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Empire of the East #1-3
Empire of the East
In the distant future, society has crumbled. Dark forces now rule the land, keeping all humans under their oppressive thumbs.
In the darkness of the shadows and whispered on the winds, there is talk of rebellion. In the swamps, a small band has formed. Determined to regain their freedom, the rebels, heavily outnumbered, plan to overthrow an army of thousands, with the help of one incredible weapon.
It is only a legend, a story left over from the Old World before magic and the wizards came to the land. A weapon of technology. It is the mystical Elephant, and whoever masters it holds the key to freedom...or defeat.
One young man, determined to avenge the death of his family, sets out to join the rebellion and find Elephant. What he discovers will change everything.
©1979 Fred Saberhagen (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks
In the darkness of the shadows and whispered on the winds, there is talk of rebellion. In the swamps, a small band has formed. Determined to regain their freedom, the rebels, heavily outnumbered, plan to overthrow an army of thousands, with the help of one incredible weapon.
It is only a legend, a story left over from the Old World before magic and the wizards came to the land. A weapon of technology. It is the mystical Elephant, and whoever masters it holds the key to freedom...or defeat.
One young man, determined to avenge the death of his family, sets out to join the rebellion and find Elephant. What he discovers will change everything.
©1979 Fred Saberhagen (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1979
125 people are currently reading
1266 people want to read
About the author
Fred Saberhagen
335 books496 followersFred Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his ''Beserker'' and Dracula stories.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
August 29, 2020
I've read Fred Saberhagen's work for a long time now, since my early teen years when I used to devour his Berserker books. I loved that series of novels and short stories and have extremely fond memories of reading them (some of them, I have yet to read all of them) as a kid. But they were not great literature, at least as my adult brain remembers things. But they were a great yarn, with lots of intriguing stories about these rogue robotic war machines bent on destroying all life in the universe.
So, when I went into the Empire of the East I had, admittedly, very low expectations. I knew, from the Goodman Games announcements regarding their release of Empire of the East materials for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, that this was a swords and science set of novels set in a far post-apocalyptic future whose level of technology and political milieu were decidedly built on those of medieval Europe. I knew there was a tank involved (the armored kind that people in southern California sometimes like to take for a drive) and lots of demons - just look at the cover of the DCC supplement, for example. That is, incidentally, one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen for any roleplaying supplement. Amazing. That artwork would have taken my expectations up a notch, but, no, I had been fooled before. I was going into this with a heavy dose of skepticism. I was prepared to be disappointed.
Wow. Was I surprised! This book is a gem. I don't want to go through the plot - I'll leave that for you to read - so it's difficult to know where to start . . .
I suppose the first thing that jumped out at me was the language and sentence structure. Saberhagen shows, in these volumes, more writing chops than I would have given him credit for. Far more. Saberhagen is an outstanding writer, stylistically speaking. He's good with turns of phrase and imparts and implies a lot of information in an economical way. For example, there's this sentence, which is used during a scene in which one of the characters has been left alone after his compatriot has climbed up a rope into a cave on a cliffside. They are deep in enemy territory, and Rolf, the one left behind by Thomas, who had gone up to explore, is inexperienced, alone, and in a very dangerous circumstance. After Thomas disappears and the rope stops moving, we read:
The rope hung still, and held time with it.
This is the perfect sentence for the circumstance and speaks volumes about the feelings that Rolf must have felt while waiting for Thomas to return. A simple prop, the rope, is used not to explain the feelings of the character, but is used to allow the reader to get into the character's headspace, to feel those same feelings, all in an unobtrusive, subtle way. It's an absolutely brilliant sentence. And there are many more throughout. However, the narrative moves along quite smoothly, not jilted or hampered by an author's self-conscious attempt to appear clever. No, Saberhagen's feeling flows and feels quite natural to the reader. I'll tell you, as a writer, this is a difficult maneuver to pull, let alone doing it multiple times across over 500 pages of narrative. Again: Brilliant!
Saberhagen's adroit presentation of the inner lives of his characters leads to the second thing that struck me: The characters themselves. No one is "the" hero of the book(s). There are many heroes who play different parts. A group of readers reading this book would each, individually, pick a different "main" character. Given that the book is about a rebellion, over time, of many people, this lends a democratizing aspect to the book. No one is the hero, everyone is the hero. Because no one is typecast as the hero, Saberhagen's characters are allowed to breathe, to be flawed, and to have their personalities develop over the course of the story. I was particularly fond of Chup, a likeable villain at first, then . . . well, I don't want to spoil it for you. Keep in mind that I found Saruman to be the most compelling character in Tolkien's books . . .
The third thing that struck me was the balance between technology and magic. Both not only co-exist in this world, they are inter-twined. It is because of technology that magic is introduced into the world, through the creation of demons, djinn, and elementals that are negotiated with, cajoled, and manipulated into servitude to man. Incidentally, I have no doubt that Jonathan Stroud found inspiration for his character Bartimaeus from this work. No doubt at all. If Stroud tells you anything contrary, he is lying. Those who have read both books know what I mean. The sub-story I am referring to shows a Djinn being summoned by a wizard who cajoles the very reluctant imp into building a technological device of the ancients. I don't think I've read of an instance of magic, born of technology, being used to recreate technology from the time before magic was created. It's complicated . . . but it works perfectly.
Again, I'll leave it to others to reveal and/or spoil the plot. It's a good yarn. But Saberhagen's carefully-crafted writing, excellent characterization, ability to put the reader into his characters' heads, and his intriguing ideas take this story up a notch from your "typical" pulp story. If you are of a more "literary" bent and want to dip your toes into swords sorcery, demons, robots, and, yes, tanks, please give it a try. If you're already a fan of speculative pulpy fiction, grab this and read it now! This book "ups the game," so to speak. Saberhagen has produced an under-known classic.
Maybe I need to go back and give those Berserker books a re-read.
So, when I went into the Empire of the East I had, admittedly, very low expectations. I knew, from the Goodman Games announcements regarding their release of Empire of the East materials for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, that this was a swords and science set of novels set in a far post-apocalyptic future whose level of technology and political milieu were decidedly built on those of medieval Europe. I knew there was a tank involved (the armored kind that people in southern California sometimes like to take for a drive) and lots of demons - just look at the cover of the DCC supplement, for example. That is, incidentally, one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen for any roleplaying supplement. Amazing. That artwork would have taken my expectations up a notch, but, no, I had been fooled before. I was going into this with a heavy dose of skepticism. I was prepared to be disappointed.
