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The Eye of the Lion Saga #1
Dead God's Due
The end of the world approaches. The people don't believe. They don't even remember.
Yazid Valerion is alone with the truth, but his warnings fall on deaf ears. His people are far more concerned about the wars of today and tomorrow than those of the past.
Eons ago, the Dead God promised a world of ash, and the time of that prophecy is now at hand. His only hope is to cross the sea with his few followers in search of ancient enemies, the Meites, and pray he can sway them to his cause. But the Meites are no mere mortals; they are powerful sorcerers prone to outbursts of destructive terror. Even if he can find them, there's no guarantee they won't slaughter him and his men upon first sight.
Perhaps there is no way to change the prophesy of a god. If not, then Yazid will die well. For a warrior knows, it is better to die fighting than trembling in fear of the final blow.
Yazid Valerion is alone with the truth, but his warnings fall on deaf ears. His people are far more concerned about the wars of today and tomorrow than those of the past.
Eons ago, the Dead God promised a world of ash, and the time of that prophecy is now at hand. His only hope is to cross the sea with his few followers in search of ancient enemies, the Meites, and pray he can sway them to his cause. But the Meites are no mere mortals; they are powerful sorcerers prone to outbursts of destructive terror. Even if he can find them, there's no guarantee they won't slaughter him and his men upon first sight.
Perhaps there is no way to change the prophesy of a god. If not, then Yazid will die well. For a warrior knows, it is better to die fighting than trembling in fear of the final blow.
280 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2012
About the author
Matthew P. Gilbert
15 books25 followersMatt Gilbert, in addition to being a fiction author, is a professional video game developer; a veteran; a columnist for his local newspaper; and the father of three wild boys and two wild girls. He was born and raised in Woodbury, GA, and has been on watch for zombies ever since.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 8, 2018
Plot:
The book opens with a fairly long prologue, it takes up 9% of the book and sets up the world and the events to come in the rest of the book. A man named the Monster was captured and executed after several failed attempts, the man was seemingly undead. They tried to hang him but he hung there kicking for over an hour. His eyes had been gouged out but he could still see. They ended up burning him, but he was laughing about it appearing to be in no pain. He called on hundreds of thousands of ravens that swarmed in the sky weaving in and out of each other forming prophetic visions in the sky. The Monster said that the sleeping god would awake in the distant future, and with it would come ruin.
Many years later a group of people are discussing the writings of a man from the prologue, which discusses the prophecy. Yazir believes in it and wants to go investigate it, he brings with him his apprentice, Ahmed to go venturing to the city where the prophecy takes place.
Yazir and Ahmed end up in a northern city called Nilhos that’s run by the empress Kariana, who’s both a drunk and a drug addict. They encounter a group of soldiers and try to make a peaceful introduction, but things go very poorly.
Aiul is a healer and a nobleman who lives in the same city, he’s currently married to a commoner which is driving his mother insane. She wanted him to marry Kariana, but really, anyone other than a commoner would do. Kariana is insane, and constantly tries to separate Aiul from his wife to make him the Emperor, but he wants nothing to do with it.
Kariana eventually ends up with Yazir’s and Ahmed’s fate in her hands, which is not a good thing.
There is a lot going on with the plot in this book, a lot of backstabbing and betrayal and general moral ambiguity.
Final Score: 8/10
----------------------------------------------
Characters:
Yazir and Ahmed are from the southern end of the world and have a very strict sense of honor and duty and strength. Being weak in their culture is essentially the worst thing you can be, everything in this culture seems to revolve around strength. Ahmed is a very headstrong and bold character with a magical gift called ‘sight’ but it’s not the prophetic kind of sight. He’s able to touch maps and tell where evil resides and helps his team try and track down where this prophecy all stems from.
Kariana is absolutely batshit insane, reading her chapters were infuriating. Think Cersei Lannister who has access to hardcore drugs. She’s paranoid, infatuated with herself, highly sexual and manipulative. She abuses her power over Aiul making him do things he wouldn’t have without her directly commanding him, and it’s ruining his life. She makes horrible decisions and is generally a terrible person. An interesting character study on drugs and addiction mixed with a narcissistic personality.
Aiul is a healer and a nobleman in the city, a descendant of Amrath, a scholar who wrote down some of the first laws of the city. He tries to be a decent person, but given his ties to Kariana, his character is grey at best. He’s seen by others as someone who wants to be the hero, someone who dries tears and makes things better.
Narelki is Aiuls mother, the Elder of house Amrath, and is one sassy old lady, she’s scared of no one. The empress Kariana comes to her during an emotional meltdown, and when Kariana doesn’t get what she wants she screams at Narekli “Fuck you!” Nareklis response was, “I shall have to decline that offer. I prefer my partners to have some discretion” mocking her for being publicly promiscuous.
Cealwyn is the captain of the guard for Nilhos, he’s a stern and rigid man, adhering to rules and regulations, so much so that his nickname is “Stone”. He’s loyal to his men and his city, and has a decent head on his shoulders.
All of these characters had fairly distinct voices, and they were all somewhat grey, there was no real hero in this story, just a bunch of people trying to get their end goals.
There was an interesting choice to do almost a transition from one group of POV’s in the first half of the book, to a totally different set of POV’s in the last half of the book. It worked okay for me because I knew what was going on when the POV’s switched, but I was kind of left wondering how the first group of POV’s (Ahmed, Yazir, Brutus) were fairing in the later chapters.
