The Shattered Lands

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The city’s treasuries were looted, its temples defiled, and then, to sate their emperor’s thirst for vengeance, the mages of the Dervan Empire cursed Volanus and sowed its fields with salt. They committed only one error: the greatest Volani general yet lived. Ugh I reallyyyyyyy wanted to love this... but I just couldn't. The writing was not well finished and felt very repetitive, from the words used to scenes - there were SO many scenes of the main character swimming to the forest. The plot was pretty confusing too - there's almost no buildup to her being transported to the kingdom, and it feels incredibly jarring to read. It all just felt very sloppy and needed some serious finetuning. Coming from Penguin on 16 March, The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation is a bewitching tale of a lost princess, forbidden love and a magical country divided. Grammar aside, the characters were basic, there wasn’t a lot of depth to their personalities nor their actions in the book. The world building … might have gone a long way if it was taken into consideration. And the plot of the book – wasn’t anything new. It’s been done before. And while what he's written before has been very good, Lord of a Shattered Land is the best book of his that I've read, and the start of what I hope will be a long-running series. (The second book, The City of Marble and Blood is already scheduled for an October release.)

As I mentioned before, Howard has a distinctive writing style that feels more modern than classic examples of Sword & Sorcery. It is brisk and trim. I have heard it described as YA adjacent in conversation, which I don't necessarily think is a bad thing. It is worth noting that I believe this particular style, alongside Hanuvar's personality, makes his novel feel more PG-13 than almost any other S&S fair. There is definitely violence within the narrative, but it is not as graphic or detailed as one might encounter in other fiction. It is also light on the horror element that thrives within the link between Conan and Cthulhu. The tales of Hanuvar feel more like reading an authors interpretation of a Greek myth than the adventures of a barbarian thief, pirate, or king. Again, that is not to say there isn't a multitude of weird monsters and interesting creatures, or that magic doesn't have its consequences. That is all true. But you won't find as much of the mind-blasting bizarre that exists throughout the genre. As a caveat, I will readily admit these things might be colored by my own reading history, so mileage may vary. Howard has no qualms about wearing his influences on his sleeve, even going so far as to dedicate this book to Harold Lamb. While the stories themselves progress in a very Lamb-like fashion, I think that the influence is most apparent in the use of historical references. This is not to say the novel takes place in a pseudo-history of Earth like Conan's Hyborian Age or even a historical setting with sorcerous inclusions like the works of Scott Oden. Hanuvar's world is very much secondary but is written and described in such a way that evokes a sense of time and research. It is an ancient world that eschew the many well-tread trappings of the vaguely medieval. Howard's use of setting and language evokes a colorful age Roman expansion across a wine-dark sea. The weight of history is again bolstered by the framing device and footnotes. I am vocal about my desire to see and feel history in my Sword & Sorcery, which is why I prefer the likes of Conan and Imaro to Elric and Fafhrd. While Howard doesn't go as hard as the aforementioned Oden, the implications are still felt.

I have to say a big thank you to Howard Andrew Jones for reaching out and sending me this book. It is absolutely ages since I read a book like this and I forgot how much I enjoy sword and sorcery books, especially when they are done right. Ashes, a young, redheaded Shadow Witch, finds the new princess constantly in her shadows. While being unable to reveal the answers to Sapphire’s questions, she tries to guide the young princess in any way she can. The ultimate question reminds, did she do it for her own gain or does she really have feelings for the long lost princess. Note: I was sent an ARC copy of this book ahead of its publication by the publisher Baen books in exchange for an honest review. The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its treasures plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one.

In classic sword & sorcery style, this is a fix-up novel: Most or all of the individual chapters had previously appeared as short stories in Tales from the Magician's Skull and suchlike venues, and they've now been assembled, lightly edited & polished, and given a bit of connective tissue so that they lead one into the other, although by its nature it remains more of an episodic book rather than a single narrative. Ashes and Sapphire is a super well written enemies to lovers and “touch her and I’ll hurt you” type vibe. Lead colonial armies, axis collaborators, communist guerillas, and religious militia in the fight for supremacy over the Indian subcontinent with 300+ generals, military staff, and recruitable units.Hanuvar, our hero (loosely modeled on Hannibal (the elephants-across-the-Alps guy, not the fava-beans-and-a-nice-chianti guy), was once general of the city of Volanus, which, before the beginning of this story, has been utterly destroyed, its people mostly killed, the few survivors captured and sold into slavery by the victorious Dervan [not-Roman] Empire. While everybody thought Hanuvar had died during the destruction of the city (unsurprising as he went over the side of a galley into the water), he did, in fact, survive, and is now a fugitive on twin, intertwined quests to get vengeance for his people and, more importantly, to free the few surviving Volani slaves and help them get out of the reach of the Dervan Empire so that they can begin building a new Volanus. Oh, and also discovering the final fate of his daughter, who might not be quite as dead as he had assumed her to be. In this story, which on its surface could be considered the most humorous of the tales, Jones deftly tells a tongue-in-cheek caper that entirely entertains and that quite well. But readers should not dismiss this story as just or only that. While Jones has previously shown us Hanuvar's honorable character and refusal to NOT not render aid when he sees it is necessary despite his determined intentions, there is an important nuance here that for me distinctly elevates the character. Hanuvar mentors in this story. Ty to penguin books for providing me with a copy. I believe the copy I have is a finished copy which is why I have brought up the grammar/repetition as an issue.

Lord of a Shattered Land is filled with action, but it is married to themes that are far more adult, more ambitious and thought-provoking, than sword & sorcery is usually credited with. Hanuvar is a man of deep feeling and thought; an aging man who has grown children and a lifetime of allies and enemies spread across his world. We are meeting him at the twilight of his career, and yet his determination burns like the fires of the lighthouse of Alexandria. This first volume is a roller-coaster of wildly different adventures that leaves Hanuvar on the cusp of a major decision, and we the readers clamoring for more. Firstly you have to understand this is presented as The Hanuvid the great collection of stories about Hanuvar and his magnificent deeds as narrated by Antires Solinos and written by Andronikos Sosilos (a great, great, great nephew of Antires) and Hanuvar while always being the focus of the stories, never gets a POV. This approach adds an additional mystery as we never get a clue about his mental machinations and strategies. But through the insight of Antires and various other characters, we get an immersive look at a hero who’s one of the most charismatic ones to be found in the annals of fantasy.

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On the surface it’s everything I wanted from a sapphic YA book. The quotes shared seemed well written as did the general tone of the story. Also, the romance. Okay, yeah, I love sapphics, but the romance wasn't worked on. The MC falls for the love interest the second they meet, and the LI doesn't have a personality beyond "mysterious shady sexy witch". I understand there's an important part of the plot that resolves on LI being mysterious, so her character can't be too open or reveals a lot about herself, but the way she was written felt very bland and boring. The banter between the two girls never really hit, I didn't particularly ship them.