Wow. Was I surprised! This book is a gem. I don't want to go through the plot - I'll leave that for you to read - so it's difficult to know where to start . . .
I suppose the first thing that jumped out at me was the language and sentence structure. Saberhagen shows, in these volumes, more writing chops than I would have given him credit for. Far more. Saberhagen is an outstanding writer, stylistically speaking. He's good with turns of phrase and imparts and implies a lot of information in an economical way. For example, there's this sentence, which is used during a scene in which one of the characters has been left alone after his compatriot has climbed up a rope into a cave on a cliffside. They are deep in enemy territory, and Rolf, the one left behind by Thomas, who had gone up to explore, is inexperienced, alone, and in a very dangerous circumstance. After Thomas disappears and the rope stops moving, we read:
The rope hung still, and held time with it.
This is the perfect sentence for the circumstance and speaks volumes about the feelings that Rolf must have felt while waiting for Thomas to return. A simple prop, the rope, is used not to explain the feelings of the character, but is used to allow the reader to get into the character's headspace, to feel those same feelings, all in an unobtrusive, subtle way. It's an absolutely brilliant sentence. And there are many more throughout. However, the narrative moves along quite smoothly, not jilted or hampered by an author's self-conscious attempt to appear clever. No, Saberhagen's feeling flows and feels quite natural to the reader. I'll tell you, as a writer, this is a difficult maneuver to pull, let alone doing it multiple times across over 500 pages of narrative. Again: Brilliant!
Saberhagen's adroit presentation of the inner lives of his characters leads to the second thing that struck me: The characters themselves. No one is "the" hero of the book(s). There are many heroes who play different parts. A group of readers reading this book would each, individually, pick a different "main" character. Given that the book is about a rebellion, over time, of many people, this lends a democratizing aspect to the book. No one is the hero, everyone is the hero. Because no one is typecast as the hero, Saberhagen's characters are allowed to breathe, to be flawed, and to have their personalities develop over the course of the story. I was particularly fond of Chup, a likeable villain at first, then . . . well, I don't want to spoil it for you. Keep in mind that I found Saruman to be the most compelling character in Tolkien's books . . .
The third thing that struck me was the balance between technology and magic. Both not only co-exist in this world, they are inter-twined. It is because of technology that magic is introduced into the world, through the creation of demons, djinn, and elementals that are negotiated with, cajoled, and manipulated into servitude to man. Incidentally, I have no doubt that Jonathan Stroud found inspiration for his character Bartimaeus from this work. No doubt at all. If Stroud tells you anything contrary, he is lying. Those who have read both books know what I mean. The sub-story I am referring to shows a Djinn being summoned by a wizard who cajoles the very reluctant imp into building a technological device of the ancients. I don't think I've read of an instance of magic, born of technology, being used to recreate technology from the time before magic was created. It's complicated . . . but it works perfectly.
Again, I'll leave it to others to reveal and/or spoil the plot. It's a good yarn. But Saberhagen's carefully-crafted writing, excellent characterization, ability to put the reader into his characters' heads, and his intriguing ideas take this story up a notch from your "typical" pulp story. If you are of a more "literary" bent and want to dip your toes into swords sorcery, demons, robots, and, yes, tanks, please give it a try. If you're already a fan of speculative pulpy fiction, grab this and read it now! This book "ups the game," so to speak. Saberhagen has produced an under-known classic.
Maybe I need to go back and give those Berserker books a re-read.
August 22, 2011
The Broken Lands: Farm boy Rolf returns from the fields to find his parents slaughtered and his sister missing, taken by the forces of satrap Ekuman, an agent of The East. Rolf goes looking for Lisa, his missing sister, and winds up joining the resistance against the Empire of the East. Only the Elephant can stop Ekuman. But no one knows what an Elephant is...
First off, I like my fantasy to have the remnants of old technology lying around so Rolf's world is right up my alley. I'm really glad this didn't devolve into standard fantasy cliche plot #1, the farm boy discovers his mysterious heritage, which it easily could have given that Rolf's a farm boy. Saberhagen's writing style reminds me of Roger Zelazny's, another plus. The only gripe I have with is that an illustration on the back cover told me what the Elephant was.
The Black Mountains: The armies of the West are joined by a wizard named Gray. Rolf's search for his sister continues. Satrap Chup, reduced to being a beggar at the end of the first book, regains his mobility and throws in his lot with Som the Dead, minion of Zapranoth the Demon Lord.
I liked this better than the first book, from the flying Valkries that took the bodies of the dead back to Draffat the Beast Lord, to the machinations of Chambrian and Chup. Chup's storyline was by far more compelling than Rolf's in the first book. He's a much less of a fantasy cliche than Rolf.
Ardneh's World: The war between the East and West comes to its conclusion. Ardneh takes on his evil counterpart, Orcus, in a battle of epic proportions. Rolf escapes the East with Catherine, a slave girl, and finally meets Ardneh. The origins of the technology, Ardneh, and the demons of the East is revealed.
Ardneh's World brings the Empire of the East trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. I liked the revelations about the origins of Ardneh, Orcus, and the Demons. Rolf was still a pretty flat character but his relationship with Catherine was good. I love that Charmian got what was coming to her. Chup, as always, stole the show with his Chuppiness.
The fantasy world that Saberhagen has created is an original one. I may have to give the Swords trilogy a shot somewhere down the line.
I'd recommend this to people who like their fantasy to have some science fiction mingled with it, fans of authors like Roger Zelazny, Philip Jose Farmer, and Michael Moorcock.
First off, I like my fantasy to have the remnants of old technology lying around so Rolf's world is right up my alley. I'm really glad this didn't devolve into standard fantasy cliche plot #1, the farm boy discovers his mysterious heritage, which it easily could have given that Rolf's a farm boy. Saberhagen's writing style reminds me of Roger Zelazny's, another plus. The only gripe I have with is that an illustration on the back cover told me what the Elephant was.
The Black Mountains: The armies of the West are joined by a wizard named Gray. Rolf's search for his sister continues. Satrap Chup, reduced to being a beggar at the end of the first book, regains his mobility and throws in his lot with Som the Dead, minion of Zapranoth the Demon Lord.