Final Score: 8/10
-------------------------------
World Building:
The beginning setting was somewhat middle eastern, the city where Yazir and Ahmed come from is in the middle of a desert, and the people there have very brown or nearly black skin.
Once the story moves on to the other cities, the culture and people change quite a bit and you experience the new cultures mostly through Ahmed’s eyes. He’s amazed at the sight of snow, and doesn’t understand why people would “let themselves be slaves”. He believes that any person who doesn’t die fighting for their freedom deserve to be slaves.
This is a fairly low magic story, there were a couple mentions of supernatural or fantastical things happening, there are some mentions of sorcerers and old magics, but most of it was more on the realistic side of things.
Ahmed sees other cultures as being ‘barbarians’ and it was interesting to see his views on law, he believes that laws are just superstitions that society has chosen to believe and that they mean nothing to him – so he sort of does as he pleases in foreign cities which gets them into trouble. He doesn’t understand the concept of a piece of paper with a seal on it governing how people behave.
Virginity isn’t a thing to be cherished in Nilhos society, it’s considered a shame to go to your marriage bed without knowing what you’re doing.
Slaves are used in the north, and Aiul has had the same slave since childhood, but he isn’t cruel to him, they seem to have a rather loyal friendship and it resembles more of a servant relationship than anything. But, not all slaves in all cities are treated like that.
The people of Nilhos have little knowledge of the Southern lands, and fear another invasion – the last time it happened their ‘founders’ were overrun. Kariana responds to the southerners with fear, and will probably start a war over it.
There are a fair amount of drugs available to Kariana, it’s interesting to see that in fantasy because it doesn’t happen often.
Final Score: 8/10
-------------------------
Pacing/Prose/Tone
The tone is fairly bleak, and only gets bleaker as the book goes on – it actually ends on a really fucked up scene that left me feeling kind of icky. The world itself isn’t really grim dark, there aren’t any monsters taking over, or undead hordes eating people or the typical things you associate with that genre, but man, no happy endings here.
The pacing was kind of slower, mostly because POVs were still being introduced after the halfway point of the book. I will say that you already know the POV’s being introduced, so it wasn’t jarring, but it did make things go kind of slower.
It’s an interesting writing choice to have the prologue take up so much of the book, but since it was relevant to the plot in chapter one it didn’t bother me.
Pacing Final Score: 7/10
Writing Final Score: 7.5/10
---------------------------------------------------------
Originality:
Much of this book stood out as fresh - the middle eastern setting, PoC main POV's, drug addicted empresses. The more I read the more originality matters to me, it's redudant to read the same settings with the same character types over and over again. I also really liked that there's no clear hero here.
Final Score: 8.5/10
-----------------------------------------------------------
Audience:
For people who like multi pov
For people who like unique settings and characters
For people who like low magic fantasy
For people who like bleaker stories
For people who like grey characters
For people who like backstabbing and treachery
For people who like politics
Not for people who don’t like cursing, 23 fucks given
---------------------------------------------
Wrap Up:
This book managed to be different from most things I’ve read for SPFBO, and I really enjoy when something is able to read fresh for me. It’s getting harder and harder to do with how much I read.
I can’t say I really loved any of the characters, but that’s what happens when you have a cast of grey characters where it’s easy to object to their decisions and morality. It was interestingly done though, the cultures were well developed and it kept my attention enough to have me read this in one sitting.
This is one of those books that I liked reading, but left me feeling kind of ick due to how it ended, this definitely won’t be for someone who’s looking for something lighter. I’ll probably need to read a comedy after this. (I also just came off several darker books)
--------------------------------------------------------
Final Score: 47/60 or 7.83/10
The book opens with a fairly long prologue, it takes up 9% of the book and sets up the world and the events to come in the rest of the book. A man named the Monster was captured and executed after several failed attempts, the man was seemingly undead. They tried to hang him but he hung there kicking for over an hour. His eyes had been gouged out but he could still see. They ended up burning him, but he was laughing about it appearing to be in no pain. He called on hundreds of thousands of ravens that swarmed in the sky weaving in and out of each other forming prophetic visions in the sky. The Monster said that the sleeping god would awake in the distant future, and with it would come ruin.
Many years later a group of people are discussing the writings of a man from the prologue, which discusses the prophecy. Yazir believes in it and wants to go investigate it, he brings with him his apprentice, Ahmed to go venturing to the city where the prophecy takes place.
Yazir and Ahmed end up in a northern city called Nilhos that’s run by the empress Kariana, who’s both a drunk and a drug addict. They encounter a group of soldiers and try to make a peaceful introduction, but things go very poorly.
Aiul is a healer and a nobleman who lives in the same city, he’s currently married to a commoner which is driving his mother insane. She wanted him to marry Kariana, but really, anyone other than a commoner would do. Kariana is insane, and constantly tries to separate Aiul from his wife to make him the Emperor, but he wants nothing to do with it.
Kariana eventually ends up with Yazir’s and Ahmed’s fate in her hands, which is not a good thing.
There is a lot going on with the plot in this book, a lot of backstabbing and betrayal and general moral ambiguity.
