What do you think?
Rate this book
The Empire of a Hundred Houses #1
Moon's Artifice
Tom Lloyd kicks off a spectacular new fantasy series, perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie and, of course, Tom Lloyd!
In a quiet corner of the Imperial City, Investigator Narin discovers the result of his first potentially lethal mistake. Minutes later he makes a second.
After an unremarkable career Narin finally has the chance of promotion to the hallowed ranks of the Lawbringers - guardians of the Emperor's laws and bastions for justice in a world of brutal expediency. Joining that honoured body would be the culmination of a lifelong dream, but it couldn't possibly have come at a worse time. A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past.
On the cusp of an industrial age that threatens the warrior caste's rule, the Empire of a Hundred Houses awaits civil war between noble factions. Centuries of conquest has made the empire a brittle and bloated monster; constrained by tradition and crying out for change. To save his own life and those of untold thousands Narin must understand the key to it all - Moon's Artifice, the poison that could destroy an empire.
In a quiet corner of the Imperial City, Investigator Narin discovers the result of his first potentially lethal mistake. Minutes later he makes a second.
After an unremarkable career Narin finally has the chance of promotion to the hallowed ranks of the Lawbringers - guardians of the Emperor's laws and bastions for justice in a world of brutal expediency. Joining that honoured body would be the culmination of a lifelong dream, but it couldn't possibly have come at a worse time. A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past.
On the cusp of an industrial age that threatens the warrior caste's rule, the Empire of a Hundred Houses awaits civil war between noble factions. Centuries of conquest has made the empire a brittle and bloated monster; constrained by tradition and crying out for change. To save his own life and those of untold thousands Narin must understand the key to it all - Moon's Artifice, the poison that could destroy an empire.
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2013
21 people are currently reading
1409 people want to read
About the author
Tom Lloyd
47 books444 followersTom Lloyd was born in 1979 and showed almost no interest in writing until the age of eighteen. I blame the teachers myself.
Nevertheless he did eventually find himself with a long summer to spare before university, and decided to start a novel when it was suggested he get a job to pass the time. This tells you much of what there is to know about him. The rest can be derived from the fact that he first had the idea of writing a book to annoy a schoolfriend by getting published before him.
No, honestly; he's actually that shallow.
It was swiftly apparent that this was not the quick route to fame and fortune that he’d hoped for. The first sign of this was the realisation that being good at writing was required, but he managed to surprise everyone by not giving up on something he didn’t show immediate promise in.
Studying Politics and International Relations at Southampton University had very little appreciable effect on him, beyond giving him a couple of ideas for future novels, but that was largely due to spending most of those three years in London shacked up with the god-daughter of an Asian dictator. Upon leaving university he decided – along with what seemed like half of all other graduates, some of whom had had the temerity to study English – that doing “book stuff” sounded like a fun alternative to working out what sort of job he wanted to do. There was also the intriguing suggestion of literary talent being passed on by some osmosis-like process. As a result of a little work experience at Simon and Schuster - combined with some shameless flirting with the HR manager - he got a job as an editorial assistant on the Scribner list, which allowed him to mistype letters to a whole host of talented writers.
Certain luminary examples there made it clear that before he became a fantasy editor he was going to have to spend several years iron-cladding his liver. Towards this goal, he decamped to the A M Heath Literary Agency by way of Random House, which was silly because walking down Longacre would have been a lot quicker, to work in foreign rights while also freelancing for writersservices.com and constantly revising what was slowly becoming The Stormcaller.
A three year litany of madcap adventures in the crazy world of agenting ensued, but it would be far too time-consuming to detail any of that so suffice to say that his hangover cleared sufficiently one morning in 2004 for him to realise that he wasn’t quite so bad at writing now. Maybe there was something to this osmosis thing after all - although if that’s true Katie Fforde and Dave Hill might get a surprise at the effect they’d had.
Securing the services of John Richard Parker at MBA Literary Agents proved a surprisingly painless experience – despite being previously rejected by one of John’s colleagues, which just goes to show how persistent one has to be – and soon he was sat in the office of Jo Fletcher at Gollancz trying to persuade her how much of a geek he was. After four years as contracts manager at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency he decided he didn't like other authors that much so he swapped his dark corner of Camden for one at Atlantic Books where it quickly became apparent that he prefers winning arguments to scruples.
Writing part-time, also known as watching loads more TV, he also manages to play a little sport in between trips to the pub and battering his next book - into a semblance of shape.
http://tomlloyd.livejournal.com/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?...
Nevertheless he did eventually find himself with a long summer to spare before university, and decided to start a novel when it was suggested he get a job to pass the time. This tells you much of what there is to know about him. The rest can be derived from the fact that he first had the idea of writing a book to annoy a schoolfriend by getting published before him.
No, honestly; he's actually that shallow.
It was swiftly apparent that this was not the quick route to fame and fortune that he’d hoped for. The first sign of this was the realisation that being good at writing was required, but he managed to surprise everyone by not giving up on something he didn’t show immediate promise in.
Studying Politics and International Relations at Southampton University had very little appreciable effect on him, beyond giving him a couple of ideas for future novels, but that was largely due to spending most of those three years in London shacked up with the god-daughter of an Asian dictator. Upon leaving university he decided – along with what seemed like half of all other graduates, some of whom had had the temerity to study English – that doing “book stuff” sounded like a fun alternative to working out what sort of job he wanted to do. There was also the intriguing suggestion of literary talent being passed on by some osmosis-like process. As a result of a little work experience at Simon and Schuster - combined with some shameless flirting with the HR manager - he got a job as an editorial assistant on the Scribner list, which allowed him to mistype letters to a whole host of talented writers.
Certain luminary examples there made it clear that before he became a fantasy editor he was going to have to spend several years iron-cladding his liver. Towards this goal, he decamped to the A M Heath Literary Agency by way of Random House, which was silly because walking down Longacre would have been a lot quicker, to work in foreign rights while also freelancing for writersservices.com and constantly revising what was slowly becoming The Stormcaller.
A three year litany of madcap adventures in the crazy world of agenting ensued, but it would be far too time-consuming to detail any of that so suffice to say that his hangover cleared sufficiently one morning in 2004 for him to realise that he wasn’t quite so bad at writing now. Maybe there was something to this osmosis thing after all - although if that’s true Katie Fforde and Dave Hill might get a surprise at the effect they’d had.
Securing the services of John Richard Parker at MBA Literary Agents proved a surprisingly painless experience – despite being previously rejected by one of John’s colleagues, which just goes to show how persistent one has to be – and soon he was sat in the office of Jo Fletcher at Gollancz trying to persuade her how much of a geek he was. After four years as contracts manager at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency he decided he didn't like other authors that much so he swapped his dark corner of Camden for one at Atlantic Books where it quickly became apparent that he prefers winning arguments to scruples.
Writing part-time, also known as watching loads more TV, he also manages to play a little sport in between trips to the pub and battering his next book - into a semblance of shape.
http://tomlloyd.livejournal.com/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
November 21, 2017
Underrated fantasy book of the month is…
U godini u kojoj je cilj pročitati stotinu knjiga epske fantastike-
(„Zato što se klasici Hesea, Mopasana, Bulgakova, Tolstoja i Pekića znaju napamet, jel’te?“)
.......
U godini u kojoj je cilj pročitati što više knjiga epske fantastike plan je da mesečno pronađem barem jednu knjigu koja je čak i za gudrids društvo nepoznanica.
(„I da se nadaš kako manjak recenzija i sveopšte nezainteresovanosti za delo nije zaslužena njenim (nepostojećim) kvalitetom, priznaj.“)
Ja zaista nemam problema sa čitanjem loših knjiga-
(„Mhmm, mhmm... Podseti me, molim te, kako ti napreduje 50 Nijansi-“)
Već sam rekao da će ta knjiga doći na red jednoga dana u budućnosti.
(„Mhmm... To beše u onoj apokaliptičnoj budućnosti u kojoj su sve knjige izgorele a ostala samo ona?“)
Da.
Nego – knjiga na koju bih voleo više ljudi da obrati pažnju, pogotovo oni koji vole žanr epske fantastike – Moon’s Artifice.
Irato je čovek sa misijom. Elitni ubica/najamnik sektaškog bratstva sačinjenog od muškaraca i žena različitog doba, uzgajanih kako bi služili ciljevima svoje zajednice, šunja se po krovovima tražeći svoju metu, upada u zasedu i biva prisiljen da odbija napade demonskih prikaza u obliku lisica.
Budući da je elitni ubica, uzgajan od strane svoga bratstva itd, itd, uspeva da se odbrani bez poteškoća i taman kada odluči da se vrati svojoj misiji, iznenada dobija udarac od koga gubi krov pod nogama, obuhvata ga noć i posle nekoliko sekundi slobodnog pada dočekuje pločnik.
Narin je istražitelj Carstva. Trenutno vrlo srećan čovek, obzirom da je dobio vrlo srećne vesti.
Postaće otac.
Doduše, postaće otac deteta udate žene kastriranog muža.
Muža kojem je Istražitelj Narin jednom prilikom već spasao život (nažalost ne i muškost) i sada su njih dvojica dobri prijatelji.
Prijatelji koliko im to razlike u kastama omogućavaju.
I to što onaj ovome... Komplikovano je.
Pogotovo to što Carstvo ne gleda baš blagonaklono na preljubnike, ali hej, ček’te malo, pustimo čoveka da se raduje prvo.
Van svog slobodnog vremena, Istražitelj Narin i nije baš toliki ljigavac.
Zapravo karijera Istražitelja mu je u usponu i glavni je kandidat za unapređenje u Zakonodavca.
Zakonodavci u ovom svetu nisu dosadni kao ovi naši, u Skupštini, već su prilično aktivni na terenu.
Vedre i mrače sudbine različitih ljudi i neretko se upuštaju u duele mačevima, stoga i njih možemo smatrati nekom vrstom elitnih jedinica.
Takođe, dogma im je pravda i zaštita slabijih, uprkos svemu.
Tu dogmu praktikuje i naš Istražitelj.
Što nas dovodi natrag do njega.
Nakratko idiličan život u naručju tuđe žene biva prekinut snažnim udarcem u pločnik.
Kada ode da istraži šta se dogodilo, na ulici sreće dve prikaze, jednu koja leži isprepletenih udova i drugu koja stoji nad njom.
Lord Zaštitnik je Bog. Jedan od niže vrste, ali sve-jedno, ima dužnosti jednako kao i oni više i još niže vrste od njega.
Njegov je red u ovom ciklusu da nadgleda bića koja žive pod nebeskim svodom.
Kada ugleda priliku koja se šunja po krovovima braneći se od demonskih prikaza, biva inspirisan. Jer vidite, i Bogovi spletkare.
(No shit, Šerlok? Homer, Ilijada? Nikad čuo, hm?)
Lord Zaštitnik silazi sa nebeskog svoda, udara čoveka koji hvata predah posle borbe po krovovima, shvata da je to učinio malo jače no što je planirao i kreće za njim dole na pločnik.
Pre nego što je uspeo da dovrši svoj naum, Istražitelj Narin ga prekida.
Ma, savršeno.
I time se završava prvo poglavlje.
U nastavku knjige srećemo još pregršt zanimljivih likova, glavnih i sporednih.
Većina radnje smeštena je u gradu koji je mešavina Venecije, Pariza i Londona.
Iako ima još dosta mesta za poboljšanje, svet je jako slikovito opisan, a pisac je veliku pažnju posvetio izgradnji mitologije i folklora.
Nije se mnogo trudio da objasni kako neka bića u ovom svetu funkcionišu, ali daleko da ih to čini manje interesantnim.
Bogovi, Carevi i Carice, plemići i njihove kaste pripadnosti i politika među njima.
Misteriozni šamani i demonske lisice. Podzemna društva, vojske, gardiste i čuvari reda.
Hajlajt knjige? Matori Enkei:
‘You want to know about Astaren – here’s one piece for free.
