Adarnan Empire has endured for a thousand years, a beacon of civilisation shining out to the world, Its glory is undimmed, but of late there are rumours
A horde of savage warriors has overrun the south, destroying legions with ease, leaving the very heartlands of the empire under threat.
In the capital there are whispers in the bars and taverns Republic they urge, and the name that is whispered is always the same Martius.
General Felix Martius has been charged with ending the threat from the horde, but the emperors orders came late and there has been little time to gather an army.
The legions are outnumbered ten to one, The fate of the empire stands on a knife edge,
Empire under siege is the first book in the Adarna chronicles, Set in a world of epic grandeur and political intrigue, it follows the fate of the empire through the eyes of those who could ultimately save it, or doom it to destruction.
This was an intense and moving read that kept me hooked and caring all along, I loved the writing style, the emotions, and the highstakes battle against the horde, and after that, the chance to get to know each main character in this epic story world.
A wonderful blend of epic scale and intimate character destinies, Through the story and details, you get a good feel how long this empire has been around, at leastyears, and in one scene, you can sense just how huge the Adarna public square is during a military parade, aboutmeters, and yet in spite of this, the individual characters feel close and real.
I could identify with each one and can't wait to find out how their fortunes will play out, I love stories of political intrigue and the rise and fall of individual fortunes, and this is exactly what's being set up in bookhere.
Love it! I was also captivated by the maneuvers and strategies in the battle scenes, Very visual. I felt like I was fighting right alongside the characters for my life, And after that, I got a chance to meet each of the major characters in this series A couple of times, I'd forgotten who they were A list of characters or a map at the very beginning might have helped, but aren't absolutely necessary maybe these are in there by now or it was just my poor shortterm memory.
Wouldn't be the first time I forgot someone's name :, My favorite characters were Conlan and Wulf these underdogs have rooting power, and I can't wait to see their rise or fall in Ardana.
In short, I'm hooked and I've signed up here on Amazon to be notified about the next installments, Bravo! This book raises a lot of questions, but does not give all the answers, Personally I don't like a book which does not give me a satisfying ending, I understand why authors do it, indeed Dickens's books were serialised in a magazine when they were first published, and with the advent of ereaders and instant downloads you can always download the next book immediately.
Perhaps I'm just throwing my toys out of the pram I'm a little old for that, and I just need to accept this is the modern way.
The first half of the book is dedicated to the battle between the Empire and the barbarians, At first I thought Conlan and Martius were on different sides and this confused me a little, I think the reason for this was that we get Conlan's perspective in Chapter, then Martius's perspective in Chapter, This is a feature of the book, giving different peoples perspectives in the different chapters and it works quite well.
Conlan is the common man, the branch leader with his loyal men Lucas, Jonas and Dylon, He is a fighter, extremely loyal to his legion and brave, fighting on despite his injury, When he hears the horn for a retreat he is astounded, he does not want to abandon his men, but he soon realises this is a mistake when he sees Yovas charging to attack.
Dylon saves Conlan's life but loses his own, still holding up the standard of the legion, It is Conlan who sees the flash of light asnew warriors ride onto the field, the bear, the bull and the hawk, emblazoned on their armour.
One, the hawk, is a red headed woman, whose image Conlan will later be haunted by,
Martius is the general in charge and represents the 'aristocracy,' or power of the Empire, His comrades are Turbis, Villius and Metrotis his nephew, We learn that Martius was a risk taker in his youth, but once he made a decision he would stick to it, even to the point of insubordination.
In his relationship with Metrotis we see his irritation, Metrotis is the brains, creating new inventions and Martius is the active soldier who values skills on the battlefield,
The contrast between these two men is continued through the second part of the book, Conlan drinking in the rustic bar with his men, described as 'no expense spent,' reflecting on the price of war.
"Conlan had always been a little horrified by how quickly his comrades could forget, " They drink a toast to the 'noble dead' and Conlan's thoughts are interesting, "The noble dead just a ritualised way to justify loss, " Conlan is a career soldier and you get the impression that he always will be, but he has the conflict of all humanitarians, in that war costs a great many lives.
Yet he would have mutinied rather than retreat, something he has in common with Martius, We also learn the motto of the legion honour, service, humility,
In contrast to Conlan, Turbis's attitude to war ", . a good war, an external threat, kept the population focused and reduced internal strife, " This is the attitude of a politician and an ambitious soldier, who although the author says fights for duty, there also appears to be a little glory in his actions, after all he has risen through the ranks.
When Martius goes to Turbis's house we see the palatial elegance of the officer class, including a statue of his younger self in the glory days.
We learn of Martius's compassion asking for the enemy captives to be put to work as slaves rather than executed.
This attitude towards unnecessary killing will be important later, It is interesting to hear Turbis say to Martius "It's all well and good you preaching all men are equal in the Empire," as this is clearly not the case, as we see at the end of the book.