Final Score: 8/10
----------------------------------------------
Characters:
Yazir and Ahmed are from the southern end of the world and have a very strict sense of honor and duty and strength. Being weak in their culture is essentially the worst thing you can be, everything in this culture seems to revolve around strength. Ahmed is a very headstrong and bold character with a magical gift called ‘sight’ but it’s not the prophetic kind of sight. He’s able to touch maps and tell where evil resides and helps his team try and track down where this prophecy all stems from.
Kariana is absolutely batshit insane, reading her chapters were infuriating. Think Cersei Lannister who has access to hardcore drugs. She’s paranoid, infatuated with herself, highly sexual and manipulative. She abuses her power over Aiul making him do things he wouldn’t have without her directly commanding him, and it’s ruining his life. She makes horrible decisions and is generally a terrible person. An interesting character study on drugs and addiction mixed with a narcissistic personality.
Aiul is a healer and a nobleman in the city, a descendant of Amrath, a scholar who wrote down some of the first laws of the city. He tries to be a decent person, but given his ties to Kariana, his character is grey at best. He’s seen by others as someone who wants to be the hero, someone who dries tears and makes things better.
Narelki is Aiuls mother, the Elder of house Amrath, and is one sassy old lady, she’s scared of no one. The empress Kariana comes to her during an emotional meltdown, and when Kariana doesn’t get what she wants she screams at Narekli “Fuck you!” Nareklis response was, “I shall have to decline that offer. I prefer my partners to have some discretion” mocking her for being publicly promiscuous.
Cealwyn is the captain of the guard for Nilhos, he’s a stern and rigid man, adhering to rules and regulations, so much so that his nickname is “Stone”. He’s loyal to his men and his city, and has a decent head on his shoulders.
All of these characters had fairly distinct voices, and they were all somewhat grey, there was no real hero in this story, just a bunch of people trying to get their end goals.
There was an interesting choice to do almost a transition from one group of POV’s in the first half of the book, to a totally different set of POV’s in the last half of the book. It worked okay for me because I knew what was going on when the POV’s switched, but I was kind of left wondering how the first group of POV’s (Ahmed, Yazir, Brutus) were fairing in the later chapters.
Final Score: 8/10
-------------------------------
World Building:
The beginning setting was somewhat middle eastern, the city where Yazir and Ahmed come from is in the middle of a desert, and the people there have very brown or nearly black skin.
Once the story moves on to the other cities, the culture and people change quite a bit and you experience the new cultures mostly through Ahmed’s eyes. He’s amazed at the sight of snow, and doesn’t understand why people would “let themselves be slaves”. He believes that any person who doesn’t die fighting for their freedom deserve to be slaves.
This is a fairly low magic story, there were a couple mentions of supernatural or fantastical things happening, there are some mentions of sorcerers and old magics, but most of it was more on the realistic side of things.
Ahmed sees other cultures as being ‘barbarians’ and it was interesting to see his views on law, he believes that laws are just superstitions that society has chosen to believe and that they mean nothing to him – so he sort of does as he pleases in foreign cities which gets them into trouble. He doesn’t understand the concept of a piece of paper with a seal on it governing how people behave.
Virginity isn’t a thing to be cherished in Nilhos society, it’s considered a shame to go to your marriage bed without knowing what you’re doing.
Slaves are used in the north, and Aiul has had the same slave since childhood, but he isn’t cruel to him, they seem to have a rather loyal friendship and it resembles more of a servant relationship than anything. But, not all slaves in all cities are treated like that.
The people of Nilhos have little knowledge of the Southern lands, and fear another invasion – the last time it happened their ‘founders’ were overrun. Kariana responds to the southerners with fear, and will probably start a war over it.
There are a fair amount of drugs available to Kariana, it’s interesting to see that in fantasy because it doesn’t happen often.
Final Score: 8/10
-------------------------
Pacing/Prose/Tone
The tone is fairly bleak, and only gets bleaker as the book goes on – it actually ends on a really fucked up scene that left me feeling kind of icky. The world itself isn’t really grim dark, there aren’t any monsters taking over, or undead hordes eating people or the typical things you associate with that genre, but man, no happy endings here.
The pacing was kind of slower, mostly because POVs were still being introduced after the halfway point of the book. I will say that you already know the POV’s being introduced, so it wasn’t jarring, but it did make things go kind of slower.
It’s an interesting writing choice to have the prologue take up so much of the book, but since it was relevant to the plot in chapter one it didn’t bother me.
Pacing Final Score: 7/10
Writing Final Score: 7.5/10
---------------------------------------------------------
Originality:
Much of this book stood out as fresh - the middle eastern setting, PoC main POV's, drug addicted empresses. The more I read the more originality matters to me, it's redudant to read the same settings with the same character types over and over again. I also really liked that there's no clear hero here.
Final Score: 8.5/10
-----------------------------------------------------------
Audience:
For people who like multi pov
For people who like unique settings and characters
For people who like low magic fantasy
For people who like bleaker stories
For people who like grey characters
For people who like backstabbing and treachery
For people who like politics
Not for people who don’t like cursing, 23 fucks given
---------------------------------------------
Wrap Up:
This book managed to be different from most things I’ve read for SPFBO, and I really enjoy when something is able to read fresh for me. It’s getting harder and harder to do with how much I read.
I can’t say I really loved any of the characters, but that’s what happens when you have a cast of grey characters where it’s easy to object to their decisions and morality. It was interestingly done though, the cultures were well developed and it kept my attention enough to have me read this in one sitting.
