same events but from different perspectives. Whenever you feel like the intensity of a chapter is dying down you can always count on it to end shortly to start on the next. However the pacing can feel slow, if only because the plot goes nowhere at times. The novel is 400 pages long but it could have done without 200 of them. While offering different point of views on single situations adds a little spice to it, there is just too much overlapping and a lot of filler.

The characters are fine, different than the ones I would normally encounter in a fantasy novel. The problem is they receive almost little development. They all came together as strangers and that's how I felt by the end of it. Other than the odd interaction here and there -- well they talk to each other all the time, but the conversations seem like a giant heap of small and surface talk -- it almost feels like despite suffering these great endeavors together for so long the characters don't build that camaraderie together that is so beloved in these types of fiction.

Now what A Darkness Forged in Fire excels at in particular is its battles and knowledge of colonial warfare. This is the first fantasy I've read that utilizes such a setting and it offers great insight on some of the weapons used during that time. And it ends strong, like really strong. The final battle scene is one of the better ones I've read recently in fantasy and despite poor character interaction earlier on along with a plot that almost goes nowhere, the book is worth reading for the final 100 or so pages alone.

Is The Iron Elves series one that is worth getting into? I believe it is. I have already completed the second book and it fixes almost all the faults, including cutting down on the pages (page wise it's only slightly less but the space between lines are noticeably larger, they're almost tripled spaced). The second book capitalizes all on what the first book did, and for that, along with the (relative to the fantasy industry) unique universe the novel takes place in and the epic grand battle at the end, this series is worth reading.(less)

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Oct 26, 2011 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

For my 250th review (on Shelfari, where I copied this from), I was honestly hoping to write cunningly written, insightful rave about my latest book. Instead, I'm going to write a review about "A Darkness Forged in Fire".

*Possible* spoilers throughout this review.

To be fair, it wasn't a TERRIBLE book. Not really. The book opens with glowing promise. Our intrepid hero, banished for a dishonorable deed done for all the right reasons, has been recalled to possibly restore his tarnished honor. He mee...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Shangrila500 added it

A Darkness Forged in Fire is the first installment in the groundbreaking new series by author Chris Evans that promises fun, excitement, military themes, Napoleonic settings, and a little bit of comedy mixed in to keep it from being too dark.

In a world where elves bond with trees known as Wolf Oaks Konowa Swiftdragon, former leader of the military regiment known as the Iron Elves, has been exiled to the only place that he would never go willingly, a forest. After he murdered the former Viceroy f...more A Darkness Forged in Fire is the first installment in the groundbreaking new series by author Chris Evans that promises fun, excitement, military themes, Napoleonic settings, and a little bit of comedy mixed in to keep it from being too dark.

In a world where elves bond with trees known as Wolf Oaks Konowa Swiftdragon, former leader of the military regiment known as the Iron Elves, has been exiled to the only place that he would never go willingly, a forest. After he murdered the former Viceroy for serving the evil elf known as the Shadow Monarch, Konowa was stripped of his rank, exiled to a bloody forest, and his beloved Iron Elves were disbanded and sent to serve in different places all over the Calahrian Empire. After living in the forest for a year, his only companion being a Bengal named Jir, a mysterious woman named Visyna shows up and informs Konowa that his regiment is being put back together and he is wanted immediately to lead them to victory again. Little does he know that he will be serving under Prince Tykknin, the incompetent soon to be ruler, and the first order of business is to thwart the Shadow Monarch’s plan or gaining an extremely powerful magical object known as the Star of Sillra that is falling from the sky towards the fort of Luugoth Jor. To aid Konowa, his father gives him an acorn that came from Her ryk faur, Her silver Wolf Oak. The regiments journey to Luugoth Jor is harried on all sides by the Shadow Monarchs resurrected minions, creatures that have not been seen for hundreds of years, and someone who Konowa has already killed once… Will they make it to Luugoth Jor and stop the powerful Star of Sillra from falling into the wrong hands or will they fail along the way?

A Darkness Forged in Fire was an amazing read, Mr. Evans is one of the most creative writers of this day and age. The way he worked his own spin on elves is amazing, most authors who try similar things fail horribly. The idea to have elves serving a foreign power was almost unheard of and when tried usually doesn’t work out very well. The characters are not very in-depth in this novel, but the next novel explored their past and their present more so. The downside is the military themes in the novel were more thought out at some times than the characters or situation. Overall the book deserves 4 ½ stars. I would recommend it to anyone.
(less)

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Aug 12, 2011 Kati rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, 2011, het, in-english, fantasy, work-reviews, work-translations

First read in 2009. Re-read in August 2011: Much better the second time around. Bumping the rating up from 3 stars to 4. I'm really intrigued by the book now and can't wait to read part 2!

