Empires of Edomia by J.M. Kind

 

(oversized pb; 2024: fourth book in the Edomia series; aka Empires of Edomia: Tales from the Edomian Mythos (Book 4). Followed by the forthcoming Warriors of Edomia.)

 

From the back cover

“All that glitters is not qualicite in the legendary queendom of Quavex: The long-standing Daughter of the City of fabled Taugwadeth is rocked to its foundations by a crisis of regal succession and the threat of war between shadowy adversaries who see the power vacuum as a means to their own self-serving ends. And what’s to stop their sinister agenda when the ancient legacy of the enlightened Goddess-worshipping matriarchy hands by a thread in this city on a mountain where privilege now outweighs simple justice, and once-pure, well-meaning religion has itself become a tool of greed?

 

“Meanwhile, a beautiful slave’s virtue is jealously guarded by a wealthy merchant who intends to sacrifice the girl to gain favor from the old gods; a lowly monk, ignorant of his parentage and past, becomes a pawn in his superiors’ schemes for political advantage; a once-and-would-be queen struggles to recall her duty and her desinty in a foreign land where she and her family are being hunted by fanatical inquisitors; and a group of young refugees from late-20^th century Earth hide in plain sight, trying to blend in with their neighbors in this strangely-backward alien civilization. Together, all of them may hold the key to the fate and future of Edomia.”

 

Review

Kind returns to Edomia for the fourth time with Empires, which blends the first book’s neologism-and-action-heavy first quarter with the streamlined writing of Rogues of Edomia, third entry in the series. (It should be noted that Empire is less dense with new Edomia-centric vocabulary than Edomia: A Fantasy Adventure, and that Kind’s writing provides vivid context and footnotes for the neologisms.)

All the elements that make up an Edomian work are here: high-adventure fantasy; a feminist/LGBT+ friendly tone (which includes R-rated sexuality); sometimes loquacious and fierce characters who embody and reinforce its free-love-clashing-with-brutal-religiosity-and-kakistocracy tones, including an abbreviated, rough male-on-male rape scene. All of this comes together in another ambitious, engaging, immersive and character-intricate work from Kind (who also writes under other names in other genres).

Empires, like its predecessor Edomian books, is highly recommended for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1977 encyclopedic Silmarillion, George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series and those who appreciate complex-ilk, erudite, Old School fantasy that doesn’t shy away from necessary-to-the-work sexuality, politics and action/brutality. Followed by the forthcoming Warriors of Edomia.

Rogues of Edomia by J.M. Kind

 

(pb; 2023: third novel in the Edomia series; aka Rogues of Edomia: Tales from the Edomian Mythos (Book 3))

From the back cover

“Forced against his will to take a risky job with scant hope of reward, diminutive swindler Drogn the Magnificent has little to rely on save his own uniquely twisted set of wits. Drawing on a shallow wellspring of dubious talent, the fast-talking dwarf must find a way to convince a brazen would-be queen to give up her most cherished ambitions: It’s either that or Drogn’s head when Svrosh, the ruthless Serpent-Prince, demands his pound of flesh.

“Architect of the coup that marked the falloff Taugwadeth, the traitorous Stethine k’ Flerion is holed up with her henchmen in the fortress-like Library of Rvnshrah. Now Drogn and his companions must find a way to infiltrate the citadel, discover the location of a priceless book of ancient lore, and get close enough to Stethine to administer a dose of numbing spider venom, the better to deliver her into the vile Prince-Regent’s clutches. Along with Vasto the giant (Svrosh’s musclebound enforcer), stolid farmboy Bymno, two-headed scholar-bird Klevix-Wrder, and lovely outworlder Gemma (a refugee from Medieval Scotland where she was once accused of witchcraft), Drogn will face more than his share of hardships and horrors, wonders, perils, and galling inconvenience in pursuit of liberty, respect, and his own dreamed-of life of ease.”

