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texaswolfman's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Good book overall. The first half was world building. Some of it was too drawn out. The second half really cooks.
jazzrizz's review
4.0
What a great start to this series. Illarion is from a very simple village, far removed from the war and politics that rage in his country. He's the lone survivor of an attack on his village, and is marked by one of the Sisters.
He travels to the capital to fight for her army, and is completely unprepared for what awaits him. Thrown into a war he was unaware of, he finds himself fighting for family, friends & country. He's fully aware he's a pawn, but he's pretty skilled at making things work in his favor. Natalya - a talented scout - befriends him on orders from Kristoph, but finds herself drawn to the man he is ... a super secret agent for the Chancellor Nicadimus. Who's really NOT a nice guy.
Super fun twist on Golem magicks and those who can wield the power. I'm so looking forward to the next book.
He travels to the capital to fight for her army, and is completely unprepared for what awaits him. Thrown into a war he was unaware of, he finds himself fighting for family, friends & country. He's fully aware he's a pawn, but he's pretty skilled at making things work in his favor. Natalya - a talented scout - befriends him on orders from Kristoph, but finds herself drawn to the man he is ... a super secret agent for the Chancellor Nicadimus. Who's really NOT a nice guy.
Super fun twist on Golem magicks and those who can wield the power. I'm so looking forward to the next book.
pjonsson's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book in a new book series from Larry Correa. The book is co-written by Steve Diamond whom I have not really read anything from until now. Larry Correia however is one of my favorite, if not the favorite, author. Unlike, for example, Michael Anderle who is a quite good author himself but unfortunately seems to be happy putting his name on a lot of rubbish written by other authors having Larry Correia’s name on a book is always a sign that it is a good book.
This one is no exception. It is a very good book indeed although I have to confess that I do like his Monster Hunter International and Grimnoir Chronicles series more than I liked this book. Maybe that’s just because this book is a lot about trench warfare which is not exactly my favorite subject. That still leaves this book in the top of the back range of books I have read lately though.
The books is set in a fantasy world where magic exists and monsters and gods roam the land. Out main protagonist, Illarion, is thrown into a war between the two largest nations of this world by one of the goddesses when everyone else in his small village is slaughtered.
The world that Larry has created is a mix of science a’la first world war and magic. There are guns, gas warfare, snipers and… mechs. Yep, that is right, mechs. No it is not steam punk. As we learn these mechs, or Objects as they are called for reasons I never really understood, are magical constructs with a human driver inside. Some drivers are better at controlling there mechs than others and I’m sure you can guess which end of the spectrum Illarion finds himself.
During the course of the book we learn much about this world and how it works. The Tsarist nation and its military is, not surprisingly, quite autocratic and it doesn’t take long before the political KGB-style apparatchiks and political officers makes their appearance.
There are plenty of political scheming and plots within plots going on. The book starts with the story line of three different main characters which are weaved together as the story progresses. A few twists follows of course and by the end the plot has evolved quite a bit and what started of a foes have become friends. Perhaps a bit out of necessity but still on the same side of the good-bad line.
The book is somewhat dark and the world is quite dark and gritty. There are a lot of combat and gruesome deaths in between the plotting and scheming and sometimes it feels like a borderline horror story. The book is also much less humorous and serious than, for instance Monster Hunter International which is perhaps also why I could not bring myself to give it a 5 out of 5 rating.
Still, this is a very good book. It’s as well written as one would expect of a book with Larry Correia’s name on it. Not surprisingly this is a series I will continue.
This one is no exception. It is a very good book indeed although I have to confess that I do like his Monster Hunter International and Grimnoir Chronicles series more than I liked this book. Maybe that’s just because this book is a lot about trench warfare which is not exactly my favorite subject. That still leaves this book in the top of the back range of books I have read lately though.
The books is set in a fantasy world where magic exists and monsters and gods roam the land. Out main protagonist, Illarion, is thrown into a war between the two largest nations of this world by one of the goddesses when everyone else in his small village is slaughtered.
The world that Larry has created is a mix of science a’la first world war and magic. There are guns, gas warfare, snipers and… mechs. Yep, that is right, mechs. No it is not steam punk. As we learn these mechs, or Objects as they are called for reasons I never really understood, are magical constructs with a human driver inside. Some drivers are better at controlling there mechs than others and I’m sure you can guess which end of the spectrum Illarion finds himself.
