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Crown of the Blood #1
The Crown of the Blood
He had brought his master’s Empire to the furthest reaches of the world. All had fallen before him. Now he longs for home.But home isn’t what it was. Could it be that everything he’s fought for all those years has been a lie?A sweeping fantasy of immense battles, demonic magic and dark politics.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
18 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
Gav Thorpe
377 books581 followersGav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 17, 2015
It was simply the way things were; the strong got stronger and the weak did well to recognize their fate in time to survive.
The Crown of the Blood was okay for a fantasy book. The author had created an interesting world full of new creatures, races and magics that I barely got a taste of and left me wanting to read the next one to find out more.
However there were a number of issues I had with this book or more accurately, the characters.
The first was with the main character. I hated him. Ullsaar is an abusive husband, who treats many of his soldiers better than his wives, and for this reason I couldn't like him, or support any of his ambitions. He has three wives, all sisters, and is in love with only one of them, treating the one he loves with gentle affection and the others with disdain as if they were cheap whores.
My second issue is with the flat secondary characters. There are a number of them, but I couldn't connect with any of them as I watched them go through their day to day life with little background or depth to go on. The author gave me nothing to connect with them.
This is the authors debut work, and while it does need some polishing, I felt it was decent for being his first. Well.. at least it kept me flipping pages.
The Crown of the Blood was okay for a fantasy book. The author had created an interesting world full of new creatures, races and magics that I barely got a taste of and left me wanting to read the next one to find out more.
However there were a number of issues I had with this book or more accurately, the characters.
The first was with the main character. I hated him. Ullsaar is an abusive husband, who treats many of his soldiers better than his wives, and for this reason I couldn't like him, or support any of his ambitions. He has three wives, all sisters, and is in love with only one of them, treating the one he loves with gentle affection and the others with disdain as if they were cheap whores.
My second issue is with the flat secondary characters. There are a number of them, but I couldn't connect with any of them as I watched them go through their day to day life with little background or depth to go on. The author gave me nothing to connect with them.
This is the authors debut work, and while it does need some polishing, I felt it was decent for being his first. Well.. at least it kept me flipping pages.
July 23, 2014
I was quite eager for this one when it was announced, so when Angry Robot made its e-arc available I got it on the spot and read it soon after, with a full review closer to publication date as usual.
The novel - debut of the author as original work goes and first in a trilogy - is very old fashioned mil fantasy like say Ten Thousand by P. Kearney but with modern sensibilities. While a bit on the dry side as characters go and with little surprises though there is a fundamental twist I did not see , the book has tremendous energy that keeps you turning the pages and the world building is very good.
The army with legions and style of fighting may resemble a bit the Roman one, but as setting/attitudes something like Assur/Babylon is closer; the plot is relatively straightforward too but the novel has even more power that I originally thought and i am curious where it goes next.
The main character is Ullsard a General of the Greater Askhos Empire who raised himself from the ranks with the patronage of General Cosuas his current co-commander of the legions sent to subdue a desert people and of Alluan younger son of the old king Luurtan who is more or less in charge of the empire nowadays at least as an executive leader with Luurtan taking only crucial strategic decisions; the problem is that since it's founding 200 years ago by the legendary Askhos, the Empire's Crown of Blood - which may be tied with magic - has always passed to the oldest son, and the current elder prince is very sick, while his son who works as staff officer for Ullsard is both inexperienced and not really cut to be a leader.
So Alluan sends Noran another high noble but this time of Askhos origin - Ullsard is from a conquered province - kind of friend of Ullsard and "court herald" to recall Ullsard for "consultations"; the Askhos mores assume nobles marry a whole batch of sisters from another noble family, so for example Ullsard has 3 sister wives which are quite different (beautiful, scheming, smart) and three grown sons, one from each - an officer in some Governor's standing legion, another - the eldest and the son of the middle scheming wife, a merchant/schemer and the youngest a law student in the capital...
Despite the king's frailty and his acknowledgment of his eldest son' sickness and of his grandson' inaptness, the Crown of Blood' succession laws are not to be changed in favor of much suited Alluan and Ullsard and Noran for that matter are caught in the middle...
I am definitely in for the next installment since I want to see more of the main characters as well as where the series go next
A good A level debut with high potential
The novel - debut of the author as original work goes and first in a trilogy - is very old fashioned mil fantasy like say Ten Thousand by P. Kearney but with modern sensibilities. While a bit on the dry side as characters go and with little surprises though there is a fundamental twist I did not see , the book has tremendous energy that keeps you turning the pages and the world building is very good.
The army with legions and style of fighting may resemble a bit the Roman one, but as setting/attitudes something like Assur/Babylon is closer; the plot is relatively straightforward too but the novel has even more power that I originally thought and i am curious where it goes next.
The main character is Ullsard a General of the Greater Askhos Empire who raised himself from the ranks with the patronage of General Cosuas his current co-commander of the legions sent to subdue a desert people and of Alluan younger son of the old king Luurtan who is more or less in charge of the empire nowadays at least as an executive leader with Luurtan taking only crucial strategic decisions; the problem is that since it's founding 200 years ago by the legendary Askhos, the Empire's Crown of Blood - which may be tied with magic - has always passed to the oldest son, and the current elder prince is very sick, while his son who works as staff officer for Ullsard is both inexperienced and not really cut to be a leader.
So Alluan sends Noran another high noble but this time of Askhos origin - Ullsard is from a conquered province - kind of friend of Ullsard and "court herald" to recall Ullsard for "consultations"; the Askhos mores assume nobles marry a whole batch of sisters from another noble family, so for example Ullsard has 3 sister wives which are quite different (beautiful, scheming, smart) and three grown sons, one from each - an officer in some Governor's standing legion, another - the eldest and the son of the middle scheming wife, a merchant/schemer and the youngest a law student in the capital...