They don’t brag, they don’t exaggerate and they don’t get into pissing contests. Those who do, don’t live long.’
‘And which sort live to go grey?’ Rhe asked.
‘The ones who’re good at staying alive. Make no mistake though, I ain’t afraid of dying.
I’ve lived with a death sentence over my head for years now and when I go, none of you want to be nearby when I do.
You want to see what a spiteful old shaman’s got ready for anyone who kills him?
Best you do so from a distance.’
Piščeva proza je jako dobra, tempo radnje je brz, iako ima dosta opisa.
Jedno popodne zagarantovane dobre zabave.
U godini u kojoj je cilj pročitati stotinu knjiga epske fantastike-
(„Zato što se klasici Hesea, Mopasana, Bulgakova, Tolstoja i Pekića znaju napamet, jel’te?“)
.......
U godini u kojoj je cilj pročitati što više knjiga epske fantastike plan je da mesečno pronađem barem jednu knjigu koja je čak i za gudrids društvo nepoznanica.
(„I da se nadaš kako manjak recenzija i sveopšte nezainteresovanosti za delo nije zaslužena njenim (nepostojećim) kvalitetom, priznaj.“)
Ja zaista nemam problema sa čitanjem loših knjiga-
(„Mhmm, mhmm... Podseti me, molim te, kako ti napreduje 50 Nijansi-“)
Već sam rekao da će ta knjiga doći na red jednoga dana u budućnosti.
(„Mhmm... To beše u onoj apokaliptičnoj budućnosti u kojoj su sve knjige izgorele a ostala samo ona?“)
Da.
Nego – knjiga na koju bih voleo više ljudi da obrati pažnju, pogotovo oni koji vole žanr epske fantastike – Moon’s Artifice.
Irato je čovek sa misijom. Elitni ubica/najamnik sektaškog bratstva sačinjenog od muškaraca i žena različitog doba, uzgajanih kako bi služili ciljevima svoje zajednice, šunja se po krovovima tražeći svoju metu, upada u zasedu i biva prisiljen da odbija napade demonskih prikaza u obliku lisica.
Budući da je elitni ubica, uzgajan od strane svoga bratstva itd, itd, uspeva da se odbrani bez poteškoća i taman kada odluči da se vrati svojoj misiji, iznenada dobija udarac od koga gubi krov pod nogama, obuhvata ga noć i posle nekoliko sekundi slobodnog pada dočekuje pločnik.
Narin je istražitelj Carstva. Trenutno vrlo srećan čovek, obzirom da je dobio vrlo srećne vesti.
Postaće otac.
Doduše, postaće otac deteta udate žene kastriranog muža.
Muža kojem je Istražitelj Narin jednom prilikom već spasao život (nažalost ne i muškost) i sada su njih dvojica dobri prijatelji.
Prijatelji koliko im to razlike u kastama omogućavaju.
I to što onaj ovome... Komplikovano je.
Pogotovo to što Carstvo ne gleda baš blagonaklono na preljubnike, ali hej, ček’te malo, pustimo čoveka da se raduje prvo.
Van svog slobodnog vremena, Istražitelj Narin i nije baš toliki ljigavac.
Zapravo karijera Istražitelja mu je u usponu i glavni je kandidat za unapređenje u Zakonodavca.
Zakonodavci u ovom svetu nisu dosadni kao ovi naši, u Skupštini, već su prilično aktivni na terenu.
Vedre i mrače sudbine različitih ljudi i neretko se upuštaju u duele mačevima, stoga i njih možemo smatrati nekom vrstom elitnih jedinica.
Takođe, dogma im je pravda i zaštita slabijih, uprkos svemu.
Tu dogmu praktikuje i naš Istražitelj.
Što nas dovodi natrag do njega.
Nakratko idiličan život u naručju tuđe žene biva prekinut snažnim udarcem u pločnik.
Kada ode da istraži šta se dogodilo, na ulici sreće dve prikaze, jednu koja leži isprepletenih udova i drugu koja stoji nad njom.
Lord Zaštitnik je Bog. Jedan od niže vrste, ali sve-jedno, ima dužnosti jednako kao i oni više i još niže vrste od njega.
Njegov je red u ovom ciklusu da nadgleda bića koja žive pod nebeskim svodom.
Kada ugleda priliku koja se šunja po krovovima braneći se od demonskih prikaza, biva inspirisan. Jer vidite, i Bogovi spletkare.
(No shit, Šerlok? Homer, Ilijada? Nikad čuo, hm?)
Lord Zaštitnik silazi sa nebeskog svoda, udara čoveka koji hvata predah posle borbe po krovovima, shvata da je to učinio malo jače no što je planirao i kreće za njim dole na pločnik.
Pre nego što je uspeo da dovrši svoj naum, Istražitelj Narin ga prekida.
Ma, savršeno.
I time se završava prvo poglavlje.
U nastavku knjige srećemo još pregršt zanimljivih likova, glavnih i sporednih.
Većina radnje smeštena je u gradu koji je mešavina Venecije, Pariza i Londona.
Iako ima još dosta mesta za poboljšanje, svet je jako slikovito opisan, a pisac je veliku pažnju posvetio izgradnji mitologije i folklora.
Nije se mnogo trudio da objasni kako neka bića u ovom svetu funkcionišu, ali daleko da ih to čini manje interesantnim.
Bogovi, Carevi i Carice, plemići i njihove kaste pripadnosti i politika među njima.
Misteriozni šamani i demonske lisice. Podzemna društva, vojske, gardiste i čuvari reda.
Hajlajt knjige? Matori Enkei:
‘You want to know about Astaren – here’s one piece for free.
They don’t brag, they don’t exaggerate and they don’t get into pissing contests. Those who do, don’t live long.’
‘And which sort live to go grey?’ Rhe asked.
‘The ones who’re good at staying alive. Make no mistake though, I ain’t afraid of dying.
I’ve lived with a death sentence over my head for years now and when I go, none of you want to be nearby when I do.
You want to see what a spiteful old shaman’s got ready for anyone who kills him?
Best you do so from a distance.’
Piščeva proza je jako dobra, tempo radnje je brz, iako ima dosta opisa.
Jedno popodne zagarantovane dobre zabave.
April 21, 2014
Full Review: http://tenaciousreader.wordpress.com/...
In short, I think this book is under-hyped. I am really surprised I have not seen more recommendations or reviews for it. A well written fantasy with mystery, intrigue, conspiracy, and all the rest of that good stuff. Oh yeah, and assassins.
In short, I think this book is under-hyped. I am really surprised I have not seen more recommendations or reviews for it. A well written fantasy with mystery, intrigue, conspiracy, and all the rest of that good stuff. Oh yeah, and assassins.
December 9, 2013
Fantasy Review Barn
A man proves very hard to kill. Falling from a building, pushed by demon or God, he finds himself in desperation racing for a cure the poison he inhaled during the drop, a poison he obviously knows something about. What chance he has at getting to a cure is ended abruptly by a shutter kicked into his head by Narin, law bringer of the Imperial City, jumpy in no small part due to the illicit tryst he is shouldn’t be involved in. Confronted by a god, Narin is tasked with finding out just what the poisoned man was involved in. In doing so he will be dragged into a plot much bigger than it originally appears.
Here is a book that is begging me to reread it. Not just because it was very good, which I have no problem saying right out front it was. But because it had those nagging little details that I want to go back and reset in my brain so I can figure out EXACTLY what was going on, what I missed, and what was just being left for the read to figure out. There is plenty here for fans to codex; a complex caste system based around a heavy control of firearms and magic, a cast of gods who’s ascension into heaven is not only documented but very much on the minds of the people, and plenty of tribal confrontations that could confuse even the most ardent fantasy fan. While not the most complex book I have read by a long shot, it is not a book to coddle the reader with early info dumps or heavy explanations.
Despite taking the lead on a very interesting investigation for the most part Narin was just along for the ride, relying on his friend Enchei or his boss, Lawbringer Rhe for inspiration, planning, and even action. If you insist on having the protagonist be the center of the universe find another book, without the intervention of the god Lord Shield he would have most likely have been an afterthought. But this didn’t bother me because the cast he was surrounded with was amazing.
Rhe was not an exciting character, but very interesting, a man that many thought was a possible choice for ascendency for near perfection as a lawbringer (something the gods had been known to do in the past for different professions). Smart and able, but still given a human touch and never perfect. Enigma Enchei follows a familiar fantasy trope, the old man who is more than he seems to be. But rather than drag it out for the whole book we learn what makes him special early on, leaving him free to be awesome rather than an annoying mystery (of course those caught off guard by him don’t know everything we know). And Kesh could have been a damsel in distress or love interest, brought into the investigation by her own tragedy, but instead was one of the most active members working against the big threat.
By far my favorite character line was the dangerous man who opens the book falling off a roof. Because you see, it is the first time I can remember actually enjoying an amnesia plotline. Maybe what makes it work is it is known immediately that the amnesia is the real deal, there is no backtracking or convenient pieces of information coming out of his mouth. But then again maybe it is because what he could know is so important to people who have no idea what has happened to him; both sides are constantly adjusting their plans based on info that a major character no longer has.
Add in some crafty foxes, an evil society, and the threat of a war between the clans as bad as a well-remembered ten-day war that nearly broke the city. Give it a shake and you have a well-crafted, original, and above all entertaining story. I admit to being surprised, I was hoping for a good tale but didn’t expect so much depth.
Some minor quibbles that could be nothing more than something to clear up on a reread or perhaps addressed in a sequel; a few loose ends concerning the fate of Narin’s affair and its consequences and I never quite did figure out was a certain group of Stone Dragon’s actual were. But they were very minor indeed.
4 Stars
Review copy received from Gollancz in return for an honest review.
“In a world of Gods and demons, monsters and superhuman warriors, cunning is the normal man’s last defense.”
A man proves very hard to kill. Falling from a building, pushed by demon or God, he finds himself in desperation racing for a cure the poison he inhaled during the drop, a poison he obviously knows something about. What chance he has at getting to a cure is ended abruptly by a shutter kicked into his head by Narin, law bringer of the Imperial City, jumpy in no small part due to the illicit tryst he is shouldn’t be involved in. Confronted by a god, Narin is tasked with finding out just what the poisoned man was involved in. In doing so he will be dragged into a plot much bigger than it originally appears.
Here is a book that is begging me to reread it. Not just because it was very good, which I have no problem saying right out front it was. But because it had those nagging little details that I want to go back and reset in my brain so I can figure out EXACTLY what was going on, what I missed, and what was just being left for the read to figure out. There is plenty here for fans to codex; a complex caste system based around a heavy control of firearms and magic, a cast of gods who’s ascension into heaven is not only documented but very much on the minds of the people, and plenty of tribal confrontations that could confuse even the most ardent fantasy fan. While not the most complex book I have read by a long shot, it is not a book to coddle the reader with early info dumps or heavy explanations.
Despite taking the lead on a very interesting investigation for the most part Narin was just along for the ride, relying on his friend Enchei or his boss, Lawbringer Rhe for inspiration, planning, and even action. If you insist on having the protagonist be the center of the universe find another book, without the intervention of the god Lord Shield he would have most likely have been an afterthought. But this didn’t bother me because the cast he was surrounded with was amazing.
Rhe was not an exciting character, but very interesting, a man that many thought was a possible choice for ascendency for near perfection as a lawbringer (something the gods had been known to do in the past for different professions). Smart and able, but still given a human touch and never perfect. Enigma Enchei follows a familiar fantasy trope, the old man who is more than he seems to be. But rather than drag it out for the whole book we learn what makes him special early on, leaving him free to be awesome rather than an annoying mystery (of course those caught off guard by him don’t know everything we know). And Kesh could have been a damsel in distress or love interest, brought into the investigation by her own tragedy, but instead was one of the most active members working against the big threat.