I liked this better than the first book, from the flying Valkries that took the bodies of the dead back to Draffat the Beast Lord, to the machinations of Chambrian and Chup. Chup's storyline was by far more compelling than Rolf's in the first book. He's a much less of a fantasy cliche than Rolf.
Ardneh's World: The war between the East and West comes to its conclusion. Ardneh takes on his evil counterpart, Orcus, in a battle of epic proportions. Rolf escapes the East with Catherine, a slave girl, and finally meets Ardneh. The origins of the technology, Ardneh, and the demons of the East is revealed.
Ardneh's World brings the Empire of the East trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. I liked the revelations about the origins of Ardneh, Orcus, and the Demons. Rolf was still a pretty flat character but his relationship with Catherine was good. I love that Charmian got what was coming to her. Chup, as always, stole the show with his Chuppiness.
The fantasy world that Saberhagen has created is an original one. I may have to give the Swords trilogy a shot somewhere down the line.
I'd recommend this to people who like their fantasy to have some science fiction mingled with it, fans of authors like Roger Zelazny, Philip Jose Farmer, and Michael Moorcock.
November 22, 2019
Classic Saberhagen: cool ideas, fascinating world-building, dull characters.
Fun, but not exactly a page-turner.
Fun, but not exactly a page-turner.
January 5, 2018
This is actually a trilogy containing The Broken Lands, The Black Mountains, & Ardneh's World in order. They read like fantasies, but they're set in a post apocalyptic world with an interesting bit of SF blended in. It's listed as a precursor of his Swords series on Wikipedia, but IIRC there were inconsistencies when I read them many years ago. I never did manage to get them all together for a chronological read back then, though. I got them all a while back, but I haven't gotten around to reading them. Maybe I'll start working my way through them this year since this book was so well done.
This was quite an interesting series of adventures that follows a handful of characters. While characterization isn't Saberhagen's strongest suit, he does a good enough job sketching them out & there is excellent growth & twists along the way. Some fitting revenge, too.
Where tech impacts magic is very well done. The semi-mythical elephant is a real hoot. After it all plays out, sitting back & thinking it over tickles me. Saberhagen has a great sense of humor, if a subtle one at times.
Highly recommended in any format.
This was quite an interesting series of adventures that follows a handful of characters. While characterization isn't Saberhagen's strongest suit, he does a good enough job sketching them out & there is excellent growth & twists along the way. Some fitting revenge, too.
Where tech impacts magic is very well done. The semi-mythical elephant is a real hoot. After it all plays out, sitting back & thinking it over tickles me. Saberhagen has a great sense of humor, if a subtle one at times.
Highly recommended in any format.
December 4, 2016
A nicely written and amusing little trilogy. which could've easily been one more sword & sorcery story full of tropes and with thin characterisation, but that managed to be a good story thanks to Saberhagen's ability, and which had a great secondary character that steals the show from the more conventional protagonist. And what an ending!
August 26, 2021
From back in that day when you could publish an omnibus collecting an entire fantasy trilogy and it would still only be ~500 pages long.
So back in high school, I knew Fred Saberhagen's name (from hearing discussion about his Berserker series, SF stories where humans were, I believe, fighting against giant, ancient autonomous war machines) but hadn't really actually read any of his stuff; and then beginning in the 80s he published some fantasy novels, beginning with The First Book of Swords and I read them and liked them well enough and had no idea that they were actually sequels to a trilogy he had written back in the late 60s/early 70s (a trilogy which was, in fact, included in the Dungeon Masters Guide as part of Appendix N, Gary Gygax' list of inspirational reading).
And then at some point in the 90s I did make the connection, and I picked up a used copy of the Empire of the East compilation, and set it unread on my shelf for 25 years, give or take, and now I'm finally getting around to reading it on my Kindle. Story of my life.
And, having read it, it was ... fine? The setting is apparently our world, some hundreds or thousands of years after some kind of unspecified apocalyptic event (nuclear war? a runaway planet hurtling between Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction?), so everybody's regressed back to a vaguely medieval existence, and magic and demons are real things. And there's this Empire in the East and they are Bad. And our chief POV character is Rolf, who at the start of the first book is a young farmboy whose farm is despoiled, parents are killed, and young sister is kidnapped by soldiers from the Empire's local garrison.
And naturally this Will Not Stand, so he hooks up with the local resistance and hijinks ensue. (Including, in the first book, Rolf discovering and operating a still-functional nuclear-powered tank of some sort.) And these weren't great or anything, but they were pretty solidly entertaining and held up better than certain other post-apocalyptic SF/fantasy stories I read back in the 80s.
So back in high school, I knew Fred Saberhagen's name (from hearing discussion about his Berserker series, SF stories where humans were, I believe, fighting against giant, ancient autonomous war machines) but hadn't really actually read any of his stuff; and then beginning in the 80s he published some fantasy novels, beginning with The First Book of Swords and I read them and liked them well enough and had no idea that they were actually sequels to a trilogy he had written back in the late 60s/early 70s (a trilogy which was, in fact, included in the Dungeon Masters Guide as part of Appendix N, Gary Gygax' list of inspirational reading).
And then at some point in the 90s I did make the connection, and I picked up a used copy of the Empire of the East compilation, and set it unread on my shelf for 25 years, give or take, and now I'm finally getting around to reading it on my Kindle. Story of my life.
And, having read it, it was ... fine? The setting is apparently our world, some hundreds or thousands of years after some kind of unspecified apocalyptic event (nuclear war? a runaway planet hurtling between Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction?), so everybody's regressed back to a vaguely medieval existence, and magic and demons are real things. And there's this Empire in the East and they are Bad. And our chief POV character is Rolf, who at the start of the first book is a young farmboy whose farm is despoiled, parents are killed, and young sister is kidnapped by soldiers from the Empire's local garrison.
And naturally this Will Not Stand, so he hooks up with the local resistance and hijinks ensue. (Including, in the first book, Rolf discovering and operating a still-functional nuclear-powered tank of some sort.) And these weren't great or anything, but they were pretty solidly entertaining and held up better than certain other post-apocalyptic SF/fantasy stories I read back in the 80s.