Despite the king's frailty and his acknowledgment of his eldest son' sickness and of his grandson' inaptness, the Crown of Blood' succession laws are not to be changed in favor of much suited Alluan and Ullsard and Noran for that matter are caught in the middle...
I am definitely in for the next installment since I want to see more of the main characters as well as where the series go next
A good A level debut with high potential
April 28, 2013
I remember a while ago in, I think, the 90s when it looked like the hot new genre was going to be "sandalpunk" - "punk" in the sense of cyber- and steam- but set in an alternate Roman Empire. I was pretty excited at the idea but I never got to see any examples and my interest sort of got filed away in the "coulda been cool" drawer.
Then I got my hands on this book. Or rather, its sequel, which is part of Angry Robot's big bundle of ebooks deal I subscribed to earlier this summer. A compulsive completist who hates coming into the middle of the story, I, well... I had to pick this up first.
Crown of the Blood isn't about Rome per se, but a sort of semi-fantasy version of it. An even more brutal version in which generals leading their legions ride giant man-eating battle lions against barbarian hordes who, in turn, sic what we can only call dinosaurs on them. And a version in which all the pagan pomp we associate with Rome, the temples and shrines and tombs and ancestor-worship, have been pretty much secularized; the Brotherhood that has replaced them teaches that man alone, not the spirits, guide destinies. Oh, and there are things called landships, which are just what they sound like -- big ol' triremes, complete with benches of slaves on the "oars", "rowing" across the countryside.
In other words, it's a version of Rome just made for pulp fans.
But this is far from being a Robert E. Howard ancient/pre-historic fantasy, Conan the Legionnaire -- though I, for one, wouldn't mind if it was, not one bit. What we have instead, though, is still good, though more along the lines of a different schlocky classic from my youth, Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant* with just a few of the Expected Fantasy Tropes thrown in as we follow the trajectory of one Ulsaard. Ulsaard is an outlander, a soldier who has risen to the post of general and whose power in that post involves him in dynastic and other struggles in the Askhorian Empire's capital even before a certain secret is revealed that leads him to wage all-out war all over the empire.
Thorpe is obviously a big fan of ancient history with a fascination for military campaigns, as shows in his detailed, plausible and interesting depictions of military life. One almost wonders why he wrote this as a genre novel at all; dinosaurs and lions aside, the fantastic/magical elements are even more rare here than in, say, George R.R. Martin's quintuple-doorstop Song of Ice and Fire. It's quite interesting enough on its own, for my money -- in the midst of everything Crown of the Blood poses some tough questions about loyalty and duty and trust -- so that at times I caught myself rolling my eyes at the fantastical elements that did crop up, though I see why they were there: in this universe, royal blood really is special.
If you like detailed examinations of military strategy and tactics (admittedly executed over imaginary terrain) or accounts of life in a Roman legion or depictions of a society that really does have a problem of too many wives for too few husbands (Askhorian legions euthanize soldiers who are too wounded to keep marching, so the numbers of eligible men back home must indeed be small; didn't I tell you that this version of Rome is WAY more brutal?), city sacking and battles, this is the book for you. That's not what I look for as a rule, but I'm happy when I find it.
And that's another sequel I have lined up for next year.
*Oh, come on, you read it, too.
Then I got my hands on this book. Or rather, its sequel, which is part of Angry Robot's big bundle of ebooks deal I subscribed to earlier this summer. A compulsive completist who hates coming into the middle of the story, I, well... I had to pick this up first.
Crown of the Blood isn't about Rome per se, but a sort of semi-fantasy version of it. An even more brutal version in which generals leading their legions ride giant man-eating battle lions against barbarian hordes who, in turn, sic what we can only call dinosaurs on them. And a version in which all the pagan pomp we associate with Rome, the temples and shrines and tombs and ancestor-worship, have been pretty much secularized; the Brotherhood that has replaced them teaches that man alone, not the spirits, guide destinies. Oh, and there are things called landships, which are just what they sound like -- big ol' triremes, complete with benches of slaves on the "oars", "rowing" across the countryside.
In other words, it's a version of Rome just made for pulp fans.
But this is far from being a Robert E. Howard ancient/pre-historic fantasy, Conan the Legionnaire -- though I, for one, wouldn't mind if it was, not one bit. What we have instead, though, is still good, though more along the lines of a different schlocky classic from my youth, Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant* with just a few of the Expected Fantasy Tropes thrown in as we follow the trajectory of one Ulsaard. Ulsaard is an outlander, a soldier who has risen to the post of general and whose power in that post involves him in dynastic and other struggles in the Askhorian Empire's capital even before a certain secret is revealed that leads him to wage all-out war all over the empire.
Thorpe is obviously a big fan of ancient history with a fascination for military campaigns, as shows in his detailed, plausible and interesting depictions of military life. One almost wonders why he wrote this as a genre novel at all; dinosaurs and lions aside, the fantastic/magical elements are even more rare here than in, say, George R.R. Martin's quintuple-doorstop Song of Ice and Fire. It's quite interesting enough on its own, for my money -- in the midst of everything Crown of the Blood poses some tough questions about loyalty and duty and trust -- so that at times I caught myself rolling my eyes at the fantastical elements that did crop up, though I see why they were there: in this universe, royal blood really is special.