First in the "Iron Elves" series. And quite good, actually. Once you get used to muskets and cannons in a fantasy book. I liked Konowa and his inability to connect with nature despite being an elf. I loved the dwarf Yimt and the bespectacled Alwyn. I liked Rallie the reporter and her drunk pelican Wobbly. What...more

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Sep 28, 2010 N E White rated it 3 of 5 stars

A story with 'iron' elves? Elves that shoot guns. Not just any gun, but a musket with powder, rod, ball, and everything. Kind of...weird, to say the least.

When I first picked up Chris Evans' A Darkness Forged in Fire, Book One of the Iron Elves in a used book stored, I was a little suspect about the whole premise of the story. The idea of having musket-wielding elves didn't quite sit right in the mind. Nothing inherently wrong with the idea, but not entirely right, either. So, it took me awhile...more

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Mar 17, 2010 Lura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

The following review is for both A Darkness Forged in Fire and its sequel The Light of Burning Shadows.

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I don't read military fantasy. I've never been so glad to have made an exception.

From the first chapters, I loved the main characters: Konowa Swift Dragon and Visyna Tekoy. Between their rather obvious attraction to each other and ongoing verbal sparring, I often forgot I was reading military fantasy.

Then Yimt, the sole dwa

...more

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Sep 10, 2009 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Sloooowww. The whole time i was reading the book, I felt like there was something I was missing. Maybe it was the mention of all these strange Goddesses and Queens and past events, but whatever it was, it rendered the story unenjoyable. Its a lot of description of army life and hints at past transgressions that are supposed to explain why things are the way things are, but it really doesn't. Evans keeps flashing in between the Viceroy and the main character, but it's messy construction. He favor...more

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Aug 22, 2009 Carrie Hinkel-Gill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-interest

[Note: The following was taken from the intro for Chris Evan's guest blog on Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem. It pretty much said what I wanted, but I tweaked it slightly.]

I was standing in line at the library with a tall stack of books in my hand when I saw this eye catching blue colored book jacket with a sword on the cover, prominently displayed on a rack near the checkout counter. I picked it up, read the blurb on the back, saw that the main character was an elf with the last name of Swift Drago...more [Note: The following was taken from the intro for Chris Evan's guest blog on Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem. It pretty much said what I wanted, but I tweaked it slightly.]

I was standing in line at the library with a tall stack of books in my hand when I saw this eye catching blue colored book jacket with a sword on the cover, prominently displayed on a rack near the checkout counter. I picked it up, read the blurb on the back, saw that the main character was an elf with the last name of Swift Dragon, and I knew the book was for me, so I added it to my stack. I've never heard of the author before, but I didn't think anything of it, because there are a lot of authors out there to be discovered.

I usually hear about fantasy authors from a friend, family member, or the guys at the gaming stores, but I've never just "happened" upon them, so this was a momentous occasion. That wasn't the only thing that made it momentous. See, I didn't read too close when I grabbed the book. When I realized that it was about Iron Elves and they used muskets because he was a historian by day, albeit a truly clever idea, I didn't see it that way at the time and became rather leery about the book altogether.

I thought, what is this guy doing? Well, I wanted to know so bad that I kept reading and by the time Konowa Swift Dragon (an utter outcast living in the wilds) and his wild creature-pet Jir come on the scene, I was hooked! I was blown away by the detail and the world he created, so much so that I sought out his website and set off to learn more about him and this new trilogy that has captivated me.

This book is a perfect culmination of sci-fi/fantasy, intrigue, adventure, paranormal with a hint of romance to boot! All of my favorite genres in one! I was in heaven.

Even though this was his first book, his talent is very obvious and this is a well-done masterpiece. Konowa Swift-Dragon has shot out above every character and is second only to Drizzt Do'Urden! Konowa is the first character to even come close to Drizzt in terms of me being emotionally connected to the character.

And I am, emotionally connected. I found myself rooting for him to succeed, feeling bad when things didn't go his way and scared when he was scared.

While romance is not one of the top plots, it's there, definitely. Evans did such a good job on the sexual tension that I found myself exclaiming while reading the book, "Would you kiss her already!" The her being Visyna Tekoy, a highborn daughter of an elfkynan governor.

I'm not sure what will happen with the relationship, but I sure do hope they end up together in the end! I can't help it, I love a good romance, especially when it takes some time to develop!

Great Job Chris!! Keep up the great work!!! (less)

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Jan 17, 2012 Forgotten Realms Queen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: low-fantasy, fantasy

I was finally able to obtain a complete copy (thanks Mr. Evans!) and it is still very much worth picking up.