January 13, 2018
OK, so, I have to confess - I have trouble with Saberhagen. I can't explain it, but every time I have ever tried to read his books, I have tremendous trouble getting into them. Some of it just has to be something about the way he begins books, and some of it is bad luck and chance - unrelated things going wrong in my life just when I'm starting his books, that distract me from getting fully immersed in his work. Also, I used to have problems with mixing sci-fi elements with fantasy elements (something I've gotten over, and can now quite enjoy). So anyway, this is the rare Appendix N book that gets 4 rather than 5 stars from me, but that is mostly due to my own issues with Saberhagen. The "Changeling Earth" is set thousands of years after a nuclear Armageddon devastated the world, and a weapon designed to limit the damage by inhibiting nuclear reactions essentially brings a resurgence of magic and sorcery into the world - the scientific power of the atom is removed, and magic fills the void. A thermonuclear explosion literally becomes a demon, the Demon Lord known as Orcus. The stories of the Changeling Earth, here called the "Empire of the East" trilogy, tell the story of a rebellion of free folk of the West against a repressive and evil Eastern Empire which draws its power partly from the world of demons. A godlike being who originated as a computer system, using the code name "Ardneh" (which is supposed to be a reversal of the name of the Hindu god Indra), supports the rebellion of the West. I see over and over the sorts of things that subtly influenced Gygax in the creation of D&D. There is some really cool stuff here. It probably deserves the 5 stars, but I can't get over my own personal baggage.
April 29, 2013
Writing: 3
Story: 2
Satisfaction: 3
Probably somewhere between a 2 and a 3.
Saberhagen is a fantastic world-builder. The post-apocalyptic society that he's written is really interesting and the viewpoints of his characters as they discover bits of old technology is fantastic. The moment that I understood what was being described, the entire book changed.
Unfortunately the characters are flat tropes and the plot is pretty secondary to the environment.
Empire of the East is a compilation of 3 books and though the world continues to grow throughout, each of the 3 has a completely separate plot and it'd be easy to just read one of the books (even one of the middle ones) without reading any of the others. This isn't a bad thing, especially since they were initially published separately, but it leads to a bit of disjointedness for the reader while reading it in omnibus format.
The first book, The Broken Lands, focuses primarily on Rolf, the stereotypical young farm boy who's family has been killed by the enemy and is immediately trusted for secret missions by the rebels. He is in search of the mythical "elephant," a symbol prophecied about by oracles that will be the key to overthrowing Ekuman, the tyrannical lord from the East. Rolf is also trying to find his sister who was lost during the attack on his family. Though this is something that's mentioned in the beginning and he seems to forget about it for the rest of this book.
The second book, The Black Mountains is more of a conflict between the armies of the East and West. It's a battle between the magic of wizards and against a demon of the East. Characters that are much more interesting than Rolf are focused on in this book and it makes it more enjoyable to read than the prior book. Draffut, the healing Beast Lord, in particular is entertaining and his backstory is a fantastic piece of world building.
The third book is Ardneh's world. This is where we finally figure out what Ardneh is and it's the final conclusive battle between Ardneh and the demon from the East, Orcus. In this book, Rolf hangs out with a rescued slave girl, Catherine, and they fall in love? It may be that I'm more used to obvious romances but this one seemed a little dry and I'm not entirely sure that the romance part was real.
Overall, I'm not disappointed that I read it but I thought the plot was pretty dry, though this style was more common in the era that this book was published. Fantastic world with meh characters.
Story: 2
Satisfaction: 3
Probably somewhere between a 2 and a 3.
Saberhagen is a fantastic world-builder. The post-apocalyptic society that he's written is really interesting and the viewpoints of his characters as they discover bits of old technology is fantastic. The moment that I understood what was being described, the entire book changed.
Unfortunately the characters are flat tropes and the plot is pretty secondary to the environment.
Empire of the East is a compilation of 3 books and though the world continues to grow throughout, each of the 3 has a completely separate plot and it'd be easy to just read one of the books (even one of the middle ones) without reading any of the others. This isn't a bad thing, especially since they were initially published separately, but it leads to a bit of disjointedness for the reader while reading it in omnibus format.
The first book, The Broken Lands, focuses primarily on Rolf, the stereotypical young farm boy who's family has been killed by the enemy and is immediately trusted for secret missions by the rebels. He is in search of the mythical "elephant," a symbol prophecied about by oracles that will be the key to overthrowing Ekuman, the tyrannical lord from the East. Rolf is also trying to find his sister who was lost during the attack on his family. Though this is something that's mentioned in the beginning and he seems to forget about it for the rest of this book.
The second book, The Black Mountains is more of a conflict between the armies of the East and West. It's a battle between the magic of wizards and against a demon of the East. Characters that are much more interesting than Rolf are focused on in this book and it makes it more enjoyable to read than the prior book. Draffut, the healing Beast Lord, in particular is entertaining and his backstory is a fantastic piece of world building.
The third book is Ardneh's world. This is where we finally figure out what Ardneh is and it's the final conclusive battle between Ardneh and the demon from the East, Orcus. In this book, Rolf hangs out with a rescued slave girl, Catherine, and they fall in love? It may be that I'm more used to obvious romances but this one seemed a little dry and I'm not entirely sure that the romance part was real.
Overall, I'm not disappointed that I read it but I thought the plot was pretty dry, though this style was more common in the era that this book was published. Fantastic world with meh characters.
September 11, 2011
"Empire of the East" is a solid series, and I enjoyed reading it. I'm giving it four stars because the final book ended with a scene that just floored me. After the swordplay, the magic, the questing, the intrigue, the demons and monsters, the heroes, and all of the other fantasy bits, Saberhagen reveals his full hand and fleshes out the premise that he had only hinted at. It is a wonderful premise--the kind that made me want to grab it and keep running with the ramifications. Without spoiling anything, I will say that Saberhagen fully justifies his conjunction of a fantastic, quasi-medieval society with legacy technology that will be familiar to the modern reader.
Looking back, I do wonder if I shouldn't have spaced out the three books that make up the "Empire of the East" series. Each is different from the other in terms of which characters it focuses on; the tone of the story; and, most importantly--the pace of events. The first book, though being the longest, was a breezy, adventurous read; the last, however, moved at a much slower pace in parts, and demanded more effort to stay interested. This caught me by surprise and caused some disappointment. Read separately, I might have taken each volume on its own terms and accepted its pacing without adjustment.