If you like detailed examinations of military strategy and tactics (admittedly executed over imaginary terrain) or accounts of life in a Roman legion or depictions of a society that really does have a problem of too many wives for too few husbands (Askhorian legions euthanize soldiers who are too wounded to keep marching, so the numbers of eligible men back home must indeed be small; didn't I tell you that this version of Rome is WAY more brutal?), city sacking and battles, this is the book for you. That's not what I look for as a rule, but I'm happy when I find it.
And that's another sequel I have lined up for next year.
*Oh, come on, you read it, too.
August 7, 2011
I love the setting for this book. I love the fact that Thorpe credits Alexander, Phillip, and Julius as the inspiration for the book (for those not in the know, it's Alexander the Great, Phillip II (Alexander's father), and Julius Caesar, the three great conquerors of the ancient world). I'm glad that he chose to set this in an age of lifelike statues, marble pillars, and bronze rather than the traditional medieval European based setting. I think medieval Europe is over-represented in fantasy while Greece and Rome are grossly under-represented (My own book, Echoes of Olympus, will be an alternate history Classical Greece that draws from mythology, as well as traditional fantasy for inspiration).
I found most of the characters interesting and compelling, though I must admit that at least one of the point-of-view characters that received a lot of attention bored me to death and didn't really do much to advance the plot. That's the main reason that I give this four stars instead of five. I feel that the space could have been better used in many cases.
One of the things I really like is that it strives to make the characters as real as possible, flawed, and not always likable. In fact, I found that there were highly admirable traits that our main character Ullsard had, while there were other traits that made it clear that we weren't supposed to love this guy. He isn't an anti-hero, he isn't a political mastermind... he's a warrior, and he understands how to manipulate warriors to get them to do what he wants them to do.
The only other thing I'd have done differently is to have a little more adventure leading up to the big climax. Given the fact that there's a good amount of content after the conclusion of the book, the final chapter really snuck up on me, and was much shorter than expected. I can think of some additional scenes that could have strengthened it toward the end.
That said, it is interesting and I will read the second one in the series, and I do recommend it for others.
I found most of the characters interesting and compelling, though I must admit that at least one of the point-of-view characters that received a lot of attention bored me to death and didn't really do much to advance the plot. That's the main reason that I give this four stars instead of five. I feel that the space could have been better used in many cases.
One of the things I really like is that it strives to make the characters as real as possible, flawed, and not always likable. In fact, I found that there were highly admirable traits that our main character Ullsard had, while there were other traits that made it clear that we weren't supposed to love this guy. He isn't an anti-hero, he isn't a political mastermind... he's a warrior, and he understands how to manipulate warriors to get them to do what he wants them to do.
The only other thing I'd have done differently is to have a little more adventure leading up to the big climax. Given the fact that there's a good amount of content after the conclusion of the book, the final chapter really snuck up on me, and was much shorter than expected. I can think of some additional scenes that could have strengthened it toward the end.
That said, it is interesting and I will read the second one in the series, and I do recommend it for others.
July 1, 2017
You can find the full review over at my blog:
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
Shadowhawk reviews the first in Gav Thorpe’s original fantasy series for Angry Robot Books, Crown of The Blood, a fast-paced novel with a world inspired by life in the Roman legions.
“Fantastic characterisation, intriguing world-building and an ending that makes your jaw drop, Crown of The Blood is an excellent novel that is a must-read for any fantasy fan.” ~The Founding Fields
Its always weird to find out that the tie-in genre fiction author you’ve been reading for years has also done some original fiction as well. Its just not something that clicks immediately or something that you even consider on a conscious level. I had that reaction when I found out that James Swallow had written in Star Trek and Stargate universes (two of my favourites it goes without saying), that Graham McNeill had written for StarCraft (I, Mengsk is a fantastic novel), that Dan Abnett wrote a fair amount of comics for various publishers. And so on. When I found out that Gav Thorpe had written some original fantasy set in a very Roman-esque setting, I was quite intrigued since he is one of my favourite Black Library authors and I’ve always enjoyed his work. So I eventually picked up Crown of The Blood, and when I started to read it, I went in expecting to be… surprised, shall we say.
Crown of The Blood will surprise you for sure and then some. It is not traditional fantasy because the narrative does not take place in a pseudo-medieval European world, a setting that is extremely common, as common as the barbarian societies popularised by Michael Moorcock and Robert E. Howard. That in itself is a big draw of the novel for me, and also one of its biggest charms. The era of the Roman Emperors, and the Republic itself is a really evocative perioid in world history, and one that I’ve had an interest for a long time, although I have only passing knowledge of it, gleaned from whatever history books I read in high school and college or the relevant movies that been put out over the years. So reading Crown of The Blood was a great, fantastic experience. The inspiration and influence is very much there and the world-building that it entails and effects was just the type of varied reading I wanted to do this year.
Strong characterisation has always been one of Gav’s strengths, and Crown of The Blood is no exception to that. Ullsaard, the protagonist, is also a great character. He is a general, a family man, straight as an arrow (most of the time) and a fair, honourable man who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when needed. The narrative is focused on Ullsaard coming to terms with the realisation that he has ambitions, ambitions that will take him to the very throne of the Greater Askhos Empire, and shows how he takes his first steps into the world of politics and treachery. Start to finish I had no problem in rooting for the guy because Gav portrays him so well and gives us ample reason to like himin the first place. That’s not to say of course that Ullsaard is an all-round good guy because he is not. There are shades of grey to his character, maybe not as much as I would have liked but they are there, and reading about a “good guy” character who sometimes performs and even condones acts that any normal man would consider barbaric or even treacherous, adds a nice bit of three-dimensionality to him.