Review

Rogues, a relatively short and light Edomia novel, is an entertaining, erudite and straightforward tale, a side-work that serves as a bridge to the forthcoming Empires of Edomia—Rogues maintains the themes, engaging characters and feel of the previous Edomia books while being less plot- and character-intricate (it helps that the first two books did the heavy lifting of being full-on world-builders), making Rogues lighter on its story-telling feet. Excellent series for those who like fantasy genre brains, brawn, humor and a touch of sex, a book worth owning and revisiting (re-reading) at a later date, when all the books are published.

Children of Edomia by J.M. Kind

 

(oversized pb; 2022: second novel in the Edomia series; a.k.a. Children of Edomia: Tales from the Edomian Mythos (Book 2))

 

From the back cover

“The story unfolds through the eyes of Afina, a young woman burdened with a dangerous secret. After the ruthlessly ambitious Serpent Prince and his rapacious retainers invade the only home Afina has ever known—the ancient cloister on the isolated island of Forgotten Women—the reluctant heroine is tasked with the guardianship of the prince’s unborn daughter. Seven years later, when a fanatical order of holy inquisitors invade the island again, Afina must fight to protect the child’s true identity even as she and her companions are taken captive aboard a ship bound for the slave markets of Jorn Gthang far to the north. Stolen again during a daring raid, Afina meets beautiful, devious pirate queen, Aa-Zra and her colorful crew. But when the captain’s plans for the young woman become clear, Afina’s troubles—and her adventures—have only just begun! Will Afina become a pawn in Ava-Zra’s dangerous game of seduction and shifting alliances, or will the young woman unwittingly fall in with eh very people who would enslave her once again?”

 

Review

The second book in the Edomia series is an excellent full-of-action-and-adventure fantasy tale with a new lead character, Afina, who wasn’t in the first book, but encounters characters who were. Children, in high-spirited, entertaining and sometimes LBGT+/sexual fashion, expands on the Edomian Mythos, is more straightforward, lacking Brother Morek k’Areth’s and Edomia’s mixed-in backstory chapters (though Morek’s travelogue concerning his journey between Earth and Edomia are completed in an end-of-book story, “Marco Polo of Edomia: The Testament of Brother Morek k’Areth”). Great, streamlined and worth purchasing read—am looking forward to the third Edomia novel, Rogues of Edomia: Tales from the Edomian Mythos (Book 3).

Edomia: A Fantasy Adventure--Tales from the Edonmian Mythos (Book 1) by J.M. Kind

(oversized pb; 2020: first book in the Edomia series)

From the back cover

“At the dawn of a new Dark Age, the world of Edomia reels amid the clash of warring species, and the rise of a militant new religion from beyond the stars. Heir to the ancient Goddess-worshipping matriarchy of Taugwadeth, Princess Ashna N’rene is sent on a dangerous journey to form an alliance with her people’s most obstinate foe, the fanatical, misogynist Curions, adherents of an alien faith only recently carried to Edomia from fourth-century Earth. But success in this endeavor may be no more desirable than all-out war with the ravenous race of arachno-sapiens known as the Sc’dorim. Faced with two equally dire prospects—to become concubines for the Curions or livestock for the Sc’dorim—Ashna and her companions must fight for their own enlightened way of life, their faith, their freedom, and all they have ever loved, before their once-proud world of women passes forever into the hands of men.”

 

Review

Kind’s ambitious, engaging first Edomia novel mixes science fiction, horror, fantasy, high adventure, feminism, LGBT+ friendly, sexuality and R-rated elements, with situationally loquacious and fierce characters who mostly walk their talk. Its initially thick-with-universe-creating mythos is intense in the way that J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1977 encyclopedic Silmarillion is, so readers looking for an easy beach read might not immediately take to this first volume of Edomia; however, devoted readers of George R.R. Martin’s vivid Game of Thrones series and others of its complex ilk may easily fall in love with this series set-up novel (which becomes a more straightforward, still-high-toned adventure a quarter way through Edomia). Worth reading and owning, this, followed by Children of Edomia – Tales from the Edomian Mythos (Book 2).

The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny

(pb; 1978: fifth novelette in The Chronicles of Amber quintology)

From the back cover

"Amber, the one real world of which all others – including our own Earth – are but Shadows...