This is one of those books that I liked reading, but left me feeling kind of ick due to how it ended, this definitely won’t be for someone who’s looking for something lighter. I’ll probably need to read a comedy after this. (I also just came off several darker books)
--------------------------------------------------------
Final Score: 47/60 or 7.83/10
August 11, 2019
I liked the idea of this story, and was happy to jump at a chance to have a listen, Sadly, it didn't really appeal to me on many levels. Even the silver tongue of Ralph Lister couldn't save the day. Here some things I didn't like:
1. It often sounded like I was listening to a bunch of drunks (dialogue, not narrator). They talked a lot of needless crap, and didn't really push the story forward
2. I think half the book is about the pursuit of sex. This is a thing for some people, but seriously, bring on the Dead God
3. The Empress sounds like a whiny teen. Maybe she is, but she spends a whole chapter begging to be rogered by the assumed hero, and the rest complaining about how bad life is. How about some toughness? No wonder everyone wants to kill her.
4. I can't say I liked a single character. They were all awful, and some were seriously tropey
However -
At times the dialogue and imagery was terrific, and there were moments that made me burst out laughing, and these moments saved it from 1 starness, nearly pushing it to 2.5. Maybe down the road I'll read it, and see if I can knock it up a bit. No pun intended.
1. It often sounded like I was listening to a bunch of drunks (dialogue, not narrator). They talked a lot of needless crap, and didn't really push the story forward
2. I think half the book is about the pursuit of sex. This is a thing for some people, but seriously, bring on the Dead God
3. The Empress sounds like a whiny teen. Maybe she is, but she spends a whole chapter begging to be rogered by the assumed hero, and the rest complaining about how bad life is. How about some toughness? No wonder everyone wants to kill her.
4. I can't say I liked a single character. They were all awful, and some were seriously tropey
However -
At times the dialogue and imagery was terrific, and there were moments that made me burst out laughing, and these moments saved it from 1 starness, nearly pushing it to 2.5. Maybe down the road I'll read it, and see if I can knock it up a bit. No pun intended.
February 13, 2020
Here we have the start to a grand tale with a wide scope that encompasses strange new cultures, lots of history, and a deep mythology that leaves the truth largely open to interpretation.
As always, Ralph Lister gives a phenomenal audio performance. His robust voice is perfect for this type of fantasy, in much the same vein as Roy Dotrice and Michael Kramer. His one failing, which he shares with Roy Dotrice's later work, is that he lacks the range to produce voices that sound young. Pretty much everyone in the book sounds middle-aged or older. Elsewise, however, his voices are nigh on perfect. His vocal inflections are fantastic, and his tempo shift throughout, while being on the subtle side, almost perfectly convey the tension of any given scene.
Now, as is my wont, I will largely forego any discussion of the plot. There are plenty of reviews already that give summaries of the plot.
The first thing that becomes immediately apparent is that Matthew Gilbert really knows his craft. The text is crisp, the details vivid, and the world building deep and thoughtful.
Although it takes a while to really get a sense for what's going on and how the various characters relate, eventually all the disparate POVs come together in a cohesive narrative of grandly epic scope.
Unfortunately, I have some issues.
The main one being completely a matter of taste. After so many fantasy epics that focus so strongly on the royal politics of various realms, I find myself utterly burned out on the trope. Between the Meites, the noble houses, the subplots involving the founders, and to an extent even the plots involving the Xanthians, I would say that something near 80% of the novel's conflict revolves around the politics of the nobility/royalty. And while if it's done in a new and unique way (such as in Phil Tucker's Chronicles of the Black Gate) it can hold my interest, here I really struggled to pay attention and get through it.
Secondarily, none of the characters grabbed me at all. While a few of them are interesting in their own way, I felt like no one got enough time to really be developed enough to make me really care about them. For a book with this many POV characters, I would have liked to see close on double the length so each character could really be explored.
I also couldn't look past the modernisms. Not only am I not generally fond of advanced sciences (such as anatomy; medical science, including hypodermics, anesthetics, advanced surgery, etc; chemistry; etc.) in fantasy stories, particularly when they exist in a society deemed "primitive" or "barbaric," but for me the larger issue is the modern turns of phrase present in this book. Every time I hear one it throws me right out of the story. And yes, most modern curse words fall into the same general category for me. I just can't force myself to believe that a medieval society would use those words in the same way we do. Especially when I'm hearing a term like "bullsh*t," which appears to have been coined in the early 20th century, but certainly, based on etymology, could not have been in use before the 17th century.
Lastly, the length of the chapters was a struggle for me.
In general, I'm not fond of books that change POV within a chapter. And even less so books where the average chapter is more than 45 minutes long. My attention generally starts to wane after about the 30 minute mark. And although there are a few exceptions, most of the chapters in this book are in the 50 minutes to 1.5 hours range.
And finally, the ending.
The end actually comes together extraordinarily well. While I did see some of it coming, other aspects caught me completely by surprise, which was a pleasant shift from the norm. Although this is clearly the first book in a trilogy, as the ending is largely setting up the next book, the end brings several plot lines to a satisfactory close and leaves me curious as to where this is going and how it's going to get there.