Ullsaard’s old friend, and his companion for much of the novel, Noran is another strong character. Unlike Ullsaard, who is not of Askhan birth, he is a full-blooded Askhan and this adds a really nice dimension to their friendship and their relationship. Generally, I liked Noran, but I think he could have been slightly better since he is portrayed as somewhat too indecisive later on in the novel. It made for a bit of an odd reading but in the main, as a proper Askhan noble, Noran is pulled off nicely.
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
Shadowhawk reviews the first in Gav Thorpe’s original fantasy series for Angry Robot Books, Crown of The Blood, a fast-paced novel with a world inspired by life in the Roman legions.
“Fantastic characterisation, intriguing world-building and an ending that makes your jaw drop, Crown of The Blood is an excellent novel that is a must-read for any fantasy fan.” ~The Founding Fields
Its always weird to find out that the tie-in genre fiction author you’ve been reading for years has also done some original fiction as well. Its just not something that clicks immediately or something that you even consider on a conscious level. I had that reaction when I found out that James Swallow had written in Star Trek and Stargate universes (two of my favourites it goes without saying), that Graham McNeill had written for StarCraft (I, Mengsk is a fantastic novel), that Dan Abnett wrote a fair amount of comics for various publishers. And so on. When I found out that Gav Thorpe had written some original fantasy set in a very Roman-esque setting, I was quite intrigued since he is one of my favourite Black Library authors and I’ve always enjoyed his work. So I eventually picked up Crown of The Blood, and when I started to read it, I went in expecting to be… surprised, shall we say.
Crown of The Blood will surprise you for sure and then some. It is not traditional fantasy because the narrative does not take place in a pseudo-medieval European world, a setting that is extremely common, as common as the barbarian societies popularised by Michael Moorcock and Robert E. Howard. That in itself is a big draw of the novel for me, and also one of its biggest charms. The era of the Roman Emperors, and the Republic itself is a really evocative perioid in world history, and one that I’ve had an interest for a long time, although I have only passing knowledge of it, gleaned from whatever history books I read in high school and college or the relevant movies that been put out over the years. So reading Crown of The Blood was a great, fantastic experience. The inspiration and influence is very much there and the world-building that it entails and effects was just the type of varied reading I wanted to do this year.
Strong characterisation has always been one of Gav’s strengths, and Crown of The Blood is no exception to that. Ullsaard, the protagonist, is also a great character. He is a general, a family man, straight as an arrow (most of the time) and a fair, honourable man who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when needed. The narrative is focused on Ullsaard coming to terms with the realisation that he has ambitions, ambitions that will take him to the very throne of the Greater Askhos Empire, and shows how he takes his first steps into the world of politics and treachery. Start to finish I had no problem in rooting for the guy because Gav portrays him so well and gives us ample reason to like himin the first place. That’s not to say of course that Ullsaard is an all-round good guy because he is not. There are shades of grey to his character, maybe not as much as I would have liked but they are there, and reading about a “good guy” character who sometimes performs and even condones acts that any normal man would consider barbaric or even treacherous, adds a nice bit of three-dimensionality to him.
Ullsaard’s old friend, and his companion for much of the novel, Noran is another strong character. Unlike Ullsaard, who is not of Askhan birth, he is a full-blooded Askhan and this adds a really nice dimension to their friendship and their relationship. Generally, I liked Noran, but I think he could have been slightly better since he is portrayed as somewhat too indecisive later on in the novel. It made for a bit of an odd reading but in the main, as a proper Askhan noble, Noran is pulled off nicely.
January 28, 2018
As I said, this was a difficult book for me to get into. I think it was the odd names. They felt more from a time of Conan than a magical version of the Roman Empire. Aside from that, the action was well played out and the backstabbing politics was reminiscent of real events. Now I only need to find the next book and I should be good.
September 11, 2013
Fantasy Review Barn
First things first, big props to the Goodreads reviewer who coined “sandalpunk” to describe this book. The whole punk thing should have probably stopped after cyber and steam (though to be honest, I have also used bio-punk to describe something), but really in this case it works. So that’s that.
Or rather it isn’t, because now I have started a review with a term to describe the book, without telling anyone what the term means. Stupid stupid stupid, come on man do you expect everyone to get on Goodreads, scroll down, and find the review that coined the term? Explain yourself! Ok, sandalpunk is fantasy set in a faux roman or Greek setting (I believe the person who coined it specified Roman, but screw that I am co-opting it and adding Greek so I can count Kearney’s Macht trilogy).
So ok, Ullsaard is a general for Greater Askhor (Rome), a land ruled by a two hundred year old book that laid out the path for the entire empire to take. The long and short of it is this; conquer the whole world under the crown of a single family known as “the blood.” They take over, put up governors to run the lands, build up the infrastructure, and move on to the next one. Ullsaard has his eye on a much larger campaign than his current one, which involves chasing “savages” around a desert type environment. When he is called home he intends to make his case to the king and instead gets caught up in politics of succession. Things go south and the real plot begins; armies go on the march, deals are made, providences are conquered.
I was digging the first half of the book. I liked the faux-Roman feel. Ullsaard was interesting and not a prototypical hero. He was mostly likable, but not always; a hothead and a complete idiot in some areas. His entanglement into the political web should have been completely avoidable but he was so damn sure of himself that he walked right into trouble. In short he felt like a realistic general who learned real fast what the Peter Principle is. The Empire itself was probably the highlight, following a specific path set up by a hero of fairly recent memory, enforced by a mysterious organization. The Brotherhood had a boring name, but was one of the better and more interesting examples of a mysterious organization I have found. They have a hidden side that is only explored a little in this first book; their more visible front provides the backbone of the clerical side of the empire.