"For untold millennia, the cosmic Pattern sustained order in Amber and all the known worlds. But now the forces of Chaos have succeeded in disrupting the Pattern, unleashing destructive forces beyond measure... forces meant to reshape the universe.

"To save Amber, Corwin, prince of the blood, champion of the perfect realm, must undertake the most perilous journey of his life. A journey that will take him through all the terrors of Shadows to the enemy's last stronghold. A journey beyond the very edge of existence... to the Courts of Chaos."


Review

Caveat: possible spoilers in this review.

After the revelations of The Hand of Oberon, the Trump card-holding siblings gradually join forces to defeat Brand, their Chaos-loving and Amber-wrecking brother. Keeping with the tone and structure of earlier books, this is a swiftly-plotted, lots-of-dialogue, twisty motives and happenings kind of urban fantasy. Its tone is more genial ─ well, as genial as Corwyn and his brothers and sisters can get ─ and its resolution is satisfying in its personal warmth. This is an excellent read, as are all the Amber books.

The Hand of Oberon by Roger Zelazny

(pb; 1976: fourth novelette in The Chronicles of Amber quintology)

From the back cover

"Across the mysterious Black Road, demons swarm into Shadow. The ancient, secret source of the royal family's power is revealed, & an unholy pact between a prince of the realm & the forces of Chaos threaten all the known worlds with absolute obliteration. The hour of battle is at hand. Now Corwin and the remaining princes of Amber must call upon all their superhuman powers to defeat their brother-turned-traitor before he can walk the magical Pattern that created Amber and remake the universe in his own image."


Review

Having glimpsed the Courts of Chaos, Corwin continues sorting through the tangled motives and actions of his royal treacherous siblings and discovering how to defeat the Black Road, a dangerous path of Chaos.  Like its prequels, Oberon has little lag time between it and its prequel, Sign of the Unicorn, features a lot of dialogue, as well as barebones, fast-moving action and occurrences. In short: it keeps with the plot-propellant tone of previous Chronicle novelettes, with enough character-based twists to further make this an above-average fantasy read. Followed by The Courts of Chaos.

Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny

(hb; 1975: third novelette in The Chronicles of Amber quintology)

From the back cover

"He who rules Amber rules the one true world. He who thwarts Amber invites the wrath of Amber betrayed.

"An unseen enemy of immense strength has seized a Prince of the Blood, and now threatens the perfect kingdom by striking at the very core of its power - the secret knowledge of Shadow.

"When Corwin summons forces to defend the throne, he finds himself challenged by royal conspirators, hideous demons, supernatural patterns and the ominous unknown that suddenly transcends all he ever suspected about the true nature of Amber.

"One of the most revered names in sf and fantasy, the incomparable Roger Zelazny was honored with numerous prizes—including six Hugo and three Nebula Awards—over the course of his legendary career. Among his more than fifty books, arguably Zelazny’s most popular literary creations were his extraordinary Amber novels."

Review

Sign, like its prequel, The Guns of Avalon, picks up shortly after the last book left off. Corwin’s unexpected, easy victory during the finale of Guns has translated into an uneasy reign. Scheming siblings still eye the throne upon which he sits, a situation worsened when Caine ─ one of said family members ─ is murdered. What follows is a chatty, fantasy-themed murder mystery where Corwin tries to suss out who the killer is, before more bodies, including his own, drop. Sign is a good read if you do not mind a lot of verbal interaction between many people, less action than usual for a fantasy novel, and an abrupt ending that births new mysteries as it resolves others. Followed by The Hand of Oberon.

The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny

(hb; 1972: second novelette in The Chronicles of Amber quintology)

From the inside

"Across the worlds of Shadow, Corwin, prince of blood royal, heir to the throne of Amber, gathers his forces for an assault that will yield up to him the crown that is rightfully his. But, a growing darkness of his own doing threatens his plans, an evil that stretches to the heart of the perfect kingdom itself where the demonic forces of Chaos mass to annihilate Amber and all who would rule there."