By far my favorite character line was the dangerous man who opens the book falling off a roof. Because you see, it is the first time I can remember actually enjoying an amnesia plotline. Maybe what makes it work is it is known immediately that the amnesia is the real deal, there is no backtracking or convenient pieces of information coming out of his mouth. But then again maybe it is because what he could know is so important to people who have no idea what has happened to him; both sides are constantly adjusting their plans based on info that a major character no longer has.
Add in some crafty foxes, an evil society, and the threat of a war between the clans as bad as a well-remembered ten-day war that nearly broke the city. Give it a shake and you have a well-crafted, original, and above all entertaining story. I admit to being surprised, I was hoping for a good tale but didn’t expect so much depth.
Some minor quibbles that could be nothing more than something to clear up on a reread or perhaps addressed in a sequel; a few loose ends concerning the fate of Narin’s affair and its consequences and I never quite did figure out was a certain group of Stone Dragon’s actual were. But they were very minor indeed.
4 Stars
Review copy received from Gollancz in return for an honest review.
January 10, 2014
This is the first book in the second series by Tom Lloyd, author of the stunning Twilight Reign series. Moon’s Artifice is certainly different than Lloyd’s previous work. While Twilight Reign was firmly based in the epic fantasy category, Moon’s Artifice is a bit harder to define. Sword and sorcery? Almost. Epic fantasy? Has that feel to it. Detective crime novel? Yes, kind of. It’s a good mixture of quite a few genres, and as someone who doesn’t honestly care about strict subgenre definitions it suits me fine.
Central to the world is the caste and House system the Empire lives by. The Imperial City is ruled by the house of the Emperor, House Sun. Each of the big houses in the Empire has their own district, in which their lesser houses are welcome. The population is also divided into the nobles and the peasants, and with civilization living tightly within this system and people being tattooed by law with their caste and house marks, escaping to a higher station seems impossible.
Narin is an Investigator, born to the lower caste and working to become a Lawbringer, the enforcers the Empire’s law on the populace. He does have a few secrets, the biggest one being an affair with a noblewoman, which is potentially life threatening to Narin, seeing as sleeping with someone elses wife is really not that a good idea, especially if said someone is noble born. You’d think Narin has enough to worry about, then the gods drop a huge problem at his feet, and it has Empire shattering consequences.
The Gods. The biggest secret that the Emperor’s family has is ascension. Mortals can become gods, if they are perfect in one part of their life. Lord Shield, Lawbringer, Pity, Duellist etc has proven their worth and been ascended to godhood. The fun thing about this pantheon is that they like to get their noses stuck into mortal affairs every now and then. And when a god notices you, it’s too late to run away. Along with the gods there are also demons who has influence on the world. I get the feeling that the gods and demons story has quite a lot more depth to it, and that should be fun exploring in later novels.
At least Narin isn’t alone in his struggles. His best friend, Enchei, supports him throughout the book. Enchei is not just there as support of filler, he has his own secret history and dark past. His immediate superior is Lawbringer Rhe, the most respected of his order with a strict sense of the law and right or wrong. I loved Rhe for his unblinking and uncompromising service to the law and empire he’s sworn to. It almost cost him his life, but he was willing to take that sacrifice to preserve the integrity of the Lawbringers, and that is heroic. Irato is a dark horse character, seeing as his actions influences the majority of the early parts in this book. He is a product of the poison, and shows clearly the dangers it poses to humanity and to the empire. Kesh is my favourite though. A girl who started out terrified, then mad, bent on revenge and at last she develops into a major player in the book. She is a damn great character, doing what she feels she must do to reach their goals. She is tenacious, bold and always ready for a brawl, even if the odds are stacked against her.
The world Lloyd built is intricate and brilliant. He has the ability to drag the gods and demons into the story, not as omnipotent beings, but more as troublemakers trying to get a head start on their fellows. Since the gods are ascended humans, seeing this human trait of selfishness in them makes them quite a lot more interesting than if they were a beard in the sky or hurling lightning at humanity.
Narin is always one step behind the conspiracy. He’s trying to catch up to a group of people who’ve had decades to plot and set things into motion. There is a sense of desperation throughout the novel as they try to unravel the mystery, and it’s mainly through hard work that they manage to get the breaks they need to bother the conspirators. No real lucky breaks are to be had to help them along, which I liked as realistic.
I loved this book. It’s fast paced, mysterious, interesting and the characters are brilliant. It’s an amazing start to a brilliant new series.
9/10
Central to the world is the caste and House system the Empire lives by. The Imperial City is ruled by the house of the Emperor, House Sun. Each of the big houses in the Empire has their own district, in which their lesser houses are welcome. The population is also divided into the nobles and the peasants, and with civilization living tightly within this system and people being tattooed by law with their caste and house marks, escaping to a higher station seems impossible.
Narin is an Investigator, born to the lower caste and working to become a Lawbringer, the enforcers the Empire’s law on the populace. He does have a few secrets, the biggest one being an affair with a noblewoman, which is potentially life threatening to Narin, seeing as sleeping with someone elses wife is really not that a good idea, especially if said someone is noble born. You’d think Narin has enough to worry about, then the gods drop a huge problem at his feet, and it has Empire shattering consequences.
The Gods. The biggest secret that the Emperor’s family has is ascension. Mortals can become gods, if they are perfect in one part of their life. Lord Shield, Lawbringer, Pity, Duellist etc has proven their worth and been ascended to godhood. The fun thing about this pantheon is that they like to get their noses stuck into mortal affairs every now and then. And when a god notices you, it’s too late to run away. Along with the gods there are also demons who has influence on the world. I get the feeling that the gods and demons story has quite a lot more depth to it, and that should be fun exploring in later novels.
At least Narin isn’t alone in his struggles. His best friend, Enchei, supports him throughout the book. Enchei is not just there as support of filler, he has his own secret history and dark past. His immediate superior is Lawbringer Rhe, the most respected of his order with a strict sense of the law and right or wrong. I loved Rhe for his unblinking and uncompromising service to the law and empire he’s sworn to. It almost cost him his life, but he was willing to take that sacrifice to preserve the integrity of the Lawbringers, and that is heroic. Irato is a dark horse character, seeing as his actions influences the majority of the early parts in this book. He is a product of the poison, and shows clearly the dangers it poses to humanity and to the empire. Kesh is my favourite though. A girl who started out terrified, then mad, bent on revenge and at last she develops into a major player in the book. She is a damn great character, doing what she feels she must do to reach their goals. She is tenacious, bold and always ready for a brawl, even if the odds are stacked against her.
The world Lloyd built is intricate and brilliant. He has the ability to drag the gods and demons into the story, not as omnipotent beings, but more as troublemakers trying to get a head start on their fellows. Since the gods are ascended humans, seeing this human trait of selfishness in them makes them quite a lot more interesting than if they were a beard in the sky or hurling lightning at humanity.
Narin is always one step behind the conspiracy. He’s trying to catch up to a group of people who’ve had decades to plot and set things into motion. There is a sense of desperation throughout the novel as they try to unravel the mystery, and it’s mainly through hard work that they manage to get the breaks they need to bother the conspirators. No real lucky breaks are to be had to help them along, which I liked as realistic.
I loved this book. It’s fast paced, mysterious, interesting and the characters are brilliant. It’s an amazing start to a brilliant new series.
9/10
did-not-finish
February 13, 2017Noping out at page 28, due to style issues with which I cannot be having. I am quite liking the extremely feudal-Japanese setting (though it is laying on a bit thick), but the author's style is profligate with details, often to no apparent purpose whether narrative or rhythmic. There was a female character introduced that I liked the look of in general terms, but her introduction was half a dozen pages of nothing-happening and woffle.
Mostly, though, it's those style issues that are making me put the book down before I throw it down. The page that made me flip my lid includes:
- an info-dump about yet another element of the world (there had been a few of these already). It was about an order of warrior-mages who were "obliterated centuries ago", though a few sentences later the narrator noted that "Normal folk getting caught up in the machinations [of this bunch] rarely fared well". Does that happen often, when they were obliterated centuries ago?
- the sentence: "Like the rest of the city, everything Narin knew of the Astaren came through rumour and myth." Which I had to read twice because the first time my brain was trying to ascribe that everything to the like the rest of the city. You know, like grammar works.
- random moment of head-hopping
- and again, the sentence: "His curled greying eyebrows twitched as he thought, absent-mindedly twisting the bone fetish around his neck through his fingers." Those are some alarmingly interventionist eyebrows, dude, you should get that under control.
At this point, because I was ranting out loud about it, my weary husband (trying to read his own book) said, "Why are you reading this, then?"
Good point, Mr Dee. Good point.
(Am I overly pedantic about points of grammar? On the one hand, yes. On the other hand, these were genuinely impeding the flow of my reading, because every time I encountered a sentence that messed around like that, I had to read it twice because the first time through, my brain attached the grammatically-right though authorially-wrong object to the subordinate clause. Anything that impedes the reader's effortless flow through your story is wrong bad naughty. Grammar is there to help the reader get your meaning without even remembering there are rules about this. Grammar is the churning swan legs beneath the gliding elegance of your prose. Love it. Learn it. Fucking use it.)
Mostly, though, it's those style issues that are making me put the book down before I throw it down. The page that made me flip my lid includes:
- an info-dump about yet another element of the world (there had been a few of these already). It was about an order of warrior-mages who were "obliterated centuries ago", though a few sentences later the narrator noted that "Normal folk getting caught up in the machinations [of this bunch] rarely fared well". Does that happen often, when they were obliterated centuries ago?
- the sentence: "Like the rest of the city, everything Narin knew of the Astaren came through rumour and myth." Which I had to read twice because the first time my brain was trying to ascribe that everything to the like the rest of the city. You know, like grammar works.
- random moment of head-hopping
- and again, the sentence: "His curled greying eyebrows twitched as he thought, absent-mindedly twisting the bone fetish around his neck through his fingers." Those are some alarmingly interventionist eyebrows, dude, you should get that under control.
At this point, because I was ranting out loud about it, my weary husband (trying to read his own book) said, "Why are you reading this, then?"
Good point, Mr Dee. Good point.
(Am I overly pedantic about points of grammar? On the one hand, yes. On the other hand, these were genuinely impeding the flow of my reading, because every time I encountered a sentence that messed around like that, I had to read it twice because the first time through, my brain attached the grammatically-right though authorially-wrong object to the subordinate clause. Anything that impedes the reader's effortless flow through your story is wrong bad naughty. Grammar is there to help the reader get your meaning without even remembering there are rules about this. Grammar is the churning swan legs beneath the gliding elegance of your prose. Love it. Learn it. Fucking use it.)
May 28, 2016
This book is shamefully under-read, while it is truly good.
It's like a jigsaw in beautiful descriptive prose, full of marvellous little details, that is put together as the story moves on. And like the best jigsaws, it's already begging to be made again. Recommended!
Rating: 4 stars.
It's like a jigsaw in beautiful descriptive prose, full of marvellous little details, that is put together as the story moves on. And like the best jigsaws, it's already begging to be made again. Recommended!
Rating: 4 stars.
December 8, 2013
originally posted at : http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013...
As I mentioned in the interview that I did with Tom Lloyd a few weeks ago, I have always wanted to read one of his books. What I have read and come to understand from reviews on his Twilight Reign series is that is great to read. And when the chance presented itself to take a peek at Tom Lloyd's latest book, Moon's Artifice, I just couldn't turn it down. Moon's Artifice besides being the latest book by Tom Lloyd also kicks-off a completely new fantasy series The Empire of a Hundred Houses. If you have read the synopsis of Moon's Artifice, you can see the promise of a lot of cool fantasy elements, and let me just tell you upfront, Tom Lloyd lives up to it all and goes beyond. I can't compare Moon's Artifice with Tom Lloyd earlier books, but Moon's Artifice is great stuff.