I did like how, after the first book, Saberhagen moved away from his heroic farm boy and spent significant time with other characters. The Lord Chup turned out to be quite the likable guy: dashing, talented in the martial arts, and tinged with a pinch of wickedness. His transformation from bad guy to rebel sympathizer was believable in a human kind of way (much as Gerald Tarrant's is in C.S. Friedman's "Cold Fire" series). Farmboy Rolf (such an unfortunate name) also matures by a few shades of a grey, though his dogmatic acceptance of a higher power's guidance is sudden and unexplored. Saberhagen does develop Rolf's relationship with Catherine through small, quiet scenes, and the depiction stands out in the genre for its depth and adult nature.
Why this series isn't mentioned more often, I do not know. It is unique, well-written, fun, adventurous, and at times it is downright cool. I do know that I will be spreading the word and recommending it to others in the years to come.
Looking back, I do wonder if I shouldn't have spaced out the three books that make up the "Empire of the East" series. Each is different from the other in terms of which characters it focuses on; the tone of the story; and, most importantly--the pace of events. The first book, though being the longest, was a breezy, adventurous read; the last, however, moved at a much slower pace in parts, and demanded more effort to stay interested. This caught me by surprise and caused some disappointment. Read separately, I might have taken each volume on its own terms and accepted its pacing without adjustment.
I did like how, after the first book, Saberhagen moved away from his heroic farm boy and spent significant time with other characters. The Lord Chup turned out to be quite the likable guy: dashing, talented in the martial arts, and tinged with a pinch of wickedness. His transformation from bad guy to rebel sympathizer was believable in a human kind of way (much as Gerald Tarrant's is in C.S. Friedman's "Cold Fire" series). Farmboy Rolf (such an unfortunate name) also matures by a few shades of a grey, though his dogmatic acceptance of a higher power's guidance is sudden and unexplored. Saberhagen does develop Rolf's relationship with Catherine through small, quiet scenes, and the depiction stands out in the genre for its depth and adult nature.
Why this series isn't mentioned more often, I do not know. It is unique, well-written, fun, adventurous, and at times it is downright cool. I do know that I will be spreading the word and recommending it to others in the years to come.
May 11, 2021
Finally read the last volume in here...and it's an excellent fantasy trilogy.
December 18, 2010
Interesting fantasy/science fiction take on a sort of "post-apocalyptic" evil empire world. Try it, while fantasy tends to have "archetypes" and they are here, this has another twist I haven't seen elsewhere.
This is probably my favorite work by the author. The Books of Swords builds on this books and the "universe" set up here. Unfortunately to say anything at all about the story will require a spoiler as it is pretty original. The book somewhat successfully straddles the fence or line between fantasy and science fiction. I'm still keeping an eye out to replace my copy which died long ago.
As I said, my favorite by Saberhagen.
This is probably my favorite work by the author. The Books of Swords builds on this books and the "universe" set up here. Unfortunately to say anything at all about the story will require a spoiler as it is pretty original. The book somewhat successfully straddles the fence or line between fantasy and science fiction. I'm still keeping an eye out to replace my copy which died long ago.
As I said, my favorite by Saberhagen.
May 2, 2018
Not since A Song of Ice and Fire has an author stirred my atrophying sense of wonder with such an expert hand. Saberhagen had a deft hand with story telling, only once, in the four hundred and some pages, spilling into some extended and heavy handed exposition.
He wrote with a pulpy style straight out of Conan, but the story, like Conan's, was more than strong enough to allow for it.
A great read.
He wrote with a pulpy style straight out of Conan, but the story, like Conan's, was more than strong enough to allow for it.
A great read.
August 2, 2009
More fantasy than SF. This is actually a compendium of a trilogy of relatively short novels, "The Broken Lands," "The Black Mountains," and "Ardneh's World." It was somewhat spoiled for me by having read the middle book of the series independently many years earlier. It's still pretty good. Sort of a post-apocalytpic work.
July 16, 2018
In three novels of >200 pages, Saberhagen convincingly wreaks epic changes in this far future world of magic and technology. The prose was good, occasionally wonderful and the characters were well-cut. I felt unimpressed by the first Book of Swords long ago, but this has rekindled my interest in his work.
November 16, 2022
This is an old time friend. A classic of future dystopia. Magic rules the world, technology is a thing of the past the few study. The East is expansionist ruthlessly putting down the West who are out
numbered, out magicked and fighting for the very freedom of the realm.
numbered, out magicked and fighting for the very freedom of the realm.
dnf
June 19, 2017This might be a good post-apocalyptic fantasy/sci-fi... but the narrator SUCKS. Could not finish.
February 26, 2015
The late Fred Saberhagen sure knew how to write a good story! Written in the late 1970s in the interregnum between the dominance of sci-fi and the surge in fantasy readership in the fantasy and sci-fi genre, Empire of the East straddles the line between them in unique fashion. (My purist science fiction friends won't read it, because they deem it to be not sci-fi enough; ah well, their loss.)
I loved this book thirty-five years ago. I had to put it on my Kindle and see if it had aged better than others from its time period. On re-reading it I found that it had. It doesn't seem dated in the least, though I admit it leans rather more heavily toward fantasy than I'd remembered. But there are heroism, romance, the classic struggle between good and evil, and some genuinely engaging characters here.
I've never been a fan of magic in fiction, but though this book contains quite a bit of demonic incantation and wizardry, there's also a lot of advanced technology left over from the Old World (which was apparently several decades ahead of Fred's time). What made it work for me was that the author provided a link between them. No spoilers here, if you want to know how magic came to be in our world, you'll have to read the book.
Well, maybe just a small hint. The dominant force of the West (the good guys) is a godlike figure known as Ardneh. Of course that name turns out to be a long forgotten acronym coined by the U. S. military: Automatic Restoration Director - National Executive Headquarters. We know what that means, but the characters who populate the book don't have a clue.
I loved this book thirty-five years ago. I had to put it on my Kindle and see if it had aged better than others from its time period. On re-reading it I found that it had. It doesn't seem dated in the least, though I admit it leans rather more heavily toward fantasy than I'd remembered. But there are heroism, romance, the classic struggle between good and evil, and some genuinely engaging characters here.
I've never been a fan of magic in fiction, but though this book contains quite a bit of demonic incantation and wizardry, there's also a lot of advanced technology left over from the Old World (which was apparently several decades ahead of Fred's time). What made it work for me was that the author provided a link between them. No spoilers here, if you want to know how magic came to be in our world, you'll have to read the book.
Well, maybe just a small hint. The dominant force of the West (the good guys) is a godlike figure known as Ardneh. Of course that name turns out to be a long forgotten acronym coined by the U. S. military: Automatic Restoration Director - National Executive Headquarters. We know what that means, but the characters who populate the book don't have a clue.