Review

The first follow-up to Nine Princes in Amber picks up shortly after the ending of the first book. Corwin seeks to consolidate his seizing of the throne held by his cruel brother (Eric), with help from Ganelon (an exiled traitor-turned-minor-monarch). Along the way, he encounters two of his friendlier siblings, Benedict (who gives him temporary shelter) and Gérard (who reluctantly places faith in Corwin’s word), as well as Dara, Benedict’s curious, mysterious and seductive niece.

Like Nine, Guns is a fast-moving, action-packed urban fantasy, with its blink-it-and-miss-it transitions and explanations. Readers used to detailed, spell-it-out writing may be confused by and put off by Zelazny’s lightning-swift editing and character shifts. For the rest of us, the Amber quintology is a breath of fresh air, one worth owning. Followed by Sign of the Unicorn.

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

(hb; 1970: first novelette in The Chronicles in Amber quintology)

From the inside flap

"Amber, the one real world, wherein all others, including our own Earth, are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne. From Arden to the blood-slippery Stairway into the Sea, the air is electrified with the powers of Eric, Random, Bleys, Caine, and all the princes of Amber whom Corwin must overcome. Yet, his savage path is blocked and guarded by eerie structures beyond imagining; impossible realities forged by demonic assassins and staggering horrors to challenge the might of Corwin's superhuman fury.' to 'Awakening in an Earth hospital unable to remember who he is or where he came from, Corwin is amazed to learn that he is one of the sons of Oberon, King of Amber, and is the rightful successor to the crown in a parallel world."


Review

Princes is a fun, barebones and plot-swift urban fantasy novelette that wastes zero words, with characters who deftly adapt to shifting dimensions and identities with an aplomb that may put off some readers, who are used to “epic” [read: often overlong] works within the same genre. This is an excellent, scene-vivid, and sometimes humorous read, one worth owning. When reading Princes, you might want to make sure you have its first sequel, The Guns of Avalon, on hand, because Princes ─ with its not-quite-cliffhanger ending ─ is an opening arc in a five-book storyline.

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

(pb; 2011: Book Five of A Song of Fire and Ice)


From the inside flap:

"In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance - beset by newly emerging threats from every direction.  In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death.  But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her.  As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the quen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

"Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys.  But his newest allies in this quest are not the ragtag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who would undo Daenerys's claim to Westeros forever.

"Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone - a structure only as strong as those guarding it.  There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night Watch, will face his greatest challenge.  For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice."


Review:

Dance, like A Feast for Crows,  is a transition book - in the sense that it's not as fast-moving and action-brutal as the first three Song novels.  Because of this, Dance sports many of the same faults of Feast (e.g., its emphasis on secondary characters who are less intriguing). 

On the plus side, though, there are a plenty of character-based moments in this fifth Song book where I experienced the same sense of thrill that I felt while reading the first three books.   These moments made Dance a worthwhile, if overwritten, read.

Not as great as the first three books, it - like Feast - is still a more impressive read than most fantasy series I've read.  Check it out from the library.

A Feast For Crows by George R. R. Martin

(pb; 2005: Book Four of A Song of Fire and Ice)


From the back cover:

"After centuries of bitter strife, the seven powers dividing the land have beaten one another into an uneasy truce.  But it's not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather.  Now, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous alliances are formed while surprising faces - some familiar, others only just appearing - emerge from an omnivorous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges of the terrible times ahead.  Nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages, are coming together to stake their fortunes. . . and their lives.  For at a feast for crows, many are the guests - but only a few are the survivors."


Review:

It would be difficult for Martin to top the character-familiar plot corkscrews and karmic resolutions of the third book, A Storm of Swords, which was a near-operatic culmination of two books' worth of personal machinations, often grim and rape-fixated actions and bloody conflicts whose survivors who found themselves with the taste of ashes and bitterness in their mouths. 

I bore this in mind as I read Feast.  I'm glad I did, because  while I wasn't as emotionally invested in this fourth Song novel, I enjoyed it a lot.  Getting to know new characters, a few of whom aren't chapter titled by their names, was initially a bit of a chore after my familiarity with the characters in the previous books - but, ultimately, it was worth it, between Martin's fast and furious plotwork and writing, as well as the equally familiar grim and bloody actions of its characters; because of these elements, Feast proved to be a worthwhile sequel to its predecessors.

Of course, I missed certain characters - e.g., Tyrion Lannister, aka "the Imp" - whose stories weren't told in Feast, but given the narrative flow of this novel I understand why Martin chose to save their stories for later.

This is worth reading if you don't mind being introduced to new characters, and don't expect the easy familiarity of characters from the first three books.  Feast is clearly setting up a new round of love, lust and war, and I look forward to seeing how it plays out.

Followed by A Dance with Dragons.

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

(pb; 2000: Book Three of A Song of Fire and Ice)


From the back cover:

"Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the war rages, as alliances are made and broken.  Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.  His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of a sorceress who holds him in her thrall.  Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun.  Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenarys, mistress of the only three dragons left in the world.  And as opposing forces maneuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others - a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable.  As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords."


Review:

All the elements, plot-twisty action and characters that made A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings great reads structure and set the tone of this second sequel.  This grim, bloody, whimsical and sometimes surprising (but always character-consistent) series continues to wow; it has made me excited to be a reader, in a way that I haven't been in a long time.

Worth owning, this - as are the first two novels.

Followed by A Feast For Crows.

#

Most of the events in Storm are the basis for the third season of the first HBO/cable series, A Game of Thrones.  The series' first episode originally aired on April 17, 2011.  HBO recently aired its Season 3 finale, with a fourth Season set to air next year. 

Given the many characters in this series, I'm not going to list the characters, nor the actors who play them.  (I have a busy schedule.  Maybe later, when I have a little more time, I'll list those who have worked on the series.)

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

(pb; 1999: Book Two of A Song of Fire and Ice)


From the back cover:

"A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky.  And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns.  Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.  It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night.    Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy, a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress, and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside.  Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel. . . and the coldest hearts.  For when kings clash, the whole land trembles."


Review:

All the elements, plot-twisty action and characters that made A Game of Thrones a great read structure and set the tone of this first sequel.  This grim, bloody, whimsical and sometimes surprising (but always character-consistent) series continues to wow; it has made me excited to be a reader, in a way that I haven't been in a long time.


Worth owning, this - as is its source novel.

Followed by A Storm of Swords.

#

The events in Clash are the basis for the second season of the first HBO/cable series, A Game of Thrones.  The series's first episode originally aired on April 17, 2011.  HBO recently aired its Season 3 finale, with a fourth Season set to air next year. 

Given the many characters in this series, I'm not going to list the characters, nor the actors who play them.  (I have a busy schedule.  Maybe later, when I have a little more time, I'll list those who have worked on the series.)

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

(pb; 1996: Book One of A Song of Fire and Ice)


From the back cover:

"In a land where summers can last for decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing.  The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective protective Wall.  At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to.  Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.  Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones."


Review:

I'm not fan of sword-and-sorcery fantasy novels, but this may be first book of this genre to fully immerse me in its vivid, often grim, sometimes kind and seductive world since I read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy as a teenager.  In fact, Game - for this middle-aged reader - may even trump Tolkien's work for its better editing and brutal realism. 

I'm sure this review will add little to what others have already said, given my late entrance into Martin's created world, but to be clear: I loved and/or loathed the fully realized characters and their twisted, interwoven and intense histories; the action was raw, intriguing and unsparing; and the epic scope of Martin's world, as well as the "plots and counterplots" of its widely varied denizens absorbed this noir-minded (that is to say jaded) reader into its wild storylines.

One of my all-time favorite books - worth owning, this.

Followed by A Clash of Kings.

#

The first HBO/cable episode of A Game of Thrones aired on April 17, 2011.  This series is still going - HBO recently aired its Season 3 finale, with a fourth season set to air next year. 

Given the many characters in this series, I'm not going to list the characters, nor the actors who play them.  (I have a busy schedule.  Maybe later, when I have a little more time, I'll list those who have worked on the series.)