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A review by wisecraic
Irenicon by Aidan Harte
4.0
Ohhh this book. First, let me say that I absolutely enjoyed reading Irenicon. After saying that, let me begin to unpack this whole situation.
This book was slow to get through for me, but that is because the entire first section of the book is absolutely and beautifully filled with world-building. Harte has a masterful skill with completely filling out this alternative universe fantasy Etruscan setting. Not only is the world building so thorough and believable, but Harte manages to establish a universe and a novel in which every character he introduces is important. Even characters that you think may be filler characters end up having an impact on the plot. Each character feels well thought out and individualized as well, without feeling like a trope.
After Harte takes the time to establish his world, the entire book speeds up. While there is no shortage of action throughout the book, the lack of need to further explain how and why the world works makes a huge difference to the pace of the read.
I did find the density at the beginning to be a little discouraging and overwhelming, but was grateful I stuck with this book and finished it out. Harte does not exactly leave you with a cliffhanger, but he absolutely sets up the next book in the series. Irenicon speaks to Harte's ability as a scholar, researcher, creator, and writer. I am eager to see where and how these characters progress.
This book was slow to get through for me, but that is because the entire first section of the book is absolutely and beautifully filled with world-building. Harte has a masterful skill with completely filling out this alternative universe fantasy Etruscan setting. Not only is the world building so thorough and believable, but Harte manages to establish a universe and a novel in which every character he introduces is important. Even characters that you think may be filler characters end up having an impact on the plot. Each character feels well thought out and individualized as well, without feeling like a trope.
After Harte takes the time to establish his world, the entire book speeds up. While there is no shortage of action throughout the book, the lack of need to further explain how and why the world works makes a huge difference to the pace of the read.
I did find the density at the beginning to be a little discouraging and overwhelming, but was grateful I stuck with this book and finished it out. Harte does not exactly leave you with a cliffhanger, but he absolutely sets up the next book in the series. Irenicon speaks to Harte's ability as a scholar, researcher, creator, and writer. I am eager to see where and how these characters progress.