January 31, 2021
[Reread 2021]: One, Empire of the East holds up. I haven't read the three books included in this omnibus, The Broken Lands, The Black Mountains and Ardneh's World for I don't know how long - decades? - but they still work for me. The characters might be thin but they're distinctive. Saberhagen can establish who someone is in a couple of sentences, where less skilled authors will fill pages & still not capture a character's soul. The story's not complex but it is more than simply "good guys" vs. "bad guys."
I can't recommend it the way I would an Andre Norton or a John Brunner novel. It breaks no new ground. Doesn't push the envelop on what good SF can accomplish. But Saberhagen is one of the authors I grew up with and they still have a place in my heart. If you can find a decent (cheap) used copy or one on your library shelf, you could do far, far worse.
[2008: Joined GR & added book]: I'm not a huge fan of Saberhagen -- his Berserker series and the subsequent Books of Swords, etc. have always left me cold -- but I thoroughly enjoyed these three (particularly the character of Chup).
I can't recommend it the way I would an Andre Norton or a John Brunner novel. It breaks no new ground. Doesn't push the envelop on what good SF can accomplish. But Saberhagen is one of the authors I grew up with and they still have a place in my heart. If you can find a decent (cheap) used copy or one on your library shelf, you could do far, far worse.
[2008: Joined GR & added book]: I'm not a huge fan of Saberhagen -- his Berserker series and the subsequent Books of Swords, etc. have always left me cold -- but I thoroughly enjoyed these three (particularly the character of Chup).
Read
May 3, 2015I seem to be striking out a lot this year. I'd heard Saberhagen is awesome, but since this was written over 35 years ago, the writing seems awful compared to contemporary writers. This is coming from someone who grew up reading Edgar Rice Burroughs and Andre Norton, so I'm definitely used to reading things written more than a few decades ago, and in ERB's case, about a century ago.
Here's an example:
He realized vaguely that he was standing in an attitude of thoughtfulness, though in fact his mind was almost entirely blank. But he had to think.
Here's an example:
He realized vaguely that he was standing in an attitude of thoughtfulness, though in fact his mind was almost entirely blank. But he had to think.
August 5, 2020
I first read this back in the early 80s at the recommendation of my brother Kerry. I have re-read it several times and to my mind is one of the top 5 fantasy series ever written. It is actually a combination of science fiction and fantasy. The events take place 50,000 years in the future after a nuclear war. Magic has replaced technology and the reason this happens is what drives the story. Won't spoil it but it is a fantastic read. The Swords series is a continuation of this and also worth your time.
May 1, 2008
This was the first time in a long time that I finished a book and thought immediately that I would like to write the author with questions. It is perhaps one of the best books exploring the effect that idolatry has on the world that man has been placed in and has a distinctively Christian take. The third book in particular was superior to anything (accept Till We Have Faces, and That Hideous Strength) else that I have read on the topic.
October 17, 2014
This is one of those books I would have loved 10 years ago, but alas it just couldn't hold my interest with my more mature tastes. However it is not a Tolkien clone, but since it was written in the late 60's and early 70's it has been copied many times, including in the masters of the universe cartoons from the 80's to some degree.
October 8, 2010
I enjoyed this book the second time I read it. I am much older now, so saw interesting things I didn't notice as a kid.
June 29, 2015
To this day, one of the most creative books I've had a chance to read. The prequel to the Swords books, Saberhagen remains as one of my idols.
February 16, 2021
This omnibus collection, a rewriting of three novellas from the author, is a prequel to another, somewhat more popular trilogy called the Complete Book of Swords. It's not necessary to read these books before the Swords trilogy, but there are hints and allusions to the events of this work. It follows a familiar plot: small humble farm boy gets caught up in a resistance against a powerful empire. The first book follows the farm boy, Rolf, as he joins a small band of resistance fighters who are currently fighting against a local satrap (Dictionary.com tells me this is a "governor of a province under the ancient Persian monarchy"...why this term was used in the novel as opposed to Duke like in the Swords novels is never explained). In book two, the resistance has grown, and goes against the next level of the hierarchy, Som the Dead. Here I should mention the story shifts heavily away from Rolf in the second novel, focusing more on Chup, a minor character in the first novel who becomes a sort of antihero. The final novel (back to Rolf) has the army, now under the leadership of a prince (or was he the leader the whole time but not introduced until book 3? That's unclear), going against the Emperor himself.
The books are typical of the genre, with wizards who have vaguely defined abilities, demons and mythical creatures (eg the resistance has "Birds", which are apparently giants now, but only come out at night, whereas the evil empire has "Reptiles", which can fly but are only out during the day), and also adds a little bit of some sci-fi, as there are instances of "Technology" from the "Old World".
For these books, it's important not to get caught up in small details, and just enjoy the ride. Characters that seem to be important are dropped, there are a few plot holes. But the overall arc of the story is enjoyable, if definitely a relic of its time. The series was written during the Cold War, and the whole West (the good white guys) vs the East (the evil empire, who are vaguely Asian).
A few random notes...SPOILERS FOLLOW
* Thomas, the leader of the local resistance, was definitely set up to be more of a character in the first book. And whatever happened to his lady friend from the first book? ALSO, I legitimately thought Thomas was Prince Duncan and either Saberhagen didn't bother to change his name in the re-write, or maybe he took on a new name, the way some British royals do...until he got a one sentence mention towards the end.
* Mewick was made to seem interesting but his character went nowhere.
* So they didn't try to save the Elephant?
* The way Som was defeated in the second book might have been one of the most unintentionally funny things I've ever read.
* The Djinn was some plot device nonsense.
* So Ardneh was a computer program who became sentient, and somehow telepathic?
* Charmain, seeing Rolf near the beginning of book three: "realizing he was the one person that probably could have truly loved her"...WHAT?!?! They barely knew each other!
The books are typical of the genre, with wizards who have vaguely defined abilities, demons and mythical creatures (eg the resistance has "Birds", which are apparently giants now, but only come out at night, whereas the evil empire has "Reptiles", which can fly but are only out during the day), and also adds a little bit of some sci-fi, as there are instances of "Technology" from the "Old World".