As always, Ralph Lister gives a phenomenal audio performance. His robust voice is perfect for this type of fantasy, in much the same vein as Roy Dotrice and Michael Kramer. His one failing, which he shares with Roy Dotrice's later work, is that he lacks the range to produce voices that sound young. Pretty much everyone in the book sounds middle-aged or older. Elsewise, however, his voices are nigh on perfect. His vocal inflections are fantastic, and his tempo shift throughout, while being on the subtle side, almost perfectly convey the tension of any given scene.
Now, as is my wont, I will largely forego any discussion of the plot. There are plenty of reviews already that give summaries of the plot.
The first thing that becomes immediately apparent is that Matthew Gilbert really knows his craft. The text is crisp, the details vivid, and the world building deep and thoughtful.
Although it takes a while to really get a sense for what's going on and how the various characters relate, eventually all the disparate POVs come together in a cohesive narrative of grandly epic scope.
Unfortunately, I have some issues.
The main one being completely a matter of taste. After so many fantasy epics that focus so strongly on the royal politics of various realms, I find myself utterly burned out on the trope. Between the Meites, the noble houses, the subplots involving the founders, and to an extent even the plots involving the Xanthians, I would say that something near 80% of the novel's conflict revolves around the politics of the nobility/royalty. And while if it's done in a new and unique way (such as in Phil Tucker's Chronicles of the Black Gate) it can hold my interest, here I really struggled to pay attention and get through it.
Secondarily, none of the characters grabbed me at all. While a few of them are interesting in their own way, I felt like no one got enough time to really be developed enough to make me really care about them. For a book with this many POV characters, I would have liked to see close on double the length so each character could really be explored.
I also couldn't look past the modernisms. Not only am I not generally fond of advanced sciences (such as anatomy; medical science, including hypodermics, anesthetics, advanced surgery, etc; chemistry; etc.) in fantasy stories, particularly when they exist in a society deemed "primitive" or "barbaric," but for me the larger issue is the modern turns of phrase present in this book. Every time I hear one it throws me right out of the story. And yes, most modern curse words fall into the same general category for me. I just can't force myself to believe that a medieval society would use those words in the same way we do. Especially when I'm hearing a term like "bullsh*t," which appears to have been coined in the early 20th century, but certainly, based on etymology, could not have been in use before the 17th century.
Lastly, the length of the chapters was a struggle for me.
In general, I'm not fond of books that change POV within a chapter. And even less so books where the average chapter is more than 45 minutes long. My attention generally starts to wane after about the 30 minute mark. And although there are a few exceptions, most of the chapters in this book are in the 50 minutes to 1.5 hours range.
And finally, the ending.
The end actually comes together extraordinarily well. While I did see some of it coming, other aspects caught me completely by surprise, which was a pleasant shift from the norm. Although this is clearly the first book in a trilogy, as the ending is largely setting up the next book, the end brings several plot lines to a satisfactory close and leaves me curious as to where this is going and how it's going to get there.
May 7, 2018
Too many characters, too much politics
Overall, I found this book frustrating and not particularly satisfying. Numerous semi-historical references, (one of the main deities involved was Ilaweh, for instance) and hints of a mid-eastern culture intermixed with too many characters popping up, doing something, and disappearing.
Hard to find a hero or protagonist the magic felt like pop-up 2D props.
Overall, I found this book frustrating and not particularly satisfying. Numerous semi-historical references, (one of the main deities involved was Ilaweh, for instance) and hints of a mid-eastern culture intermixed with too many characters popping up, doing something, and disappearing.
Hard to find a hero or protagonist the magic felt like pop-up 2D props.
November 20, 2019
Starts off a little slow but picks up. Interesting characters and world.
January 6, 2019
This book surprised me, and not quite in a good way. I had absolutely no idea where it was going at first, and I didn’t even fully understand the point of the prologue until the end of the book, which had me questioning why it was even included. The beginning prologue and first chapters usually give you a good impression of what’s to come, and I was a little blind-sided by what this story turned into.
My overall impression of the first part of this book was very Romanesque world, but the book suddenly shifts about six or so chapters into the novel to be more of a political, game of thrones cut-throat world where it’s about backstabbing and betrayal between houses. I personally enjoyed the beginning of this book more because I enjoyed the details of the world and the adventure of those characters as opposed to pages and pages of dialog and people yelling at one another.
Matt Gilbertt has a wonderful gift for description, which I wish came more through in the latter half of the book, though there wasn’t much opportunity for it. The last half basically takes place in the same setting, leaving no room for details other than facial expressions and colorful language. There are, however, some wonderful passages where you’re completely transported into the world with fresh details throughout the book, but they are few, and I find it a shame because I enjoyed them a lot.
The writing style, when the settings calls for it, is rich and detailed. The dialogue is well written. There were a couple on instances where more “modern” phrases and clichés were used (birthday cake, “sue me”, “pale in comparison”, pregnancy test, “need to know basis”), which kind of pulled me out of the original impression of the Roman world where very archaic words are used. Personally, I hate most modern phrases and words in fantasy, unless it’s in an Urban fantasy setting, and if I were beta-reading this, I would have noted them to be thought about by the author.
Totally a personal preference, but I was digging the ancient Roman feel to it.
I thought the story, once it veered off from the beginning, played out at good pace. There were a few scene changes I felt were too rush, particularly nearing the end where the character POV could have benefitted from being a little longer. This story is told in third person, omniscient, but with direct character thoughts which allow us a glimpse inside the characters’ heads to feel closer to them. This was very well done by the author, and I enjoyed that aspect.
