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Chronicles of a Cosmic Warlord #1
Empire of the Saviours
In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours' tithe from all those coming of age - a tithe often paid in blood. When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he must be caught? Jillan is initially hunted by just the soldiers of the Saint of his region, but others soon begin to hear of his increasing power and seek to use him for their own ends. Some want Jillan to join the fight against the Empire, others wish to steal his power for themselves and others still want Jillan to lead them to the Geas, the source of all life and power in the world. There are very few Jillan can trust, except for a ragtag group of outcasts. His parents threatened, his life in tatters, his beliefs shaken to the core, Jillan must decide which side he is on, and whether to fight or run ..
- GenresFantasy
470 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Dalton
20 books53 followersHello there! I'm mainly preoccupied with the question 'If Darth Vader and Dracula were fighting each other, who would win?' When not pondering said question, I bend my mind to writing gothic fantasy. It keeps me off the streets, but often gets me into trouble.
Praise for A J Dalton's writing:
SFX - ‘Empire Of The Saviours gives you an interesting setting and a devilishly good villain’
SciFi Now magazine - ‘Engaging, filled with sacrifice, adventure and some very bloody battles!’
Waterstones central buyer - ‘The best young British fantasy author on the circuit at the moment’
Sfbook.com - ‘Different, fresh and unique’
Best-selling author with Gollancz - Empire of the Saviours, Gateway of the Saviours, Tithe of the Saviours.
Titles published with Kristell Ink - The Book of Angels, The Book of Orm.
Other titles - I Am a Small God, Necromancer's Gambit, Necromancer's Betrayal, Necromancer's Fall.
Hey, I did my best. Oh shut up. It's big in Germany.
Praise for A J Dalton's writing:
SFX - ‘Empire Of The Saviours gives you an interesting setting and a devilishly good villain’
SciFi Now magazine - ‘Engaging, filled with sacrifice, adventure and some very bloody battles!’
Waterstones central buyer - ‘The best young British fantasy author on the circuit at the moment’
Sfbook.com - ‘Different, fresh and unique’
Best-selling author with Gollancz - Empire of the Saviours, Gateway of the Saviours, Tithe of the Saviours.
Titles published with Kristell Ink - The Book of Angels, The Book of Orm.
Other titles - I Am a Small God, Necromancer's Gambit, Necromancer's Betrayal, Necromancer's Fall.
Hey, I did my best. Oh shut up. It's big in Germany.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 14, 2016
I just finished this trilogy and I don't know if I've read it differently or not in the same way but I've noticed allot of unfavorable reviews of this. Did they read the same book...
I've heard of spellbinding stories but this is the first i can say I've read.
The world building is superb but the way the interaction between Gods and truly terrifying beings who are beyond mortal comprehension is written in such a way that it actually feels on the brink of the Metaphysical. It gave me a sence of how alien it would be and how unprepared to fathom it would feel.
It took a little at first to get in the rhythm of its style but by the end of the third novel I sat back and regretted nothing.
I didn't expect this and I'm looking forward to more of his works but he needs to get a new publicist, marketing and what ever authors use to get there voice out there.
He was hard to find and the reviews and articles don't serve him justice.
A.J. Dalton, thank-you, some of what I've read well stay with me for a long time.
I've heard of spellbinding stories but this is the first i can say I've read.
The world building is superb but the way the interaction between Gods and truly terrifying beings who are beyond mortal comprehension is written in such a way that it actually feels on the brink of the Metaphysical. It gave me a sence of how alien it would be and how unprepared to fathom it would feel.
It took a little at first to get in the rhythm of its style but by the end of the third novel I sat back and regretted nothing.
I didn't expect this and I'm looking forward to more of his works but he needs to get a new publicist, marketing and what ever authors use to get there voice out there.
He was hard to find and the reviews and articles don't serve him justice.
A.J. Dalton, thank-you, some of what I've read well stay with me for a long time.
May 18, 2012
A filthy, naked madman !!!!!!!!!!!! This ought to be enough reason to check this book out but if it isn't and you are a more demanding reader how about this? AJ Dalton has crafted a world rich and absorbing and with a full set of characters (including the naked madman) who are a joy to be with.
The plot line is one of a young man who through no fault of his own has to find his own way in the world as his circumstances change somewhat the day he unleashes his unknown but potent wrath upon the village bully, the consequences of which send him out into the world at large, but not without attracting some attention from the region's Saint. Meanwhile a young woman struggles to comprehend her place in the world, a village elder is cast out to spread the good word and our naked man seeks acceptance and redemption in his own peculiar way. Thematically, displacement is the key and it lends itself very well to some good story telling whilst pulling the reader into the world.