For these books, it's important not to get caught up in small details, and just enjoy the ride. Characters that seem to be important are dropped, there are a few plot holes. But the overall arc of the story is enjoyable, if definitely a relic of its time. The series was written during the Cold War, and the whole West (the good white guys) vs the East (the evil empire, who are vaguely Asian).
A few random notes...SPOILERS FOLLOW
* Thomas, the leader of the local resistance, was definitely set up to be more of a character in the first book. And whatever happened to his lady friend from the first book? ALSO, I legitimately thought Thomas was Prince Duncan and either Saberhagen didn't bother to change his name in the re-write, or maybe he took on a new name, the way some British royals do...until he got a one sentence mention towards the end.
* Mewick was made to seem interesting but his character went nowhere.
* So they didn't try to save the Elephant?
* The way Som was defeated in the second book might have been one of the most unintentionally funny things I've ever read.
* The Djinn was some plot device nonsense.
* So Ardneh was a computer program who became sentient, and somehow telepathic?
* Charmain, seeing Rolf near the beginning of book three: "realizing he was the one person that probably could have truly loved her"...WHAT?!?! They barely knew each other!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2023
It's a world of wizards and war, demons and talking reptiles, and legends of the technology of the Old World. In the clash between the evil Empire of the East and the rebels of the West, the young farmer Rolf finds his parents slaughtered and his sister vanished. Seeking revenge, and survival, he takes up with a small band of rebels to investigate the discovery of the Elephant, the mysterious steed of "Ardneh". And so forth.
Although this is 3 books in 1, I don't think anybody has ever read just the first book. Although the first book does have a decent ending, and so does the second, you really need all 3 to get the full picture.
Not that I'm exactly sure what the full picture is.
I enjoyed some of the characters.
Well.
Kind of.
I liked Chup and that was about it. And he doesn't get a very big story arch. (Although nobody really does, except possibly Charmain, if you can call that a story arch.) Rolf just doesn't have any sort of character at all. He just has a knack for tech. Ok.
Charmain was a kind of funny addition to the whole series. She's just so manipulative and selfish. It's great. She's the only female character who has any sort of character. The others are all super, super bland, and don't actually do anything. Typical.
The fight between 'good and evil' was fun. In the first book the villain is the local satrap; in the second, it's several higher lords, including a super-powerful (relatively) demon-lord; in the third, it's the emperor of the East himself. The first book was a fairly standard rebel-vs-empire story, where they find a powerful weapon—actually, 3, although none are never heard from again—to give them a chance against the forces of evil. The second book was way more exciting, with a lot of fun factors and powerful characters and some burning hair. And randomly a djinn of technology who could make basically anything.
The third book totally lost me.
The first half is Rolf running around trying to lose his tail of enemies, and the second half is ... I have no idea what they were doing. But I guess it worked. Lots of random acts of god. Made anything the good guys were doing seem pretty lame because basically they accomplished nothing by themselves, apparently.
One thing with post-apocalyptic stories is it's all cool and mysterious and exciting when they find 'old tech' and you are chuckling to yourself being like 'I know what that is' (spoiler picture at the front of the book). ...But this gets old real quick.
Also can I ask my burning question? WHY THE HECK DOES ROLF KNOW HOW TO READ???
So yah I read the whole thing. It was good enough for that. But I won't be reading book 4 or other books by Saberhagen. Not quite my cup of tea.
Although this is 3 books in 1, I don't think anybody has ever read just the first book. Although the first book does have a decent ending, and so does the second, you really need all 3 to get the full picture.
Not that I'm exactly sure what the full picture is.
I enjoyed some of the characters.
Well.
Kind of.
I liked Chup and that was about it. And he doesn't get a very big story arch. (Although nobody really does, except possibly Charmain, if you can call that a story arch.) Rolf just doesn't have any sort of character at all. He just has a knack for tech. Ok.
Charmain was a kind of funny addition to the whole series. She's just so manipulative and selfish. It's great. She's the only female character who has any sort of character. The others are all super, super bland, and don't actually do anything. Typical.
The fight between 'good and evil' was fun. In the first book the villain is the local satrap; in the second, it's several higher lords, including a super-powerful (relatively) demon-lord; in the third, it's the emperor of the East himself. The first book was a fairly standard rebel-vs-empire story, where they find a powerful weapon—actually, 3, although none are never heard from again—to give them a chance against the forces of evil. The second book was way more exciting, with a lot of fun factors and powerful characters and some burning hair. And randomly a djinn of technology who could make basically anything.
The third book totally lost me.
The first half is Rolf running around trying to lose his tail of enemies, and the second half is ... I have no idea what they were doing. But I guess it worked. Lots of random acts of god. Made anything the good guys were doing seem pretty lame because basically they accomplished nothing by themselves, apparently.
One thing with post-apocalyptic stories is it's all cool and mysterious and exciting when they find 'old tech' and you are chuckling to yourself being like 'I know what that is' (spoiler picture at the front of the book). ...But this gets old real quick.
Also can I ask my burning question? WHY THE HECK DOES ROLF KNOW HOW TO READ???
So yah I read the whole thing. It was good enough for that. But I won't be reading book 4 or other books by Saberhagen. Not quite my cup of tea.
January 17, 2026
I read this, my first experience with Fred Saberhagen, because it is influential in the realm of tabletop roleplaying games, being cited as a source of inspiration by St. Gygax himself in the famous epistle titled Appendix N. For anyone with an interest in such things, the Empire of the East trilogy is a must, as an early example of a story where magic and technology clash in a primitivized post-apocalyptic society, a la Gamma World.
For others who lack that motivation to read it, my 4-star rating should perhaps be lowered. The prose is fairly smooth but only rarely better than serviceable. The setting lacks depth and flavor. The heroes are dull, excepting the Eastern turncoat Chup.
However, despite these flaws, it's easy to see why EotE remains in print. Saberhagen may not always be the most original of writers, nor is he by any means a careful stylist, but he tells a story with great verve. Inventive, humorous and action-packed sequences can be found throughout the three books.
My favorite part is in book 2, The Black Mountains, which has the still-ragtag Western army summoning an irascible techno-djinn to make for them a fleet of primitive air ships. These craft, though formed by magic, must obey the laws of earthly physics, which by this point no human has understood for thousands of years. Bits such as these rise almost to the level of wonderful, I would say.
Still, this is a world with many books in it, and if you haven't read much Zelazny, Leiber or Vance, I would prioritize those authors over Saberhagen.