The main plot mostly revolved around the Southlanders (the original main characters of the story) traveling to another place in hopes of discovering the ancient evil foretold by the prophecy (in an attempt to stop war, I believe—it was a little vague). There they meet the people living there who are afraid that is why they came and the political turmoil ensues.
I had a few characters I really liked, particularly the Southlander more Roman-type people. They were proud warriors, just like the Spartans, but we don’t get to see too much of their story after the shift. Maybe in book two? I liked their crude humor.
Despite all my critique, I did enjoy what the story ended up as. I feared for the characters’ lives, enjoyed the small respites and saw a world created by a talented author. My hopes for the the next book is that we get back to the magic and the power of the Meites that is barely touched upon in the first book. It’s hard to say where the second book will go, but judging from the first, I would say we’re heading back on course to the prophecy.
My overall impression of the first part of this book was very Romanesque world, but the book suddenly shifts about six or so chapters into the novel to be more of a political, game of thrones cut-throat world where it’s about backstabbing and betrayal between houses. I personally enjoyed the beginning of this book more because I enjoyed the details of the world and the adventure of those characters as opposed to pages and pages of dialog and people yelling at one another.
Matt Gilbertt has a wonderful gift for description, which I wish came more through in the latter half of the book, though there wasn’t much opportunity for it. The last half basically takes place in the same setting, leaving no room for details other than facial expressions and colorful language. There are, however, some wonderful passages where you’re completely transported into the world with fresh details throughout the book, but they are few, and I find it a shame because I enjoyed them a lot.
The writing style, when the settings calls for it, is rich and detailed. The dialogue is well written. There were a couple on instances where more “modern” phrases and clichés were used (birthday cake, “sue me”, “pale in comparison”, pregnancy test, “need to know basis”), which kind of pulled me out of the original impression of the Roman world where very archaic words are used. Personally, I hate most modern phrases and words in fantasy, unless it’s in an Urban fantasy setting, and if I were beta-reading this, I would have noted them to be thought about by the author.
Totally a personal preference, but I was digging the ancient Roman feel to it.
I thought the story, once it veered off from the beginning, played out at good pace. There were a few scene changes I felt were too rush, particularly nearing the end where the character POV could have benefitted from being a little longer. This story is told in third person, omniscient, but with direct character thoughts which allow us a glimpse inside the characters’ heads to feel closer to them. This was very well done by the author, and I enjoyed that aspect.
The main plot mostly revolved around the Southlanders (the original main characters of the story) traveling to another place in hopes of discovering the ancient evil foretold by the prophecy (in an attempt to stop war, I believe—it was a little vague). There they meet the people living there who are afraid that is why they came and the political turmoil ensues.
I had a few characters I really liked, particularly the Southlander more Roman-type people. They were proud warriors, just like the Spartans, but we don’t get to see too much of their story after the shift. Maybe in book two? I liked their crude humor.
Despite all my critique, I did enjoy what the story ended up as. I feared for the characters’ lives, enjoyed the small respites and saw a world created by a talented author. My hopes for the the next book is that we get back to the magic and the power of the Meites that is barely touched upon in the first book. It’s hard to say where the second book will go, but judging from the first, I would say we’re heading back on course to the prophecy.
December 17, 2018
I came into this book hearing that it had a ton of promise and that it was really going to be great. I think the story has a ton of promise but I'm just not sure I fully connected with it. I thought the pacing at times was slow but since this felt like a book to open a series and just lay some groundwork, it wasn't too terrible. There is a sense of where the story is about to go and there were some twists and turns so hopefully the author has some good ideas on book 2.
As far as the plot goes, there was a lot of political intrigue, a lot of scenes that depict sex went on, some scenes that said there was some fighting going on, and lots of personal back and forth between the main characters. To me, the prologue is how the entire book should have went. I felt there was a good deal of explanations that went on with what happened, but after the prologue it felt a bit lazy. The Southlanders supposedly got in a battle with the Nihlos guards but we don't see any of that. Instead we're told that they battled, we're told that they killed "X" amount of people and that none of their own were injured. I wish we would have seen the battle from Brutus, Sandilianus, or Yazid's point of view. One extra chapter on the battle wouldn't have killed this book, it would have given it some extra purpose. There was a magic system in the story as well but it really wasn't fleshed out in detail at all. I think there could be a purpose to this for setting up the rest of the series but I guess we will see. There was too much telling and not enough showing for me. The end of the book also was great, even if it was mostly taken up by political arguments.
Overall, this is a good but not great start. Hopefully the author will get better as the series goes on, which is normally the case (but not always). If you're looking for something that has a dark premise and the characters don't do what you want them to always do, this will be right up your alley. Also, if you love to read about politics and the backhandedness that happens during debates and behind closed doors, you will enjoy this a lot.
As far as the plot goes, there was a lot of political intrigue, a lot of scenes that depict sex went on, some scenes that said there was some fighting going on, and lots of personal back and forth between the main characters. To me, the prologue is how the entire book should have went. I felt there was a good deal of explanations that went on with what happened, but after the prologue it felt a bit lazy. The Southlanders supposedly got in a battle with the Nihlos guards but we don't see any of that. Instead we're told that they battled, we're told that they killed "X" amount of people and that none of their own were injured. I wish we would have seen the battle from Brutus, Sandilianus, or Yazid's point of view. One extra chapter on the battle wouldn't have killed this book, it would have given it some extra purpose. There was a magic system in the story as well but it really wasn't fleshed out in detail at all. I think there could be a purpose to this for setting up the rest of the series but I guess we will see. There was too much telling and not enough showing for me. The end of the book also was great, even if it was mostly taken up by political arguments.