So here I am digging the book, noticing that it was a rare exile journey that didn’t involve a small band of travelers as Ullsaard always had an army behind him. Then his son joins up and provides the political smarts he was missing. And suddenly the second half goes, if not quite all bad, certainly in the wrong direction. The big reveal could be seen from ten miles away, Ullsaard’s complete overconfidence gets annoying, and a couple secondary characters storylines were complete filler. Worst of all, everything moves way to fast. Ullsaard is able to take a single large city, next thing we know he is the biggest force around. There was no build up and everything was too easy.
Fairly action packed and kinda stands on its own, but a decent ending sets up the rest of the series. The mystical portions of the world were largely in the background, but obviously a part of the world. The ending made clear that they would be much more prevalent in the next book, which is good news because it means more of The Brotherhood.
Final verdict? Not as good as I hoped it would be, or even thought it would be after the strong beginning. Some may be turned off by the misogynistic culture the empire lives in, and the very violent military life shown on page (such as injured soldiers being killed off after battles so they don’t slow the armies). And as always when a carnivorous service animal is used by an army (large felines as mounts this time), I wonder how the hell they feed them while on the march. But I enjoyed the book more than I disliked it, and since I already have the second one on my shelf I will give it a try in the near future.
3 stars.
My copy of the book was received from the publisher.
First things first, big props to the Goodreads reviewer who coined “sandalpunk” to describe this book. The whole punk thing should have probably stopped after cyber and steam (though to be honest, I have also used bio-punk to describe something), but really in this case it works. So that’s that.
Or rather it isn’t, because now I have started a review with a term to describe the book, without telling anyone what the term means. Stupid stupid stupid, come on man do you expect everyone to get on Goodreads, scroll down, and find the review that coined the term? Explain yourself! Ok, sandalpunk is fantasy set in a faux roman or Greek setting (I believe the person who coined it specified Roman, but screw that I am co-opting it and adding Greek so I can count Kearney’s Macht trilogy).
So ok, Ullsaard is a general for Greater Askhor (Rome), a land ruled by a two hundred year old book that laid out the path for the entire empire to take. The long and short of it is this; conquer the whole world under the crown of a single family known as “the blood.” They take over, put up governors to run the lands, build up the infrastructure, and move on to the next one. Ullsaard has his eye on a much larger campaign than his current one, which involves chasing “savages” around a desert type environment. When he is called home he intends to make his case to the king and instead gets caught up in politics of succession. Things go south and the real plot begins; armies go on the march, deals are made, providences are conquered.
I was digging the first half of the book. I liked the faux-Roman feel. Ullsaard was interesting and not a prototypical hero. He was mostly likable, but not always; a hothead and a complete idiot in some areas. His entanglement into the political web should have been completely avoidable but he was so damn sure of himself that he walked right into trouble. In short he felt like a realistic general who learned real fast what the Peter Principle is. The Empire itself was probably the highlight, following a specific path set up by a hero of fairly recent memory, enforced by a mysterious organization. The Brotherhood had a boring name, but was one of the better and more interesting examples of a mysterious organization I have found. They have a hidden side that is only explored a little in this first book; their more visible front provides the backbone of the clerical side of the empire.
So here I am digging the book, noticing that it was a rare exile journey that didn’t involve a small band of travelers as Ullsaard always had an army behind him. Then his son joins up and provides the political smarts he was missing. And suddenly the second half goes, if not quite all bad, certainly in the wrong direction. The big reveal could be seen from ten miles away, Ullsaard’s complete overconfidence gets annoying, and a couple secondary characters storylines were complete filler. Worst of all, everything moves way to fast. Ullsaard is able to take a single large city, next thing we know he is the biggest force around. There was no build up and everything was too easy.
Fairly action packed and kinda stands on its own, but a decent ending sets up the rest of the series. The mystical portions of the world were largely in the background, but obviously a part of the world. The ending made clear that they would be much more prevalent in the next book, which is good news because it means more of The Brotherhood.
Final verdict? Not as good as I hoped it would be, or even thought it would be after the strong beginning. Some may be turned off by the misogynistic culture the empire lives in, and the very violent military life shown on page (such as injured soldiers being killed off after battles so they don’t slow the armies). And as always when a carnivorous service animal is used by an army (large felines as mounts this time), I wonder how the hell they feed them while on the march. But I enjoyed the book more than I disliked it, and since I already have the second one on my shelf I will give it a try in the near future.
3 stars.
My copy of the book was received from the publisher.
December 13, 2012
I’m a huge fan of Gav Thorpe’s Black Library work so when I finally received a copy of The Crown of the Blood, I couldn’t wait for some free time to dig into this monster. The setting for Crown of the Blood is my forte; I love this genre of epic fantasy: a young leader, such as Ullsaard, thrown into a conflicted and hostile world of warring nations, internal intrigue, and a bit of dark magic.
The initial start of the book wasn’t exactly an info drop, but when Ullsaard’s best friend Noran arrives bearing an important message involving the wellbeing of the heir to The Crown of Blood (which sets everything in motion, I might add), their trip back to Askh is filled with all the tidbits about the lands and people the under Askhsan rule. So for me this beginning was a tad slow. It also takes a moment to gather in all of the characters and keep track of them and there is a ton of interesting individuals of all varying races and backgrounds. I enjoyed the mindset of Ullsaard, the ideals by which he rules, and how each of his three wives serves completely different purposes to him; it was a very foreign concept for my thought process to comprehend but very Askhan.