As i said before, good concept of an evil elf witch on top of a mountain that needs destroying, well paced, and had very believable characters that you could both love and hate. Yimt was my favorite, as I'm sure he will be with everyone else who reads the story. C'mon, who wouldn't love a crotchety old dwarf soldier with a silver tongue? (Sweet knobby kneed nuns!!!)

They didn't reach the wi...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Dylanm rated it 4 of 5 stars

I haven't finished this book but so far I think its great. It's basically d&d like stuff except every body has advanced and they are now at the revolutionary war time period, with muskets and other like things.

Date-12-6-11
Time-30
Summery-It starts out from the point of view of a squirrel, who you find out is actually a elf using magic to look like a squirrel. The elf climbs up a mountain to a evil forest where the trees are evil. They are black and they can move their braches a lot, as you fi...more I haven't finished this book but so far I think its great. It's basically d&d like stuff except every body has advanced and they are now at the revolutionary war time period, with muskets and other like things.

Date-12-6-11
Time-30
Summery-It starts out from the point of view of a squirrel, who you find out is actually a elf using magic to look like a squirrel. The elf climbs up a mountain to a evil forest where the trees are evil. They are black and they can move their braches a lot, as you find out when the elf runs through the forest with the entire forest trying to kill him. When he gets to the middle he sees a twisted Silver Wolf Oak. There is also a evil elf that every body refers to as the Shadow Monarch. She controls the evil trees and the Silver Wolf Oak is her ryk faur. All elves bound with a Wolf Oak very closely. She bound with her tree and then it started to die and the elves wouldn't do anything about it. So she took the Silver Wolf Oak and brought it up to the mountain. The squirrel elf grabs one of the Wolf Oaks acorns off the ground and runn off to take it to the one who can stop her.

Date-12-7-11
Time-30
Summery-It then switches to a soldier who is guarding a fort when they old viceroy who was apparently killed by the leader of the Iron elves-Iron elves were elves that had been 'touched' before they were born. Their left ear tip was black so the other elves would cut it off thinking that if they did that her darkness wouldn't spread. The Iron elves regiment worked for the empire and wasmade up entirely out of Iron elves. Normal elves can't stand thins with metal in them, Iron elves can, hence the name.- because the viceroy was working for the shadow monarch. The Iron elves were sent to some far away land where they were forced to preform some very non important task. The leader was court marshaled and kicked out. As the soldier thinks this the old viceroy climbs up out of the ground and kills him. It then switches again to Konowa who was the leader of the Iron elves. He is in a forest where he lives-even though he repeatedly points out a lot that he hates forests and all things nature, much unlike other elves.-when he runs into some rakkes. By the sound of it they are like really big bears that walk on two legs. As it turns out rakkes are supposed to be extinct. Konowa kills them with the help of his giant cat that they never name. He calls it Jir but thats as close as it gets.

Date-12-8-11
Time-30
Summery-After killing three of them, the third one ran off. He finds an elf lying on her face. Turns out she was captured by them but he was originally looking for him. She has a letter saying that he has been restored to his previous military ranking and is ordered to return. Konowa and Visyna head to the nearest fort area where there are other soldiers. Meanwhile the new Viceroy is also working for the shadow monarch and is making sure that the empire doesn't send any troops up to Luuguth Jur because thats where a special star landed and apparently fallen stars have a huge amount of power. Konowa meets his old friend the Duke who is in charge of a large branch of the military. Konowa finds out that they are reassembling the Iron elves. He also meets with his dad who was the one that took the Silver Wolf Oak acorn in the beginning. He gives the seed to Konowa, even though Konowa seems to know kinda what he's suposed to do with it it never says.

Date-12-9-11
Time-30
Summery-Konowa is moved to a different military base where he learns that the Prince of the empire is going to be in charge and Konowa is going to be second in command. In Konowa's words, he's coaching the prince through this 'war' so that the prince gets some (less)

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Jun 09, 2009 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is a fantasy book of old stereotypes semi-successfully reanimated into a mostly new yet still interesting story. For the most part, I really liked it.

Evans, in the true to form Lord of the Rings inheritence, has his pointy eared elves who love trees and speak without using contractions; his dwarves who have huge beards, live in caves, and have deep belly laughs; and his human beings who want to take over the world with an "empire" that is bad for the natural world (which of course would be...more

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Feb 19, 2011 Ranting Dragon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: guests

Chris Evans’ debut novel A Darkness Forged in Fire, the first installment in the Iron Elves Trilogy, shows off Evans’s passion for military history and fantasy as he joins the two in a gritty, imaginative marriage where army life and Napoleonic era tactics coexist with fantasy staples. The trilogy continues with The Light of Burning Shadows and will be completed by Ashes of a Black Frost, due for release in summer 2011.

