REVIEW: Conspiracy by A.C. Cobble
A.C. Cobble’s Conspiracy is a multi-POV epic fantasy with dragons in the skies, whispers on the wind, and daggers in the shadows. Trope-filled but razor sharp, Conspiracy is the first book in a dark, epic series that goes back to the roots of fantasy while still keeping things fresh.
“The conspirators involved in this plot are the two of you, a single dragon knight, a peasant, and a possible wizard who does not do magic?“
Conspiracy is about a country that has lost its king and has no heir. The nobles see the opportunity, as well as the country’s neighbor. Assassinations and war begin to bleed in reddened patches, and it’s up to our POV characters to get someone on the throne and staunch the blood flow, before it’s too late–before the eclipse.
I’m going to say something that generally raises red flags: Conspiracy is a love-letter to the genre of fantasy. Normally, when I hear that, I hear “discount Tolkien,” and stay far away. No offense to anyone who reads that, but it’s not my cup of tea. A.C. Cobble, however, makes me question my stance.
Conspiracy is full of classic fantasy tropes: the orphaned farm boy on a path of destiny, the duty-bound knight who disdains nobles, the greedy nobles who will do anything for power. The list goes on and on, and the book offers very few mind-bending ideas.
But something about Conspiracy just works.
A.C. Cobble has tons of talent and his writing has this factor that I can only describe as compulsively readable. At no point in Conspiracy was I bored. The dialogue, the prose, the action, the world-building, it all just comes together.
The best metaphor I have for it is that it’s like holding the family long-sword. It’s familiar, it’s comfortable, it’s been used many times, it gets the job done, and it’s sharp.
Now, while it is mostly familiar, there are a few welcome moments of character work and action that are so dark that it borders on morally black instead of morally grey. The Wizard and the Emperor especially, they offer shade and keep a dark undercurrent throughout the book. Conspiracy is hard to describe because it is classic fantasy, it is epic fantasy, and it is grimdark. I don’t know how Cobble pulled it off, but he did.
The character work is really solid throughout. We see a wide cast of characters (titled by their trope, such as “The Boy”) and it’s easy to quickly fall in love with each one. Only one of these POVs didn’t work for me, and that may strictly be because we only see him for one chapter.
My favorite character from Conspiracy is a side character who First Law fans are bound to appreciate. Cobble takes an interesting approach with this character, where he’s busy but hands-on, and he believes in a good rope and some can-do attitude. While I’m eager to read more of this character, I’d read on for the POVs I grew attached to.
Cobble’s action is great. It’s visceral and real and it offers a nice combination of magic, costs, and danger. There’s one particular action scene near the very end I’ll be thinking of for quite some time.
“People were like that, reluctant to accept truth if it came without a story. There should have been a story.”
I’ve already said this, but Conspiracy is trope-filled. That can be a positive or a negative, depending on the reader. It’s not the book that makes you go “I gotta tell everyone about this,” it’s the book you read by a fire with a dog sleeping next to you while snow falls.
If you’re looking for a true love letter to fantasy that lives up to the promise of a good story and is unerringly solid, compulsively readable, and sharpened for modern audiences, A.C. Cobble’s Conspiracy is a perfect fit.
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