Thorpe writes the majority of the novel from the view point of Ullsaard as he commands his vast legions across the hot and cold lands, orchestrating his masterful plans of conquest. Occasionally we get a glimpses of different views from inside The Brotherhood, the secretive sect that seems to control everything in Askh; Noran, Ullsard’s friend; Anglhan – debt-owner-turned-rebel-turned much, much more, and Gelthius – debter-turned-rebel-turned legionnaire. The grasp Thorpe has on this world is mindboggling, especially considering the enormity of everything that is encompassed story-wise within The Crown of the Blood.
Ullsaard’s desires quickly become apparent early on and Thorpe throws him through a nearly impassible gauntlet of obstacles that most wouldn’t wish on their worst enemy. In the end it boils down to how much Ullsaard is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve victory and at the finale we still aren’t sure of the ultimate cost. I was surprised at some of the depths to which he actually sunk and how quickly Ullsaard rid himself of a few of those around him I thought were potentially key players.
Some of the graphic scenes with The Brotherhood left me with chills and I definitely want to see more of them in the next installment in the trilogy along with the inhuman Nemurians. The final dual between Ullsaard and an unnamed individual is most assuredly my favorite along with the closing scene of the book. The Crown of the Blood doesn’t end here thankfully and there are another two whole books in the series waiting for me on my bookshelf! My only true regret is that I hadn’t read this one sooner. 8 out of 10 Liams. If this has been one of those books you are on the edge about getting, don’t think twice about grabbing a copy the next time you see it on a shelf, you won’t be disappointed.
The initial start of the book wasn’t exactly an info drop, but when Ullsaard’s best friend Noran arrives bearing an important message involving the wellbeing of the heir to The Crown of Blood (which sets everything in motion, I might add), their trip back to Askh is filled with all the tidbits about the lands and people the under Askhsan rule. So for me this beginning was a tad slow. It also takes a moment to gather in all of the characters and keep track of them and there is a ton of interesting individuals of all varying races and backgrounds. I enjoyed the mindset of Ullsaard, the ideals by which he rules, and how each of his three wives serves completely different purposes to him; it was a very foreign concept for my thought process to comprehend but very Askhan.
Thorpe writes the majority of the novel from the view point of Ullsaard as he commands his vast legions across the hot and cold lands, orchestrating his masterful plans of conquest. Occasionally we get a glimpses of different views from inside The Brotherhood, the secretive sect that seems to control everything in Askh; Noran, Ullsard’s friend; Anglhan – debt-owner-turned-rebel-turned much, much more, and Gelthius – debter-turned-rebel-turned legionnaire. The grasp Thorpe has on this world is mindboggling, especially considering the enormity of everything that is encompassed story-wise within The Crown of the Blood.
Ullsaard’s desires quickly become apparent early on and Thorpe throws him through a nearly impassible gauntlet of obstacles that most wouldn’t wish on their worst enemy. In the end it boils down to how much Ullsaard is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve victory and at the finale we still aren’t sure of the ultimate cost. I was surprised at some of the depths to which he actually sunk and how quickly Ullsaard rid himself of a few of those around him I thought were potentially key players.
Some of the graphic scenes with The Brotherhood left me with chills and I definitely want to see more of them in the next installment in the trilogy along with the inhuman Nemurians. The final dual between Ullsaard and an unnamed individual is most assuredly my favorite along with the closing scene of the book. The Crown of the Blood doesn’t end here thankfully and there are another two whole books in the series waiting for me on my bookshelf! My only true regret is that I hadn’t read this one sooner. 8 out of 10 Liams. If this has been one of those books you are on the edge about getting, don’t think twice about grabbing a copy the next time you see it on a shelf, you won’t be disappointed.
August 8, 2012
Full review coming. But wanted to remember how horrible this has been. I have fallen asleep after a few paragraphs more in this book than any I own. (And I own and read a lot) This is a sleeper. Characters that do not matter. Fantasy constructs hat do not matter. Every person on stage has to be described with traits as soon as they arrive showing the author has not perfected how to write.
But my first observation, in the morning after rested, in the afternoon, after working, at night when I want to read a few chapters. More often then not, it puts me to sleep. There is no action there. There are a lot of words that do not do anything.
Full Review
This is bad. You have to be an adolescent to appreciate the book.
The Hero is so, well stupid, that you can not believe that he ever has worked his way up to be a general of the legions.
He lives in a world that is consumed by politics.
Yet he does not understand any of it.
His mother does. Get this (SPOILERS)
She was the woman who slept with the astute general, but also the royal, giving the hero a tie to the throne. (Of course. Why not appeal to the fantasy that a fool, who is good at fighting can be king. It is worse then the stereotype that the quaterback of the high school football team is an idiot.)
The hero also shows us his combat skill when in the opening sequence he is parlaying with an enemy that he knows he can defeat, and they know that they will be defeated, without any real help. Remember, hero is a political imbecile. So then, when negotiations fail he single handedly kills a creature as tough as any sandworm from Arakis that Paul Maud'ib would have faced.
For a while I thought that the story would redeem itself, but no. And then it wants to grow into something bigger. But let us not forget more fantasy for these heroes of the empire are given multiple wives. Ah to be young and just having hormones and thinking that happiness was sleeping with a bunch of different wives like my own little harem.
Please, give me my life back from what I had read here. The writing is meant to appeal to children who have no basis in history or social interaction. For those that do, know that such people Darwin proved were eliminated long before the could rise to great power. You can't be a general in a backstabbing society unless you knew how to backstab and defend yourself.
