When I finished R.S. Ford’s Engine of Empire (click link for review) early in 2022, it immediately became a contender for my favorite fantasy novel of the year. By year’s end, it remained at that top spot. As a result, Engines of Chaos became just about my most anticipated fantasy novel publishing in 2023. Did the book end up living up to my excitement? Find out after the cover image and book blurb…
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.
The novel picks up shortly after the events of Engines of Empire as the conflict in this novel is largely between the religious leaders known as the Draconate Ministry (worshippers of dragons) and the guilds in the nation of Torwyn. The Guilds have long held power over society, but Sanctan Egelrath, the top dog of the Draconate Ministry, methodically dismantles the Guild system so he can insert the Ministry as the theocratic rules of the land.
The Hawkspur family (Rosamon, Conall, Tyreta and Lancelin) are the protagonists of the story again while the antagonists were largely represented by Kaera (from rival Guild), Ansell (one of the Draconate’s servants/knights). These characters provide the primary points of view chapters for the novel. A couple of additional points of view feature later in the novel, too, but these 6 form the backbone of how Ford delivers his epic tale. It shows the complexity of the story and brings a much more personal and intimate view into the epic story.
I don’t want to go into too much more detail around the plot. Rather, I’ll convey what this novel did for me, how it made me feel and why I think Engines of Chaos puts Age of Uprising on the path to being an instant classic Modern Fantasy saga two books into the series.
First, the characters. This is how we come to know the world and feel things about the novel/series/world. In all of his characters, Ford imbues a great deal of empathy. Rosamon is under so much pressure, she’s questioning her actions as she arrives at crossroads that forces her into uncompromising decisions that she fears pulls her away from who she truly is. Add to that, her concerns for her family. Conall gets the snot beat out of him from a moral, mental, and physical perspective. His journey out of that quagmire with, once again the theme of compromised morality, was the most potent character arc for me. Tyreta’s journey and understanding of her power was believable. On the other side of the Guild we’ve got Ansell who finds himself torn between what is commanded to him and what is right. It was a fascinating, and of course familiar, theme and character arch, but Ford made me feel the tortured emotions Ansel experience. Also, nobody is safe. The stakes are real and this novel / series in its Epic nature is set in a war, people die in wars.
Second, the world. A fully-realized secondary world, coupled with great characterization as I’ve mentioned, are foundational to an epic tale and Ford does great here, too. His world is at the brink of technology and magic working both against each other from an ideological perspective for some characters, while also working hand in hand for other characters. There’s a steampunk/gunpowder/heroic/Epic fantasy feel to the world that feels authentic – dragon gods, magic stones powering devices, guns! Taking multiple fantasy world-building tropes and mixing them into one milieu can sometimes result in a muddled world, but Ford seems to have baked everything into his cake pan expertly with a perfect balance of ingredients.
I called out those two strengths in my review of Engines of Empire and as I’ve just written, Ford continues to shine in those areas.
I’ll add a third strength and that is the plotting/narrative. Ford does quite well on this front, too. With each chapter from a different point of view character, he builds narrative tension extremely well. Just when you get absorbed in a particular character’s journey, you reach the end of the chapter so the narrative encourages you to keep going. He makes things very interesting for the characters, he reveals more details about the world, it’s history, and mythology. Whether it is plotting through character interactions, well-wrought physical altercations like intimate fights or battles, Ford pretty much does it all. This is what I hope to get out of reading an Epic Fantasy novel, bottom line.
I’ll close this review by restating and answering the question I posed in the first paragraph. Engines of Chaos immediately shot to the top of my most anticipated novels of 2023 upon the conclusion of Engines of Empire. That anticipation was more than rewarded and I dare say Ford exceeded my hopes and expectations for this novel.
Highly recommended
© 2023 Rob H. Bedford
Published by Orbit Books | April 2023 | 608 Pages
https://www.wordhog.co.uk/ | Twitter: @Rich4ord
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