With just the first few sentences of the book, Tom Lloyd more than makes up my expectations. He throws you right in the action with a rooftop chase scene. Where you see Irato, one of the characters, being chased for his life. I really like this sudden introduction to the storyline, it gives you only one possibility, take a comfortable seat for the long run, because you are into one. After the events of the introduction, you get introduced to the main protagonist of Moon’s Artifice, Narin. Narin makes up only one of the storyline that you follow but is in essence the main one, Narin is currently working as an investigator for the law solving crimes. But by chance he is enrolled into a new investigation and a possible promotion into the ranks of Lawbringers. Lawbringers are held in a bit of an awe in the Imperial City, they are the elite and the best and this offer is just too good to say no too. By accepting this new task… Narin finds out more than he had bargained for. Narin’s character was for me a great protagonist to read about, he know his stuff, well that from being an investigator, he knows how the city goes round with the different houses, but he isn’t all knowing and all experienced. There are a lot of learning moments in the book for Narin, that are making him think twice about doing things on his own and it does seem that he is learning from his mistakes. He is strong, determined and doesn’t back down when challenged either verbally or physically. By this you might think he is only brawn and muscles, well your wrong, he has a much softer and compassionate side to his character and several relations really show a different and much softer side to Narin’s character, making him that much better and relatable. And what is better to have an investigator lead the story itself? It nicely helps in exposing both the world as he is discussing several aspects as well as considering his own investigation, really top choice!
A second protagonist that you follow, though his story largely takes place within that of Narin is Enchei. Now tattooist, but carrying enough scares of his brutal past as a warrior. When I first read about him I thought him just an casual addition to Narin’s role, bit like a friend. And for the first part it does continue this way, but later on, WOW yes WOW. I was doing a bit of dance of joy when I found out more about Enchei, I will try to be as cryptic as possible but he is badass. It might be a bit of a cliché of what it exactly entails but I REALLY DON’T CARE because it’s cool. One scene is still in the back of my mind, when Enchei is gearing up and takes to battle with his batton. I smiled and could hear the marching music start to play in my head. It’s pretty rough and violent but with the promise of what Enchei can do and how he did it… I could only smile. Enchei character, helps besides Narin to expose a lot of the world that you are introduced to and the great thing here is that Enchei is older than Narin and tells it in a much more storyteller kind of way, where Narin is more led by his personal opinion and emotions. Just again Enchei is awesome.
As a third there is an interesting point of view offered from Kesh, the female lead character. She is drawn into the plot by what is happening surrounding an unknown chest, her sister has lost her mind and now she doesn’t know how to go about it and fears for her mother and herself as well especially when everything starts to unravel and certain powerful forces come to show. A lot of the male storylines those of Narin, Irato, Enchei and Rhe do focus more on the action in most of the occasions, Kesh on the contrary offered a nice contrast to the exsiting action packed storyline. Her parts focused on how she cared about for her family and mostly trying to make things better, there are quite a few sad parts in her story, that put a hold on the fast pace of the storyline and somehow made me stop and rethink all that had happened so far. I really liked how these pauses were introduced, the story is full of information and these moments to reassert everything only let me embrace the story that much better. But back to Kesh now, in the beginning she doesn’t really know how to handle the whole situation but later when she is drawn into the fray of it all and teams up with Narin, she is suddenly grown tremendously and now not all of a sudden, but she is embracing the events and making up her own mind on how SHE wants to continue.
Besides these three there are a lot more characters that you follow but if I would have to discuss everyone I wouldn’t finish in time, instead I just want to briefly mention the other two characters that I already mentioned Irato and Rhe. Irato was followed in the opening chapter and only later on you learn why he has lost his mind and what it exactly means, I found his reaction when he was first confronted by Narin just spot on. Having lost his mind and having to answer basic question that he can’t recall he really is frustrated with himself and doesn’t know how to go about it. Rhe is an experienced and (in)famous Lawbringer and a bit of the go to guy for Narin besides Enchei. By Rhe you learn more about the order of Lawbringers their history and privileges. All in all I cannot seem fault in any of these characters, there are all a pleasure to read about and each is different, having their own habits and truly their own personalities, it’s these types of characters that I seek in fantasy, diverse, well fleshed out and relatable.
Were still discussing an epic fantasy story so let’s have a look at the world. Its exciting, fresh and new. The Imperial City is divided in parts by different ruling Houses. All have their alliances and enemies among the different Houses and this tension resonates strongly through the pages of the book. Most of them think they are all better than the other, and aren’t afraid to show just how supreme they are. Although most business is taken off screen, the mentioning of the promises of the warrior mages really made me curious, the Astaren, those guys are bad ass. They are all powerful and are the turning point in each battle. When I read the parts of House Dragon and their Astaren I was a bit awed. And you know the best part……! That is for yourself to find out but trust me you will like it. What’s makes this world so wonderful to read about is that the premise is a fantasy setting but with the different elements that you get introduced to, gunpowder guns only the Lawbringers may use, magic and the strong division of the Imperial City and the ruling Emperor adds some sort of oriental theme to it all, but mentionings of shamans does steer away from it. It’s hard to really point the setting of where the story takes place down to one direction. One thing that I am certain off is that we only have just glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of it all…
As for the story of Moon’s Artifice, like I mentioned in the part of the characters, the story initially starts off with several different points of view with but soon, due to a set of events storylines start to intermingle with each other and leading it all too one final showdown. I can understand that some people might experience this story to be difficult to understand since there are a lot of new things that you are introduced to but this is something that has to be done and for me there wasn’t an information dump at all, instead Tom Lloyd nicely spread out the dynamics of his story over the whole book, but you have to make sure that you don’t let you attention falter, else you will be definitely missing out on the best parts of the book. The pacing overall start of nicely and there are a few moments that allow you to catch your breath and recount all the events. Now the ending of the book, the last 100ish pages really thrown the story in a rapid, the big revealing have come to show and I was hoping the story wouldn’t fall into a drag and trust me it didn’t, Tom Lloyd keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Most of thing that you have come to learn about several characters and what they can do all come to show in full colors in the end and produce a very strong showdown, I can still clearly picture those scene, they are pretty great.
Just one last thing that I want to mention, besides the story of the investigation that is carried out by Narin to search for the bad guys behind the poison Moon’s Artifice, Tom Lloyd also highlights the bad guys themselves and how they are planning the downfall of the Empire. There was also a great interaction between the storyline of the good guys and the bad guys as you saw them both drawing up their plans and execute them and how when one plan was beaten by the opposition how they went about and changed their gameplan. Highlighting the other side can be tricky part but Tom Lloyd managed to pull this off pretty nice. Making the story that much better.
Moon’s Artifice is a very, very powerful first book in a new series. Tom Lloyd introduces you to a interesting new world that is dynamic to say the least. It’s brimming with new ideas and a lot of existing fantasy elements all resonate through the story to create a very one-of-a-kind feeling. The characters are just top material to read about, they are nicely fleshed out, diverse and each one if different. Furthermore Tom Lloyd writes his story with a certain confidence, his writing style is clear, addictive and utterly engaging, I got hooked and still am. The fighting scenes and magic battles in the book are very cool to read about and in here Tom Lloyd designs his own visions on how to show it and what is possible by it. I have glimpsed the first powerful Astaren and am eager to see more. Oh.. and I just recall that I forgot to mention. Gods. Yes Gods, there is a strong element of them in the book and some do make the occasional appearance, for me it is always tricky to introduces Gods as in some cases they are too much, but the sort of backdrop that you get acquainted to them in Moon’s Artifice was smooth. Moon’s Artifice is a true pleasure to read and I can think I can hear Tom Lloyd making a statement with this book for his fellow authors: beware! I am eager to read the second book in the series.
As I mentioned in the interview that I did with Tom Lloyd a few weeks ago, I have always wanted to read one of his books. What I have read and come to understand from reviews on his Twilight Reign series is that is great to read. And when the chance presented itself to take a peek at Tom Lloyd's latest book, Moon's Artifice, I just couldn't turn it down. Moon's Artifice besides being the latest book by Tom Lloyd also kicks-off a completely new fantasy series The Empire of a Hundred Houses. If you have read the synopsis of Moon's Artifice, you can see the promise of a lot of cool fantasy elements, and let me just tell you upfront, Tom Lloyd lives up to it all and goes beyond. I can't compare Moon's Artifice with Tom Lloyd earlier books, but Moon's Artifice is great stuff.
With just the first few sentences of the book, Tom Lloyd more than makes up my expectations. He throws you right in the action with a rooftop chase scene. Where you see Irato, one of the characters, being chased for his life. I really like this sudden introduction to the storyline, it gives you only one possibility, take a comfortable seat for the long run, because you are into one. After the events of the introduction, you get introduced to the main protagonist of Moon’s Artifice, Narin. Narin makes up only one of the storyline that you follow but is in essence the main one, Narin is currently working as an investigator for the law solving crimes. But by chance he is enrolled into a new investigation and a possible promotion into the ranks of Lawbringers. Lawbringers are held in a bit of an awe in the Imperial City, they are the elite and the best and this offer is just too good to say no too. By accepting this new task… Narin finds out more than he had bargained for. Narin’s character was for me a great protagonist to read about, he know his stuff, well that from being an investigator, he knows how the city goes round with the different houses, but he isn’t all knowing and all experienced. There are a lot of learning moments in the book for Narin, that are making him think twice about doing things on his own and it does seem that he is learning from his mistakes. He is strong, determined and doesn’t back down when challenged either verbally or physically. By this you might think he is only brawn and muscles, well your wrong, he has a much softer and compassionate side to his character and several relations really show a different and much softer side to Narin’s character, making him that much better and relatable. And what is better to have an investigator lead the story itself? It nicely helps in exposing both the world as he is discussing several aspects as well as considering his own investigation, really top choice!
A second protagonist that you follow, though his story largely takes place within that of Narin is Enchei. Now tattooist, but carrying enough scares of his brutal past as a warrior. When I first read about him I thought him just an casual addition to Narin’s role, bit like a friend. And for the first part it does continue this way, but later on, WOW yes WOW. I was doing a bit of dance of joy when I found out more about Enchei, I will try to be as cryptic as possible but he is badass. It might be a bit of a cliché of what it exactly entails but I REALLY DON’T CARE because it’s cool. One scene is still in the back of my mind, when Enchei is gearing up and takes to battle with his batton. I smiled and could hear the marching music start to play in my head. It’s pretty rough and violent but with the promise of what Enchei can do and how he did it… I could only smile. Enchei character, helps besides Narin to expose a lot of the world that you are introduced to and the great thing here is that Enchei is older than Narin and tells it in a much more storyteller kind of way, where Narin is more led by his personal opinion and emotions. Just again Enchei is awesome.
As a third there is an interesting point of view offered from Kesh, the female lead character. She is drawn into the plot by what is happening surrounding an unknown chest, her sister has lost her mind and now she doesn’t know how to go about it and fears for her mother and herself as well especially when everything starts to unravel and certain powerful forces come to show. A lot of the male storylines those of Narin, Irato, Enchei and Rhe do focus more on the action in most of the occasions, Kesh on the contrary offered a nice contrast to the exsiting action packed storyline. Her parts focused on how she cared about for her family and mostly trying to make things better, there are quite a few sad parts in her story, that put a hold on the fast pace of the storyline and somehow made me stop and rethink all that had happened so far. I really liked how these pauses were introduced, the story is full of information and these moments to reassert everything only let me embrace the story that much better. But back to Kesh now, in the beginning she doesn’t really know how to handle the whole situation but later when she is drawn into the fray of it all and teams up with Narin, she is suddenly grown tremendously and now not all of a sudden, but she is embracing the events and making up her own mind on how SHE wants to continue.
Besides these three there are a lot more characters that you follow but if I would have to discuss everyone I wouldn’t finish in time, instead I just want to briefly mention the other two characters that I already mentioned Irato and Rhe. Irato was followed in the opening chapter and only later on you learn why he has lost his mind and what it exactly means, I found his reaction when he was first confronted by Narin just spot on. Having lost his mind and having to answer basic question that he can’t recall he really is frustrated with himself and doesn’t know how to go about it. Rhe is an experienced and (in)famous Lawbringer and a bit of the go to guy for Narin besides Enchei. By Rhe you learn more about the order of Lawbringers their history and privileges. All in all I cannot seem fault in any of these characters, there are all a pleasure to read about and each is different, having their own habits and truly their own personalities, it’s these types of characters that I seek in fantasy, diverse, well fleshed out and relatable.