During the course of the book we learn much about this world and how it works. The Tsarist nation and its military is, not surprisingly, quite autocratic and it doesn’t take long before the political KGB-style apparatchiks and political officers makes their appearance.
There are plenty of political scheming and plots within plots going on. The book starts with the story line of three different main characters which are weaved together as the story progresses. A few twists follows of course and by the end the plot has evolved quite a bit and what started of a foes have become friends. Perhaps a bit out of necessity but still on the same side of the good-bad line.
The book is somewhat dark and the world is quite dark and gritty. There are a lot of combat and gruesome deaths in between the plotting and scheming and sometimes it feels like a borderline horror story. The book is also much less humorous and serious than, for instance Monster Hunter International which is perhaps also why I could not bring myself to give it a 5 out of 5 rating.
Still, this is a very good book. It’s as well written as one would expect of a book with Larry Correia’s name on it. Not surprisingly this is a series I will continue.
brents's review against another edition
5.0
Unique and Exciting Fantasy
WWI style trench warfare, mechs, guns, gods, monsters, and magic. Throw that all in a blender with some slavic inspiration and you get a really kick ass book.
On the surface level there is something that feels familiar in that it could be considered a chosen one story but besides that it all felt like nothing I have read before. This story takes place in a fantasy world where 2 empires have been at constant war for 100 years with each side having a goddess as its patron. The technology level is similar to late 19th century early 20th century warfare but with magic and specifically magic powered mechs. Its absolutely wild and that's what hooked me in. I needed to know more and the way the world building is explained and how humans ended up there is clever. What made me stay is the fact that I got really involved with these characters as they fight the war and learn more about what is really going on. There's a cool found family aspect to it that I'm a sucker for. Also the action is incredible and there is no drag in this book. Finally the narration of the audio book is worth an Audible credit all by itself.
Ok some minor criticisms and I don't have very many, but basically this is definitely a series book 1. While it may not be a super cliffhanger this is definitely not a standalone and it leaves you wanting more of everything. I think the other thing I'd say that kind of goes along with that is that the villain of this book isn't particularly strong. Yes it sets up a series "big bad" but the antagonist for this book isn't that great.
Overall I loved this and it feels like a real hidden gem that may be almost too unique to find an audience. It's not sci fi and it's not sword and shield fantasy or even flint lock fantasy. It's something entirely its own. I don't know what that is but I know it's pretty damn good.
WWI style trench warfare, mechs, guns, gods, monsters, and magic. Throw that all in a blender with some slavic inspiration and you get a really kick ass book.
On the surface level there is something that feels familiar in that it could be considered a chosen one story but besides that it all felt like nothing I have read before. This story takes place in a fantasy world where 2 empires have been at constant war for 100 years with each side having a goddess as its patron. The technology level is similar to late 19th century early 20th century warfare but with magic and specifically magic powered mechs. Its absolutely wild and that's what hooked me in. I needed to know more and the way the world building is explained and how humans ended up there is clever. What made me stay is the fact that I got really involved with these characters as they fight the war and learn more about what is really going on. There's a cool found family aspect to it that I'm a sucker for. Also the action is incredible and there is no drag in this book. Finally the narration of the audio book is worth an Audible credit all by itself.
Ok some minor criticisms and I don't have very many, but basically this is definitely a series book 1. While it may not be a super cliffhanger this is definitely not a standalone and it leaves you wanting more of everything. I think the other thing I'd say that kind of goes along with that is that the villain of this book isn't particularly strong. Yes it sets up a series "big bad" but the antagonist for this book isn't that great.
Overall I loved this and it feels like a real hidden gem that may be almost too unique to find an audience. It's not sci fi and it's not sword and shield fantasy or even flint lock fantasy. It's something entirely its own. I don't know what that is but I know it's pretty damn good.
patrick6367's review against another edition
5.0
This one started off pretty rough for me - the writing seemed simple, the characters cookie cutter, and the story formulaic. Thank god I kept reading anyway though, because it definitely got better, way better, and delivered complex interesting characters, a rollicking good story, lots of great action scenes, and an intricate magic system driving events in a fully realized alternate world. I can't wait to read the next one.
oriell's review against another edition
It's just not for me. I've read a bunch of military fiction of various stripes and was hoping to like this one, but between the poor editing, the flat characterization, and the way the first few chapters failed to grab me? Yeah, I'm just not up for more of the same.
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