Farlander

Heart of the World #1

by Col Buchanan

The Heart of the World is a land in strife.

For fifty years the Holy Empire of Mann, an empire and religion born from a nihilistic urban cult, has been conquering nation after nation. Their leader, Holy Matriarch Sasheen, ruthlessly maintains control through her Diplomats, priests trained as subtle predators.

Ash is a member of an elite group of assassins, the Roshun, who offer protection through the threat of vendetta. Forced by his ailing health to take on an apprentice, he chooses Nico, a young man living in the besieged city of Bar-Khos. At the time, Nico is hungry, desperate, and alone in a city that finds itself teetering on the brink.

When the Holy Matriarch's son deliberately murders a woman under the protection of the Roshun, he forces the sect to seek his life in retribution. Ash and his young apprentice set out to fulfill the mandate, and their journey takes them into the heart of the conflict between the Empire and the Free Ports...into bloodshed and death.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adventure

388 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Col Buchanan is an Irish writer who was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in 1973. From an early age he turned to reading and writing fantastical works to escape his troubles. In school he was the quiet dreamer who always sought out the back of the classroom. Later, in his stretches of work as a copywriter, he would be the quiet dreamer who always sought out the back of the office.

Having strayed from the beaten track for most of his life, at various times Col has found himself in retreat in the mountains of Mourne, homeless in Belfast, lost in a Zen monastery, and scratching graffiti as a guest of the local constabulary … all of which he mentions, (since he's the one writing this), to sound more exciting than he really is.

In recent years he has mostly settled down, and loves nothing more than a late-night gathering around a fire with good friends.

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

Farlander is the beginning of a series which is seriously underappreciated. This initial installment a pleasant surprise, one which thrilled me with a war-torn world, secretive assassins, power-mad religious zealots, and a conclusion which took me completely by surprise.

The Heart of the World is a land torn apart by war. The nihilistic empire and religion of the Holy Empire of Mann determined to conquer the known world and force their dark faith upon everyone. Only the Free Ports holding back the seemingly unstoppable tide of the Holy Matriarch Saseen’s fanatical armies and diabolic agents, sarcastically dubbed the Diplomats.

The most precarious of the Free Ports is the island of Khos, where the city of Bar-Khos has been under attack for years. The causeway which links the island to the southern continent now an enemy camp filled with Mannian armies determined to break through the might walls of Bar-Khos and put everyone to death; the sky around filled with constant skirmishes between Khosian and Mannian airships; and the sea a war of attrition, as the Khosians fight to keep a Mannian blockade from strangling them into submission.

Trapped in the besieged city is a young, desperate, and hungry teenager named Nico. His quest for money to survive one more day in the street leading him to a chance encounter with a foreigner named Ash, whose unexpected kindness carries our unsuspecting youth into a life as one of the feared Roshun: Zen-like monk assassins, feared the world over for their vendetta killings.

Quickly, our newest Roshun must undergo his training, deal with rival apprentices, and seek to win over Ash, who is a silent and, at times, stern master. But soon a Roshun vendetta interrupts Nico’s acclimatization; his master and the son of the Holy Matriarch Saseen on a collision course, as a Roshun vendetta takes Nico and Ash to the holy city of Mann itself. Death, destruction, and unexpected betrayal soon splattering the pages of Farlander with blood!

Without a doubt, the biggest strength of Farlander is the amazing world Col Buchanan has dreamed up. Gunpowder. Airships. Exotic drugs. Darwinian fanatics. Mysterious monk assassins. The setting of this novel tantalizingly unique, amazingly expansive, yet familiar enough to fantasy fans that it will feel comfortable, draw you in, take hold of your imagination, and demand that you keep reading to uncover all the answers to the numerous questions which exist about this place. It really is a genre blender done right.

As for the characters, I have to admit they are a mixed bag really. Nico is your familiar young apprentice who has stumbled into a situation far above his head; his training (thankfully brief) exhibiting the same patterns readers will have experienced many times over. And the “bad guys” from the Empire of Mann are so damn evil to be near comical in their adherence to a Darwinian mantra taken to the absolute extremes. Thankfully, though, Ash, Nico’s Roshun master, quickly grows out of the familiar fantasy caricature of an over-the-hill-master-training-the-next-generation and evolves into a complex character whom readers will want to know more about. And the minor character Che comes out of nowhere to become instantly fascinating; his story unexpected, entertaining, and demanding of more page time (which it does get in book two). So, sure there are some familiar character tropes here, but Col Buchanan doesn’t limit himself to staying in the normal patterns and mixes in several unique persons who are quite fascinating as they begin to evolve.

The story itself is told through multiple point-of-view characters; the author shifting from one story line to another. These shifts always appropriate, never jarring or distracting. And for the most part, Col Buchanan does a good job making each plot relevant to this books story arc while foreshadowing things to come in future books, which actually makes certain sections much more interesting as you know they will be important later on.

The only issue I have with the novel is the pacing. Col Buchanan having difficulty finding the right narrative speed and maintaining it. Too many times the story gets tangled up in seemingly unnecessary descriptions and internal monologue, and while I’m perfectly okay with intricate details when necessary, there were moments I felt as if the author was merely filling time before the next bit of excitement. On the other hand, there were also sections of the book where important events transpire in a few short paragraphs, which just felt wrong; I mean, I’m all for getting to the point in a narrative, but it really seemed like some important and some really cool moments were lost in an attempt to hurry up and get to the conclusion. All of which means this failure to settle on a pace and maintain it was bothersome at times.

Even with this one issue, Farlander was a great read and a fascinating beginning to the Heart of the World series. The tantalizing world, interesting characters, and generally fast paced narrative made this novel one of my favorite reads of the year, so good in fact that it led me to the next book and the next until I’m currently about to begin book four of this ever evolving and always entertaining series. It really is an underappreciated series which I would encourage everyone to give a try!

[Иван Величков · Rating 2 out of 5]

Без грам сарказъм, смятам, че тази книга може да бъде изключително полезна за всеки един прохождащ автор на фентъзи. Вътре, без произведението да е някакъв грандиозен провал, е допусната всяка една малка грешка, която да опропасти една прилична идея за роман.

(Сега ще има леки спойлери, неизбежно е.)

- Имаме цяла сюжетна линия, която явно ще се развива в следващите книги от поредицата и в която абсолютно нищо не се случва, освен да накъсва действието.
- Имаме всички класически и модерни тропи в жанра, които вместо да павират пътя на произведението са накамарени на буци по него.
- Имаме наистина оригинални идеи, които вместо да са сюжетообразуващи, са накачени като безвкусни украшения около напълно тривиална история.
- Имаме антагонисти, които са зли, защото са зли и това не се обяснява по никакъв начин.
- Имаме израстващ герой, който не търпи развитие за всичките страници на книгата.
- Имаме убийство на главен персонаж, без да е успял да ни стане симпатичен, което напълно обезсмисля цялата книга.
- Имаме десетки недовършени подсюжетни линии.
- Имаме препратки/алюзии към човешката история (повече азиатската), които са вземани от тук- от там, без да се спазва ред на цивилизационно развитие.
- Имаме елементи на индустриализация, които са вкарани просто да ги има, без да са потплатени с необходимите технолгично, икономическо и политическо развитие на света.
- Имаме макроконфликт, който по никакъв начин не успява да се пренеси на микрониво и обратното.
- Имаме опит за счупване на класическия дуализъм добро-зло, който не е завършен по никакъв начин.
- Имаме герои, ситуации и конфликти, които се появяват от нищото точно когато му е нужно на автора, независимо дали е средата на книгата или втората третина.
- Има и още много неща, но там ще трябва да стана по-конкретен и ще разваля кефа на хората само да си ги открият.