Chapter, Wulf, is the only insight we have into the enemy of the Empire, The man is a chained captive, he speaks a different language and Maritus needs a translator, He calls the legion iron men because they wear armour and accuses them of not fighting like men, because they hide behind their shields.
When he is asked why they have attacked the Empire, he says that they need to move North to save his people from the enemy.
In the final chapter Conlan is rewarded by making him a Cohort Commander and when he is old enough, he will be promoted to the Emperor's personal guard.
The fate of his men who survived the battle is uncertain and this is where the story ends, In one sense we have a conclusion in that Conlan is rewarded for his bravery, but equally we have questions about who is the enemy of the barbarians, if not the Empire Who are the mysterious warriors who entered the battle and particularly the woman with red hair Where did they come from, what is their purpose and whose side are they on
Generally this book is very good.
There is a good attempt at depth and insight with the characters internal monologue, This helps to round out their characters, showing the internal conflict of a soldier who kills for a living, but also values life.
They are reckless, impetuous, brave and loyal, living in a stratified society which adds an overarching political framework to this story.
When I started to read this book I thought I was in Imperial Rome, with the legions fighting the barbarian hordes.
Then I realised it could not be, Small things were different such as the colour of the legionaries' cloaks, It was as if history had been jolted out of focus in this new unknown world, like our own but different.
The powerful writing of the battle scenes was wonderful, I am envious. The action in the battle, for the moment, was distracting, So many characters acting so fast and forcefully, You did not know who to focus on, which probably is true in the confusion of a real battle,
In many ways, this is an odd book, You feel you are just getting to know the characters when the book ends, The ending is abrupt and a cliffhanger, The scenes between the battle and the end are short and whet the appetite for more, They set the scene but the scene does not occur,
Overall, I enjoyed the book and wanted to read more, but it is too short, This is the prelude to the novel, not the full novel, In my opinion, instead of being the short starter novel of a series, this book should be lengthened and include at least part of the real story.
Who is the heros What is the mission Who are the opponents This is a good book, if it was longer and more complete it could be great.
I REALLY LIKED IT
What a pleasant little surprise, The book was extremely short, and in my experience those usually cram too much in or not enough, This had a decent amount of a teaser, the start of some good character development, story questions, a good foundation of the world, and a promise of some interesting things to come in the next book.
We follow mainly two characters, General Martius and a soldier Conlan, I found both PoVs interesting and I didnt skim a single sentence, which should speak volumes, Im a notorious skimmer. I found Conlan to be a well developed character, We start in the middle of the war where things are going south rather quickly, Conlans bravery and character is tested right away and we get a good feel for him, Over the book, we see how the war affected him and how he evolves, It was done quite well, Martius also shows us his spirit during the battle, Though I dont think he moved along like Conlan did, his story was still engaging and I found myself more curious about him as I read.
I rather liked the quick start to this book, Were thrown right into a battle and the action starts, However, it made the last half of the book seem a tad bit slow, though I was still engrossed in the story.
Theres definitely a bit of politics starting to show itself during the later part of the book, Im not usually one for such things, but it didnt bog me down at all, I will admit, Im a little worried that it might in the second book, We just touched the surface, so Im sure more will come about in the next installment, If Lewis can hold my interest throughout it, Ill be absolutely delighted,
The writing, for me, flowed nicely, I didnt notice any typos though I hardly do, and I very much enjoyed the nice trance I lost myself in.
I even found myself reading it when I had some fun things I could have otherwise been doing, That says a ton right there, Its that small bit of interest that raises a book from an “Im Indifferent” rating up to a really liked it rating.
It just moved. It kept me engaged, made me want to pick it up again,
So overall, a great read, I dont think there was anything earth shattering in the plot or world, but I dont need to be knocked off my couch to enjoy a book.
And Ive already bought the second book because I liked this one so much that I want to see what happens to Conlan and Martius.
Oh, one more thing: Theres a lovely cliff hanger at the end, I dont mind them, but I know a lot of people who do, But the good news is the second book is out alreadyobviously since Ive bought it,
You can this and other reviews on my website: sitelink com A great story, though I found it lacked the essential fantasy elements that I expect in such literature and which is the main reason I read fantasy to begin with.
So far I find it to be more accurately described as historicallybased fiction, though I do hope to be found in error on this particular point.
I've already purchased Phoenix Rising and look forward to seeing what comes next in the saga of Adarna and its heroes.
I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by this book, It begins by 'throwing' you right into a massive battle scene right at the start and I did feel a little confused by what was going on but you have to stick with this little gem of a novel as it explains more the deeper you get into it.
The Empire is very much like the Roman Empire in its set up and culture and war like attitude.
I liked the characters and the setting and I can see this series becoming a hit, Just when I was thoroughly enjoying it and getting comfortable with the characters it ended on a cliffhanger! Can't wait to read the next instalment!.
zvezda.