Overall, this is a good but not great start. Hopefully the author will get better as the series goes on, which is normally the case (but not always). If you're looking for something that has a dark premise and the characters don't do what you want them to always do, this will be right up your alley. Also, if you love to read about politics and the backhandedness that happens during debates and behind closed doors, you will enjoy this a lot.
January 5, 2024
Started well but got too many The Judging Eye vibes. Even though I rate the Aspect Emperor series very highly I didn't want to tread that path again for now. So I stopped after a couple of chapters.
June 20, 2025
I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title within the series set box. (Audible)
It was a little hard to get into, with the narrator's stiffness to start giving a strained effect to the reader as if the text was bland and unintelligible.
However, the further into the tale, the more interesting it became.
It was a little hard to get into, with the narrator's stiffness to start giving a strained effect to the reader as if the text was bland and unintelligible.
However, the further into the tale, the more interesting it became.
July 27, 2019
This is a review of the audiobook, narrated by Ralph Lister, that runs 10 hrs, 34 min.
The book made in enjoying listen. It’s book one in a complex fantasy with political and quest elements. It sucked me in and I’m looking forward to book 2.
As an audiobook, it’s a compelling listen. I did find that it required attention that some genre fiction doesn’t. You have to pay attention or you’ll miss something. In that way, it reminded me of Game of Thrones. The drawback of this is that it took me longer to listen to than something that I could put mentally follow while doing more complex tasks. I think it was worth it. I couldn’t have driven and listened at the same time, but that’s just me.
Vocal characterizations were distinctive. You were always sure who was speaking. The narrator was expressive and highlighted dramatic moments.
The first chapter was very intense. Initially, I felt a bit lost but the feeling passed quickly. It’s a prologue that sets the stakes for the series. You step into the middle of an intense situation, and it’s a bit sudden.
After the first chapter, the pace of the story changes and I found it more to my liking. You’re introduced to the characters in scenes that illustrate who they are without the author having to tell you directly. At the same time, the plot is developing. All of the characters are developed to various degrees, and there are few characters without depth. Development isn’t always what you expect and the author keeps you on your toes.
The book is written in third person from multiple viewpoints. Some of the characters are more sympathetic than others. All are interesting, but I admit to enjoying some more than others.
This is the first book in a series. Because of this, the author can take the time to develop the characters and setting. The plot, at first glance, appears to be straightforward. The characters are on a quest. Over the course of the book the political situation of the setting develops, as does the historical and cultural context. This gives a depth to the story that adds complexity. The worldbuilding is very well done.
As book one in a saga, you don’t get full resolution. It breaks at a good point, and is enjoyable on it’s own. I suspect it will be better when heard in the context of the full series.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
The book made in enjoying listen. It’s book one in a complex fantasy with political and quest elements. It sucked me in and I’m looking forward to book 2.
As an audiobook, it’s a compelling listen. I did find that it required attention that some genre fiction doesn’t. You have to pay attention or you’ll miss something. In that way, it reminded me of Game of Thrones. The drawback of this is that it took me longer to listen to than something that I could put mentally follow while doing more complex tasks. I think it was worth it. I couldn’t have driven and listened at the same time, but that’s just me.
Vocal characterizations were distinctive. You were always sure who was speaking. The narrator was expressive and highlighted dramatic moments.
The first chapter was very intense. Initially, I felt a bit lost but the feeling passed quickly. It’s a prologue that sets the stakes for the series. You step into the middle of an intense situation, and it’s a bit sudden.
After the first chapter, the pace of the story changes and I found it more to my liking. You’re introduced to the characters in scenes that illustrate who they are without the author having to tell you directly. At the same time, the plot is developing. All of the characters are developed to various degrees, and there are few characters without depth. Development isn’t always what you expect and the author keeps you on your toes.
The book is written in third person from multiple viewpoints. Some of the characters are more sympathetic than others. All are interesting, but I admit to enjoying some more than others.
This is the first book in a series. Because of this, the author can take the time to develop the characters and setting. The plot, at first glance, appears to be straightforward. The characters are on a quest. Over the course of the book the political situation of the setting develops, as does the historical and cultural context. This gives a depth to the story that adds complexity. The worldbuilding is very well done.
As book one in a saga, you don’t get full resolution. It breaks at a good point, and is enjoyable on it’s own. I suspect it will be better when heard in the context of the full series.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
July 6, 2019
**3.5 stars**
Surprisingly enjoyable read full of backstabbing mania style political intrigue. I personally like morally grey characters and voila this book is filled to the brim with these character archetypes. Did I mention this book is DARK af? Gore galore. Not to mention drug abuse.
The book starts off with with the prologue in which an evil dead god who is sentenced to death cannot seem to die. He finally is burned away into ashes, taking a apocalyptic prophecy with him. This prophecy is the basis with which the Xanthians (probably based on stereotypical Spartans) travel north to prevent such a prophecy from occurring. What they don’t know is that the north had “Southerners” who invaded them before so a newbie empress Kariana becomes a wreck of a paranoid. And lo and behold the story turns into a complete clusterfuck. In a good way. I was expecting little at the beginning due to the multiple POVs and general confusion with names and places. I too easily dismissed characters in the beginning as completely typical bores but they really assumed a life of themselves in the second half of the story.