I can never read this again. Give me my heroes and characters with enough intelligence to survive in the world that is being built for them as well. All the rulers of every society can have flaws, but not so many flaws that they are all in imminent danger of being defeated because they also have no positive traits to offset their flaws.
But my first observation, in the morning after rested, in the afternoon, after working, at night when I want to read a few chapters. More often then not, it puts me to sleep. There is no action there. There are a lot of words that do not do anything.
Full Review
This is bad. You have to be an adolescent to appreciate the book.
The Hero is so, well stupid, that you can not believe that he ever has worked his way up to be a general of the legions.
He lives in a world that is consumed by politics.
Yet he does not understand any of it.
His mother does. Get this (SPOILERS)
She was the woman who slept with the astute general, but also the royal, giving the hero a tie to the throne. (Of course. Why not appeal to the fantasy that a fool, who is good at fighting can be king. It is worse then the stereotype that the quaterback of the high school football team is an idiot.)
The hero also shows us his combat skill when in the opening sequence he is parlaying with an enemy that he knows he can defeat, and they know that they will be defeated, without any real help. Remember, hero is a political imbecile. So then, when negotiations fail he single handedly kills a creature as tough as any sandworm from Arakis that Paul Maud'ib would have faced.
For a while I thought that the story would redeem itself, but no. And then it wants to grow into something bigger. But let us not forget more fantasy for these heroes of the empire are given multiple wives. Ah to be young and just having hormones and thinking that happiness was sleeping with a bunch of different wives like my own little harem.
Please, give me my life back from what I had read here. The writing is meant to appeal to children who have no basis in history or social interaction. For those that do, know that such people Darwin proved were eliminated long before the could rise to great power. You can't be a general in a backstabbing society unless you knew how to backstab and defend yourself.
I can never read this again. Give me my heroes and characters with enough intelligence to survive in the world that is being built for them as well. All the rulers of every society can have flaws, but not so many flaws that they are all in imminent danger of being defeated because they also have no positive traits to offset their flaws.
April 11, 2012
One of the best fantasies I've read in a long time. Gav is a friend of mine, but that does not make this praise any less valid. His world is complex, well-thought out and therefore believable, his characters neither wholly good nor bad. Awesome stuff.
November 28, 2023
Excellent sandalpunk fantasy. Better 2nd time round. 5/5
September 24, 2017
A very disjointed story, that I struggled to finish. After the first couple of chapters I couldn't bring myself to read more than a few pages at a go.
I didn't really like the main character and felt his sudden ambition to be king came out of nowhere and was based on a chance comment by his mother who we met once in the book and was never seen again. Felt contrived. I couldn't find it in myself to care about the other characters in the book either.
I also found the calendar of this world confusing and thought for the entire book an error had been made in the timeline that was only explained when I found the glossary at the end of the book. Back-tracking made me realise I'd missed a single sentence in a chapter title that explained it - too little, too easily missed. Disappointing.
I already have the second book in the series in my library. Whether I read it remains to be seen. Currently not feeling very motivated to try which is a shame as this book does not really stand alone.
I didn't really like the main character and felt his sudden ambition to be king came out of nowhere and was based on a chance comment by his mother who we met once in the book and was never seen again. Felt contrived. I couldn't find it in myself to care about the other characters in the book either.
I also found the calendar of this world confusing and thought for the entire book an error had been made in the timeline that was only explained when I found the glossary at the end of the book. Back-tracking made me realise I'd missed a single sentence in a chapter title that explained it - too little, too easily missed. Disappointing.
I already have the second book in the series in my library. Whether I read it remains to be seen. Currently not feeling very motivated to try which is a shame as this book does not really stand alone.
August 7, 2019
Actually 3.8 stars. It would have been only 3 stars, but the ending was probably the best part of the book. I will admit that up until the final chapter, I was sure I would not continue this series. I am hoping, at least the last chapter gave me reason to pause and feel an inkling of hope that as dragging, mundane and tedious the first book is, sans the last chapter of course, GT may make up for it in the following books. I have enjoyed some of his previous work with Warhammer 40K and was/am still hoping to enjoy this series of his as well.
September 25, 2018
I liked the book and it was different from Thorpe's books in the Warhammer and 40k universes. Anxious to get on to book 2 and see where this goes. It's different from many fantasy novels but incorporates some elements of the Roman Empire but then turns things a bit on their head to make it interesting.
June 13, 2022
Started as pretty generic Rome-tribute nonsense, but was ultimately saved by the lead character being fairly interesting and the final twist being hugely entertaining. I am intrigued to see where the series goes from here.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
October 29, 2012
I bought this book based on some raving reviews and I must admit I was disappointed.
I liked the idea behind the book, as well as the setting (Roman empire inspired) The overall storyline has potential as well, but the characters, oh my god, the characters. I've read books with a paper thin story line that came alive because of gripping an interesting characters, this book is the exact opposite. The characters are flat and predictable to the point of stupid, completely killing the story for me.
The main character is a stereotype hero, which is not bad in itself, but he is gullible to the point of stupid and lacks cunning. He's annoyingly cocky and all-knowing most of the time and strangely enough everything he does works out great and exactly as planned. The support characters are equally flat stereotypes, so you know exactly what they're going to do most of the time if you've ever read another fantasy book.
I finished this book in my third try, because I felt I should at least finish the book before reviewing it. The ending was actually not bad, although most people will see some kind of twist coming, if not this particular one.
World building and an ok ending have earned this book it's second star, but just barely. To be honest I would not recommend this book and will not pick up the second installment.
I liked the idea behind the book, as well as the setting (Roman empire inspired) The overall storyline has potential as well, but the characters, oh my god, the characters. I've read books with a paper thin story line that came alive because of gripping an interesting characters, this book is the exact opposite. The characters are flat and predictable to the point of stupid, completely killing the story for me.
