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

 

Name of Book: Engines of Chaos 

Author: R.S. Ford 

ISBN: 978-0-316-62961-4

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: The Age of Uprising (Engines of Empire prequel) 

Type of book: Steampunk fantasy, magic vs technology vs religion, battles, tradition, honor, rebellions, colonization, slavery, epic fantasy, adult, adventure, nature, drugs, questioning, moral choices and decisions 

Year it was published: 2023 

Summary:

"Perfect for fans of Brent Weeks, George R. R. Martin, or David Gemmell . . . . The best traditional epic fantasy I have read in years." — Grimdark Magazine on Engines of Empire

“An excellent start to a new series: fast-paced and engaging, with a properly epic setting and a cast of characters I look forward to seeing more of.” – James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost on Engines of Empire

From an unmissable voice in epic fantasy comes the second novel in a trilogy where guilds clash, magic fuels machines, and an empire begins a revolution.

Torwyn burns as Sanctan Egelrath tightens his grip on power. The Draconate Ministry has gathered its forces, determined to eradicate the Guilds, but Rosomon Hawkspur still stands in their way. 

Her only hope could lay with Lancelin Jagdor, sent to gather allies in their struggle against the usurper. Can even the greatest warrior in Torwyn hope to succeed with so many adversaries determined to stop him?

Tyreta returns home with newfound strength and mysterious sorcerous abilities, only to discover it is not the land she left behind. She will have to call upon her untested powers to survive when she embarks on a mission that could turn the tide of war. 

Conall, trapped in a dangerous land, has his own enemies to defeat before he can hope to escape and join the conflict that threatens his family. Even if he succeeds, he must overcome the demons that threaten from within or face damnation. 

Though Rosomon is vastly outnumbered, and her family lost, she is determined to strike back against her enemies. But saving her homeland might prove an impossible task.

“Epic fantasy fans listen up: This is the good stuff. Highly recommended.” —Kirkus (starred review) on Engines of Empire

For more from R. S. Ford, check out:

Age of Uprising:

Engines of Empire

Engines of Chaos

Characters:

So there are a whole ton of characters, both primary and secondary. From first book Rosomon, Conall, Tyretta and Lancelin return and we get to learn more about them. Rosomon is an able and dedicated administrator who also cares a lot about people under her. Conall continues to question himself but at the same time he develops a lot of strength to withstand his future trials. Tyretta continues to be independent and is also determined to help her family and embrace her newfound powers. Lancelin continues to provide devotion to Rosomon but at the same time he seems to have made little path in forgiving himself. The new characters would be Keara and Ansell. Keara is daughter of the lowest guild and she is determined to make sure her guild rises high after the downfall of primary guilds. She tends to run away from the present by using a highly potent drug and rarely if ever questions the new world order, at least in most of the book. Ansell is Sanctan's bodyguard who is taught complete obedience to Sanctan and no questioning. However, Ansell has begun developing doubts and somehow he has to reconcile the new and old selves. There are a ton more characters but I won't spoil them. 

Theme:

You  never know where path will take you

Plot:

This was written in third person narrative in many characters' points of view. While previous characters such as Rosomon, Conall, Lancelin and Tyretta make their appearances, new characters of Keara and Ansell also make appearances which heavily added to mine enjoyment of the narrative because the readers get to witness the villanious side. The characters also strongly grew, in particular Conall and Ansell. What I also should mention is that reading the first book is a must before reading this one. There are no introduction pages describing what happened in previous novel. I also feel as if the mysterious prologue in first book was loosely addressed, and yes I enjoyed viewing the new locations, in particular the mysterious Iperion Magna Empire. 

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:

Wow, this is definitely a phenomenal read! While I wasn't a big fan of the prequel, ENGINES OF EMPIRE, this has changed my mind a lot. The stories and plotlines have gotten a lot more interesting and its more character focused instead of non stop action. Yes, there is plenty of action, but at the same time I feel as if I was getting to know all sorts of characters, from potential heroes to potential villains. There are definitely twists and turns aplenty but these are so much fun though. Looking forward to the last book of the series! 

This was given for review

4 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.)