Were still discussing an epic fantasy story so let’s have a look at the world. Its exciting, fresh and new. The Imperial City is divided in parts by different ruling Houses. All have their alliances and enemies among the different Houses and this tension resonates strongly through the pages of the book. Most of them think they are all better than the other, and aren’t afraid to show just how supreme they are. Although most business is taken off screen, the mentioning of the promises of the warrior mages really made me curious, the Astaren, those guys are bad ass. They are all powerful and are the turning point in each battle. When I read the parts of House Dragon and their Astaren I was a bit awed. And you know the best part……! That is for yourself to find out but trust me you will like it. What’s makes this world so wonderful to read about is that the premise is a fantasy setting but with the different elements that you get introduced to, gunpowder guns only the Lawbringers may use, magic and the strong division of the Imperial City and the ruling Emperor adds some sort of oriental theme to it all, but mentionings of shamans does steer away from it. It’s hard to really point the setting of where the story takes place down to one direction. One thing that I am certain off is that we only have just glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of it all…
As for the story of Moon’s Artifice, like I mentioned in the part of the characters, the story initially starts off with several different points of view with but soon, due to a set of events storylines start to intermingle with each other and leading it all too one final showdown. I can understand that some people might experience this story to be difficult to understand since there are a lot of new things that you are introduced to but this is something that has to be done and for me there wasn’t an information dump at all, instead Tom Lloyd nicely spread out the dynamics of his story over the whole book, but you have to make sure that you don’t let you attention falter, else you will be definitely missing out on the best parts of the book. The pacing overall start of nicely and there are a few moments that allow you to catch your breath and recount all the events. Now the ending of the book, the last 100ish pages really thrown the story in a rapid, the big revealing have come to show and I was hoping the story wouldn’t fall into a drag and trust me it didn’t, Tom Lloyd keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Most of thing that you have come to learn about several characters and what they can do all come to show in full colors in the end and produce a very strong showdown, I can still clearly picture those scene, they are pretty great.
Just one last thing that I want to mention, besides the story of the investigation that is carried out by Narin to search for the bad guys behind the poison Moon’s Artifice, Tom Lloyd also highlights the bad guys themselves and how they are planning the downfall of the Empire. There was also a great interaction between the storyline of the good guys and the bad guys as you saw them both drawing up their plans and execute them and how when one plan was beaten by the opposition how they went about and changed their gameplan. Highlighting the other side can be tricky part but Tom Lloyd managed to pull this off pretty nice. Making the story that much better.
Moon’s Artifice is a very, very powerful first book in a new series. Tom Lloyd introduces you to a interesting new world that is dynamic to say the least. It’s brimming with new ideas and a lot of existing fantasy elements all resonate through the story to create a very one-of-a-kind feeling. The characters are just top material to read about, they are nicely fleshed out, diverse and each one if different. Furthermore Tom Lloyd writes his story with a certain confidence, his writing style is clear, addictive and utterly engaging, I got hooked and still am. The fighting scenes and magic battles in the book are very cool to read about and in here Tom Lloyd designs his own visions on how to show it and what is possible by it. I have glimpsed the first powerful Astaren and am eager to see more. Oh.. and I just recall that I forgot to mention. Gods. Yes Gods, there is a strong element of them in the book and some do make the occasional appearance, for me it is always tricky to introduces Gods as in some cases they are too much, but the sort of backdrop that you get acquainted to them in Moon’s Artifice was smooth. Moon’s Artifice is a true pleasure to read and I can think I can hear Tom Lloyd making a statement with this book for his fellow authors: beware! I am eager to read the second book in the series.
February 7, 2014
Lately there seems to be a new trend on the rise, there are a couple of titles that mix the epic fantasy with the mystery genre, putting together their elements for new forms of plot and stories. And when sword and sorcery is thrown into the blend you can get a novel as Tom Lloyd’s “Moon’s Artifice” as a result.
In what seems to be a routine night Investigator Narin knocks unconscious an unknown, enigmatic man. Very soon after this event one of empire’s Gods enters into the scene and Narin finds himself with a mystery on his hands. Following a separate incident Kesh, a young woman with her life thrown upside down and threatened with death, is brought together with Narin, his friend Enchei and the enigmatic man, who discovers that his memory is wiped clean after the events of the night of his chanced encounter with Narin. The four of them are shortly on a mission of untangling the threads of the mystery at hand, but as they soon learn on a race against time for saving the people of Imperial City.
These four characters are also the main cast of the novel. Narin is an investigator within the empire’s law forces, a commoner with a promising career ahead of him, but also with a secret that could compromise it for good. Enchei is Narin’s friend and mentor, with fighting skills and prowess coming from a dark and secretive past. Kesh is a young woman with her existence twisted cruelly by latest events of her life, but whose qualities, feelings and resilience made her the best character of the novel for me. Irato, the mysterious man, is the heart of the mystery and the trigger that sends the domino tiles tumbling and scatters the pieces of the puzzle only to help putting them together. As I said, Kesh became quickly my favorite character of “Moon’s Artifice”, although her presence is not as important as Narin’s or Enchei’s she still seems to walk upon the morality’s grey shades more often than them and in spite of the fact that Narin and Enchei have dark secrets buried behind them, hidden things with the potential of making these characters ambiguous in terms of righteousness. These secrets, however, in the end, affect less the characters, have surprisingly little importance on the entire canvas of the novel and touch only slightly the general plot. It is only a small complaint, but I have to make considering the unfulfilled potential of this aspect of the story.
My full review at: http://darkwolfsfantasyreviews.blogsp...
In what seems to be a routine night Investigator Narin knocks unconscious an unknown, enigmatic man. Very soon after this event one of empire’s Gods enters into the scene and Narin finds himself with a mystery on his hands. Following a separate incident Kesh, a young woman with her life thrown upside down and threatened with death, is brought together with Narin, his friend Enchei and the enigmatic man, who discovers that his memory is wiped clean after the events of the night of his chanced encounter with Narin. The four of them are shortly on a mission of untangling the threads of the mystery at hand, but as they soon learn on a race against time for saving the people of Imperial City.
These four characters are also the main cast of the novel. Narin is an investigator within the empire’s law forces, a commoner with a promising career ahead of him, but also with a secret that could compromise it for good. Enchei is Narin’s friend and mentor, with fighting skills and prowess coming from a dark and secretive past. Kesh is a young woman with her existence twisted cruelly by latest events of her life, but whose qualities, feelings and resilience made her the best character of the novel for me. Irato, the mysterious man, is the heart of the mystery and the trigger that sends the domino tiles tumbling and scatters the pieces of the puzzle only to help putting them together. As I said, Kesh became quickly my favorite character of “Moon’s Artifice”, although her presence is not as important as Narin’s or Enchei’s she still seems to walk upon the morality’s grey shades more often than them and in spite of the fact that Narin and Enchei have dark secrets buried behind them, hidden things with the potential of making these characters ambiguous in terms of righteousness. These secrets, however, in the end, affect less the characters, have surprisingly little importance on the entire canvas of the novel and touch only slightly the general plot. It is only a small complaint, but I have to make considering the unfulfilled potential of this aspect of the story.
My full review at: http://darkwolfsfantasyreviews.blogsp...
December 23, 2013
Tom Lloyd is one of those authors who have been on my radar for a couple of years, but whose work I hadn't read yet. In Tom's case because when I discovered him, he was already more than half-way through his previous series, The Twilight Reign, which was five books long. I did pick up the first book in the series, The Stormcaller, in 2011 but it has been languishing in my TBR-pile ever since, due to new and shiny review copies muscling in. So when Gollancz announced his new book, which seemed to be a standalone (in fact it's not), I knew I had to read it and finally hop on board the Lloyd train.
Moon's Artifice is a mix of crime, mystery and epic fantasy. While at its heart this is the story of Narin and company figuring out who Irato is and what the poison called Moon's Artifice is meant to achieve, if they fail it will have far-reaching consequences, not just for those in the Imperial City, but for all the inhabitants of the Empire of a Hundred Houses—that makes it pretty epic in my book. However, while epic in consequences, due to its mystery-solving nature, the book also feels intimate. We spend a lot of time with our main group of protagonists and some of the antagonists and we get a good feel for who they are.
Narin's group of stalwarts consists of his close friend Enchei, an old war veteran who definitely is more than he seems, Kesh, a young woman drawn into the conflict due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Irato, a victim of Moon's Artifice who is a stone-cold killer but has no memories of his misdeeds. On the edges of this are Lawbringer Rhe, Narin's mentor and direct superior, and the other Lawbringers and Investigators of the Palace of Law. They are the cavalry and Rhe helps Narin think things through and figure out the mystery. On the opposite side there are the Goshe and their nefarious goals for Moon's Artifice. Added into this mix are demons of all sorts and sizes, creatures of which we're never certain whose side they are on.
I really enjoyed the characters surrounding Narin. Enchei reminded me a bit of Feist's Nakor. He had the same wilful mysteriousness about him and the same contrary sense of humour. Kesh is wonderful; she's brave, despite her fears, feisty and resourceful, and above all she's loyal and very, very human. I liked the interplay between her and Irato. I'd have expected her to never be able to forgive Irato and while she doesn't out and out forgive him, she does seem to come to an acceptance of him and that who he is now isn't the same person he was before. Irato posed an interesting question to the reader: is a person inherently, genetically evil or does circumstance – be it due to mental disorders, experiences, abuse or what have you – play into it? Because the Irato we meet is a meek, loyal companion, not a cold-blooded assassin and this is not just a puzzle to the reader, but to Kesh as well.
At the centre of this group is Narin. He's a good man, devoted to the Lawbringers and their oaths, and he's a sympathetic main character. He's neither supernaturally gifted for the task nor unsuited, but you get the sense he is where he is through hard work and dedication. The only thing that detracts from this image is his romantic entanglement with the Lady Kine. While I liked how much he was driven by his love for Kine and his responsibilities to her, at some points his constant drifting off to ponder their situation and his love for her rather got on my nerves as I wanted him to focus on the tasks at hand, because they were pretty dire. Then again, it also felt supremely genuine, to worry about something more in the future instead of what's right in front of you. Narin is by no means perfect, but he tries to do the best he can by everybody and it makes him infinitely sympathetic.
All of the characters need a stage to play on and Lloyd has built them a wonderfully intricate world to inhabit. I loved the political intricacies of the Empire of a Hundred Houses and their strict House and caste-based society. I also like that the characters run the gamut in terms of appearance, including having red eyes or even wolf-yellow ones. The location and the topography of the Imperial City are also fascinating. It's been built on the ruins of an older civilisation and it's been strictly divided into sections by House loyalties. The one element I would have loved to have learned more about are the various demons roaming the city. There are the almost ubiquitous fox demons and the larger and older Apkai and some others who pass through the narrative and I'd love to have learned more about their place in the Empire's religion and its magic. The society is also a curious mixture of magic and flintlock, with fire power using black powder is firmly in the control of the Astaren, the magicians, whose very name strikes fear into the rest of the world. They are another group I'd loved to read about in greater detail.
Moon's Artifice was a great read, both fun and compelling. When I started the novel I wasn't completely clear on whether the book was a standalone or not, but I was really hoping there would be more the closer I got to the end. Lo and behold, I read that there will be another book called Old Man's Ghosts. Despite there being a follow up in the works, Moon's Artifice stands alone beautifully as its plot and narrative arc are fully resolved by the ending of the book. While there are some loose ends left, there aren't so many or such big ones that it makes the ending unsatisfactory. I really enjoyed Moon's Artifice tremendously and I think it's a great entry point for new Tom Lloyd readers and well as a satisfying new novel for existing fans.
