Review of The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker

The Emperor’s Edge is the first book available in Lindsay Buroker’s extensive fantasy-steampunk series and is an entertaining story with some interesting characters only let down by falling into some repetitive tropes and vagueness in setting.

The first thing worth pointing out is that this book is permanently free. It is the first book I have ever picked up for free randomly and I was pleasantly surprised. The quality of writing is good, though the style is simple for the sake of moving the action along quickly. I soon realised the reason for this being free is that it is the first in a series of seven (or by now, perhaps more) books. I don’t have a problem with this sales tactic at all (it worked on me – I enjoyed the first book enough to purchase the second) but it is worth knowing that if you become invested in this series, you will be in it for a while.

Anyway, the story itself starts off very quickly with a range of interesting characters, all of whom have some intriguing background elements. And speaking of backgrounds, I liked the idea of combining certain elements of fantasy with steampunk. The pace of the story always moves quickly from one part of the adventure to another.

I liked this book a lot, so why not five stars? The main reason is that the story, which starts out as a very interesting novel, falls into the usual traps that dog large series. The characters become more one-dimensional as time passes, becoming more like caricatures of themselves that repeat the same actions or reactions again and again. The background also becomes less vivid, the steampunk features becoming less pronounced as the story goes on, at times feeling like a near modern-day setting with swords.

Despite this, I still recommend giving The Emperor’s Edge a try. You can’t really go wrong with the price and it is an entertaining story. Just don’t expect too much of the characters or the steampunk setting and you will be in for an entertaining read.