Book Review of Engines of Empire by R.S. Ford

 

Name of Book: Engines of Empire 

Author: R.S. Ford 

ISBN: 978-0-316-62956-0

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: The Age of Uprising (Engines of Chaos is sequel)

Type of book: Fantasy, action oriented, steam punk type, prisoner, negotiations, assassin, guilds vs church, control, empire, family, secrets 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds, magic-fueled machines, intrigue and revolution—and the one family that stands between an empire's salvation or destruction.

The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry, and industry is run by the Guilds. Chief among them are the Hawkspurs, and their responsibility is to keep the gears of the empire turning. It’s exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation. 

Conall, the eldest son, is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military. It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution.

Tyreta’s sorcerous connection to the magical resource of pyrstone that fuels the empire’s machines makes her a perfect heir–in theory. While Tyreta hopes that she might shirk her responsibilities during her journey one of Torwyn’s most important pyrestone mines, she instead finds the dark horrors of industry that the empire would prefer to keep hidden. 

The youngest, Fulren, is a talented artificer, and finds himself acting as consort to a foreign emissary. Soon after, he is framed for a crime he never committed. A crime that could start a war. 

As each of the Hawkspurs grapple with the many threats that face the nation within and without, they must finally prove themselves worthy–or their empire will fall apart. 

Characters:

Main characters would be Tyreta, Lancelin, Fulran, Conall and Rosomon. I definitely feel as if the author only allowed the readers to see one trait of each character instead of many.  Tyreta is best described as impetuous, full of ideas that aren't taken seriously and lacking understanding towards life. She is a webwainer and can communicate with gems. Lancelin is sword protector to the current emperor who has his own secrets and is very devoted to Rosomon. Fulran is the youngest son who wants to be a sword master but is instead forced to be an artificer although he has talent for both. He really resents that he knows next to nothing about his father because of Lancelin. Conall is the oldest son who isn't sure what he seeks or wants. He inspires loyalty in his men but at the same time he cannot go head to head with those more advanced than he. Rosomon is the mother and leader of the Hawkspur Guild who has her own secrets and she is definitely inspiring and politically savvy, although family can best be described as her blind spot. 

Theme:

I did read the novel from cover to cover, but am not sure what lesson I should have learned, maybe that nothing is stable in the world?

Plot:

So its in third person narrative primarily from Tyreta's, Fulren's, Conall's, Rosomon's and Lancelin's points of view. While I sense the prologue has importance, the prologue is not touched on in first book. The start and family dynamics really hint of high conflict, but unfortunately they are skimmed through and very little is given through the novel. Instead we are shown the non stop action events and very little growth. (But then, what growth when we don't know the characters before the airship event?) The events happen very quickly and the author has several separate narratives showing the readers various parts of the world. For nonstop action, its a good book, but for character building and growth, not a very good book. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

R S Ford originally hails from Leeds in the heartland of Yorkshire. He is a writer of fantasy and historical fiction (check out Richard Cullen on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)

You can find out more about what he's up to, and download free stuff, here:
http://wordhog.co.uk

And follow him on Twitter here: @rich4ord
And Instagram here: thewordhog

Opinion:

At the start the book was highly engaging as well as intriguing, but the deeper I got into the story, the more I began to be bothered by something. Upon further reflection what I think bothered me about the novel is that its not character centric and its nothing but action, literally. I also felt as if the novel is very rushed. I don't have problems with action novels, but I definitely need and desire character relationships and growth, no matter the message. Everything also felt too fast and the reader wasn't given enough time to absorb the complex events that were happening within. 

This was given for review

3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)