This book was provided for review by the publisher as part of the Gollancz Geeks.
Moon's Artifice is a mix of crime, mystery and epic fantasy. While at its heart this is the story of Narin and company figuring out who Irato is and what the poison called Moon's Artifice is meant to achieve, if they fail it will have far-reaching consequences, not just for those in the Imperial City, but for all the inhabitants of the Empire of a Hundred Houses—that makes it pretty epic in my book. However, while epic in consequences, due to its mystery-solving nature, the book also feels intimate. We spend a lot of time with our main group of protagonists and some of the antagonists and we get a good feel for who they are.
Narin's group of stalwarts consists of his close friend Enchei, an old war veteran who definitely is more than he seems, Kesh, a young woman drawn into the conflict due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Irato, a victim of Moon's Artifice who is a stone-cold killer but has no memories of his misdeeds. On the edges of this are Lawbringer Rhe, Narin's mentor and direct superior, and the other Lawbringers and Investigators of the Palace of Law. They are the cavalry and Rhe helps Narin think things through and figure out the mystery. On the opposite side there are the Goshe and their nefarious goals for Moon's Artifice. Added into this mix are demons of all sorts and sizes, creatures of which we're never certain whose side they are on.
I really enjoyed the characters surrounding Narin. Enchei reminded me a bit of Feist's Nakor. He had the same wilful mysteriousness about him and the same contrary sense of humour. Kesh is wonderful; she's brave, despite her fears, feisty and resourceful, and above all she's loyal and very, very human. I liked the interplay between her and Irato. I'd have expected her to never be able to forgive Irato and while she doesn't out and out forgive him, she does seem to come to an acceptance of him and that who he is now isn't the same person he was before. Irato posed an interesting question to the reader: is a person inherently, genetically evil or does circumstance – be it due to mental disorders, experiences, abuse or what have you – play into it? Because the Irato we meet is a meek, loyal companion, not a cold-blooded assassin and this is not just a puzzle to the reader, but to Kesh as well.
At the centre of this group is Narin. He's a good man, devoted to the Lawbringers and their oaths, and he's a sympathetic main character. He's neither supernaturally gifted for the task nor unsuited, but you get the sense he is where he is through hard work and dedication. The only thing that detracts from this image is his romantic entanglement with the Lady Kine. While I liked how much he was driven by his love for Kine and his responsibilities to her, at some points his constant drifting off to ponder their situation and his love for her rather got on my nerves as I wanted him to focus on the tasks at hand, because they were pretty dire. Then again, it also felt supremely genuine, to worry about something more in the future instead of what's right in front of you. Narin is by no means perfect, but he tries to do the best he can by everybody and it makes him infinitely sympathetic.
All of the characters need a stage to play on and Lloyd has built them a wonderfully intricate world to inhabit. I loved the political intricacies of the Empire of a Hundred Houses and their strict House and caste-based society. I also like that the characters run the gamut in terms of appearance, including having red eyes or even wolf-yellow ones. The location and the topography of the Imperial City are also fascinating. It's been built on the ruins of an older civilisation and it's been strictly divided into sections by House loyalties. The one element I would have loved to have learned more about are the various demons roaming the city. There are the almost ubiquitous fox demons and the larger and older Apkai and some others who pass through the narrative and I'd love to have learned more about their place in the Empire's religion and its magic. The society is also a curious mixture of magic and flintlock, with fire power using black powder is firmly in the control of the Astaren, the magicians, whose very name strikes fear into the rest of the world. They are another group I'd loved to read about in greater detail.
Moon's Artifice was a great read, both fun and compelling. When I started the novel I wasn't completely clear on whether the book was a standalone or not, but I was really hoping there would be more the closer I got to the end. Lo and behold, I read that there will be another book called Old Man's Ghosts. Despite there being a follow up in the works, Moon's Artifice stands alone beautifully as its plot and narrative arc are fully resolved by the ending of the book. While there are some loose ends left, there aren't so many or such big ones that it makes the ending unsatisfactory. I really enjoyed Moon's Artifice tremendously and I think it's a great entry point for new Tom Lloyd readers and well as a satisfying new novel for existing fans.
This book was provided for review by the publisher as part of the Gollancz Geeks.
September 3, 2016
I was very excited when I was selected to receive a copy of Moon's Artifice to review , especially as I had not read any books by Tom Lloyd before and wasn't sure what to expect. My biggest worry was not liking the book and I didn't want my first ever review to be a negative one. Fortunately I loved it so much, I found it hard to put the book down.
As with most books, the story at the beginning could be a little confusing as you were being introduced to the characters and the world they live in. You find yourself asking questions such as "What is goshe?" or "Is it some sort of a steam punk world since there is gunpowder pistols, iron gas lamps as well as magic, castles and leather armour?" I still can't answer the second question but found the world Lloyd created very interesting. A world with Gods who used to be mortals, cute little fox demons, cool monsters (one of them reminded me of the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth) and a tattooed caste society (a bit like dwarves in the video game Dragon Age) where your class as well as race can determine if you are a noble with a gun or a servant with a broom.
The story starts with an Investigator, a sort of a royal police officer, called Narin getting into trouble with the Gods when he is asked to find an answer to the question 'Who is the Moon?' However, the Investigator soon finds out that his mission is far more complicated than a simple answer to a question, he struggles to keep himself and the ones he loves safe while being dragged into the world of demons, political scheming and dark magic.
Narin is likable but not a cheesy, all powerful 'hero', in fact he is not even a great fighter or the smartest person in the book and therefore relies heavily on others such as his boss Rhe and an old man called Enchei to help out with his investigation. I found it interesting how Narin's past is revealed to the reader though his dreams, sometimes at the start of the chapter or in the middle of the story, helping readers to understand him as a character better.
The book is written very well, there are a lot of descriptions of buildings, faces, objects and other things to get your imagination going. Moon's Artifice is full of exciting situations and awkward conversations, that will make you to read on. Try to solve the mystery yourself, but it might not be as simple as you think.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, however I felt like there should have been one more chapter at the end, summarising up what happened after the main event. Unanswered questions aside this book is a five star read which I highly recommend lovers of fantasy fiction.
As with most books, the story at the beginning could be a little confusing as you were being introduced to the characters and the world they live in. You find yourself asking questions such as "What is goshe?" or "Is it some sort of a steam punk world since there is gunpowder pistols, iron gas lamps as well as magic, castles and leather armour?" I still can't answer the second question but found the world Lloyd created very interesting. A world with Gods who used to be mortals, cute little fox demons, cool monsters (one of them reminded me of the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth) and a tattooed caste society (a bit like dwarves in the video game Dragon Age) where your class as well as race can determine if you are a noble with a gun or a servant with a broom.
The story starts with an Investigator, a sort of a royal police officer, called Narin getting into trouble with the Gods when he is asked to find an answer to the question 'Who is the Moon?' However, the Investigator soon finds out that his mission is far more complicated than a simple answer to a question, he struggles to keep himself and the ones he loves safe while being dragged into the world of demons, political scheming and dark magic.
Narin is likable but not a cheesy, all powerful 'hero', in fact he is not even a great fighter or the smartest person in the book and therefore relies heavily on others such as his boss Rhe and an old man called Enchei to help out with his investigation. I found it interesting how Narin's past is revealed to the reader though his dreams, sometimes at the start of the chapter or in the middle of the story, helping readers to understand him as a character better.
The book is written very well, there are a lot of descriptions of buildings, faces, objects and other things to get your imagination going. Moon's Artifice is full of exciting situations and awkward conversations, that will make you to read on. Try to solve the mystery yourself, but it might not be as simple as you think.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, however I felt like there should have been one more chapter at the end, summarising up what happened after the main event. Unanswered questions aside this book is a five star read which I highly recommend lovers of fantasy fiction.
December 16, 2013
I received this book as part of the Gollancz Geeks program and dang, it was good. I have never read anything from Tom Lloyd before but I definitely will now. It also appears that this is the first in a series--I'm thrilled.
Narin is an Investigator in the Imperial City with the chance of being promoted to Lawbringer--a lifelong dream. Narin hears a sound outside his room one night and knocks a man unconscious when he thrusts open the shutters. When he goes outside to investigate, Narin's problems begin when he meets a God, Lord Shield, who sends him on a dangerous quest.
The world building in this book is fantastic. There is a strict caste system and different factions, or Houses, in the Empire, each with very different characteristics and motives. The different Gods, seen as constellations in the night sky looking down, are referenced throughout the book, as a way of marking time as well as giving history of the world.
Tom Lloyd also does a great job with characters. The main protagonist is Narin but we meet several others in his quest and the viewpoint shifts to them at times. It is nice to see a strong female character in the mix. Also, the viewpoint shifts to the bad guys at times. Some books do this better than others but I understood the motivations much better with those occasional peeks into the bad guys world.
The story keeps moving along and it took me a little while to understand the caste and house setup in the city. Once I figured that out, the book really picked up. The fight scenes in this book remind me of Joe Abercrombie's style. I did feel compelled to go back and re-read a few chapters because there is so much going on, it feels like I was missing important details. As the characters were running around in the city, I would have loved to see a map included in the book.
Summary: this book was fantastic--if you like epic fantasy books, this is a great read.
Narin is an Investigator in the Imperial City with the chance of being promoted to Lawbringer--a lifelong dream. Narin hears a sound outside his room one night and knocks a man unconscious when he thrusts open the shutters. When he goes outside to investigate, Narin's problems begin when he meets a God, Lord Shield, who sends him on a dangerous quest.
The world building in this book is fantastic. There is a strict caste system and different factions, or Houses, in the Empire, each with very different characteristics and motives. The different Gods, seen as constellations in the night sky looking down, are referenced throughout the book, as a way of marking time as well as giving history of the world.
Tom Lloyd also does a great job with characters. The main protagonist is Narin but we meet several others in his quest and the viewpoint shifts to them at times. It is nice to see a strong female character in the mix. Also, the viewpoint shifts to the bad guys at times. Some books do this better than others but I understood the motivations much better with those occasional peeks into the bad guys world.
The story keeps moving along and it took me a little while to understand the caste and house setup in the city. Once I figured that out, the book really picked up. The fight scenes in this book remind me of Joe Abercrombie's style. I did feel compelled to go back and re-read a few chapters because there is so much going on, it feels like I was missing important details. As the characters were running around in the city, I would have loved to see a map included in the book.
Summary: this book was fantastic--if you like epic fantasy books, this is a great read.
November 30, 2013
I was delighted to be selected as a reviewer for Gollancz Geeks as I'm a huge fan of Tom Lloyd, having read the Twilight Reign series and thoroughly enjoyed it. I picked up Moon's Artifice with a huge sense of anticipation and I wasn't disappointed.
Lloyd's strength is his world and character building. Very quickly I got a sense of the Imperial City and Narin, the Lawbringer. For me though, the most interesting character in the book was Enchei the old warrior. What an intriguing character with a mysterious background. The female lead in the book is a refreshingly strong character capable of holding her own (most of the time!).
The very strict caste system and the different houses and characteristics of each is an interesting idea, which I wasn't sure of at first as it seemed very complicated. However, as I got further into book it made sense and actually became key to the story. It reminded me of ancient China and the very strict caste system in that society.
I loved this book and really look forward to the next in the series.
Lloyd's strength is his world and character building. Very quickly I got a sense of the Imperial City and Narin, the Lawbringer. For me though, the most interesting character in the book was Enchei the old warrior. What an intriguing character with a mysterious background. The female lead in the book is a refreshingly strong character capable of holding her own (most of the time!).
The very strict caste system and the different houses and characteristics of each is an interesting idea, which I wasn't sure of at first as it seemed very complicated. However, as I got further into book it made sense and actually became key to the story. It reminded me of ancient China and the very strict caste system in that society.
I loved this book and really look forward to the next in the series.