For others who lack that motivation to read it, my 4-star rating should perhaps be lowered. The prose is fairly smooth but only rarely better than serviceable. The setting lacks depth and flavor. The heroes are dull, excepting the Eastern turncoat Chup.
However, despite these flaws, it's easy to see why EotE remains in print. Saberhagen may not always be the most original of writers, nor is he by any means a careful stylist, but he tells a story with great verve. Inventive, humorous and action-packed sequences can be found throughout the three books.
My favorite part is in book 2, The Black Mountains, which has the still-ragtag Western army summoning an irascible techno-djinn to make for them a fleet of primitive air ships. These craft, though formed by magic, must obey the laws of earthly physics, which by this point no human has understood for thousands of years. Bits such as these rise almost to the level of wonderful, I would say.
Still, this is a world with many books in it, and if you haven't read much Zelazny, Leiber or Vance, I would prioritize those authors over Saberhagen.
March 29, 2021
As readers of Stephen King know, there's a difference between good storytelling and good plotting. And there's no better example than Empire of the East, which collects the first three books of Saberhagen's eponymous series.
There's a lot to like about Saberhagen's storytelling style: terse, hard-hitting dialogue and fast-moving action. Empire of the East is probably a trope codifier, the first (or nearly the first) post-apocalyptic magic-technology mashup. The men are strong and the women are strong. The good guys have talking owls and the bad guys have talking dragons. The whole concept is captured well, if not substantially better, by Monte Cook's RPG Numenara.
The plotting, however, veers between questionable and awful. Everyone gets a MacGuffin! You're not really dead yet! The third novel and worst of the bunch, Ardneh's World, has a lengthy explainer just to get to a predictable deus-ex-machina ending. So many shortcuts, so little time. I'm reminded of Numenara partly because Saberhagen feels like a DM herding his characters out of bad scrapes and awkward corners. Except they're his own characters dammit!
For the inspiration and pulpy prose, two stars get rounded up to three. I wonder how badly the publisher Ace had to bully Niven and Zelazny to get their plaudits. Recommended chiefly for students of cheap seventies-era fantasy. Rated PG for bang-bang violence, chaste sexual interest, and the occasional curtain drop.
There's a lot to like about Saberhagen's storytelling style: terse, hard-hitting dialogue and fast-moving action. Empire of the East is probably a trope codifier, the first (or nearly the first) post-apocalyptic magic-technology mashup. The men are strong and the women are strong. The good guys have talking owls and the bad guys have talking dragons. The whole concept is captured well, if not substantially better, by Monte Cook's RPG Numenara.
The plotting, however, veers between questionable and awful. Everyone gets a MacGuffin! You're not really dead yet! The third novel and worst of the bunch, Ardneh's World, has a lengthy explainer just to get to a predictable deus-ex-machina ending. So many shortcuts, so little time. I'm reminded of Numenara partly because Saberhagen feels like a DM herding his characters out of bad scrapes and awkward corners. Except they're his own characters dammit!
For the inspiration and pulpy prose, two stars get rounded up to three. I wonder how badly the publisher Ace had to bully Niven and Zelazny to get their plaudits. Recommended chiefly for students of cheap seventies-era fantasy. Rated PG for bang-bang violence, chaste sexual interest, and the occasional curtain drop.
December 11, 2019
Well look at that. It seemed like there was another book after this one.
Anyway this is a strange fantasy story. There seems to be a weird parallax here on the side of the Men of the West. There's the boy-solider turned elite and then the Man-solider who turned for the side of Good. The East are all ruled by inhuman evils that are so powerful. And the west have technology; really this is a thinly veiled retelling of the rise of Western Europe against the rest of the world.
What is also odd is that the Man-solider gets a love who is an antagonist; a beautiful woman of the West who seeks power in the arms of the East through her sexual charms. They dance together and apart again, until he gets to conquer her, and she must perform sex for him so that she can stay young looking. The boy-solider gets a girl too who is plainer but all good, who only turns up at the end, weirdly, as a kind completion of their foursome.
This is a weird way for the book to resolve itself. The descriptions and characterizations are okay, although fairly strange as well, as though people are only their roles and not their personality.
I suppose I should leave my final judgement for the last book though, perhaps there is a reason for this strange parallelization.
Anyway this is a strange fantasy story. There seems to be a weird parallax here on the side of the Men of the West. There's the boy-solider turned elite and then the Man-solider who turned for the side of Good. The East are all ruled by inhuman evils that are so powerful. And the west have technology; really this is a thinly veiled retelling of the rise of Western Europe against the rest of the world.
What is also odd is that the Man-solider gets a love who is an antagonist; a beautiful woman of the West who seeks power in the arms of the East through her sexual charms. They dance together and apart again, until he gets to conquer her, and she must perform sex for him so that she can stay young looking. The boy-solider gets a girl too who is plainer but all good, who only turns up at the end, weirdly, as a kind completion of their foursome.
This is a weird way for the book to resolve itself. The descriptions and characterizations are okay, although fairly strange as well, as though people are only their roles and not their personality.
I suppose I should leave my final judgement for the last book though, perhaps there is a reason for this strange parallelization.
July 5, 2024
Notably sexist even for the era, with heroic male characters constantly daydreaming about how they could bind and control the voiceless women around them. The only female protagonist does nothing but conspire to shortsighted treachery, and get punished for it (repeatedly). In both narrative style and tone, I'm reminded most vividly of how Robert Jordan wrote women; but while Jordan can easily be accused of Chauvinism, Saberhagen often feels downright venomous in his treatment of the barely characterized women of the story.
The introduction by Zelazny promises careful planning and expert exposition, but what we get instead is long slogs of battle tactics, "technological" macguffins, and then a Deus Ex Machina info dump in five pages at the climax of the story. I can honestly say that Battlefield Earth did a better job with a similar structure.
If you think this sounds like fun science fantasy, and are willing to overlook the countless problems with it, I recommend reading the wikipedia summary and then picking up Book of the New Sun instead.
The introduction by Zelazny promises careful planning and expert exposition, but what we get instead is long slogs of battle tactics, "technological" macguffins, and then a Deus Ex Machina info dump in five pages at the climax of the story. I can honestly say that Battlefield Earth did a better job with a similar structure.
If you think this sounds like fun science fantasy, and are willing to overlook the countless problems with it, I recommend reading the wikipedia summary and then picking up Book of the New Sun instead.
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