Все пак трябва да кажа, че авторът има потенциал, а нещата са написани грамотно. Надявам се да се развива в следващите книги и съответно следващата му тухларна да е вече изпипана.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprise at how much I came to enjoy this book. It opens with an interesting scene that intros us to our protagonist, this world and the order in which our "Old Man" Protagonist exists.

We do then launch into a rather slow progression of viewpoints and stories that set up the story and then the book launches us out on it. We get a thumbnail sketch of the political, religious and geopolitical state of the world. We see rot here, hope there and hopelessness elsewhere. We also see the complete dedication to duty that has been the Old Man's life.

Also I was surprised by the ending. Something that doesn't happen all that often anymore.

The "storyteller's" voice is excellent and readable.

I already have the sequel to this book....and of course it's the last at least for now.

I hope it doesn't end in a cliffhanger.

I hate cliffhangers.

With little in the way of wit but still some dark humor you'll follow the story here through a few viewpoints and you'll see various takes on "justice". From the Empire of Mann, who see themselves as the consummate Darwinists (though they wouldn't use that term as they wouldn't know who Darwin was) until of course they don't find themselves on top of the food-chain to the Mercians and their free trade islands and then of course Rōshun that word means something different to each group.

So I can recommend this one. It may not rate at the top of my 5 star list but it definitely gets that rating.

Enjoy.

[Liviu Szoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un prim volum din seria Heart of the World, care ni-l prezintă pe asasinul Ash și pe discipolul acestuia, Nico, porniți într-o răzbunare ce pare că nu prea ar putea avea sorți de izbândă: să-l asasineze chiar pe viitorul moștenitor al vastului Imperiu Mann, imperiu antrenat într-o bătălie fără de sfârșit pentru cucerirea lumii. Lupte, sânge, onoare, răzbunare, personaje plăcute sau respingătoare, săbii ninja și asasini plătiți. Mai multe, pe FanSF: https://fansf.wordpress.com/2015/01/0....

[Shaitarn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

From the back cover: The Heart of the World is a land in strife. For fifty years the Holy Empire of Mann, an empire and religion born from a nihilistic urban cult, has been conquering nation after nation. Their leader, Holy Matriarch Sasheen, ruthlessly maintains control through her Diplomats, priests trained as subtle predators.

The Mercian Free ports are the only confederacy yet to fall. For ten years now, the great southern walls of Bar-Khos have been besieged by the Imperial Fourth Army – it’s only a matter of time…

Ash is a member of an elite group of assassins, the Roshun, who offer protection through the threat of vendetta. Forced by his ailing health to take on an apprentice, he chooses Nico, a young man living in the besieged city of Bar-Khos. At the time, Nico is hungry, desperate, and alone in a city that finds itself teetering on the brink.

When the Holy Matriarch’s son deliberately murders a woman under the protection of the Roshun; he forces the sect to seek his life in retribution. As Ash and his young apprentice set out to fulfill the Roshun orders, their journey takes them into the heart of the conflict between the Empire and the Free Ports…into bloodshed and death.

Bit of an odd book, this. The feel of the story is very much fantasy, but the setting (with guns, airships, mind-bending drugs and even trams (which made me snigger, picturing the characters in Blackpool)) is rather more steampunky. Likewise the characters will be familiar from many similar fantasy tale: Nico, the young apprentice, uncertain of his abilities and thrust into a situation over his head, Ash, the ‘farlander’ of the title, the old teacher, plagued by frequent migraines painful enough to blind him, Baracha, the frenemy rival assassin and his own apprentice, Aleas, Nico’s best friend. The villains, Sasheen the matriarch and her son and heir Kirkus, the first class turd who you’re praying has a nasty end awaiting him within a few pages of meeting him, are likewise familiar.

This is not to be disparaging: all of these characters are fully fleshed out and quickly establish themselves in the reader’s mind. Other characters are only mentioned here and there in passing, with a ‘hanging’ quality that makes me suspect they will almost certainly reappear in future books.

The main problem I had with this book was the pacing: it starts off quite slow and is fairly uneven throughout: the beginning sections are more detailed and slow and the conclusion is a whizz-bang-wallop affair with an ending that I didn’t see coming! I originally almost DNF part of the way through, but the characters grew on me and I’m certainly glad I read the whole thing.

If you quite like the idea of a fantasy story in a slightly different setting you might find this novel engaging and worth the read. Just a word of caution: while it may not be grimdark, it has a gritty realism and bad things happen, so be prepared for a bit of blood and ordure.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This debut novel is another in a string of recent debuts. Like the others it is uneven, but there is enough charm for some readers to enjoy.

The setting is typical Fantasy fare. In a land known as The Heart of the World, The Mercian Free Ports are the last holdout from the Holy Empire of Mann. There, the besieged city of Bar-Khos protects the Free Ports from the masses of the Imperial Fourth Army along an isthmus through a series of walled defences. These are continually being knocked down in the siege and rebuilt.

To this we have our group of key characters. The main focus of the plot is on the farlander of the title. Ash is an old warrior who has returned to Bar-Khos. Suffering from headaches kept at bay by the regular chewing of dulce leaf, he realises that he needs an apprentice. To solve this problem comes Nico, a troubled teenager in gaol for stealing in the city. Soon he is apprenticed to Ash and begins training to be a Roshun, an assassin like Ash.

In an alternate plotline we have Nico’s uncle, Bahn and his family. As the masses of the Imperial Fourth Army surround the city, destroying its walls, the reluctant warrior is involved in both defending the walls underground as one of the Specials and as a chief aide for General Creed, the Lord Protector of Khos. He struggles to maintain his sanity and his family whilst following his duties.

The main enemies of the book are Sasheen, the Holy Matriarch of the Empire of Mann, and Kirkus, her son, whose demands and whims have no boundaries. It is for them that the Holy Empire of Mann fight.

Once the key characters are introduced, the tale rattles along pretty well. And, there’s a lot here to like. (What is there not to like about airships?)

Unfortunately, for me at first, every time I got to a point where I was enjoying the novel, something would try to put me off. There were a number of names that I could have done without:

The Holy Empire of Mann, for one. (Isle of Man readers, take note.)
Zanzahar, for another. And the Isles of Sky. (Isle of Skye readers, take note.)
A character called Da-Ran (must be the leader of the chavs....) or even Dalas. Let's also mention Rianna, the slavegirl taken by Kirkus. Or how about a dog named Boon, Nico’s best friend (until Ash, anyway)?

Some of the concepts were also annoying in that I felt I’d encountered them before: for example, a religion called Daoism whose centre is in a place called Honshu? (Chinese and Japanese readers please take note.)

Someone somewhere needs to let writers know that using real names and places as a substitute for Fantasy names and places can often deflate that fragile suspension of disbelief.

Consequently, these minor irritants soon became major obstacles for me. For most of the first half of the novel I was unfortunately noticing them and the joins in the plot more than enjoying the tale. With a growing feeling of ‘been here before, read it before’, I began to lose interest fast.

Pleasingly though, there was a point in the book about halfway through where things changed. The murder of Rianna by Kirkus, leads to a vendetta killing being instigated, as she was under protection of the Roshun. Ash and Nico, with Nico’s co-trainee friend Aleas and Ash’s uneasy colleague Barachas volunteer to take on the dangerous mission and avenge her death for the Roshun. The book, like Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold, becomes focussed as a tale of revenge.

Now with this impetus, the book kicked up a gear. Characters started to have meaning, the dialogue became less excruciating and the action scenes kept things moving along, as long as I didn’t think about things too much. (A lot of the problems in the book could’ve been solved by using airships, it seems to me, for one.)

Pleasingly, the ending of the book was not what I was expecting, after all the predictability of the previous plot. However it did raise questions in my mind about the actual purpose of what had gone before and whether the rest of the previous events were worth it.

The other issue I had, and I know will annoy some readers, is that the ending of the book is not an ending of the tale but simply a series of chapter setups for the next book in this series, which I understand will be a trilogy.

In summary: close but no cigar. Less cynical than Best Served Cold, better written than The Left Hand of God, this isn’t a particularly bad debut. There will be some, no doubt, who can cope with the poor choice of names and the predictability of the plot better than I could and actually enjoy this one more.

I do think there’s a good book in here trying to get out, but there’s a lot to put up with in order to enjoy. Better at the end but still not the best debut I’ve read this year.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

Unlike many other reviewers I found the beginning of this book to be fantastic. The first third was engaging and interesting. The middle third a bore, and finally the ending made the whole thing fall apart. The opening chapters gripped me and thrilled me with their exciting action sequences. The Farlander was someone that I wanted to get to know...

I liked the dark grity world building. Nico and the Farlander were competent protagonists that I did enjoy. A few colorful side kicks in Baracha and Aleas added depth and color to this grey fantasy. A couple of well written action sequences kept me from totally going sleep during this one. Buchanan can write a good novel. His prose was good, his details were sharp, and the pace was decent.

Much of this first novel is the tried and true. A young troubled man...blah blah...meets the wise, incredibly smart, incredibly gifted old man who is in search of an apprentice blah blah. Can our young hero hack the lifestyle for real...blah blah blah. Throw in a girl ... Blah blah.. a rival... Blah blah ... And then the big challenge to overcome....YAWN!!

The turns were not twists in the plot as they could be seen from a mile a way. I hated the paper thin bad guys in this one and felt that they brought nothing of value to the story....Boring!

Take all that I didn't like and make it much worse by throwing in the only real plot twist. The story ended for me right their and really made me feel like I wasted my time on this one. The fact that I pushed through to the end only made me feel angrier about the conclusion to this first book in the series. It is pretty safe for me to conclude that I am done with this one...

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing beginning to this series. There is a slight wiff of steampunk and japenese law in the story that has been placed into a fantasy setting. The magic that is featured in this book takes a back seat to the main plot and is alluded to more often than seen. There are points where, for example, the seer is clearly using some kind of abilities but they are still kept somewhat as a mystery. The action is thick and fast and the plot moves through at a steadily increasing pace throughout the book. There are some surprising twists in the book one of which you are not likely to see coming, unless of course you have been cheating and reading the other reviews! Lol Great start to the series which as it progresses will build up to explore other area's such as the Free Cities that have only been mentioned so far in the book. More sequels to come! :D Brilliant stuff!

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Holy Empire of Mann, ruled by the Holy Matriarch Sasheen, is slowly but surely conquering all the lands bordering the Mideres Sea. One of the last areas desperately holding out against the Empire’s onslaught is the island of Khos, and it's on this island that Nico, a teenager living with his mother and a succession of her boyfriends, decides to run away from home and create a better life for himself. But living on the streets turns out to be harder than he expected, especially when his first attempted robbery goes horribly wrong. When Ash, the intended victim of Nico’s botched burglary, surprisingly offers to take him on as an apprentice, thereby saving him from cruel punishment, it’s an easy decision for Nico to make – even if this means that he will enter the order of Roshun, a secretive religious sect that’s equal parts Zen monks and elite assassins tasked with enacting vendetta if one of their clients is killed. Unbeknownst to Nico, his life is about to get even more complicated, because halfway across the world, the Holy Matriarch’s own son has just murdered a young noblewoman, who also happens to be one of the Roshun’s clients...

Col Buchanan’s debut Farlander, book one of the Heart of the World series, is a promising but somewhat uneven series opener. Some aspects of this novel are extremely well done, and others don’t work quite as well. There’s a lot to like here, but the final product doesn’t completely gel.

World-building is one of Farlander’s biggest strengths, offering a large new fantasy universe that features gunpowder and airships but very little in the way of magic. The countries and islands of the Mideres Sea are all well-defined and intriguing: the island of Khos where Nico’s story starts; the hinterlands where Sasheen’s son commits his unfortunate murder; the isle of Cheem where the Roshun order has its inventively hidden headquarters; the city of Q’os, heart of the Holy Empire of Mann... All these places are distinct and well-defined locales that together provide a great stage for Farlander’s story. Even more promising are the hints of the world’s history, including details about the origins of both the Empire and the Roshun cult, which will probably be fleshed out further in future books in the series. The world of Farlander is simply fascinating, and not nearly all of its details and secrets are fully explained yet in this first book, which may be the main reason readers will want to read further into the Heart of the World series.

In terms of characters, Farlander is a mixed bag. Nico is essentially a fantasy template that will hold little interest for most experienced fantasy readers — and it’s unfortunate that his story takes up most of this novel. Ash, the titular “farlander” who becomes Nico’s master, is much more interesting — old and ill but still a fearsome warrior who is determined to do the right thing, train an apprentice and uphold the order’s contract, even though the odds are firmly stacked against him. The principal characters on the Empire side are so villainous they border on caricatures (a former Patriarch’s name was Nihilis), but Ché, who is unfortunately only introduced towards the end of the novel, is more interesting and probably the most fascinating character in the novel. Strangely, some characters seem to be introduced for a certain purpose, which they then utterly fail to deliver on — although it’s quite possible that this will happen in future volumes in the series.

The oddest aspect of Farlander is its uneven pacing: sometimes Col Buchanan zips through scenes at a very rapid pace, and at others he slows down to go into great detail. Occasionally, it seems as if he is showing fragments of a larger story without filling in the space between them. For example, the story practically glosses over how Nico settles in as an apprentice in the Roshun order, something another writer might take a few chapters to set up: one moment Nico’s walking into the dormitory for the first time (meeting one character who becomes a central part of the plot and one that inexplicably disappears from view), and before you know it, he’s already so far along in his training that he’s ready to take an important test. Also, Col Buchanan often doesn’t show more than just the most important characters and events, giving Farlander a strange, almost bare-bones feeling, as if entire chapters and characters were cut out of it somewhere along the way. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with brevity in this age of endless fantasy tomes — after all many authors would probably have turned this story into an 800 page novel, and not necessarily for the better — but occasionally Farlander feels like it’s on fast-forward. What’s especially odd is the fact that Buchanan occasionally slams on the brakes and goes into great detail, e.g. describing Ash and Nico’s travel to Cheem aboard an airship in more detail than anything that came before, and especially towards the end of the novel, when several chapters focus in great detail on one prolonged action scene. Admittedly, both of these offer some of Farlander’s most exciting reading, but they’re a very noticeable contrast with the pacing of most of the rest of the novel.

Two more details not strictly related to the story, one positive and one negative: the artwork for this novel is gorgeous, including a striking cover illustration by Steve Stone and a beautiful map of the world that does something I don’t recall seeing before in fantasy: it shows the curve of the planet, with space, stars and moons above it. This gives the impression that there are more solid world-building details on the way — lurking over the horizon, so to speak. On the negative side, the copy-editing in this novel was a bit careless, including a handful of grammar, punctuation and spelling errors which would be okay for an uncorrected galley but not for the finished copy I was reading. This was doubly disappointing because it sometimes took away from my enjoyment of Col Buchanan’s somewhat formal but overall very solid and atmospheric prose — and surprising because Tor’s books rarely if ever have this issue.

Regardless, Farlander is a promising start to the Heart of the World series. Occasionally the final execution isn’t as polished as it could be, but its fascinating new fantasy world and occasional flashes of great writing indicate that you might want to keep an eye on where Col Buchanan is taking this story. Farlander isn’t an unqualified winner, but I’m still sufficiently intrigued to give the next book in the series a try.

(This review was also published at www.fantasyliterature.com on 2/4/2011.)

[Nicole Gozdek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Habt ihr das auch schon erlebt, dass sich euer Lesegeschmack verändert? Ich merke das bei mir so ca. alle 5 Jahre. Das, was ich früher großartig gefunden habe, berührt mich nicht mehr oder wenn ich Pech habe, nervt es mich sogar.
Wenn dann Bücher einige Jahre auf meinem SUB gelegen haben, so wie "Farlander - Der Pfad des Kriegers", dann kann es sein, dass sie nicht mehr zu meinem aktuellen Lesegeschmack passen. Und genau das war hier leider der Fall. Die Geschichte war mir zu meandernd, sprich zu ausschweifend erzählt. Man hätte bestimmt gut 200 Seiten einsparen können, ohne dass es aufgefallen wäre. Leider war mir durch die verschiedenen Erzählfiguren die ersten 300 Seiten nicht klar, wohin die Reise geht. Dadurch hat die Geschichte mich leider nicht so gepackt und ich habe es mehrfach wieder weggelegt, bis ich dann heute mal einen Lesetag einlegen konnte.
Schade, aber auch dieser Fund vom SUB konnte mich leider nicht richtig begeistern. :(

[J. Lynn Else · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the library because of the cool cover art. Great marketing there! From that point on, I really tried to read this book. I thought it had potential. The world was given depth and an array of characters but of whom, unfortunately, do not flesh out more than a superficial caricature. The characters are also uninteresting, and they’re all males! There is NO interesting female character in the first half of the book, and there are no other characters intriguing enough to follow along further. Ash, the “mysterious” older assassin begins to act strangely the more you read. It gives the character little believability. One minute he’s stoic and gruff, then the next he’s laughing his butt off at Nico and passing out the alcohol. There is not enough background given to help make sense of these sudden character shifts. Nico is rather stereotypical of an apprentice thrown into a world he has no idea of. Can we say Luke Skywalker (only not nearly cool enough)? And while we’re at it, the Empire of Mann who are conquering their known world, lets shout out Romans too! I think some of the allusions are obvious and make the story lose its majesty. There is this map at the beginning of the book, but some of the places you cannot find on it, which makes the direction of movement confusing! The steampunk elements are nothing new. It seems to be the fad in movies and books of the past few years. So I did not find it a gripping plot device. I wanted to like the book because I was hoping for something special. I think the character viewpoint could have really driven the plot, but it was too slow to keep me going. I do not want to waste time on a story that comes in a series which cannot grab my attention after 130+ pages. Next time, Mr. Buchanan, reach for a wider audience. You know girls can kick ass too, right?

[Axel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit is de tweede keer dat ik het boek lees. De eerste keer was voor een boekbespreking in het middelbaar, toch al even geleden dus.

Ash is een Roshun. Deze gevreesde orde voert vendetta’s uit om mensen te wreken die onder hun bescherming staan. Samen met zijn leerling, heeft Ash hier de opdracht om de zoon van de heilige matriarch van Mann te vermoorden. Een zeer gevaarlijke klus want Mann is bezig om de hele wereld te veroveren en is veruit het meest sterke en gevreesde rijk.

Het verhaal gaat traag van start. Je leert eerst de wereld en de verschillende verhaallijnen kennen en de meeste personages leer je meteen wat dieper kennen dan anderen. Het is zeker niet saai geschreven maar je blijft toch wel even op je honger zitten.
De tweede helft van het boek leest dan weer als een sneltrein. Je wordt meegesleept op hun reis en ervaart elk moment als een rollercoaster aan emoties en spanning.
Voor mensen die graag fantasy lezen zou ik het boek zeker wel aanraden. Een must-read is het zeker niet maar ik kijk toch uit naar de volgende delen uit de reeks.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

For me, Farlander is definitely one of the best debuts in 2010! Exceptionally story telling, comprehensible and enjoyable characters and a story which puts assassins in a new perspective. It promises a lot for the future.

Read my full review.

[Neal Asher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having attempted to read a couple of fantasy books within the last few months, and having failed, I was beginning to wonder if I was going off fantasy. Those other books felt derivative, laughably serious about what to me seemed plain silly. Maybe I had lost that vital ability to ‘suspend disbelief’ with fantasy? However, reading Col Buchanan’s Farlander I realised that no, I wasn’t going off fantasy, I’d just gone off the stuff that failed to engage me. I would still be able to enjoy something like Alan Campbell’s Scar Night, or anything by Gemmel, or Zelazny, or any number of excellent books I’d read before.

I’m a lot less tolerant nowadays. Life is too short to put up with a book that doesn’t come up with the goods. I know that if I haven’t been hooked within the first few pages it’s unlikely to happen, and if I’m still uninterested by the end of the first chapter it’s time to put the book aside. Two pages in to Farlander I was hooked and a chapter in I knew I wouldn’t be putting it aside.

Considering previous discussions about covers here I have to say that the picture on the front was too reminiscent of Star Wars and, when I discovered that the disposable soldiers of the Empire of Mann wore white armour and that the monkish swordsman Ash would be taking on an apprentice, I was a tad dubious. But the writing kept me engaged; kept me wanting to know more. As I continued to read I felt that Buchanan was attracted to fantasy toys, picking them up and giving them a shake, then realising they weren’t good enough for the story he wanted to tell, and discarding them. Throughout this there are scenes, tropes, characters and influences from other works – here a bit of Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer, there some definite Gemmel, over there a taste even of Robert E Howard, and as ever a little bit of urban fantasy too – but in the end Buchanan makes them his own.

Farlander is the first book of a series, but reads well enough on its own. I’ll certainly be reading the next book, for I have a feeling that it’s going to be even better. Nice one Mr Buchanan.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it a lot - it's a page turner and has lots of interesting stuff going on, but I was quite surprised by the way it went and I am a bit puzzled about its destination, so I need some time truly asses it - the sequel though became a big time asap, no question about it since I definitely want to see what happens next

While the setup (the blurb is ok'sih for it) seems standard and to start at least the villains are the ultra-cliched corrupt, debauched, orgy including killing humans barehanded, priesthood villains, while the seemingly main hero is another cliched one and a bit silly too - the young apprentice of the great Roshun (philosopher-assassin) Ash who is a Farlander in exile and former apprentice of the Roshun order founder in its current incarnation, another Farlander and former general of the "people's army" from somewhere far away - there are several other characters that appear and start taking more and more center stage and as mentioned the novel becomes subtler and different...
And there are guns, airships, artillery so even the setup is not quite pseudo-medieval

The writing is very engaging though there are the occasional cringe passages and the over-the-top villains are really cartoonish for a while, but overall I would say that the last half of the novel more than makes up for the good but not great beginning.

I definitely recommend it though again I need some time to see how it will settle in my memory; while not as outlandish as The Left Hand of God, Farlander is quite far from the "standard" fantasy it seems from the blurb and maybe from its first half and I am curious how it will appeal to people looking for more standard fare...
A solid A with the potential to go a notch higher in the next installment

[Midu Hadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I finished this book over a week ago and I’m still conflicted about how I feel about it. I’ll just list down the thoughts I had while reading it:

What I Liked

The world-building was decent without being derivative. Here’s how I explained to someone who asked me what I meant by derivative. There were no sappers (Malazan), elves (LOTR), or braided women calling all men muttonheads (WoT).

Features a unique (to epic Fantasy) way of traveling, i.e., by airship. There’s a whole battle sequence when the heroes are in the air and everything. It was fun to read about and the author doesn’t shy away from mentioning limbs being cut off and other kinds of violence.

What I Didn’t Like

I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, so I wasn’t worried when they faced immense and frequent danger. That wasn’t just true for the protagonists who were bland and cardboardy. It was also true for the villains who were over-the-top and spineless.

The book just went on forever. It may have been my total apathy for the characters that made it seem like this but I found the book to be interminable. Doesn’t bode well since this is the first in a series!

Yes, the evil empire trying to take over the world was all about sex. But all the mention of dicks being stroked under tables and other similar things just made me gag.

The story is VERY predictable. A misfit is recruited by an older person who is an expert in their field. The former receives training and goes on a quest. And, oh, there’s a girl.

Which brings me to my next grievance: no female characters who could kick ass. None. At. All.

To conclude, I still don’t know if I’ll be reading the next book in this series.

[Elizabeth]

This book just wasn't for me. I made it about a quarter of the way through and wasn't really able to connect with the main character, or feel interest at all. I liked Ash in the prologue, but once Nico became the focus my interest just fell. The scene I read with the future king/priest brought some interest, but more just horror of what was happening. I don't want to waste anymore time with this one.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farlander by Col Buchanan is yet another one of those titles. I’ve bitched about the publishing of fantasy in the US vs. UK frequently in the past and I’ll note again that Farlander is another title with a surplus of several months of lead time in the overseas market (March 2010 for the UK versus January 2011 from the US). That out of the way it should also be noted that the advent of Book Depository makes this less of an issue and the world is entirely a better place thanks to their presence in the book e-tailor field.

Farlander is Col Buchanan’s debut novel and is a interesting take on the fantasy genre; though one that didn’t completely come together for me. In a place called The Heart of the World the Empire of Mann, who preach a religion founded on and steeped in the natural state moral ambiguity, are making a final push on the last Free Cities left standing. Elsewhere the order of assassins called the Roshun protect their charges through the threat of vendetta. Ash, an older and respected member of the order, has taken on an apprentice named Nico. When the son of the Empress of Mann kills a young woman protected by the Roshun it falls to Ash and Nico to follow through with the vendetta.

There is a lot to like in Farlander from settings to character. The Heart of the World is seemingly in the midst of a sort of industrial revolution; or hovering right before one. Black powder weapons are employed alongside swords and pirates and merchantmen ply the skies as well as the seas. There is little to no magic in Farlander’s setting and what little there is bears a distinctly eastern flair and extraordinarily subtle touch. While Nico is a familiar archetype, the street urchin offered an opportunity to become something greater, Buchanan offers some subtle touches make him stand out from a crowd; and some late game not-so-subtle touches but the less said about those the better (to preserve the surprise).

While Nico might seem familiar to fantasy readers the rest of Farlander’s cast features some fascinating and distinct characters. Ash, while he plays the stoic warrior role quiet nicely, is haunted by his past and certain of his future. The quick-tempered Baracha is his rival at once frightening in his intensity yet admirable in his skills and distinct thanks to the religious values that set him apart from the rest of the Daoist Roshun. Of course, the most interesting character is introduced towards the end of the novel. A Imperial “diplomat” (a sort-of joke since these diplomats are essentially assassin-priests) with a fascinating background and troubled relationship with his mother (who is a member of a “love cult”). This late perspective offered one of the more fascinating parts of the novel and was perhaps my favorite part of the novel.

While the more familiar perspective of Nico remains a more-or-less central focus of Farlander broader perspectives (like the aforementioned diplomat) appear throughout the novel. Most disturbing of these is Kirkus, the son of the Empress of Mann, whose thoughts and actions reveal the depravity behind the Mannian faith and the culture of fear and despair it engenders. Elsewhere there are the trials of aide to the General of the a the besieged that was once Nico’s home. While this perspective offers insight into the trials and pressures that war puts on the populace of a city it is this perspective that I found the most difficult to get through. While there are some links between this aide’s tale and that of Nico and the Roshun I still felt something a disconnect. While certainly well-written and fascinating in its own right in truth I had difficulty in seeing the necessity of its presence in the novel. Certainly it serves to lay the foundation for future volumes in the series but at the cost of upsetting the pacing and plot of the rest of Farlander and it felt extraneous at worst and distracting at best.

The final third of the book shines the brightest. Where the Roshun finally plan their assault to take out Kirkus and the action that ensues is both thrilling a full of surprises. Buchanan doesn’t pull any punches and the sense of oppression and danger in the capital city of Mann drips off the page. While as whole Farlander didn’t blow me away there are enough fascinating characters (particularly that Diplomat!) and some quality writing despite the occasionally clunky plot and less-than-stellar pacing that I’ll be back for the next novel whenever it arrives. Farlander is out now in the UK (HC and PB) and will be hitting the US in January.

[Leo Knight · Rating 1 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I haven't finished reading a novel. This one broke me.

At first I felt intrigued by the setting. Col Buchanan has created a world similar to Earth, centered on a Mediterranean-like sea. Technology seems set at Renaissance levels, with a few anachronisms like airships. Thus we have a world of swords and armor, cannon and castles, with a bit of mysticism. The sky has two moons. Most of the names are Earthly names (Isle of Skye, etc.) or close analogues.

The Farlander of the title is Ash. The Farlanders resemble Africans physically, although their nomenclature and philosophy seem Japanese. Ash belongs to an order of assassins (ninjas) called the Roshun. They offer protection of a sort in the form of seals worn by their clients. The seal is a living thing, resembling a withered seed pod, and beating like a heart. When the wearer dies by violence, the Roshun know, and dispatch an assassin to avenge the death. Twice in my reading, someone thus "protected" gets murdered anyway, either because the killer doesn't know or doesn't care about the Roshuns' contract. Protection indeed.

During a particularly difficult mission of vengeance, Ash has a vision of his old master. Seems Ash is getting up in years, his health failing, and hasn't chosen an apprentice. In exchange for a bit of mystical aid, Ash agrees to take an apprentice.

Most of the known world is dominated by the Empire of Mann, once just a cult, now an army of completely over-the-top villains. Their philosophy seems to center on the exercise of will, on the breaking of rules and mores, on the violation of conventional bounds. The chief villain, the imperial heir Kirkus, has been touring the Empire along with his grandmother, selecting various people to violate and kill for their amusement. Their philosophy made no sense to me. Perhaps that was by design, but it lost me. It served as an excuse for Caligula style debauchery, cruelty, and murder. One of their victims wears a seal, and puts Kirkus on the Roshun naughty list.

Ash meanwhile meets Nico, a poor youth who tries to burglarize Ash's room. Ash takes a shine to the lad, and adopts him as an apprentice. They journey to the distant monastery of the Roshun for Nico's training.

This is about where I gave up, about halfway through. The action develops slowly. I could not for the life of me care at all about any of the characters. I believe part of this stems from their passive nature. Many characters, especially the Roshun, follow the Dao, an Eastern style philosophy of the go-with-the-flow sort. Only the villains and peripheral characters have goals of any sort. Everyone else reacts, swept along by events.

The "Star Wars" parallels really started to bother me. We have an evil empire, which kills wholesale as an object lesson. We have soldiers in white armor who wear masks. We have a mysterious order of mystic warrior monks. We have a callow young apprentice. We even have a flying machine named "Falcon," which runs an Imperial blockade!

I give one star for the setting. Unlike most fantasy novels, the magic is low powered. No one shoots lightning bolts, at least, as far as I read. I felt the details of everyday life seemed grounded in reality. Unfortunately, Ash and Nico failed to excite my interest at all. They had no desires or long term goals, other than the most immediate, like eating or staying warm. They seemed swept along by the Dao, following the way of the Great Fool. I chose not to join them.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heart of the World (of which this is book one) looks much like the Mediterranean and surrounding areas, though without the long “boot” of Italy. It is an imagined world, though somewhat grounded in ours, with words and names similar enough to be familiar, but foreign enough to be new. The cultures, too, seem vaguely familiar, even to the point of monks who follow the Daoist Way.
But this is not the history of our earth, despite the similarities. In this world, there is a ruling cult, called Mann that preaches embracing the flesh and is bent on conquering the entire known world. Its society & politics remind one of ancient Rome, with plots to capture the throne, crazed rulers keeping the masses entertained by gladiatorial games, etc.
Still opposing it, even after 10 years of siege and war is the loose confederation of the Mercian Free Ports. The people here still follow Daoism, and are fighting to remain free.
And into this mix of politics and conquest are the Roshun – a society of assassins who train both mind & body using Daoist principles, and who avenge the deaths of those who have purchased their protection. (Think Ninja + Jedi and you get the picture of who they are.)
The book mostly follows an older, and dying, Roshun named Ash, who takes on an apprentice, Nico, a young man living on the streets in Al-Khos, the largest city of the Mercian Free Ports. Ash had always avoided taking on an apprentice, but, knowing his end is near, he nearly randomly chooses Nico, as he catches Nico trying to burgle his room. They go back to the Roshun monastery in the remote mountains (again, this evokes images of the monks of the Shaolin Temple) and Nico begins his training.
Meanwhile, the heir of the Mannian matriarch kills a young woman who wears the Roshun seal of protection. This launches a vendetta in which Ash and young Nico are main players.
The book switches back and forth among several main characters/storylines, keeping the pace quite brisk. We get to see the depravity of the Manninan rulers (though thankfully, not too terribly graphic), their plots to at last take the Mercian Free Ports, and their personal paranoia. We also follow a soldier of Al-Khos, where we see the devastating effects of the long war/siege. And we follow Ash & Nico.
All of this is quite skillfully woven together, in a world that Buchanon does a masterful job of making real. While some things are maybe a little too clichéd (master “jedi” and his apprentice), things do not always follow to form, which is refreshing. We definitely feel the grit and pain of hand-to-hand combat, and it is not in any way glorified. The pacing of the book is quite good, and I found myself ripping through the last half, wanting to know the outcome, which, while leaving open the door for book two, was not quite what I expected.
I thoroughly enjoyed the world created by the author, and do look forward to the 2nd book!

NOTE: The copy of the book I read was an advanced reader’s copy – this book will not be published in the US until January 2011. However, it has been published in Great Britain, so it may be possible to find a copy online, somewhere.

[FantasyWereld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het keizerrijk Mann is onder leiding van de Heilige Matriarch Sasheen bezig met een veroveringstocht die zijn weerga niet kent. Rijk na rijk valt onder hun expansiedrift en slechts de eilandenconfederatie van Mercia en de handelsstad Bar-Khos met zijn machtige muren weten zich nog teweer te stellen. Temidden van deze grootschalige oorlog leeft op een voor buitenstaanders onbekende locatie een groep huurmoordenaars met hun eigen idealen. Wanneer de perverse zoon van de Heilige Matriarch op hun dodenlijstje komt te staan, worden de ogen van Mann echter ook op hen gericht en is niemand meer veilig. Huurmoordenaars tegen een wereldrijk, dat thema hebben we al eens eerder gezien. De vraag is of de uitwerking van Buchanan in dit debuut overtuigend genoeg is.

Roshun
Het verhaal begint bij Ash, een van de huurmoordenaars die zichzelf Roshun noemen. Mensen kunnen bij hen via tussenhandelaren hangers kopen, die je in geval van moord zullen garanderen dat je dood gewroken zal worden. Ze worden uiteraard voornamelijk gekocht voor hun preventieve werking, maar desondanks zijn de Roshun in de hele wereld actief om hun zogenoemde vendetta uit te voeren. Ash is al op leeftijd en lijdt bovendien aan een ernstige ziekte, waardoor hij tijdens een moord in de problemen komt. In opdracht van zijn orde neemt hij daarom met tegenzin een leerling aan om hem op te volgen. Dit wordt Nico, een jongeman die in de belegerde stad Bar-Khos Ash probeert te bestelen om aan eten te komen.

Waar Farlander begint met een actievolle vendetta, valt de vaart helaas al snel weer weg als Nico in beeld komt. Hij wordt opgeleid tot Roshun, een traject die uitgebreid wordt beschreven. Nico blijkt geen natuurtalent, maar toch komen Ash en Nico, die door externe invloeden op elkaar zijn aangewezen, langzaam dichter bij elkaar. Ash blijft een groot mysterie (wat hem alleen maar interessanter maakt!), maar Nico’s achtergrond wordt goed uitgediept. Hij is geen typische boerenjongen die uitgroeit tot held, maar weet zich steeds maar ternauwernood te handhaven in de wereld. Hierdoor is zijn personage geloofwaardig en ga je steeds meer met hem meeleven.

Meer lezen? Klik dan hier voor de volledige recensie: http://www.fantasywereld.nl/recensies...

[Matthew Doucette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It is probably going to one of my favorites for a long time. The story takes place in the Heart of the World. Its a classic fantasy world. There is little magic. Im not sure if calling it magic is correct. Its more of unexplainable phenomenon that is just excepted by the characters. The good thing about it is that it isnt used all the time as a cop out to save people. "OH YOU DIED?!?!? HUZZAH!!! LIFE SPELL SUCKA!!!!" That really made me happy. The tools of this world are a unique brand of steam punk fused with good old swords and gunpowder. The story begins with the expert and somewhat older assassin named Ash. Part of the secret order known as The Roshan, he has been dieing and is finally convinced to take on an apprentice. He travels to the city of Bar-Khos where a young boy named Nico tries to steal from him. Ash is impressed and makes him his apprentice. Nico trains and becomes a fairly impressive warrior. His first assignment before becoming a full fledged assassin is one he must complete with his master Ash. The crazy old oracle dude (he can see everything and can interpet the universe to know who needs to die, but his power isnt used for self because the universe doesnt need him too. he bets on somthing and knows he will lose because the universe said he needed to bet. he is completely selfless) gives out all the missions. There mission is to kill the prince of this extremely powerful nation/religiouscrazyhouse. Ash and Nico then set out to kill him.

I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants an adventure with some actual originality.

[Jacqie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was just hoping for more.

I've been disappointed with my epic fantasy this year- I can't think of much that's really sucked me in, except for "Dragon's Path" by Daniel Abraham. Everything else has been okay but not great, bloated sequels that don't justify the amount of paper used to produce them, or unimaginative writing. Even Peter Beagle's newest short story collection failed to grab me, and that's unheard of.

So there was nothing really wrong with this book, but after 60 pages, instead of reading more I decided a nap was more interesting. The Roshun could be interesting, but I didn't find out much about them. I liked Ash, but Nico was just a standard youngster who needed to find a place in the world.

And for all the difficulty of reading Kate Elliott's latest, her alternate world was head and shoulders above this one, which wasn't quite Earth and wasn't really anything else. I got the sense that the bones and workings of the world hadn't really been thought out, but cultural trappings were being borrowed. Same with the Roshun, really, which seems to be a mixture of Sicilian vendetta culture and Zen Buddhism....?

I was hoping for a new author that would knock my socks off, but got what wasn't a bad book, but not one that was the engrossing read that I wanted. I don't think I'm spoiled for fantasy yet- I hope not. Where's that next book?

[Sean Hannifin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smooth writing and well-paced action made for a nice page-turner. Unfortunately is was also a bit anticlimactic and had a real downer of an ending. Still, definitely hope to read the next in the series.

[Dmitry · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the plot of the book is interesting, it lacks both originality and oomph, either of which makes a book to be hard to put down. Too many events in the book are easily predictable and the action takes too long to gain momentum.

The somewhat hard to read language is further weighted down by side trails that lead to nowhere. Some of the scenes are there and appear to be important, but then are abandoned without any connection to the main plot. The author randomly starts going into too detailed descriptions of minor items, droning on and on, and omits what seems like important touches for the major ones.

A book about assassins is expected to have violence in abundance, but this one lapses into some unnecessarily gory pits. The dark background of the entire book leaves a heavy feeling lingering for a long time after the reading is over.

Despite these major shortfalls, I gave it 2 starts, rather than 1, because I managed to finish the book and remained interested in the characters and the outcome. However, I am passing on the sequel.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but it just somehow didn't satisfy. A world in strife with names that sound like this one and then names that don't and I just had moments where I wanted him to call a smeerp a rabbit or a rabbit a smeerp but be consistent and just do it. This is a bit of a pet peeve and tends to break my suspension of disbelief.

The world is being overrun by the Holy Empire of Mann, which appears to be a religion of excesses and believe in control. It's a story of a farlander called Ash and his apprentice called Nico and their quest to avenge someone who was killed by the Empire and how their lives are changed by this quest.

It's not a bad read but it just plodded along in several people's shoes, it reminded me of Gemmell, Kurtz and Martin and it just made me want to revisit the first two.

[Adam Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifty years ago, the Holy Empire of Mann was born when a nihilistic urban cult conquered the city of Q'os. In the decades since then, it has overrun the shores of two continents, conquering all the lands of the Mideres Sea aside from the islands known as the Mercian Free Ports and the powerful Alhazii Caliphate to the east, the source of the Empire's gunpowder.

For ten years the Empire has besieged the Mercian city of Bar-Khos. Despite the Empire's military power, the walls of Bar-Khos have continued to defy them, but the city is overflowing with refugees and keeping the supply lines to the east open is becoming increasingly difficult. One refugee, Nico, is driven to thievery by starvation and poverty, but finds that his latest choice of target was rather ill-chosen...

Meanwhile, the son and heir of the Holy Matriarch of Mann has killed a woman protected by the Roshun, the vendetta assassins pledged to avenge the death of their clients. Despite the prince-priest's power and guards, the Roshun are pledged to vengeance, even if carrying out this task will plunge them into war with the greatest and most ruthless nation in the world.

Farlander is the first volume of The Heart of the World, a rollicking old-school epic fantasy with a few modern twists. Even the map recalls the 1980s output of Raymond E. Feist (i.e. when he was still good), whilst the political set-up, the religious fundamentalist 'evil empire' (though it is drawn in somewhat more depth than that) and the 'callow young apprentice assassin hero' are all somewhat familiar. However, as with Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself the author here succeeds in making you believe you're reading something very familiar indeed when the story suddenly spins on a dime and throws you off on a different course altogether. There's relatively little magic, its role in the story being replaced by various forms of technology (including possibly organic bio-tech in the form of the Roshun seals) such as cannons, gunpowder rifles and airships which are rationed from the mysterious Islands of Sky, which give rise to smoke-and-cordite battle sequences reminiscent of Buchanan's fellow Northern Irish fantasy author Paul Kearney.

Characterisation is strong, with Nico an engaging (if somewhat familiar) protagonist and Ash an effective older mentor character past his best but still capable of dispatching hordes of city guard extras when required (if there's a film, expect him to be played by Liam Neeson). Other characters are more interesting, such as Kira (the mother of the Mannian Patriarch), but are kept intriguingly off-screen, hopefully to play larger roles later on. Buchanan writes with an effectively ruthless but concise style (one benefit of rising paper prices is that what would once have been flabby 600-page fantasies are now kept to a lean 350 pages or so, which is welcome) which is still gripping.

Complaints are few. There are a few characters clearly present only because they play a role in future books, but have little to do here (although this early set-up may be preferable to them just showing up out of nowhere later on). The incongruous mix of gunpowder technology, mysticism (there's no magic, but a few prophetic dreams crop up) and swords-and-shields also probably needs a little more explanation than what we get in this first book, but these are mostly minor issues.

Farlander (****) is a solid, engaging opening novel in a new fantasy series which initially appears to be playing it safe before throwing the readers some pretty big curveballs in the closing acts which are refreshingly realistic and leave the story on an enticing cliffhanger. The book is available now in the UK and on import in the USA.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ash era pe jumătate mort de frig când l-au târât în sala fortăreței de gheață și l-au aruncat la picioarele regelui lor. S-a prăbușit pe blănuri cu un icnet surprins, trupul tremurându-i din toate încheieturile. Respirația sa întretăiată împroșca aerul cu trâmbe de abur și nu-și dorea decât să se ghemuiască în jurul căldurii firave a inimii sale.

Fusese dezbrăcat de blănuri, iar acum zăcea doar în lenjeria de lână, cu pliurile înghețate. Îi luaseră și sabia. Era singur. Totuși părea că în mijlocul sălii fusese azvârlit un animal sălbatic. Țăranii strigau în sala plină de fum, iar războinicii sporovăiau să prindă curaj, țopăind cu grijă în jurul lui și împungându-l în coaste cu vârfurile de os ale sulițelor. Aburul se înălța precum fumul din trupul străinului, iar respirația lui împrăștia norișori pe deasupra blănurilor încâlcite și pline de păduchi. Între expirații, pe craniul lui se vedeau broboane de apă ce îi alunecau pe lângă sprâncenele pline de promoroacă și pleoapele ridate, picurând apoi de pe pomeții ascuțiți, de pe nas și de pe barbă. Sub pojghița de gheață care i se topea pe față, pielea îi era la fel de neagră precum apa nopții.

Dintr-odată, strigătele de spaimă s-au întețit și părea că băștinașii înfricoșați aveau să-i facă felul chiar acolo, pe podea.

― Brushka, a strigat regele de pe tronul de oase.

Vocea venea din adâncul pieptului său, răsunând printre coloanele de gheață înșirate de-a lungul sălii și întorcându-se la el din înaltul cupolei. Războinicii au început să-i împingă pe țărani dincolo de draperiile ce acopereau arcada intrării. La început, aceștia s-au opus— veniseră acolo odată cu bătrânul străin, adus de furtună, și voiau neapărat să vadă ce avea să se întâmple cu el.

Dar Ash nu-și dădea seama de nimic din toate astea. Nici măcar împunsăturile sulițelor nu reușeau să-i trezească simțurile. În cele din urmă, l-a dezmeticit senzația de căldură, făcându-l să ridice capul de pe podea. Alături de el se afla un mangal de cupru, în care ardeau și fumegau oase și bucăți de untură.

A început să se târască spre căldură, iar sulițele s-au năpustit asupra lui, încercând să-l oprească. Războinicii au continuat să-l lovească chiar și după ce Ash s-a ghemuit lângă mangal, dar, cu toate că fiecare lovitură îl făcea să tresară, nu voia să se îndepărteze de el.

― Ak, ak! a urlat regele, iar porunca lui i-a obligat pe războinici să se dea înapoi.

În sală s-a lăsat tăcerea, întreruptă doar de sfârâitul flăcărilor și de respirația întretăiată a războinicilor, care păreau că tocmai terminaseră o cursă lungă. Apoi, din gâtlejul lui Ash s-a auzit— tare și limpede— un suspin de ușurare.

„Încă sunt în viață”, și-a zis surprins în sinea lui, ca într-un delir, pârjolit de dogoarea mangalului. Și-a încleștat pumnii, ca să simtă mai bine căldura mult râvnită, iar pielea palmelor a început să-l mănânce.

În cele din urmă, a ridicat privirea ca să-și evalueze situația. De jur împrejur a văzut trupuri înfometate, unse cu grăsime, mantii purtate ca niște ponchouri, ochi flămânzi și fețe supte, ușor disperate, străpunse de podoabe din os.

În total, erau nouă bărbați înarmați. În spatele lor, aștepta regele.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok,c onsidering this was a debut and the first in the series. Tho that does not mean it can get away with flaws. Here are some points that bothered me (short and sweet because I am tired):
- too broad. Nico was supposed to be the main character. Maybe along with Ash. But the author added several other povs which were sometimes necessary to understand the politcal situation of the world but they often were quite boring as you just couldn't care for the characters (Ché, Bahn, Kirkus were all tedious)
- Why did we invest so much time in Nico just to see him die at the end? Killing him off, scattered the story. I mean, what is a story when the main character is just gone in an unsatisfying way. Ash did not need to kill him. The way the situation was handled was a matter of lazy writing and no inspiration to try and find a way to save him. Then also, killing Nico barely made any impact on the story. (Maybe in the next book as Ash will try to kill Sasheen but I won't read that most likely. Or maybe I will... don't know yet). Anyway, Nico's death way unnecessary and unsatisfying to me.
- Lack of description caused confusion about objects and environments. Sometimes scenes were just not described well enough for me to invision what was going on. Maybe the author had trouble describing atmospheres but it made it somewhat had to hard to understand at some points.
- Taking a real object (like sigarettes, horses/zebras/parrots/cocaine) and giving it a different name does not make it unique or new. And then why are some other objects or animals just the same? (Rats, wolves) It does not make a lot of sense to me..

It sounds like I did not enjoy the book but that was not true. Overal it was an ok read, it was entertaining. But not life changing or whatever. 3 stars.

[Tactical_Glizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. It's mainly a hate relationship, but I digress. This book is very formulaic, boring, and unoriginal. I constantly wanted to put it down, but forced myself to keep going for some ungodly reason. The setting was very very basic. It was slight steampunk, and very very low magic. For a fantasy novel, it really did not have a lot of fantasy elements. It almost felt like historical fiction. The book had several subplots, one of which made me want to skip the entire chapter every time it came up.

The characters were pieces of cardboard. I did not care about any of them by the time the book was over. The villains were probably the worst part of this book. They were CARTOONISHLY evil. They were self mutilating, zealous, and completely unreasonable in their motives. In dungeons and dragons, players who play cartoonishly evil characters are called "stupid evil" in lieu of "chaotic evil." This label aptly applies to the Empire of Mann. Oh, the book also likes to ape names from real religions/places in the world too. That was another extremely immersion breaking thing for me as well.

Pros
* Ending that was interesting and made me wonder what the next books had. I will actually likely return to this series because of the ending, but it's not a top priority.

Cons
* Boring characters
* Boring setting
* Generic story
* Useless subplot
* Dry writing
* 1 dimensional villains
* Copied historical names