As the story begins in A Darkness Forged in Fire, Konowa Swift Dragon has led...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Shay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Very good for a first book. I definitely recommend his works and I'll be looking for a copy of his second book. Only one reason I didn't give it a 5 star rating. His flow fell apart a little towards the end, it was one long continuous battle and his ideas were good, it just felt like he didn't dedicate enough time to each action. It was a little difficult to follow once the heat of battle started. I can see where an author would feel this is a good way to go about things (not dragging out from t...more

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Jul 26, 2009 Cinnamon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

It has been quite a while since I have read a true Fantasy, one set in a land that is not familiar to the one we currently reside in. I think that the last Fantasy I read was the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I love that series and am quite pleased to discover that The Iron Elves series by Chris Evans is just as good. Fully of action, adventure, romance, and magic, A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE is a perfect escape to another world.

Konowa Swift Dragon was at one time the leader of the grea...more It has been quite a while since I have read a true Fantasy, one set in a land that is not familiar to the one we currently reside in. I think that the last Fantasy I read was the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I love that series and am quite pleased to discover that The Iron Elves series by Chris Evans is just as good. Fully of action, adventure, romance, and magic, A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE is a perfect escape to another world.

Konowa Swift Dragon was at one time the leader of the great Iron Elves; although abandoned by their brothers and sisters, the elves of the Long Watch, the rest of the Empire reveres the Iron Elves as the greatest warriors. That is until politics get in the way and Konowa is banished for killing the corrupt and evil Viceroy. If living alone in the forest with nothing but a Bengar for companionship doesn’t change him, an impossible tie to the Shadow Monarch most certainly will.

Called back into action by the Empire, Konowa once again becomes a part of the Iron Elves; only this time, there are few elves in the Iron Elves, the warriors instead made up of the miscreants from the other Empire regiments. With only a small regiment of misfits, will Konowa be able to protect the land against the Shadow Monarch and find the Red Star before it falls into much more dangerous hands?

Full of action, A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE kept me interested and highly entertained from the very first page. There were very few slow parts in the book and ever scene pushed the story somewhere. This movement made for a great story that encouraged the pages to turn faster and faster as I was unable to set the book down. Seriously, I started A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE on Friday night and finished all 620 by Sunday night. Now, I’m a fast reader, but a book that size should have taken me a bit longer. The fact that I was able to read it so quickly is due mainly to the fact that the story kept me interested and engaged. “Just one more page” would turn into “just one more chapter.” Before I knew it, I was addicted, making my husband turn the car around so I could go running back inside to grab my forgotten book!

I often talk about tension in books. To me, tension is what makes you want to continue to turn the pages. It’s some sort of barrier to the perfect ending. In our case, there were multiple points of tension in A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE, from the romance between Visyna and Konowa to the race for the Red Star. Each page was interesting, designed to pull the reader in and engage him or her in the story. I would have to say that Evans did a fantastic job forming the tension and creating an ebb and flow, pulling and releasing us in a never-ending cycle.

Outside of the well-formed tension, I found the character development to be my second favorite part of the book. Konowa, being the main character, obviously had a lot of time and energy put into him. What surprised me was how even minor characters that we really only got to see a handful of times were worked on and developed until they had a complexity that added a new layer of depth to the story. Each character had a story and the realism that went into them gave me the feeling that the Iron Elves were lifted right off of the page and deposited in the living room. Trust me – that made for some close confines!

Fair warning time: Usually I reserve this section for adult scenes and adult themes, but in the case of A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE, we don’t have to worry about these. What I did want to include here is that there are some graphic images in the book. As many stories involving way go, there is bloodshed and it isn’t all pretty. It’s not horribly gruesome or anything, but I just thought I would lay it out there for you.

The only thing that tripped me up were the few instances where I felt things may have gone unexplained. There would be something that Konowa couldn't do and then all of a sudden he could do it with no explanation as to why. Other instances occurred where I became confused as to how a character had a particular bit of knowledge. Things like that got to me occasionally but didn't really detract from the overall pleasure of A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE. Outside of that small complaint, I really did enjoy the book. Plus, the cover is gorgeous and, well, we all know I can't pass up a great cover!