This is the kind of book I like to read, a world different to our own but close enough in themes to have resonance, a driven story line with the occasional moment of laugh out loud humour and as previously mentioned a full cast who are that well written they could all have a book of their own. Kudos to you Mr Dalton, looking forward to Book 2
The plot line is one of a young man who through no fault of his own has to find his own way in the world as his circumstances change somewhat the day he unleashes his unknown but potent wrath upon the village bully, the consequences of which send him out into the world at large, but not without attracting some attention from the region's Saint. Meanwhile a young woman struggles to comprehend her place in the world, a village elder is cast out to spread the good word and our naked man seeks acceptance and redemption in his own peculiar way. Thematically, displacement is the key and it lends itself very well to some good story telling whilst pulling the reader into the world.
This is the kind of book I like to read, a world different to our own but close enough in themes to have resonance, a driven story line with the occasional moment of laugh out loud humour and as previously mentioned a full cast who are that well written they could all have a book of their own. Kudos to you Mr Dalton, looking forward to Book 2
July 2, 2014
A.J Dalton was (I believe) the first author to officially coin the term metaphysical fantasy - where things such as free will and destiny are swayed by external influences such as gods. Where nature nurtures and we consider more than the first level of thinking. Jordan did it with Tel'aran'rhiod (dream world) and to a certain degree so did Donaldson with the Thomas Covenant books. What A J has done is make the term interesting and fun - focussing away from the tried and tested 'dream world' scenario and move it to levels of society, religion and the elements of nature.
We start with what at first appears to be quite formulaic - young lad who seemingly gains forbidden pagan magic and so runs. But, the book becomes so much more. We're introduced to 'Saints' "Heroes' meddling gods and magic. There's quite a huge cast of characters and multiple points of view throughout. So if you're one that prefers a steady story told by just one character you will be disappointed.
We start with what at first appears to be quite formulaic - young lad who seemingly gains forbidden pagan magic and so runs. But, the book becomes so much more. We're introduced to 'Saints' "Heroes' meddling gods and magic. There's quite a huge cast of characters and multiple points of view throughout. So if you're one that prefers a steady story told by just one character you will be disappointed.
September 15, 2014
I will admit I only got as far as page 92 before abandoning the book as I realised I didn't care what happened. The plot just seemed so unbelievable.
The female character, Freda, is born in a cave in darkness and her mother dies pretty soon afterwards. Despite this she survives and when she meets other humans later is able to quickly learn their language and behaves in a moral way.
The hero meanwhile fleeing from his town where he faces certain death and with no money walks into an inn because he's hungry.
I know it's a fantasy but I require my stories to be based in some sort of reality.
The female character, Freda, is born in a cave in darkness and her mother dies pretty soon afterwards. Despite this she survives and when she meets other humans later is able to quickly learn their language and behaves in a moral way.
The hero meanwhile fleeing from his town where he faces certain death and with no money walks into an inn because he's hungry.
I know it's a fantasy but I require my stories to be based in some sort of reality.
April 13, 2012
Accused of practising pagan magicks, a young boy flees for his life…
In fear for her life, a woman suffering from a mysterious illness is forced to break out of the mine where she has been enslaved…
An innocent warrior is exiled by the holy man of this mountain tribe and told to make his own way in the world…
In the Empire of the Saviours, The People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours’ tithe from all those coming of age – a tithe often paid in blood.
When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he mud be caught?
Last year I read Necromancer’s Gambit by A J Dalton and, although I had some issues with the editing, overall I enjoyed the dark fantasy that the author created. You can’t ever go far wrong with an army of resurrected corpses in my opinion. Recently I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of Mr Dalton’s new novel and I’ve been looking forward to checking it out.
The Empire of the Saviours is a society built around very structured roles and strong religious doctrine. Saviours control the Saints who in turn command the Heroes who maintain order and force the general populace, The People, to abide by their rules. It was easy to picture this set up in a similar vein to something like Clash of the Titans. The Saviours are forever playing a never-ending game of cosmic chess with the Saints, Heroes and People as their pieces. For The Saviours power struggles and petty jealousies are played out over the course of eons.
It’s the strong characterisation that ultimately won me over. Through Jillan, the reader is introduced to a whole host of memorable warriors, townsfolk, heroes, gods and monsters. Jillan himself is still very young and is mostly innocent in the ways of the world. He is forced to learn the rules as he attempts to flee from persecution. Very much a blank canvas when we first meet him there are some nice subtle hints about the man he has the potential to grow up to be.