The main character is a stereotype hero, which is not bad in itself, but he is gullible to the point of stupid and lacks cunning. He's annoyingly cocky and all-knowing most of the time and strangely enough everything he does works out great and exactly as planned. The support characters are equally flat stereotypes, so you know exactly what they're going to do most of the time if you've ever read another fantasy book.
I finished this book in my third try, because I felt I should at least finish the book before reviewing it. The ending was actually not bad, although most people will see some kind of twist coming, if not this particular one.
World building and an ok ending have earned this book it's second star, but just barely. To be honest I would not recommend this book and will not pick up the second installment.
August 5, 2014
Ugh. Where do I begin?
Boring. Let's start with that. I gave this more than 200 painful pages and the most exciting part was when the main character returned to his home and banged one of his wives.
Do you like flat characters? Hey, here's a great book for you. The protagonist is your typical tough-guy; such a total badass that nothing can touch him. He's oblivious to everything going on around him and yet somehow... wait, that's a spoiler if I go further.
Hey look, a new character entered the room: Let's describe every detail about him/her so we can get it out of the way and never have to do it again. You don't even want to know how bad it gets when more than one character comes onto the scene.
If I was being too subtle, the writing is bad. What's more? Not one element that the author takes the time to explain in excruciating detail actually matters. Not one. Except the [spoiler], that's the only thing. And it's in the title of the book. So maybe it was a tad predictable?
Boring. Let's start with that. I gave this more than 200 painful pages and the most exciting part was when the main character returned to his home and banged one of his wives.
Do you like flat characters? Hey, here's a great book for you. The protagonist is your typical tough-guy; such a total badass that nothing can touch him. He's oblivious to everything going on around him and yet somehow... wait, that's a spoiler if I go further.
Hey look, a new character entered the room: Let's describe every detail about him/her so we can get it out of the way and never have to do it again. You don't even want to know how bad it gets when more than one character comes onto the scene.
If I was being too subtle, the writing is bad. What's more? Not one element that the author takes the time to explain in excruciating detail actually matters. Not one. Except the [spoiler], that's the only thing. And it's in the title of the book. So maybe it was a tad predictable?
March 10, 2015
First of all, this book needs a good copyedit--I found typos and grammatical errors all the way through. Mainly, though, I just didn't like any of the characters, found no causes to root for, and didn't find the story intriguing enough to want to return to it. I finished it out of some horrible sense of duty to see it through to the end. I guess Ullsaard and I have that in common. I'm probably also spoiled by having recently binge-read the existing Song of Fire and Ice novels in the past few months--I was hoping this would also give me a wondrous world, fascinating characters, and a compelling storyline to get lost in. It's what I'd expect from any fantasy book. This book gave none of those things to me.
May 29, 2014
I wanted to give this a 4...but I just couldn't - alright book, the world is very Roman Empire like, which I love, but after reading the first chapter where the MC fights a giant mounted lizard and seeing the action that I thought would be common place in the book I was disappointing when later on in the book some battles were skipped over entirely.
Other then the battles being missed, it was a good book. About the rise of a General in a time when Nobles ruled, if you didn't have noble blood - you couldn't get far in life. I'd say more but I don't want to spoil.
I have the other 2 books purchased, I'll read them sometime in the near future.
Other then the battles being missed, it was a good book. About the rise of a General in a time when Nobles ruled, if you didn't have noble blood - you couldn't get far in life. I'd say more but I don't want to spoil.
I have the other 2 books purchased, I'll read them sometime in the near future.
May 19, 2012
Military fantasy, aneb co se stane kdyz odstavite apolitickeho, avsak schopneho, generala na samy okraj civilizovaneho sveta.
Postavy byly hodne neverohodne a nekonzistentni, pribeh byl taky dost pritazeny za vlasy. Kdo me zna, vi, ze jsem ohledne techto veci hrozny hnidopich, a sam se divim, ze jsem to nedropnul. Ale napsane je to ctive, postavy jsou zajimave, zanr mam docela rad, a tak jsem to dorazil a chystam se na pokracovani.
Dal bych tomu 2 a pul, ale ze to nejde, dam 3, at nezeru.
Postavy byly hodne neverohodne a nekonzistentni, pribeh byl taky dost pritazeny za vlasy. Kdo me zna, vi, ze jsem ohledne techto veci hrozny hnidopich, a sam se divim, ze jsem to nedropnul. Ale napsane je to ctive, postavy jsou zajimave, zanr mam docela rad, a tak jsem to dorazil a chystam se na pokracovani.
Dal bych tomu 2 a pul, ale ze to nejde, dam 3, at nezeru.
January 3, 2011
Exciting military fantasy in an interesting world. I like how the setting was kept very low magic, but how you could tell that there was something more than normal going on. The characters also were quite realistic and did a good job avoiding the more obvious characterizations you might expect. Definately worth a read and shows that Gav Thorpe can produce a strong book in a setting he creates himself.
March 25, 2011
I tried to like this book. but I just couldn't get into it. I didn't like the language, I felt that the characters were paper thin. After 200 pages I still didn't care about what was going on. I hate not finishing a book but I also hate moving along at a snails pace.....Going to put this one down and pick up another one.
April 13, 2012
Epic battles, believable characters and great narrative, I have been a fan of Gav Thorpes' Warhammer novels, but this was the start of something greater. I am hooked.
Read
January 12, 2016Just started this one, old Gav Thorpe is weaving a pretty grand tale, I really like the pacing of his writing.
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