Sometimes the switching of character viewpoints was disjointed and felt out of place, but it had minimal impact on my experience. At other times I felt that the characters had too much irrational raging tantrums, but then I remembered the drug abuse, emotional problems, manipulation, paranoia, stress and etc. Mind you this book includes descriptive parts on gore/torture/murder, drugs, racism(well maybe closer to imperialistic attitudes...the world seems to be based on Athens/Sparta), slavery, cursing and on and on and on. Keep the kiddos away.
This book was obviously written as the first in a saga, so the world building/info dumping is to be expected. On to the next book!
Surprisingly enjoyable read full of backstabbing mania style political intrigue. I personally like morally grey characters and voila this book is filled to the brim with these character archetypes. Did I mention this book is DARK af? Gore galore. Not to mention drug abuse.
The book starts off with with the prologue in which an evil dead god who is sentenced to death cannot seem to die. He finally is burned away into ashes, taking a apocalyptic prophecy with him. This prophecy is the basis with which the Xanthians (probably based on stereotypical Spartans) travel north to prevent such a prophecy from occurring. What they don’t know is that the north had “Southerners” who invaded them before so a newbie empress Kariana becomes a wreck of a paranoid. And lo and behold the story turns into a complete clusterfuck. In a good way. I was expecting little at the beginning due to the multiple POVs and general confusion with names and places. I too easily dismissed characters in the beginning as completely typical bores but they really assumed a life of themselves in the second half of the story.
Sometimes the switching of character viewpoints was disjointed and felt out of place, but it had minimal impact on my experience. At other times I felt that the characters had too much irrational raging tantrums, but then I remembered the drug abuse, emotional problems, manipulation, paranoia, stress and etc. Mind you this book includes descriptive parts on gore/torture/murder, drugs, racism(well maybe closer to imperialistic attitudes...the world seems to be based on Athens/Sparta), slavery, cursing and on and on and on. Keep the kiddos away.
This book was obviously written as the first in a saga, so the world building/info dumping is to be expected. On to the next book!
July 26, 2019
This book tells what Yazid and his men had to live through along with the conspiracies of Nihlos, where Yazid hoped to find allies in. There's going to be a long road to get to the great evil that's coming.
I was curious if I was under the proper understanding when the book started as we spent most of the book in the political structure and battles of Nihlos rather than on the path Yazid set forth on. I'm glad the end of the book came back around in the end to what Yazid was talking of and looking for in the beginning. In the end I realized this book was to introduce us to the cultures present and show that nothing is ever easy.
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
I was curious if I was under the proper understanding when the book started as we spent most of the book in the political structure and battles of Nihlos rather than on the path Yazid set forth on. I'm glad the end of the book came back around in the end to what Yazid was talking of and looking for in the beginning. In the end I realized this book was to introduce us to the cultures present and show that nothing is ever easy.
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
May 11, 2021
Listening on Audible but same issue with a book. I still have high hopes for this book. I'm nowhere near finished but my frustration is mounting with each chapter. The author is very presumptuous. He has multiple characters talking but doesn't note WHO IS TALKING! I've rewound so many times I feel like I'll finish the book by the end of the year. I'm amazed that editors exist after listening to a work such as this. Author & editor failed.
July 15, 2019
This book turned out to be a big Nope! There's so much that I didn't like starting with the plot! And then, OMG, the female characters were more like caricatures of women, and their bad behavior? Nope... The narrator... Nope, I didn't like his style at all... something that unfortunately you can't always hear with the short snippet provided by Audible. So, I'm sorry I didn't like your book, but then, I don't like George RR Martin either...
February 20, 2020
This is probably the worst book I've ever listened to or read. I have read many badly written books in my short life but this one takes the cake. There are some moments of nice actions and fighting but the character development is the worst I've ever seen. it's hard to explain without spoiling the book but once you start you'll understand. There is potential for a great story but please next time give this idea to someone who can actually write a good story.
June 29, 2019
I liked this story. It kept me glued until the end and kept me guessing a few times. Just interesting story with a different take on sword-fighting. Loved the mix of swords and sorcery. Entertained me enough that I cannot wait to see what happens next. Easy to read and felt like I was right there.
September 28, 2019
This story had interesting well developed characters. The story was well designed and kept my interest throughout. When signs of a ancient prophecy begin to appear, Yazid Valerion goes in search of ancient enemies the Meites. The Meites are powerful wizards Yazid will need their help to stop the apocalypse. I recommend this for any fans of the fantasy genre.
November 6, 2019
I liked this story. It has intrigue, betrayal, madness, magic, unstable characters, banter, warriors, swearing, prophecy, evil, along with a few caring characters. It’s a smooth read that one can devour quickly.
June 22, 2019
Couldn't put it down. Very original and creative writing. I recommend this book to adults because of violence and sexual content. Can't wait for the next book.
August 4, 2019
The beginning was great . Interesting premise. But once got too the island . Became of political preachy book . Should stuck to sword fighting 🙄🙄🙄
Did Not Finish
August 14, 2019I think this was a case of "it's not you, it's me." I stepped outside my usual comfort zone and didn't click with the audiobook. I ended up DNFing it.
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