The villains are all deliciously evil and lead by the twisted Saint Azual. He has been a living Saint for hundreds of years and dreams of becoming a god in his own right. Over the course of the novel, his tenuous grip on sanity slips away and his acts become increasingly violent and unpredictable. Azual’s rage knows no bounds and he will destroy anything that gets in his way. Unpleasant and brutal, he truly is a nasty piece of work.
The other villain I particularly liked, or disliked depending on your point of view, was Minister Praxis. When the reader first meets him he is the religious leader of Godsend, the backwater village where Jillan grows up, and he is driven by a fervent fundamentalism that makes him instantly dis-likable. As the main plot unfolds Praxis is tasked with taking the religion of the Saviours to the pagans and I enjoyed the various predicaments he finds himself in. His smarmy aloofness and strict bearing make the arguments he has with Torpeth, the pagan religious leader, a great deal of fun. Both men are so sure of their opposing viewpoints their constant back and forth regularly devolves into childish name-calling. These scenes, which are already funny, are made all the more surreal by the fact that one of them spends the vast majority of the novel naked.
My favourite character though was an enigmatic being known as The Peculiar. He/She/It features in some of the novel’s best moments. Mysterious and every so slightly smug about it I couldn’t help but like him/her/it. Even now I can’t decide if The Peculiar was evil or good (probably chaotic-neutral thinking about it). I liked the sense of ambiguity that surrounds every action that this perplexing individual makes.
Dalton has written a compelling story that works on multiple levels. There are some well-observed action and classic fantasy battles that are suitably rousing. Alongside that there is some interesting world building to discover and a surprising amount of dry humour to enjoy. Empire of the Saviours is a great deal of fun and certainly worthy of your time.
Empire of the Saviours is published by Gollancz and released on 17th May 2012. A sequel, Gateway of the Saviours, will be released in the future.
In fear for her life, a woman suffering from a mysterious illness is forced to break out of the mine where she has been enslaved…
An innocent warrior is exiled by the holy man of this mountain tribe and told to make his own way in the world…
In the Empire of the Saviours, The People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours’ tithe from all those coming of age – a tithe often paid in blood.
When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he mud be caught?
Last year I read Necromancer’s Gambit by A J Dalton and, although I had some issues with the editing, overall I enjoyed the dark fantasy that the author created. You can’t ever go far wrong with an army of resurrected corpses in my opinion. Recently I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of Mr Dalton’s new novel and I’ve been looking forward to checking it out.
The Empire of the Saviours is a society built around very structured roles and strong religious doctrine. Saviours control the Saints who in turn command the Heroes who maintain order and force the general populace, The People, to abide by their rules. It was easy to picture this set up in a similar vein to something like Clash of the Titans. The Saviours are forever playing a never-ending game of cosmic chess with the Saints, Heroes and People as their pieces. For The Saviours power struggles and petty jealousies are played out over the course of eons.
It’s the strong characterisation that ultimately won me over. Through Jillan, the reader is introduced to a whole host of memorable warriors, townsfolk, heroes, gods and monsters. Jillan himself is still very young and is mostly innocent in the ways of the world. He is forced to learn the rules as he attempts to flee from persecution. Very much a blank canvas when we first meet him there are some nice subtle hints about the man he has the potential to grow up to be.
The villains are all deliciously evil and lead by the twisted Saint Azual. He has been a living Saint for hundreds of years and dreams of becoming a god in his own right. Over the course of the novel, his tenuous grip on sanity slips away and his acts become increasingly violent and unpredictable. Azual’s rage knows no bounds and he will destroy anything that gets in his way. Unpleasant and brutal, he truly is a nasty piece of work.
The other villain I particularly liked, or disliked depending on your point of view, was Minister Praxis. When the reader first meets him he is the religious leader of Godsend, the backwater village where Jillan grows up, and he is driven by a fervent fundamentalism that makes him instantly dis-likable. As the main plot unfolds Praxis is tasked with taking the religion of the Saviours to the pagans and I enjoyed the various predicaments he finds himself in. His smarmy aloofness and strict bearing make the arguments he has with Torpeth, the pagan religious leader, a great deal of fun. Both men are so sure of their opposing viewpoints their constant back and forth regularly devolves into childish name-calling. These scenes, which are already funny, are made all the more surreal by the fact that one of them spends the vast majority of the novel naked.
My favourite character though was an enigmatic being known as The Peculiar. He/She/It features in some of the novel’s best moments. Mysterious and every so slightly smug about it I couldn’t help but like him/her/it. Even now I can’t decide if The Peculiar was evil or good (probably chaotic-neutral thinking about it). I liked the sense of ambiguity that surrounds every action that this perplexing individual makes.
