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tiberiusrings's review
5.0
Imperium Lupi was not a book I was expecting to find. I found it on an accident, looking up reviews for another book. When I saw the story, saw the artwork, and the concept, I had to give it a shot – I trust when a book jumps out at me. Some of my favorite books have practically screamed at me from the shelf. This book is no different.
The length may be daunting to some readers but it’s well worth the time. This is a long book, but with well-developed characters, plot points, subtle undertones, and nuance. It not only builds a lush world, it also invites the reader to get to know the characters at a personal level; to worry about them, cheer for them, and cry for some. Even characters I wasn’t nearly as invested in toward the beginning I found myself wondering what was going to happen to them, will I see them again before the book ends, etc.
The way “magic” works in this book is grounded in quasi science and a cost/benefit usage that sets it apart from other settings where the rules are muddied and there’s seemingly no limits. That, to me, makes this world seem all the more real and thought-out. It’s both a blessing and a curse and simply a fact of life in this world.
Politics and manipulation are major aspects of the world, and draw you in as characters try to navigate through dangerous plots and intrigue. Not knowing who to trust and who might be a threat from within make for some of the best moments in the book.
All in all this is a fantastic book. I highly recommend it if you want a fun story with grounded rules, dynamic characters, and a fascinating world.
The only negative aspect? Giant spiders!
The length may be daunting to some readers but it’s well worth the time. This is a long book, but with well-developed characters, plot points, subtle undertones, and nuance. It not only builds a lush world, it also invites the reader to get to know the characters at a personal level; to worry about them, cheer for them, and cry for some. Even characters I wasn’t nearly as invested in toward the beginning I found myself wondering what was going to happen to them, will I see them again before the book ends, etc.
The way “magic” works in this book is grounded in quasi science and a cost/benefit usage that sets it apart from other settings where the rules are muddied and there’s seemingly no limits. That, to me, makes this world seem all the more real and thought-out. It’s both a blessing and a curse and simply a fact of life in this world.
Politics and manipulation are major aspects of the world, and draw you in as characters try to navigate through dangerous plots and intrigue. Not knowing who to trust and who might be a threat from within make for some of the best moments in the book.
All in all this is a fantastic book. I highly recommend it if you want a fun story with grounded rules, dynamic characters, and a fascinating world.
The only negative aspect? Giant spiders!
thistlechaser's review
3.0
I don't believe I've read a furry book before, so this was interesting in that aspect. It was also steampunk-ish, which I like (I seem to like steampunk-ish more than actual steampunk).
Set in a fantasy world, this story was more worldbuilding and characters than plot (which is is a ratio I do enjoy, so that worked for me). The world had a form of mineral/radiation called Imperium. It exists in a rainbow of colors, each having a different amount of power (and damage it does). The "people" ("beasts" is the term the book uses) of the world use Imperium to power everything from light bulbs to trains. Using Imperium creates "ash" which poisons and eventually kills everything it touches: Plants, soil, beasts, everything.
All that is interesting enough worldbuilding for me to like it, but then you get to the "Howlers". Beasts who are born with more Imperium in them, so it makes them into "super men" kind of. When these beasts with extra Imperium in them are found, they're taken in by the government and injected with even more to make them even more super. But still, it's poison, so they have very short, painful lives.
All in all, the book was really a good match for me. Unfortunately there were quite a few issues as well.
Small things, like all the (few, few, few) times there was a female character, the animal name got an -ess on it. Wolfess. Catess. Etc.
There were nearly no female characters in the giant cast of characters. The one single female character with power, in the very first scene she was in, used sex to get her way. She repeatedly used sex through the book. Sigh.
Then the bigger issues, like the Howlers. In the beginning of the book, we learned that only men could become them (sigh). Female beasts didn't have the right genetics for it. In the middle of the book, we met a female Howler. By the end of the book (just a couple days later in story-time), it was stated that female Howlers were just uncommon. I think the author lost track of what he had said earlier on.
All the cops in the book were hogs (...pigs...).
And while it was never stated outright, I got an odd Nazi-ish feeling about things. One of the salutes was described as sharply lifting your arm, which sure could be other kinds of salutes, but there was word choice and a number of other things. Perhaps the author was aiming for fascism in general.
There was no need at all for the characters to be furry. They were just people. If they had been human, there would have been no difference at all to the story.
And last (but not least), there was the art the author posted. I could never get those "balloon muscle" images out of my head, through the whole story.
Even with all those issues, I did enjoy the book. There are a few more out in the series, but I'm going to move on to something else for now (I'm in the mood for something lighter).
Set in a fantasy world, this story was more worldbuilding and characters than plot (which is is a ratio I do enjoy, so that worked for me). The world had a form of mineral/radiation called Imperium. It exists in a rainbow of colors, each having a different amount of power (and damage it does). The "people" ("beasts" is the term the book uses) of the world use Imperium to power everything from light bulbs to trains. Using Imperium creates "ash" which poisons and eventually kills everything it touches: Plants, soil, beasts, everything.
All that is interesting enough worldbuilding for me to like it, but then you get to the "Howlers". Beasts who are born with more Imperium in them, so it makes them into "super men" kind of. When these beasts with extra Imperium in them are found, they're taken in by the government and injected with even more to make them even more super. But still, it's poison, so they have very short, painful lives.
All in all, the book was really a good match for me. Unfortunately there were quite a few issues as well.
Small things, like all the (few, few, few) times there was a female character, the animal name got an -ess on it. Wolfess. Catess. Etc.
There were nearly no female characters in the giant cast of characters. The one single female character with power, in the very first scene she was in, used sex to get her way. She repeatedly used sex through the book. Sigh.
Then the bigger issues, like the Howlers. In the beginning of the book, we learned that only men could become them (sigh). Female beasts didn't have the right genetics for it. In the middle of the book, we met a female Howler. By the end of the book (just a couple days later in story-time), it was stated that female Howlers were just uncommon. I think the author lost track of what he had said earlier on.
All the cops in the book were hogs (...pigs...).
And while it was never stated outright, I got an odd Nazi-ish feeling about things. One of the salutes was described as sharply lifting your arm, which sure could be other kinds of salutes, but there was word choice and a number of other things. Perhaps the author was aiming for fascism in general.
There was no need at all for the characters to be furry. They were just people. If they had been human, there would have been no difference at all to the story.
And last (but not least), there was the art the author posted. I could never get those "balloon muscle" images out of my head, through the whole story.
Even with all those issues, I did enjoy the book. There are a few more out in the series, but I'm going to move on to something else for now (I'm in the mood for something lighter).
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