E ovo se zove kratko stivo, Odlican pocetak sa fino opisanom velikom bitkom gde se stvarno dobija osecaj da jedan vojnik samo zrnce peska u celoj masini.
Za ovo malo vremena likovi fino opisani kao i prikazan odlican nacin nekoga ko pati od posttraumatic stress disordera,
Jedino sto je kraj skoro u po recenice,
Videcemo kako ide dalje posto volim rimljane i njihovo drustvo a ovo za sada fino emulira sa par promena.
Eh, not bad
Combined review over at sitelinkFantasy Book Critic,
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Adarna Chronicles consists of two novellas so far: Empire Under Siege and Phoenix
Rising, What drew me to this series was the subject matter of a “Romanlike empire in chaos” fantasy storyline and also the covers, which are simply striking and drew my eye instantly.
The author mentioned sitelinkwhat his influences were in writing this historicalish fantasy series in his guest post previously amp it bears a read to see the wide variety of influences.
The story begins in Empire Under Siege with a fullfledged battle and as actual battles go, the one described is messy, chaotic and slightly difficult to follow.
The story has multiple POVs and firstly we are introduced to branch leader Conlan of the Third whos in the thick of it.
Then we get to see the battle from the view of general Felix Martius who leads the legions against the invaders.
Seconding Martius is his mentor cum friend general Antius Turbis who saw his brilliance and lent him his support, Lastly theres Wulf whos one of the horde so as to speak who has to deal with the aftermath of the battle.
These are the POVs introduced in Empire Under Siege, for the followup Phoenix Rising, the new POVs introduced are Metrotis, Felix Martius nephew amp an eccentric scholar who tries to extract more information from Wulf and Felix Ellasand, Martius wife who faces a deadly foe on her own.
The story has many threads as seen from the multivariate POV list above, while we get a view from the legionary point via Conlan, we also get the higherup view via Martius and Turbis.
Theres the usual political backstabbing and oneupmanship brewing thanks to the actions of the generals and the Emperor who is troubled by them.
Then we get a look from one of the POWs Wulf which offers another differentiating view into the happenings, All in all this is an intriguing series as the authors explores the world and the aftereffects of a terrible battle.
The author effectively showcases PTSD, political maneuvering and other such movements that would occur in an empire, Of course theres a lot more afoot with regards to a possibly mad prophet and what truly caused the barbarian horde to appear on the borders of the Adarnan Empire.
The author slowly exposes the different story angles for the reader to be pulled in various directions, What I enjoyed about the story was this very approach, the reader is never quite sure where the plot is heading and because the episodic nature of the storyline, we are left wanting to know what happens next.
What the author truly puts in his best are the characters, with each POV we get to view the world through a different pair of eyes and they are all fascinating.
We meet Conlan who is a young soldier, learning that war is never pleasant and soldiers are often at the mercy of their higherups.
Martius has to walk the fine between his peers and his emperor, giving offense to neither and efficiently manage his soldiers.
Wulf is a prisoner who seeks to escape but first he has to gain favor with Metrotis who is crafty to his wiles.
I couldnt choose a single favorite but Wulf, Martius, and Conlans chapters were my favorites for the amount of twists and intrigue that is slotted in them.
Theres some action to this storyline but mainly both episodes focus on building up the mystery of the "Bull, Bear, and Hawk" and also a couple of other threads that the readers will have to RAFO.
Lastly I will have to mention the dazzling and Spartan cover art, so kudos to the Deranged Doctor Design chaps for both the covers so far.
I cant wait to see what they do for the third volume tentatively titled “The Great Bear”,
One area wherein the story is deficient to a certain degree is the world building and the history.
Of course the author has put in small hints and clues wherever possible but for worldbuilding junkies, this will be a subpar effort.
Also both the volumes are on the shorter side considering they are novellas and not novels, so readers should definitely take that into consideration before buying them.
Overall this series is slightly reminiscent of the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher but with less action, lowkey magic settings and more of a focus on characters.
Think a David Gemmellesque approach to story telling crossed with the Codex Alera world settings, So the story is more character amp dialogue focused and with a slightly lesser emphasis on world details, For readers who like this sort of an approach, you will enjoy this story, For others who prefer a bit more meat to their stories, this might not entirely be your cup of tea.
However I must say that the story isnt finished amp the author has mentioned that the third novella/episode will be a longer one with more depth as well.
I would recommend reading the first two together for now as that way the story makes more sense and feels cohesive.
CONCLUSION: Jason K Lewiss Adarna Chronicles are an interesting mix of historical fantasy cast in the Roman empire mold and with the authors strong focus on characters.
This series managed to mark itself out and I would recommend it to all readers looking for a quick read and for lovers of Romanesque fantasy.
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