Dalton has written a compelling story that works on multiple levels. There are some well-observed action and classic fantasy battles that are suitably rousing. Alongside that there is some interesting world building to discover and a surprising amount of dry humour to enjoy. Empire of the Saviours is a great deal of fun and certainly worthy of your time.
Empire of the Saviours is published by Gollancz and released on 17th May 2012. A sequel, Gateway of the Saviours, will be released in the future.
February 20, 2017
People say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when you see a cover like Empire of the Saviours, it’s hard not to imagine a great dark and gripping fantasy novel. Sometimes letting your initial judgement of a book be determined by the cover is not a good idea because the book may not meet your expectations, but I was glad to see this wasn’t case with Empire of the Saviours.
When I first picked up Empire of the Saviours, I found it a bit difficult to get into due to the start of it focusing a lot around the locals and their beliefs. I sometimes find it difficult reading books with this kind of environment, but as the story developed we quickly discover all is not what it seems and the pace of the book quickly picks up.
The one aspect that impressed me the most was Dalton’s focus on characterisation and the details we find out about each character. Some people find books with heavy focus on characterisation hard to read due to the amount of information involved, but Dalton’s style of writing and the story he moulds around the characters make it a lot easier to read. The character I enjoyed reading about the most is Jillan because throughout the book we see him experience numerous different emotions due to different situations, and how he dealt with him made his a great character.
If when you first read Empire of the Saviours like myself you find it difficult to get into I highly suggest you push past this because what you will discover is a world that will grip and intrigue you. Not only that but the book has some great actions scenes in it and these were the scenes that I loved devouring the most due to their intensity and great flow. I don’t want to discuss these too much as I feel the battle scenes are one of the books true aces and are a pleasure to read.
Even with all of these great things to say about the book there were definitely some points were I felt that certain scenes dragged on a bit or the pacing slowed down but thankfully there weren’t too many moments of these throughout the course of the book. The one negative about the book I did find hard to deal with the most was when a POV switch occurred, there were no font change or formatting to indicate this was going to occur. So unfortunately there were occasions where I suddenly found myself reading a different POV and sometimes I didn’t discover right away. I feel if a font change or formatting was added to allude to this then the book would become much easier to read.
Other than the small negatives I mentioned above I still thoroughly enjoyed reading Empire of the Saviours, it is a well crafted book with great writing and a thoroughly enjoyable story. I would highly recommend it to any fan of the fantasy book genre.
When I first picked up Empire of the Saviours, I found it a bit difficult to get into due to the start of it focusing a lot around the locals and their beliefs. I sometimes find it difficult reading books with this kind of environment, but as the story developed we quickly discover all is not what it seems and the pace of the book quickly picks up.
The one aspect that impressed me the most was Dalton’s focus on characterisation and the details we find out about each character. Some people find books with heavy focus on characterisation hard to read due to the amount of information involved, but Dalton’s style of writing and the story he moulds around the characters make it a lot easier to read. The character I enjoyed reading about the most is Jillan because throughout the book we see him experience numerous different emotions due to different situations, and how he dealt with him made his a great character.
If when you first read Empire of the Saviours like myself you find it difficult to get into I highly suggest you push past this because what you will discover is a world that will grip and intrigue you. Not only that but the book has some great actions scenes in it and these were the scenes that I loved devouring the most due to their intensity and great flow. I don’t want to discuss these too much as I feel the battle scenes are one of the books true aces and are a pleasure to read.
Even with all of these great things to say about the book there were definitely some points were I felt that certain scenes dragged on a bit or the pacing slowed down but thankfully there weren’t too many moments of these throughout the course of the book. The one negative about the book I did find hard to deal with the most was when a POV switch occurred, there were no font change or formatting to indicate this was going to occur. So unfortunately there were occasions where I suddenly found myself reading a different POV and sometimes I didn’t discover right away. I feel if a font change or formatting was added to allude to this then the book would become much easier to read.
Other than the small negatives I mentioned above I still thoroughly enjoyed reading Empire of the Saviours, it is a well crafted book with great writing and a thoroughly enjoyable story. I would highly recommend it to any fan of the fantasy book genre.
May 17, 2012
w i don't read a hell of a lot of fantasy since the sad passing of David Gemmell, the genre seemed to lose its guiding light. There are some notable exceptions in people like James Barclay, Paul Hoffman, Ben Aaronovitch and Sam Sykes to name a few. I especially avoid the cliched Fantasy Novels, so when i saw this book i was torn...The cover was both Cliche...and yet the cover art was so similar to Sam Sykes novel that i just had to give it a go (Sam's books are fantastic fun).
I was so glad i gave it a go, A J Dalton has obviously put so much time effort heart and soul into the creation of his world and he has done it with a true eye to detail and imagination. The Bad guys are disgustingly bad, and the good guys are not perfect as they shouldn't be, the characters are just so well rounded and built by the author the world becomes real not fantasy. The plot has many twists and turns and what was most surprising was the large dollop of humour and fun that Dalton weaves into the story.
I really enjoyed this, and a new name is added to the list of Fantasy writers i will read.
(Parm)
Product Description
In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours' tithe from all those coming of age - a tithe often paid in blood.
When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he must be caught?
Jillan is initially hunted by just the soldiers of the Saint of his region, but others soon begin to hear of his increasing power and seek to use him for their own ends. Some want Jillan to join the fight against the Empire, others wish to steal his power for themselves and others still want Jillan to lead them to the Geas, the source of all life and power in the world. There are very few Jillan can trust, except for a ragtag group of outcasts.
His parents threatened, his life in tatters, his beliefs shaken to the core, Jillan must decide which side he is on, and whether to fight or run . . .
I was so glad i gave it a go, A J Dalton has obviously put so much time effort heart and soul into the creation of his world and he has done it with a true eye to detail and imagination. The Bad guys are disgustingly bad, and the good guys are not perfect as they shouldn't be, the characters are just so well rounded and built by the author the world becomes real not fantasy. The plot has many twists and turns and what was most surprising was the large dollop of humour and fun that Dalton weaves into the story.
I really enjoyed this, and a new name is added to the list of Fantasy writers i will read.
(Parm)
Product Description
In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours' tithe from all those coming of age - a tithe often paid in blood.
When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he must be caught?
Jillan is initially hunted by just the soldiers of the Saint of his region, but others soon begin to hear of his increasing power and seek to use him for their own ends. Some want Jillan to join the fight against the Empire, others wish to steal his power for themselves and others still want Jillan to lead them to the Geas, the source of all life and power in the world. There are very few Jillan can trust, except for a ragtag group of outcasts.
His parents threatened, his life in tatters, his beliefs shaken to the core, Jillan must decide which side he is on, and whether to fight or run . . .
June 20, 2012
There are certainly some interesting concepts in this novel but alot of this is standard fantasy. The story centres around a young protagonist who has recently discovered magical capabilities, he becomes hunted by the empire of religious zealots who want to drain him of his power and use it to further there own ambitions. There are gods, saviours and saints who protect the people with soldiers called the hero's. Anyone who doesn't live in a city under religious protection is deemed a pagan and an enemy of the empire.
The villains are all deliciously evil and lead by the twisted Saint Azual. He has been a living Saint for hundreds of years and dreams of becoming a god in his own right. Over the course of the novel, his tenuous grip on sanity slips away and his acts become increasingly violent and unpredictable. Azual's rage knows no bounds and he will destroy anything that gets in his way. Unpleasant and brutal, he truly is a nasty piece of work.
By far the best character is a god named The Peculiar. He features in some of the novel's best moments. Mysterious and every so slightly smug about it you can't help but like him. Although you can't decide if The Peculiar is evil or good as he is the god of chaos. A couple of times you think he has been met his demise but every action has an ulterior motive and his are the destabilising of the empire.
All in all an excellent first novel.
The villains are all deliciously evil and lead by the twisted Saint Azual. He has been a living Saint for hundreds of years and dreams of becoming a god in his own right. Over the course of the novel, his tenuous grip on sanity slips away and his acts become increasingly violent and unpredictable. Azual's rage knows no bounds and he will destroy anything that gets in his way. Unpleasant and brutal, he truly is a nasty piece of work.
By far the best character is a god named The Peculiar. He features in some of the novel's best moments. Mysterious and every so slightly smug about it you can't help but like him. Although you can't decide if The Peculiar is evil or good as he is the god of chaos. A couple of times you think he has been met his demise but every action has an ulterior motive and his are the destabilising of the empire.
All in all an excellent first novel.
January 17, 2013
The first thing that made me want to read this book in the first place was the genre of the book. I had never heard of Metaphysical Fantasy before and as a fairly new reader I was willing to give the book a go. Just after a few pages I was hooked as each character brought something into the book and you could a real sense of the personality of each character. The only criticism that I can make is that it seems everything happens a bit too fast and we dont get a real origin story from the characters at the beginning. Apart from that a truley good read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy.
June 6, 2013
While I admire new fantasy authors and those willing to try something different, this one didn't work for me. The world built here is one where aliens are in control of the population through "saints" that draw energy from them as they reach puberty and then control them by way of worship/religion. The idea was good, but I didn't really engage with the concept as delivered or the individuals involved. The religious aspect was too heavy handed for me and it was hard to believe the way the population just did what they were told.
So I struggled throughout this and will not continue with the series.
So I struggled throughout this and will not continue with the series.
September 1, 2015
Fantasy?? Why I just had to read it when I got myself a copy! I even met the author A.J.Dalton when I bought it! Had a lovely chat with him so I just had to see what it was about when he said to me "If you like Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire, you like it."
I got half way into the book enjoying it (as you do with a new book) and on each chapter he changes to a completely different character each time! Just couldn't get my head around the characters and story. Had to give up and abandon it as I got to the half way mark.
But it still sits proudly on myself
I got half way into the book enjoying it (as you do with a new book) and on each chapter he changes to a completely different character each time! Just couldn't get my head around the characters and story. Had to give up and abandon it as I got to the half way mark.
But it still sits proudly on myself
August 14, 2013
I bought A J Dalton's Flesh and Bone trilogy and loved it, so I didn't hesitate to try Empire of the Saviours. He didn't let me down. A complex world with complex characters. Again, he's created a huge world to get lost in and a deep story. I've persuaded several friends to buy this book and they loved it too. And just like Flesh and Bone, I can so see this as a film.
February 21, 2012
Just read the advanced copy. Brilliant, A must read book.
Characters and locations well defined, just the right amount of
humour, A book I had to finish, could not put it down.
Can't wait for the next book in the series. Will be at the book release
in May.
Characters and locations well defined, just the right amount of
humour, A book I had to finish, could not put it down.
Can't wait for the next book in the series. Will be at the book release
in May.
December 3, 2012
Really had no idea what this was about. Got lost at about page 170. I had no idea who were the characters were or if they were good or evil. The Story is so disjointed and made no sense to me at all. Gave up!
March 23, 2017
An enjoyable fantasy for the younger end of the market, not without missteps but exuberant and with a few great images and ideas. It's classical secondary world stuff and a bit too coming-of-age for this old man, with parts where characters make odd leaps in their thinking/arguments or recover their wits/humour in record time that add to the impression it's written for a more teenage demographic. Still, it held together well and balanced a variety of competing interests in an impressive way. The overly -knowing and -independent voice of the taint was the only bit I was disappointed with by the end, but such is life.
April 29, 2013
An interesting concept, but it didn't come together that well. It started off well, but as we got further in I felt it became a bit rushed and all over the place, characters not being that well defined, and just some general inconsistencies.
May 17, 2014
Oh look, the main character is a whiny bitch who cringes every time he has to fight or use his power. Haven't seen that much...
December 17, 2014
This is worth reading. But I didn't feel like I was captured by the storyline. The characters seem a bit superficial and because of that you don't care as much.
March 1, 2015
Was a little too long got boring in places. hard to keep up with all the characters in the beginning and some points at end. don't feel like this needs to be a trilogy. was ok
January 27, 2019
Took a while to get into, some novel ideas, and layers upon layers of influencers kept it unpredictable, will be reading the next part. Unfortunately a simple issue of giving the gods names that are too similar, and with them only appearing on the odd occasion left me feeling a bit confused about who was who, which took my enjoyment and rating down.
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December 16, 2024A fresh take on fantasy.
July 27, 2016
Well, this book took me forever to read. Overall I enjoyed the book, but the different POV and how they came together was poorly done.
I would be hesitant to suggest this book to anyone.
The world seems interesting, but there is very little coherent explanation. So I will do it for you, there is a world with an Empire of Saints and Saviours, who have a military called heroes. The Saints drink peoples blood taking their natural magic from them. Apparently the Saviours come from outerspace. But then I become confused, each town has a minister who preaches. The one minister from the protagonist's town is told he could become a saint. The Empire is divided into North, South, East and West and has their own Saint and their own overseeing Saviour. There seems to be mention of more less powerful Saints and Saviours, but the annoying vagueness of this ruins the world more. Then I wonder if a minister can become a saint and the saints all have histories of before they were saints. Then who are these saviours, are they humans turned vampires or are the from the cosmos.
There are gods versus the otherworlders or whichever of the ten different names for the saviours. The characters are also poorly developed. Jillian the protagonist has magical powers, a voice in his head and he is likeable enough. But, as he goes along he seems to recruit loyalty for no reason.
The other characters are less likeable, hermit Ash and the Mountain Man Asprin are ridiculously similar. They both have some nice humour, but both are strangely loyal to Jillian for little reason.
The rock blight child of the rock god, Freda or whatever her name is and the God of Mayhem or the "peculiar". Created some of the worst chapters and characters I have ever read. This diatribe about the need of Sun Metal to counteract gods being omnipresent this poorly argued idea ends up playing a key part to the climax of the book. Which is garbage. It reminds me of the 'lectures' people would complain Robert Jordan would write in the Wheel of Time. Which I actually enjoyed.
I'm not sure if I will continue this series. Likely not. Overall I'd the more I've written the more I've felt this book is more of a two then a three. There are much better Fantasy books out there.
On another note, Dalton, is unable to write a fight scene. I'm not big on fight scenes. Even when it comes to shooting arrows and using magical powers, it was poorly described. The travelling, is horrid too, saints and gods run, really fast. So there is no sense of time. I think the book happens within one month or something. The world seems ridiculously small. There is no sense of time progression, distance or a scope of the world.
If you're a big Fantasy fan and like something.... kind of different.
Pros
Likeable protagonist vs. dislikable society/enemies.
Aliens vs, Gods: Different concept... (Not different like the Warded Man different though!)
Cons
Poor Character development
Poor world building
Poor fight scenes
Generally poor writing/pacing.
I started this review with three stars. It isn't terrible. But I went down to two after I thought about how, not very good it was.
It is readable, and I can see why people like it..... but really, I'm a generous reviewer but I don't see where the raving reviewers are coming from.
This is a 2.5/5 kind of book. Unless you get it for free at the library or have nothing else to read. I have plenty of other authors to recommend.
I would be hesitant to suggest this book to anyone.
The world seems interesting, but there is very little coherent explanation. So I will do it for you, there is a world with an Empire of Saints and Saviours, who have a military called heroes. The Saints drink peoples blood taking their natural magic from them. Apparently the Saviours come from outerspace. But then I become confused, each town has a minister who preaches. The one minister from the protagonist's town is told he could become a saint. The Empire is divided into North, South, East and West and has their own Saint and their own overseeing Saviour. There seems to be mention of more less powerful Saints and Saviours, but the annoying vagueness of this ruins the world more. Then I wonder if a minister can become a saint and the saints all have histories of before they were saints. Then who are these saviours, are they humans turned vampires or are the from the cosmos.
There are gods versus the otherworlders or whichever of the ten different names for the saviours. The characters are also poorly developed. Jillian the protagonist has magical powers, a voice in his head and he is likeable enough. But, as he goes along he seems to recruit loyalty for no reason.
The other characters are less likeable, hermit Ash and the Mountain Man Asprin are ridiculously similar. They both have some nice humour, but both are strangely loyal to Jillian for little reason.
The rock blight child of the rock god, Freda or whatever her name is and the God of Mayhem or the "peculiar". Created some of the worst chapters and characters I have ever read. This diatribe about the need of Sun Metal to counteract gods being omnipresent this poorly argued idea ends up playing a key part to the climax of the book. Which is garbage. It reminds me of the 'lectures' people would complain Robert Jordan would write in the Wheel of Time. Which I actually enjoyed.
I'm not sure if I will continue this series. Likely not. Overall I'd the more I've written the more I've felt this book is more of a two then a three. There are much better Fantasy books out there.
On another note, Dalton, is unable to write a fight scene. I'm not big on fight scenes. Even when it comes to shooting arrows and using magical powers, it was poorly described. The travelling, is horrid too, saints and gods run, really fast. So there is no sense of time. I think the book happens within one month or something. The world seems ridiculously small. There is no sense of time progression, distance or a scope of the world.
If you're a big Fantasy fan and like something.... kind of different.
Pros
Likeable protagonist vs. dislikable society/enemies.
Aliens vs, Gods: Different concept... (Not different like the Warded Man different though!)
Cons
Poor Character development
Poor world building
Poor fight scenes
Generally poor writing/pacing.
I started this review with three stars. It isn't terrible. But I went down to two after I thought about how, not very good it was.
It is readable, and I can see why people like it..... but really, I'm a generous reviewer but I don't see where the raving reviewers are coming from.
This is a 2.5/5 kind of book. Unless you get it for free at the library or have nothing else to read. I have plenty of other authors to recommend.
December 20, 2020
Edit (December 2020): After sitting on this for more than a year, I think it's probably more of a four star read than a five star. I enjoyed the experience of reading it, and I probably would read it again some day (perhaps when I eventually get round to finishing the series). I think what eventually made me knock it down a star was the romance aspect - I just don't enjoy this in books, and my lingering thoughts on this book tend to be that the romance was a bit cheesy.
Initial review:
I loved this book. I bought this in June 2013 when the author was doing a signing in my local Waterstones, and I bought this book and the sequel to support him and because they sounded so interesting. I can't believe it has taken me six years to pick this one up, but in my defence, I struggled with my depression for a large chunk of those six years, and went through a reading slump as a result.
A.J. Dalton describes this as metaphysical fantasy, which is a more gothic type of fantasy, subverting well-known tropes and exploring some philosophical themes. This book has that in spades, and is quite unlike most other fantasy books I've read.
In Empire of the Saviours we are introduced to Jillan, a teenage boy who discovers he has magical powers, and is banished from the town he has grown up in and has to survive on his own in the wild. We also have Aspin, a hunter from a tribe in the mountains who is banished by the local eccentric elder and Freda, a being who can travel underground, through rocks, and is forced from the mine where she was enslaved.
They are up against Azual, a Saint who ‘draws’ from young people as they come of age - kind of like a vampire/god, working for the Saviours, who are an alien race of sorts who came to conquer the world this takes place in and rid it of magic.
The pacing is slow at first, as the characters, world and plot are introduced, but it picks up towards the second half of the book.
The world building is one of my favourite things about this, along with the characters, as there is so much of it. The world building doesn't slow down the pace, in my opinion, but only adds to the intrigue as you find out more about this world, the Saviours, the Saints, and the gods who came before. I loved the nod to some of our own mythology with the pagan tribes and the gods they worship.
The characters were well developed and all interesting in their own right. Each character had a story and a place. Jillan was the focus, but not the only character we follow. I found myself invested in the main characters and the friends that Jillan makes on his journey.
I didn't have much to fault with this book at all, so I ended up rating it five stars based on my own enjoyment and how much I connected with this story. I can't wait to pick up books two and three now.
Initial review:
I loved this book. I bought this in June 2013 when the author was doing a signing in my local Waterstones, and I bought this book and the sequel to support him and because they sounded so interesting. I can't believe it has taken me six years to pick this one up, but in my defence, I struggled with my depression for a large chunk of those six years, and went through a reading slump as a result.
A.J. Dalton describes this as metaphysical fantasy, which is a more gothic type of fantasy, subverting well-known tropes and exploring some philosophical themes. This book has that in spades, and is quite unlike most other fantasy books I've read.
In Empire of the Saviours we are introduced to Jillan, a teenage boy who discovers he has magical powers, and is banished from the town he has grown up in and has to survive on his own in the wild. We also have Aspin, a hunter from a tribe in the mountains who is banished by the local eccentric elder and Freda, a being who can travel underground, through rocks, and is forced from the mine where she was enslaved.
They are up against Azual, a Saint who ‘draws’ from young people as they come of age - kind of like a vampire/god, working for the Saviours, who are an alien race of sorts who came to conquer the world this takes place in and rid it of magic.
The pacing is slow at first, as the characters, world and plot are introduced, but it picks up towards the second half of the book.
The world building is one of my favourite things about this, along with the characters, as there is so much of it. The world building doesn't slow down the pace, in my opinion, but only adds to the intrigue as you find out more about this world, the Saviours, the Saints, and the gods who came before. I loved the nod to some of our own mythology with the pagan tribes and the gods they worship.
The characters were well developed and all interesting in their own right. Each character had a story and a place. Jillan was the focus, but not the only character we follow. I found myself invested in the main characters and the friends that Jillan makes on his journey.
I didn't have much to fault with this book at all, so I ended up rating it five stars based on my own enjoyment and how much I connected with this story. I can't wait to pick up books two and three now.
May 17, 2014
Man muss sich für dieses Buch meiner Meinung nach Zeit nehmen, denn es sind wie in High-Fantasy üblich, mehrere Handlungsstränge, Charaktere und auch Situationen, die Konzentration und Aufmerksamkeit erfordern.
Viele (mich eingeschlossen) mag dieser Fokus auf die Religion in dem Buch stören, aber sie ist einfach die Grundlage der von Dalton geschaffenen Welt und wenn man damit nicht klarkommt, dann ist das Buch eindeutig nichts für einen. Wobei ich anmerken würde, dass dieser Fokus ein Stück weit abnimmt und man auch auf die Charaktere und deren Beziehungen zueinander eingeht.
Da mich das Ende richtig neugierig gemacht hat, werde ich auch noch auf die weiteren zwei Teile warten und mir diese irgendwann zu Gemüte führen. :)
Viele (mich eingeschlossen) mag dieser Fokus auf die Religion in dem Buch stören, aber sie ist einfach die Grundlage der von Dalton geschaffenen Welt und wenn man damit nicht klarkommt, dann ist das Buch eindeutig nichts für einen. Wobei ich anmerken würde, dass dieser Fokus ein Stück weit abnimmt und man auch auf die Charaktere und deren Beziehungen zueinander eingeht.
Da mich das Ende richtig neugierig gemacht hat, werde ich auch noch auf die weiteren zwei Teile warten und mir diese irgendwann zu Gemüte führen. :)
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