January 20, 2014
I enjoyed the series that Tom wrote before this one and I was very excited to get my hands on this. I have to admit, it took me a little while to really get into this book and I can't really pin point why.
Plenty of interesting things happen in the opening that really should have dragged me in, but it wasn't until a quarter of the way through when I finally fell for this book.
I enjoyed the story, but for me the key part was that Tom created characters that I really enjoyed. Rhe, Enchei are brilliant and I can't wait to read more. That leads to the final point, this book felt like an introduction to a series, rather than something that should just be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. While the story was good, it felt like the book laid the ground work for a bigger more epic series.
Lets hope we get it.
Plenty of interesting things happen in the opening that really should have dragged me in, but it wasn't until a quarter of the way through when I finally fell for this book.
I enjoyed the story, but for me the key part was that Tom created characters that I really enjoyed. Rhe, Enchei are brilliant and I can't wait to read more. That leads to the final point, this book felt like an introduction to a series, rather than something that should just be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. While the story was good, it felt like the book laid the ground work for a bigger more epic series.
Lets hope we get it.
January 21, 2014
This was my first Tom Lloyd book and I'll definitely be going back to have a look at the Twilight Reign series. Moons Artifice was an interesting novel that reminded me in tone of a fantasy version of Jason Goodwins 'Yashim' series, which was a good thing. Without posting spoilers the book itself was fast paced with several twists and turns that drew me in to an intricate and deep world. The characters will return in future books and I'm interested to see them fleshed out. Bit as several look to have a very interesting future.
October 30, 2015
A new series by Tom Lloyd. All Toms books have very complex worlds and interesting characters. His new Series tells us the story of a Lawbringer apprentice who works to bring peace to the Empire of 100 Houses. To do this he must find a way to tread a pathway between the warrior casts of each imperial house and the ascendant gods and apkai demons. Toms last series the Twilight Reign Series was a personal favorite and I was disappointed when it reached its conclusion. If Moons Artifice is an indicator his new Series may be better.
December 17, 2013
Fascinating world, intriguing characters I cared about, lots of action and gradually-unfolding mystery. I enjoyed this immensely. It's the sort of book I would have liked to read at one sitting, though other things (like life) kept getting in the way so I couldn't. It's a book I'll definitely re-read. Need to get my sister a copy for her birthday; I know she'll like it a lot too.
December 22, 2014
My first book by this author, but certainly not my last! Conspiracies, sorcery, assassinations, mystery, intriguing characters and lots of action in an engaging, fast-paced plot that provides great fantasy entertainment from start to finish.
January 15, 2014
Great read. This one flirts with a 4 & 1/2 star rating. sits just behind Anthony Ryan's Blood Song for my favourite new series over the last year
November 2, 2014
I ought to start this review by saying that I don't normally like fantasy. That clause is largely reserved for epic fantasy, as there are many more urban fantasies that I do enjoy (
The Lies of Locke Lamora
,
Perdido Street Station
), but I consider these to be exceptions. The only reason I was reading this book is because I entered a giveaway on the Gollancz website and this was the book they randomly sent me, perhaps because I mentioned The Lies of Locke Lamora as a book I'd read, rather than the dozens of SF Masterworks, or because my surname was the same name as the author's.
And I also ought to add that when you hover over the stars when giving a book a rating on Goodreads two stars is "it was OK". This is precisely the comment I would like to make about Moon's Artifice - it was OK. There was a lot of detailed world-building, descriptions of settings and events which read as if Lloyd is picturing the book as a film or television show in his head (and why not?) - the first couple of pages are a clear and open example. I found these passages a little boring, but if that's your thing then go for it. I didn't quite follow all of the social set-up (who were the goshe, for example? Are they a religion or something?). it didn't help that both the higher-tier houses and their subordinates are all called "Houses". Furthermore, I have no clue how the set-up of the Imperial City (the most imaginatively named city in literature!) works with the set-up of the rest of the empire.
The world is somewhat Manichaean, with fairly obvious goodies and baddies; or, rather, it's clear that someone either is a goodie or a baddie, there's no shades of grey. There are hints that, in the future books of this series, there will be a few more sides getting involved but as I don't really expect to read any of those I don't know if that's true. On which, there are a few too many characters, some of whom don't get anywhere near enough air-time, which is quite good in the sense that it gives the world a slightly larger feel, but pretty bad in other cases, especially in the case of Kine.
Reading chapter 1, one might have the distinct impression that Kine was going to have a major plot role, and perhaps become a developed character (to the extent that such creatures exist in fantasy novels). But what you will actually find is that no chapter after about 2 passes the Bechdel test, the woman who exists only to be pregant no longer appears, and the entirety of the experience of being the parent of an illegitimate child in this world as presented to us is through the eyes of a man. . Inceidentally, Enchei tells Narin that he has nine months to prepare for this child - how spectacular must the technology of this empire be if they can detect a pregancy that quickly?!
I got somewhat lost over the plot towards the end, but it didn't seem to matter as the whole thing raced towards a dramatic conclusion over the last five chapters or so. Which was OK. If you like reading about this sort of thing, then I think this book was probably one of the not-terrible ones.
And I also ought to add that when you hover over the stars when giving a book a rating on Goodreads two stars is "it was OK". This is precisely the comment I would like to make about Moon's Artifice - it was OK. There was a lot of detailed world-building, descriptions of settings and events which read as if Lloyd is picturing the book as a film or television show in his head (and why not?) - the first couple of pages are a clear and open example. I found these passages a little boring, but if that's your thing then go for it. I didn't quite follow all of the social set-up (who were the goshe, for example? Are they a religion or something?). it didn't help that both the higher-tier houses and their subordinates are all called "Houses". Furthermore, I have no clue how the set-up of the Imperial City (the most imaginatively named city in literature!) works with the set-up of the rest of the empire.
The world is somewhat Manichaean, with fairly obvious goodies and baddies; or, rather, it's clear that someone either is a goodie or a baddie, there's no shades of grey. There are hints that, in the future books of this series, there will be a few more sides getting involved but as I don't really expect to read any of those I don't know if that's true. On which, there are a few too many characters, some of whom don't get anywhere near enough air-time, which is quite good in the sense that it gives the world a slightly larger feel, but pretty bad in other cases, especially in the case of Kine.
Reading chapter 1, one might have the distinct impression that Kine was going to have a major plot role, and perhaps become a developed character (to the extent that such creatures exist in fantasy novels). But what you will actually find is that no chapter after about 2 passes the Bechdel test, the woman who exists only to be pregant no longer appears, and the entirety of the experience of being the parent of an illegitimate child in this world as presented to us is through the eyes of a man. . Inceidentally, Enchei tells Narin that he has nine months to prepare for this child - how spectacular must the technology of this empire be if they can detect a pregancy that quickly?!
I got somewhat lost over the plot towards the end, but it didn't seem to matter as the whole thing raced towards a dramatic conclusion over the last five chapters or so. Which was OK. If you like reading about this sort of thing, then I think this book was probably one of the not-terrible ones.
February 9, 2014
Moon's Artifice offers a banal story and unremarkable world-building alternating with great moments that kept me reading till the end though in small chunks across a few months; by the end though I could only shrug and say "who cares" about this and move on.
Situated somewhere at the intersection of sophisticated metropolis, mystery plot, hints of world changing stuff and very interesting back story, all with a combination of some technology - gun powder restricted to aristocracy - , mind bending "viruses", demons, gods - or at least super powerful immortal humans - and magic, with a culture resembling the western authors image of "medieval" imperial Japan led by great houses and with a ceremonial but relatively powerless Emperor, though with a dash of the vastness and imagery of China, again as seen by western authors obviously, Moon's Artifice sounded like a great potential read but the execution is mediocre.
Maybe this last word is misplaced as the book has a lot of intense great moments that fulfill its promise, but they are embedded in a ton of conventional junk to raise the count of pages at "epic mid list author" levels and I only shudder how this volume would have looked were the author to be an A list allowed to do 600+ pages - or maybe this is why the author is not an A list one as he simply doesn't have the narrative power to carry an ambitious story as proven here.
A 300 page distilled version of this book keeping the action and mystery as main focus within a tight "mystery genre" like package could have been great - the heroes are in the same kind of danger time after time after time - or maybe better world building that would have brought the universe of the story to true life and justify the page count interspersed with more than hints from the intriguing history of the created universe.
However ultimately I think that the overall "meh" feeling about the book comes from the characters - the naive Narin who is the traditional picaresque hero stumbling in out of great dangers, but who lacks the "salt and pepper" mixture of arrogance, silliness and good intentions of the best such in literature, being boringly earnest, combined with no-memory ninja - goshe - Irato and "old sensei" Enchei of many secrets and talents, both straight out of the cliche book and finally slum fisher-girl Kesh who somehow raises to the occasion once her family gets caught in the crossfire and becomes a super-heroine carrying the day, like in contemporary Disney fare...
Everything you want to know about the book is summarized in the blurb and the observations above:
A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past.
Overall, a combination of multiple 5 star moments in a marginally 2 star package and it's very hard seeing me reading more in the series though I may try if a copy comes to hand, but that will be far from the buy on publication excitement Moon's Artifice generated.
Situated somewhere at the intersection of sophisticated metropolis, mystery plot, hints of world changing stuff and very interesting back story, all with a combination of some technology - gun powder restricted to aristocracy - , mind bending "viruses", demons, gods - or at least super powerful immortal humans - and magic, with a culture resembling the western authors image of "medieval" imperial Japan led by great houses and with a ceremonial but relatively powerless Emperor, though with a dash of the vastness and imagery of China, again as seen by western authors obviously, Moon's Artifice sounded like a great potential read but the execution is mediocre.
Maybe this last word is misplaced as the book has a lot of intense great moments that fulfill its promise, but they are embedded in a ton of conventional junk to raise the count of pages at "epic mid list author" levels and I only shudder how this volume would have looked were the author to be an A list allowed to do 600+ pages - or maybe this is why the author is not an A list one as he simply doesn't have the narrative power to carry an ambitious story as proven here.
A 300 page distilled version of this book keeping the action and mystery as main focus within a tight "mystery genre" like package could have been great - the heroes are in the same kind of danger time after time after time - or maybe better world building that would have brought the universe of the story to true life and justify the page count interspersed with more than hints from the intriguing history of the created universe.
However ultimately I think that the overall "meh" feeling about the book comes from the characters - the naive Narin who is the traditional picaresque hero stumbling in out of great dangers, but who lacks the "salt and pepper" mixture of arrogance, silliness and good intentions of the best such in literature, being boringly earnest, combined with no-memory ninja - goshe - Irato and "old sensei" Enchei of many secrets and talents, both straight out of the cliche book and finally slum fisher-girl Kesh who somehow raises to the occasion once her family gets caught in the crossfire and becomes a super-heroine carrying the day, like in contemporary Disney fare...
Everything you want to know about the book is summarized in the blurb and the observations above:
A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past.
Overall, a combination of multiple 5 star moments in a marginally 2 star package and it's very hard seeing me reading more in the series though I may try if a copy comes to hand, but that will be far from the buy on publication excitement Moon's Artifice generated.
January 22, 2016
C2013. FWFTB: investigator, Lawbringers, assassin, goshe, poison. I have had a chequered past with Mr Lloyd’s writing so I did ruminate a little before deciding to take the plunge. Hallelujah, I made the right choice. It was a good read. I found the plot to be fairly original although it could have easily fallen into the ‘same old-same old’ trap. I did find the pace to be a little erratic, though, with the middle part being the weakest. I have a pet hate of characters in a book seemingly all starting with the same name. Here we have Narin "“Narin had to remind himself that all of the Gods had once been mortal men and women. In the earliest days of the Empire a king and queen had found the secret of immortality and ascended into the heavens. Exactly how they did so remained the greatest mystery the Empire had to offer, but their closest cadre of advisers had joined them in the years to follow. Over the next centuries that passed others has also been granted their own divine constellations by the Gods, after achieving enlightenment through the perfection of some art or skill.” , Nescire and Nemeke then a Kine, Kesh and Kerata and finally, a Sheti, Synter and Sorote ("“I will help you, Master Narin,’ he said, ‘if for nothing else than to try and keep this city from catastrophe.”. Perhaps indicative of the character development but I found it hard at first to remember who was who or when I had last read about the particular character. In the short bio of the author, he mentions that he only believes in forms of exercise that allow him to hit something. This preference serves him well in this book as the ‘good guys’ are proficient with their staves and the action sequences are well described.