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a read full of action and adventure. Fantasy lovers should highly enjoy the Iron Elves series. I believe that even non-Fantasy lovers should give it a try. Sure, the story is set in a different time and place, but there are very modern aspects to the story that create a neutral ground for pretty much any reader to find a home in.(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Nicole L Bates rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff

Chris Evans debut fantasy novel features a unique spin on the stereotypical elf. Konowa Swift Dragon, former leader of the Iron Elves, is more in tune with his musket than with the natural world. I enjoyed this twist, and the tension it created between the main character and the more traditional elvish community. Overall though, I had a hard time connecting with Konowa himself. Whatever the reason, I found myself pushing through the Konowa chapters to get to the chapters written from the perspec...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

Not a bad read. Unusual characters and setting. The hero Konowa Swift Dragon breaks the elfish stereotype by hating trees and nature and all things that elves normally love. As the book opens he is in exile, his military unit disbanded because he assassinated a tyrannical leader. His solitude is disturbed by a beautiful but mysterious woman who tells him he must return to his home and his unit. An evil Shadow Monarch, a magical star, a dwarf and an 'everyman' soldier and enchanted trees make up...more

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Feb 02, 2010 Sean Randall rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think i'm a bit of an oddity when it comes to reading fantasy. I quite enjoyed this one, the power of trees seems an unusual thing to find - though within the novel the setting makes sense, of course. I was slightly disappointed because the grandeur of the politics seemed to offer a lot more promise than they eventually come up with. The characters were fairly deep and flushed out, and there's room for backstory with many of them (the dwarf in particular, I fancy). Some of the leads were a lit...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, books-i-own

When I first picked up this book, I wasn't really sure what to expect because I hadn't heard of this author before. I really like fantasy though, so I decided to give this book a shot. As I got into it, I found the story focused almost entirely on the war aspect of the story. The elves went chapters and chapters of sitting around or marching as an army. Some parts of the book didn't make sense because a lot of it was action and fighting. This part of the book got a little boring, but I guess tha...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Chip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Honestly, I read this some time ago and don't remember much about it... I picked it up because a friend said "picture this: elves with guns!" and an amazing tableau of plot unrolled in my head instantly. Unfortunately, this book didn't even come close. Yes, there are elves with guns (flintlocks and blunderbusses) so she wasn't entirely dishonest. In a nutshell, this series is a cross between Lord of the Rings (sans Hobbitses) and Inuyasha... or even simpler: it's a tragical antihero cursed to cr...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, war

I wanted to read this book because the premise of an elf who hated the woods was interesting. I thought that perhaps Evans would break through the typical fantasy elf/dwarf/etc barriers and create something completely new and absolutely different and refreshing.

This book was superbly average. The romance was cliche, the dialog was stilted, the characters were not as unique as I had hoped. The plot was predictable. All of the standard dimensions of three-star fantasy were in place from the roman...more

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Jul 24, 2009 Erika rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The cover of the UK mass market edition of A Darkness Forged in Fire is a mish-mash of images evocative of the American Civil War, Legolas, and Aragorn. About the only thing either of those have in common with Konowa Swift Dragon--implied cover art figure and protagonist--is the Elvishness and choice of weapons. This book would have been a lot better if Konowa was anywhere near as tortured or rugged as Aragorn.
I’m not going to compare this book to Lord of the Rings. Let me get that out of the wa...more The cover of the UK mass market edition of A Darkness Forged in Fire is a mish-mash of images evocative of the American Civil War, Legolas, and Aragorn. About the only thing either of those have in common with Konowa Swift Dragon--implied cover art figure and protagonist--is the Elvishness and choice of weapons. This book would have been a lot better if Konowa was anywhere near as tortured or rugged as Aragorn.
I’m not going to compare this book to Lord of the Rings. Let me get that out of the way now before I start getting things thrown at me. Tolkien has done much to Fantasy; his legacy has unfortunately been summed up in various copy-cat fantasy novels as: elves, dwarves, wizards, orcs and magic = successful Epic Fantasy novel + instant readership. This has also meant a lot of purple prose which only turns me off even more. But I decided A Darkness Forged in Fire, with the really cool cover and jacket copy teaser were worth a read:

In an unforgiving world of musket and cannons, wizardly, empire and blood oaths, Konowa Swift Dragon, former commander of the elite Iron Elves, is destined either for greatness or disgrace. Marked by the Shadow Monarch, he’s murdered a Viceroy, seen his beloved regiment dishonoured and disbanded and been exiled to the deep forest, the place he despises the most.
But for Konowa--part hero, part renegade--that is only the beginning. Recalled from exile and ordered to re-form the Iron Elves for an almost certainly suicidal mission, he sets out with a company of misfits, rebels and outcasts. For the Shadow Monarch has harnessed destructive forces with the power to tear worlds apart--and those who bear her mark have a destiny greater than they know...

Usually I don’t pay attention to author promotions on the cover. But this one was from Karen Traviss--who I like--and mentioned a cross between Tolkien (yeah right) and Bernard Cornwell (emphatic no), which, if you think about it, sounds really, really interesting. I imagined rough, testosterone-fueled action with beautiful landscapes and wonderfully crafted characters. Instead I got Konowa, an Elf who’s been in living in the forest with his pet Jir (tiger-like creature) thinking really hard about what he’s done after having been banished for killing a Viceroy. The opening chapters are confusing and from unexplained points of view, which is fine, but makes for difficult navigation. It isn’t until Konowa is brought back to a war camp that the book slows down and I can finally figure out who’s who and what’s what. Even then, there were problems.
To begin, Konowa is no Cornwell-inspired male. He’s got testerone all right, but where Uhtred of the Saxon Chronicle books is a Testoserone Warrior Viking/Saxon and therefore, I can narratively excuse his whoring and bloodlust, Konowa is an Imperially trained officer who, despite at one time having an immaculate uniform, is as lecherous as the author says Dwarf Ymint’s grin is. Officers can be jerks, but we’re supposed to believe Konowa is ultimately filled with good intentions and is a fairly benevolent Elf. It doesn’t matter that his uniform is in disrepair, a metaphorical manifestation of his falling from grace, foraging in the forest with an animal as his only companion for the past year. It matters that the moment a messenger arrives to bring him back into laundered civilization, he falls all over himself groping and drooling over her. There’s even a part of their introduction where she trips and falls into his arms, mentioning the discomfort she feels with his musket digging into her and he replies with (no joke), “That’s not my musket” (p. 36) After she punches him for this, and they speak a couple more times, we don’t see the two interact for another hundred or so pages. Yet, we’re supposed to believe that his blatant, disrespectful desire is actually love, and deep affection. To make that worse, we’re also supposed to believe Visyna loves and cares for him in return. That was a quick courtship.
And a bad case of feeding into the stereotypical gender roles for women. Visyna is quite clearly in existence as the male companion, the love interest, the female body part I shall not mention, but that her name has vague echoes of, and that she has been reduced to. Evans tries to give her some other, elusive magical purpose later on in the book, but at the end of the day, she’s still memorable as The Girl In The Book.
The other females suffer similar fates. Rallie, the reporter, while having a really cool job for the Empire and travels alongside Konowa, Visyna, the Prince, and the other Iron Elves and officers on their war march, is sadly, an Old Wise Woman. The irony here is that her platitudes aren’t even wise, they’re statements of the obvious, lacking any depth or mystery and do nothing to enliven her character except create the impression that the blue smoke coming out of her cigars--her constant companion--are blunting her intelligence. If Rallie expressed any emotion that didn’t involve “clucking” or “cackling” I would’ve been happy. Is that all “old women” do nowadays? Cluck and cackle? Like hens and witches?
Even the “bad guy”--the mysterious Shadow Monarch who we never experience as anything other than dialogue set in a different font that’s supposed to look menacing, dark, and evil--suffers from being the Wicked Witch of the story, hiding away in her castle and sending out her minions to do her bidding. I was never convinced the Shadow Monarch was truly evil, by the way. In a revealing scene we see the Shadow Monarch as a little girl, saving a silver Wolf Oak from the negligent Elves of the forest who see its silveryness as an imperfection and not worthy of their attention.
The trees you see, need outside intervention to grow. These are not ordinary trees. I’m not sure if Evans ever explains what makes them different, but they are and have a name that makes absolutely no sense. Even saplings aren’t just saplings, they’re “sapling cubs”. I didn’t read about the trees having fur--if it’s in there, I glazed over it--teeth, paws, or any other wolfish feature. In any event, silver Wolf Oaks are rare and unwelcome. The Elves are kind of bigoted in this way and, rushing to its rescue, the young Shadow Monarch winds up turning the thing black and this is supposed to save it. A misguided villain is fine, but the Elves are just as villainous, if not more so, but I’m getting off-topic. I’ll come back to that later.
In addition to a romantic companion (Sexy Female Lead) for the male protagonist, an Old Wise Woman, and a Wicked Witch, there is also a Damsel in Distress--who has an astounding two scenes and both exist solely to make her what I’ve labeled her as--a Mother, and a Queen who is never seen, but, like the Shadow Monarch, remains in the periphery ordering her troops around the landscape. The Queen is by far, the least stereotypical role (a King is never mentioned), but might as well be a nonentity for as much time as she gets in the narrative (none). Instead, she’s present through her relationships (again, this is stereotypical) to her troops (men) and her son (a male, the Prince). All of these roles are antiquated and quite frankly, boring and a little bit insulting.
I at least thought the Elves of the Long Watch would be interesting. They are guardians of the forest, Fantasy tree-huggers who take their job quite literally. But there were too many things wrong with their almost religious dogma that made them out to be unsympathetic characters. When Ymint picks up a twig to use as a toothpick, he’s glared at and is supposed to feel guilty about using a sacred piece of tree this way. He doesn’t, of course, which is what I liked about Ymint, but he puts the twig down nonetheless and is forced to watch one of the Elves uses “life” to make a bow out of it. Weapons like this and others that are made with the intention of causing harm--oftentimes mortal--are perfectly acceptable, but using the same wood to pick something out of your mouth is forbidden?
To add to this confusing hypocritical effluvia are the different belief systems--yet ultimately similar goals--of each different type of Elf. I couldn’t figure out which side was “bad” and which were the “enemies.” As far as grey characters go, this would have been awesome, but the same confusion I experienced here, I found with the Shadow Monarch. Which side was really the evil side? The Empire, the side that employs Elves with weird, prejudiced beliefs, or the Shadow Monarch who tried to save a tree? The author clearly wants us to believe in the wrongness and evilness of the Shadow Monarch. After all, she’s put Konowa through a lot of grief in life by, for some unexplained reason, marking the tip of one of his and the other Elves’ ears black. Like the trees, they were then abandoned by the other Elves and forced to live their lives in the service of the Empire as the Iron Elves, Elves that could actually touch iron without pain. She’s also wreaked havoc on the troops we’ve come to know through the narrative, killed a horse, scared a poor girl, and made not one, but two Viceroy’s go crazy.
About the only thing I found really interesting in the book was something that was never explained: why the Shadow Monarch marks things as she does. What will the black do to save them? Do elves need to be saved? Why? And why black?
The similes were uninspired, the idioms were thinly veiled copies of existing well-known sayings, and the animals are Earth animals disguised poorly as Fantasy creatures. Jir is a tiger, I don’t care what Chris Evans says. Muraphants are elephants. I don’t buy the creative world-building mumbo jumbo here because they exist in a world that has allowed pelicans, squirrels, and horses to remain unscathed. Not everything has to be Fantasized.
To cut short what has been an extremely long, unimpressed review, Chris Evans is no romance writer. I wish he’d put more effort into creating interesting female characters and focused less on the flash of the book at the expense of characters and character development. In my opinion, the only interesting character winded up dead or dying (for the sake of not spoiling you, I won’t say who it was). A Darkness Forged in Fire is the first in the Iron Elves trilogy, a trilogy I won’t be reading the rest of. I would not recommend this book to readers who expect a little more from their Fantasy novels than caricatures contrived from popular Fantasy culture with little substance to support them in what could have been an otherwise engrossing read.(less)

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Jun 07, 2010 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own

I liked this book. Perhaps against my expectations. No, really, it is rather good. The protagonist has a really catchy name too. Konowa Swift Dragon is an elf and former leader of the Iron Elves. He is also in exile and out of favour with just about everybody. The Elves don't like him because he doesn't adhere to the same beliefs about nature (The Iron Elves are so called because they use metal weapons such as Sabers and Muskets as opposed to the other Elves who shun metal, opting instead for wo...more

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Aug 04, 2009 Valorie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, great-books, magic, romance

Konowa Swift Dragon was exiled to the woods and his elite band of Iron Elves, all elves cursed with the black ear tip as sign that they are children of the Shadow Monarch, were disbanded and sent away for his killing of the former Viceroy who had fallen into darkness by serving the will of the Shadow Monarch. The Shadow Monarch, an elf, is possessed by a magic that she wishes to consume the world with, spreading her dark forest. After a few years in isolation, wandering with his only companion J...more Konowa Swift Dragon was exiled to the woods and his elite band of Iron Elves, all elves cursed with the black ear tip as sign that they are children of the Shadow Monarch, were disbanded and sent away for his killing of the former Viceroy who had fallen into darkness by serving the will of the Shadow Monarch. The Shadow Monarch, an elf, is possessed by a magic that she wishes to consume the world with, spreading her dark forest. After a few years in isolation, wandering with his only companion Jir (a bengar), Konowa is approached again by the Calahrian Empire he once served to once again become a soldier.

The Red Star has supposedly fallen, which foretells the return of a magic and knowledge many people and creatures want: the current Viceroy, the Price of Calahr, and the Shadow Monarch included. Given an acorn from the elven Shadow Monarch’s Silver Wolf Oak, Konowa feels a strange power and connection to her, which he wants to use to his advantage to defeat her and her forces once again. As an elf born with a black ear tip and rejected from the birthing meadow so that he never bonded with a tree as elves do, Konowa has never felt much like an elf and was shunned for being cursed.

With stories of the Red Star, old and evil extinct creatures are being resurrected, so it is imperative that someone or something stop them. Konowa is told to reband the Iron Elves, but he is not given his old elves. No, instead he is delivered a scattered section of people and races. The new Iron Elves is made up of elf, human, dwarf, and giant alike. But, committed to their service, they take the oath to serve as Iron Elves. Unwittingly, though, the power of the acorn bonds the Iron Elves to their oath such that not even death can separate them from service. Even after death their shades must serve.

Unfortunately, too, for Konowa, he must act as second command to the Prince of Calahr, Tykkin. The future king of Calahr has no military experience and cares more for finding the Red Star and studying the world than properly defending it. Another source of frustration for Konowa is the elfkynan witch Visyna, who he likes but disagrees with his usage of the Silver Oak acorn and wants the Red Star for her and her people in order to liberate them from the Calahrian Empire. Plagued by nightmares of the Shadow Monarch, Konowa has a lot to worry about.

I must say, I enjoyed this book from page one all the way to the end. My love of reading began with the fantasy genre, after all, so I will always have a very deep love for all things magical. The world that Chris Evans creates is indeed separate from ours, but parallels ours enough that I can see similarities. In the various stories of races and conquest, I see vestiges of our history and culture. For some reason, this helped me connect to the characters.

Konowa is brave and handsome and a wonderful soldier, but he is a bit stubborn. As is Visyna. The dwarf Private Yimt Arkhorn is loud and overconfident and his partner Private Alwyn Redwar is careful and skittish. The prince is properly clueless and the writer Rallie is obscure and mysterious. All of the characters are distinct and layered. I love it when an author can create characters that are distinct, that react just as they would and not in a way convenient to making the story easy. It is not hard at all to simply write a character, but to truly create one is a work of true talent.

What about the story, though? A Darkness Forged in Fire is just the kind of fantasy I like-- just enough of everything without it being too much. It is full of action and the questions pile one on top of the other as the story progresses. No resolution is come to by the end, which opens way for book 2. By the end of the book, you are left with even more questions as additional stars must be sought out and kept from falling into the wrong hands. The battles are intense and full of detail, and I really got the sense that Evans knows what he is talking about as far as weaponry and battle tactics go. That sort of attention to detail and accuracy lends a lot of realism to a story. For lovers of the fantasy genre, this book will fit perfectly in a collection of quality fiction. As far as I am concerned, Chris Evans is right up there in excellence with Tolkien and Piers Anthony.(less)

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Jul 07, 2009 Ryan Mishap rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fantasy

A human empire controls various lands, save for Hyntaland where the elves attempt to keep the Shadow Monarch contained.Elves are in touch with nature types, save for a few, blackened ears marked by Her Shadow: these formed the Iron Elves, a regiment in the Imperial Army (if this sounds exciting to you, keep reading, if you are rolling your eyes already, you can stop).
As the book opens, the Monarch gains new power, a Red Star falls and augers good or ill, and the Iron Elves--disbanded after the...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book, and I did... but it wasn't great. The author was trying for an epic and it felt like one. There were a lot of parts that were slow and characters did things that seemed, well, OUT of character. Quite a few times I assumed that whatever was happening at the moment was leading up to something else, and the payoff wasn't there. This is a "book one," so I assume the epic continues. I just hope the future books are more polished.

This one could have used some more editing,...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Lynne Cantwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy

This book grew on me. I liked the main character, Konowa, from the start. He's a former Iron Elf commander who killed a government official because the official was in thrall to the Shadow Monarch, who is the evil -- but his actions got him banished and the Iron Elves disbanded. However, the Shadow Monarch is on the rise again, and Konowa is ordered back from his banishment to head up a reconstituted, and very different, band of Iron Elves -- one in which he is very nearly the only member who's...more

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Oct 14, 2009 Shanon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-downloads, 2009, audiobook, dark-fantasy

The creatures were unique and interesting but I didn't feel most the characters were all that engaging. There was a lot of action but little character development throughout it. There was really only two characters that stood out to me, Alwyn & Yimt, neither of which are really the main characters of the book. Alwyn is a young man who really isn't suited for the life of a soldier and had many doubts throughout the story. Yimt is a seasoned warrior and a dwarf. His humor provides a much neede...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Derrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, fantasy

Across the Sea, there is some evil witch elf who wants to cover the world in darkness, or some such. A group of elves have been marked by her, with one ear being turned black. Such elves are called the Iron Elves and cast out from elven society. They became a group of fighters in the human empire. They were disbanded for disloyalty, before the book begins.

This book deals with the reforming of the Iron Elves, only without any of the original elves except for the Captain, who is an elf who hates...more

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A Darkness Forged in Fire (Iron Elves #1)

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