There is no blurb about this particular offering on the back cover but there is praise in general for Mr Lloyd. These use words such as ‘depth’, ‘epic scale’ and ‘rich rewards’ – all very nice words but somewhat hackneyed IMHO. The cover certainly contains all the main elements of the story and is attributed to Larry Rostant. A strange synchronicity here as the very last book I read also had a cover by Larry Rostant and I didn’t like it at all! A much better choice made by this publisher/author.Definitely recommended to the normal crew. ‘Their heads were shaved and each had trails of blood and sweat running down his scalp; this was a strange and savage game peculiar to the Wyverns, fought with razor-tipped lashes.”
There is no blurb about this particular offering on the back cover but there is praise in general for Mr Lloyd. These use words such as ‘depth’, ‘epic scale’ and ‘rich rewards’ – all very nice words but somewhat hackneyed IMHO. The cover certainly contains all the main elements of the story and is attributed to Larry Rostant. A strange synchronicity here as the very last book I read also had a cover by Larry Rostant and I didn’t like it at all! A much better choice made by this publisher/author.Definitely recommended to the normal crew. ‘Their heads were shaved and each had trails of blood and sweat running down his scalp; this was a strange and savage game peculiar to the Wyverns, fought with razor-tipped lashes.”
December 6, 2013
Narin is meeting with the woman he loves when suddenly he hears a noise outside. Terrified to be found with another mans woman he thrusts the shutters open and knocks a man unconscious. When he goes outside he meets A God that tasks him with finding out "Who's The Moon" and to getting answers out of the man.
Kesh helps to run a boarding house and one of the tenants is missing. He left behind a trunk and when she comes back from an errant she finds her sister on the stairs. Her sister seems to have fallen trying to pull the trunk out. Kesh sees a strange green mist seeping out of the trunk and worries its poisonous. She grabs her sister and carries her to the Goshe hospital. While there she overhears the Goshe doctor saying that they will have to dispose of her because she knows about the Moons Artifice. Kesh runs for her life. She turns to the Lawbringers for help and meets up with Narin. What follows is an action packed story.
This was a thrilling ride. Its my first Tom Lloyd book but wont be my last. While it took me a while to get into the book, once I did I found myself engrossed.
At first it felt like there was a whole host of characters and I found it confusing but once I realised who were the main players the story just flowed.
I really liked Kesh. She is a real kick ass character and isn't afraid to get involved. She is one tough cookie!! Another character I loved was Enchei. He was very intriguing and someone you wanted on your side in a fight.
Lloyd can write on heck of a fight scene. He draws you in and you can almost believe you are part of the world. He has managed to write a compelling, action packed, sometimes confusing book that will leave you on edge and breathless to see what happens next!
Kesh helps to run a boarding house and one of the tenants is missing. He left behind a trunk and when she comes back from an errant she finds her sister on the stairs. Her sister seems to have fallen trying to pull the trunk out. Kesh sees a strange green mist seeping out of the trunk and worries its poisonous. She grabs her sister and carries her to the Goshe hospital. While there she overhears the Goshe doctor saying that they will have to dispose of her because she knows about the Moons Artifice. Kesh runs for her life. She turns to the Lawbringers for help and meets up with Narin. What follows is an action packed story.
This was a thrilling ride. Its my first Tom Lloyd book but wont be my last. While it took me a while to get into the book, once I did I found myself engrossed.
At first it felt like there was a whole host of characters and I found it confusing but once I realised who were the main players the story just flowed.
I really liked Kesh. She is a real kick ass character and isn't afraid to get involved. She is one tough cookie!! Another character I loved was Enchei. He was very intriguing and someone you wanted on your side in a fight.
Lloyd can write on heck of a fight scene. He draws you in and you can almost believe you are part of the world. He has managed to write a compelling, action packed, sometimes confusing book that will leave you on edge and breathless to see what happens next!
December 19, 2013
I guess cops are the next big thing in fantasy ;) Here we got Narin who is a Lawbringer so when he "accidentally" knocks down a guy he sets out to investigate what on earth is going on. There are baddies, demons, poison and something that would rock the empire to it's core.
Narin was a good guy, sure he did not make the best of choices (one in particular), but that just made him human. And he really did love working as a Lawbringer and protecting the innocent. It was a true cat and mouse game. Luckily he had some help, very mysterious Enchei who was a tattoo artist. Kesh, a young woman on the run. Rhe, Narin's mentor, whom I really liked. And of course a strange assassin without any memories.
I think that what I liked most was that it was a world where some humans had found a way to ascend and become Gods. I would have loved to learn more. If they were really good at what they did, then they might just become the god of that, like the God Lawbringer. It was also a world that had known it's fair share of war and there empire was made up of powerful Houses who ruled.
And of course I must mention that it's gun powder fantasy. But yes some of the powerful are allowed to have guns. A world caught between the old and the new is always fascinating.
What I liked most was the end, do not get me wrong. There was a conclusion so I was all yay! But at the same time I now want more, so that was bad in a good way ;)
An interesting world, likable characters, and evil baddies ( I love evil baddies).
Narin was a good guy, sure he did not make the best of choices (one in particular), but that just made him human. And he really did love working as a Lawbringer and protecting the innocent. It was a true cat and mouse game. Luckily he had some help, very mysterious Enchei who was a tattoo artist. Kesh, a young woman on the run. Rhe, Narin's mentor, whom I really liked. And of course a strange assassin without any memories.
I think that what I liked most was that it was a world where some humans had found a way to ascend and become Gods. I would have loved to learn more. If they were really good at what they did, then they might just become the god of that, like the God Lawbringer. It was also a world that had known it's fair share of war and there empire was made up of powerful Houses who ruled.
And of course I must mention that it's gun powder fantasy. But yes some of the powerful are allowed to have guns. A world caught between the old and the new is always fascinating.
What I liked most was the end, do not get me wrong. There was a conclusion so I was all yay! But at the same time I now want more, so that was bad in a good way ;)
An interesting world, likable characters, and evil baddies ( I love evil baddies).
July 22, 2015
I'm torn with this one, so I'll only give it a short review. On one hand, the worldbuilding is deep and different and drip-fed so that you immediately get the sense of the scale of the world and very few common reference points to hang it on (no generic fantasy here), so that was great. And on the other hand, you have a plot that promises to take you on a whirlwind journey through the vast city at the heart of this complex world, meeting all sorts of interesting types and solving some great mystery. Unfortunately, despite having all the right components the plot just didn't do it for me, and I think a lot of that had to do with the weight of this very dense world dragging it down.
As a result, this suffered in comparison to the somewhat-similar City of Stairs (which is brilliant and outshines most things), which had as much complexity but delivered it without losing its pace and verve. Key to that could have been the choice of characters and perspective. I suppose I really could have done with reading this almost exclusively from Narin's perspective, more like the detective story it seemed to promise from the blurb and set-up. But then, maybe that's just me--it's still a very good, book. "Accomplished" is what the cover review says, and that seems the best way to describe it--all the right elements but it just didn't captivate like I hoped.
As a result, this suffered in comparison to the somewhat-similar City of Stairs (which is brilliant and outshines most things), which had as much complexity but delivered it without losing its pace and verve. Key to that could have been the choice of characters and perspective. I suppose I really could have done with reading this almost exclusively from Narin's perspective, more like the detective story it seemed to promise from the blurb and set-up. But then, maybe that's just me--it's still a very good, book. "Accomplished" is what the cover review says, and that seems the best way to describe it--all the right elements but it just didn't captivate like I hoped.
March 15, 2016
Well crafted fantasy, featuring a cop whose world is a simple one, his rigidly ethical and legendarily competent boss, an old geezer who is actually a disguised super-warrior, and a pushy teenaged woman who runs on rage and cunning. Hints of a dastardly scheme unfold nicely into a dangerous scheme of truly awesome scale but it's really the cast that lights this up. Really my only reservation is that Narin (the cop) is overdone---just too simple minded to survive when everyone around him on both sides of the scheme is both smarter and a better fighter. Also, there a few too many POV charcters for my taste. Still, A- at worst.
June 2, 2016
Excellent book with some memorable characters and intricate plotting. The world building is strong as well. I read this in two days a testament to the very high quality we've come to expect from a Tom Lloyd book, bring on book 2.
June 17, 2023
A great start to a new series.
January 4, 2022
Wow! I so love this world, the characters and the story! If you're looking for a supercool book try this!
August 6, 2015
Thoroughly absorbing from the start. A complex web of gods and magic but a very enjoyable read.
July 18, 2020
Well, this was rather dense, I mean in terms of execution of the story. There's a very well detailed plot rife with tension, politics, and action in between. It reads like a mystery novel, a whodunit with magic set in a medieval world on the cusp of industrialization. The pacing is a little slow at times, and rather than suspense, the author suceeds in building up a sense of anticipation.
There is some serious worldbuilding here. Lloyd takes his time in unveiling the social and political structure of the world. The society is caste based, and is ruled by the upper noble classes. It is reminiscent of the Indian Varna system. The mythology of the gods and goddesses, and demons are a little vague, but has an important part in the socio-political fabric of the world. I liked the idea of magic and guns being the monopoly of noble houses.
The overall plot of the book hinges upon a conspiracy which is meant to destroy the rigid structure of the empire. There's panic and mayhem, and a group of lawbringers (policeman) along with our protagonist, an amnesiac assassin, a feisty girl, and a secretive old man tries to unveil the whole mess. The gods, demons, and the mortals also play a part in the dangerous game of godhood and power, and hence the whole thing becomes intriguing with higher stakes.
The characters are likable. I was more interested in the supposed old man Enchei and his secretive past. Kesh makes for a strong female lead. She's clever with a warrior spirit. Narin is somewhat naive, but tries his best to uphold the law and impress his superior. The antagonists were ingenious and brutal, and were ready to do anything to succeed. Intelligent and influential are a dangerous combo, and the goshe organization was a notable foe in this regard.
I'm going to read the second book, and I expect that it would be a more brezzy read than this. And, Enchei will have a major role there. So fingers crossed. Tom Lloyd weaves a complex tale in a world that has a rich history. I hope that some things at least becomes clearer in the next book.
There is some serious worldbuilding here. Lloyd takes his time in unveiling the social and political structure of the world. The society is caste based, and is ruled by the upper noble classes. It is reminiscent of the Indian Varna system. The mythology of the gods and goddesses, and demons are a little vague, but has an important part in the socio-political fabric of the world. I liked the idea of magic and guns being the monopoly of noble houses.
The overall plot of the book hinges upon a conspiracy which is meant to destroy the rigid structure of the empire. There's panic and mayhem, and a group of lawbringers (policeman) along with our protagonist, an amnesiac assassin, a feisty girl, and a secretive old man tries to unveil the whole mess. The gods, demons, and the mortals also play a part in the dangerous game of godhood and power, and hence the whole thing becomes intriguing with higher stakes.
The characters are likable. I was more interested in the supposed old man Enchei and his secretive past. Kesh makes for a strong female lead. She's clever with a warrior spirit. Narin is somewhat naive, but tries his best to uphold the law and impress his superior. The antagonists were ingenious and brutal, and were ready to do anything to succeed. Intelligent and influential are a dangerous combo, and the goshe organization was a notable foe in this regard.
I'm going to read the second book, and I expect that it would be a more brezzy read than this. And, Enchei will have a major role there. So fingers crossed. Tom Lloyd weaves a complex tale in a world that has a rich history. I hope that some things at least becomes clearer in the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews