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Paths of Lantistyne #1
The Empire's Ghost
Isabelle Steiger has crafted a powerful and masterful debut with The Empire's Ghost, the first book in a haunting new epic fantasy series.
The empire of Elesthene once spanned a continent, but its rise heralded the death of magic. It tore itself apart from within, leaving behind a patchwork of kingdoms struggling to rebuild.
But when a new dictator, the ambitious and enigmatic Imperator Elgar, seizes power in the old capital and seeks to recreate the lost empire anew, the other kingdoms have little hope of stopping him. Prince Kelken of Reglay finds himself at odds with his father at his country's darkest hour; the marquise of Esthrades is unmatched in politics and strategy, but she sits at a staggering military disadvantage. And Issamira, the most powerful of the free countries, has shut itself off from the conflict, thrown into confusion by the disappearance of its crown prince and the ensuing struggle for succession.
Everything seems aligned in Elgar's favor, but when he presses a band of insignificant but skilled alley-dwellers into his service for a mission of greatest secrecy, they find an unexpected opportunity to alter the balance of power in the war. Through their actions and those of the remaining royals, they may uncover not just a way to defeat Elgar, but also a deeper truth about their world’s lost history.
The empire of Elesthene once spanned a continent, but its rise heralded the death of magic. It tore itself apart from within, leaving behind a patchwork of kingdoms struggling to rebuild.
But when a new dictator, the ambitious and enigmatic Imperator Elgar, seizes power in the old capital and seeks to recreate the lost empire anew, the other kingdoms have little hope of stopping him. Prince Kelken of Reglay finds himself at odds with his father at his country's darkest hour; the marquise of Esthrades is unmatched in politics and strategy, but she sits at a staggering military disadvantage. And Issamira, the most powerful of the free countries, has shut itself off from the conflict, thrown into confusion by the disappearance of its crown prince and the ensuing struggle for succession.
Everything seems aligned in Elgar's favor, but when he presses a band of insignificant but skilled alley-dwellers into his service for a mission of greatest secrecy, they find an unexpected opportunity to alter the balance of power in the war. Through their actions and those of the remaining royals, they may uncover not just a way to defeat Elgar, but also a deeper truth about their world’s lost history.
419 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2017
44 people are currently reading
2216 people want to read
About the author
Isabelle Steiger
3 books87 followersIsabelle Steiger read her first novel at age five: THE BOXCAR CHILDREN, discovered on a shelf in her kindergarten classroom. By about page twenty, she'd decided upon two things: This is my favorite thing I've ever done, and When I grow up, I'm going to make these. She stands by those decisions to this day.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
May 16, 2017
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/05/16/...
The Empire’s Ghost was a book that sounded right up my alley: an epic fantasy that touts a complex, multi-faceted story complete with a rich cast of characters and many points of view, not to mention the potential of a brand new setting filled with unique cultures and warring kingdoms—all set within a world where magic has once been lost but is ready to be found again. And indeed, it was a solid novel that delivered on all its promises, but it also had its share of stumbling blocks common to a lot of debuts—namely, that of trying to do too much.
The story opens on the empire of Elesthene, now just a ghost of its former glory. In the aftermath of the Ninist conquest, almost all traces of magic has been wiped clean from the world, leaving broken kingdoms behind to rebuild. However, it was only a matter of time until an ambitious leader like Imperator Elgar came to power and sought to create a new empire in his name, invading neighboring lands that have little hope of fighting back. In the kingdom of Reglay, young Prince Kelken clashes with his father on his idea for an alliance, refusing to risk his sister’s frail health in a political marriage. Meanwhile in Issamira, the richest and most powerful of the kingdoms, the royal succession is thrown into question following the disappearance of their crown prince. On the other hand, no such uncertainty exists in Esthrades where Lady Margraine has taken her father’s throne as his only heir—and is ruling with a determination to rival Elgar’s.
But far away from the royal courts and noble houses also stands the Dragon’s Head, an unassuming tavern tucked among the dank narrow streets of a rough and rundown Valyanrend neighborhood called Sheath. Its owner is a woman named Morgan Imrick who frequently gives shelter to the mercenaries and rogues in the area, and many of the regulars have become a group of friends. Not too many people in Sheath talk about their pasts, but when one of Morgan’s kitchen boys is arrested by the guard, certain difficult truths come to light. The Dragon’s Head crew inadvertently find themselves caught up in the tangled web of Imperator Elgar’s plans for domination, and are subsequently forced to carry out a special mission for him.
As you can imagine, there are a lot of perspectives involved, on account of the huge cast of characters. Normally, this would not be a problem—multiple POVs come with the epic fantasy territory, after all, and one of the advantages to writing a large cast is that you can quickly use them to create a rich and diverse new world. So, having a lot of characters in this genre is a good thing—but only if you don’t introduce them all at once. The first warning signs came early, when I felt I needed a dramatis personae to keep track of everyone in the prologue alone. It made getting into this novel difficult, mostly because so much of my energy was exerted towards trying to remember names without having to resort to building a spreadsheet.
With a large number of characters also comes a large number of plot threads. I enjoyed the story weaving Isabelle Steiger has done here, and by the end of the book I was really starting to appreciate how everybody and everything was coming together. Still, it took a long time for the big picture to come into focus, and while it was doing so, the narrative struggled to balance out the multiple plot lines. Some characters were parked for long periods of time, occasionally given short filler chapters (almost as if to remind us they still exist) while bigger, more important events were happening elsewhere. As the connections started to form, this also made some of the developments feel too convenient to be actually believable, what with all our key players encountering each other supposedly by chance in this vast empire.
Plus, in covering so many characters, the story may have spread itself too thin. Lady Margraine was probably the most fleshed out of everyone there, followed by perhaps Prince Kelken, while character development was disappointingly limited for the rest. Some, like Marceline, feel almost like a footnote. There were also others I would have liked to know better, like Elgar, especially since he is shaping up to be a formidable antagonist. Still, to the author’s credit, the characters that do stand out are superbly written. Lady Margraine, for all her irritating pomposity and claims to be bored, is a real force to be reckoned with and I am most excited with the future of her storyline. I’m sure the other characters and their individual plot threads will come to fruition in time, but for now, I find myself emotionally invested in only a few.
All told, The Empire’s Ghost is a solid entry into the epic fantasy genre and an admirable debut, though it does take bit of time and patience to realize the author’s vision for all her disparate characters and the great number of perspectives. The novel also has the distinct feel of an introduction, and a long one to be sure—many mysteries remain unsolved, and even with the big game changer close to the end, the final conclusion was underwhelming in the sense that no real resolution presents itself. That said, I will definitely be reading the next book, now that the basic setup for the series is complete. I expect the sequel will be throwing us straight into the action, and I’m looking forward to more revelations and answers.
The Empire’s Ghost was a book that sounded right up my alley: an epic fantasy that touts a complex, multi-faceted story complete with a rich cast of characters and many points of view, not to mention the potential of a brand new setting filled with unique cultures and warring kingdoms—all set within a world where magic has once been lost but is ready to be found again. And indeed, it was a solid novel that delivered on all its promises, but it also had its share of stumbling blocks common to a lot of debuts—namely, that of trying to do too much.
The story opens on the empire of Elesthene, now just a ghost of its former glory. In the aftermath of the Ninist conquest, almost all traces of magic has been wiped clean from the world, leaving broken kingdoms behind to rebuild. However, it was only a matter of time until an ambitious leader like Imperator Elgar came to power and sought to create a new empire in his name, invading neighboring lands that have little hope of fighting back. In the kingdom of Reglay, young Prince Kelken clashes with his father on his idea for an alliance, refusing to risk his sister’s frail health in a political marriage. Meanwhile in Issamira, the richest and most powerful of the kingdoms, the royal succession is thrown into question following the disappearance of their crown prince. On the other hand, no such uncertainty exists in Esthrades where Lady Margraine has taken her father’s throne as his only heir—and is ruling with a determination to rival Elgar’s.
But far away from the royal courts and noble houses also stands the Dragon’s Head, an unassuming tavern tucked among the dank narrow streets of a rough and rundown Valyanrend neighborhood called Sheath. Its owner is a woman named Morgan Imrick who frequently gives shelter to the mercenaries and rogues in the area, and many of the regulars have become a group of friends. Not too many people in Sheath talk about their pasts, but when one of Morgan’s kitchen boys is arrested by the guard, certain difficult truths come to light. The Dragon’s Head crew inadvertently find themselves caught up in the tangled web of Imperator Elgar’s plans for domination, and are subsequently forced to carry out a special mission for him.
As you can imagine, there are a lot of perspectives involved, on account of the huge cast of characters. Normally, this would not be a problem—multiple POVs come with the epic fantasy territory, after all, and one of the advantages to writing a large cast is that you can quickly use them to create a rich and diverse new world. So, having a lot of characters in this genre is a good thing—but only if you don’t introduce them all at once. The first warning signs came early, when I felt I needed a dramatis personae to keep track of everyone in the prologue alone. It made getting into this novel difficult, mostly because so much of my energy was exerted towards trying to remember names without having to resort to building a spreadsheet.
With a large number of characters also comes a large number of plot threads. I enjoyed the story weaving Isabelle Steiger has done here, and by the end of the book I was really starting to appreciate how everybody and everything was coming together. Still, it took a long time for the big picture to come into focus, and while it was doing so, the narrative struggled to balance out the multiple plot lines. Some characters were parked for long periods of time, occasionally given short filler chapters (almost as if to remind us they still exist) while bigger, more important events were happening elsewhere. As the connections started to form, this also made some of the developments feel too convenient to be actually believable, what with all our key players encountering each other supposedly by chance in this vast empire.
Plus, in covering so many characters, the story may have spread itself too thin. Lady Margraine was probably the most fleshed out of everyone there, followed by perhaps Prince Kelken, while character development was disappointingly limited for the rest. Some, like Marceline, feel almost like a footnote. There were also others I would have liked to know better, like Elgar, especially since he is shaping up to be a formidable antagonist. Still, to the author’s credit, the characters that do stand out are superbly written. Lady Margraine, for all her irritating pomposity and claims to be bored, is a real force to be reckoned with and I am most excited with the future of her storyline. I’m sure the other characters and their individual plot threads will come to fruition in time, but for now, I find myself emotionally invested in only a few.
All told, The Empire’s Ghost is a solid entry into the epic fantasy genre and an admirable debut, though it does take bit of time and patience to realize the author’s vision for all her disparate characters and the great number of perspectives. The novel also has the distinct feel of an introduction, and a long one to be sure—many mysteries remain unsolved, and even with the big game changer close to the end, the final conclusion was underwhelming in the sense that no real resolution presents itself. That said, I will definitely be reading the next book, now that the basic setup for the series is complete. I expect the sequel will be throwing us straight into the action, and I’m looking forward to more revelations and answers.
May 18, 2020
*May contain spoilers*
Before picking up this epic fantasy novel, I did what I often do when attempting to decide if the book in question is one that I would want to read: I took a look at other reviews. Overwhelming, what I read over and over again was that there was a large cast of characters that left some confused during reading. For me, I generally like to read fantasies with large casts so when I got the book I dug right in. To help anyone who is considering this book determine if there are too many characters for their own preference I have attempted to create a list of the more major characters and their kingdoms or groups. My copy of the book did not contain this type of list, so I am hoping that the publisher will consider this in future books in the series.
Dragon’s Head (A tavern in town of Sheath): The Dragon’s Head is owned by Morgan Imrick and is what would be considered the heart or home of the story. It’s the most predominant location in the first half of the book as the story starts out not by focusing on kings and other royalty in their castles, but instead with a group of rag-tag friends who hang around the local pub. Characters are: Deinol, Lucius, Seth, Roger, Braddock, Morgan Imrick
Esthrades: Lady Margraine rules the land of Esthrades after the death of her father. Out of all the characters in the book, she is the one I found most intriguing: a character I was never sure if I should trust or distrust. I never knew if I liked her or didn’t like her. She definitely has a secret that you sense almost from the beginning that leaves you wondering what you are supposed to think of her through-out the story. If this were a movie, I’d call her a scene-stealer because she is someone you are always watching and makes the room more interesting just be being in it. Others at Esthrades are: Seren Almasy and Gravis
Hallarnon: Imperator Elgar is the character I was surprised by the most. With the book description describing him as a dictator, I was expecting to absolutely hate him. I was expecting him to be one-dimensional. With his goal of wanting to conquer all lands and neighboring kingdoms and place them under his control, it couldn’t be more obvious that he wants power and more power. But then he’ll do something that seems ‘slightly’ out of character for a dictator and demonstrates that he knows how to stop and think first. That there are calculations going on in the back of his head that you wish you were privy to. His actions and conversations had me watching him almost as closely as I did Lady Margraine. Others at Hallarnon are: Varalen and Shinsei
Reglay: This is the kingdom you truly like as individuals. They are decent in how they treat each other and how they treat others. Some will say that Prince Kel has “weak legs,” but he likes to think that they are “just stupid – they didn’t understand what they were supposed to do.” Alessa, his sister has coughing fits making traveling to certain locations dangerous for her. While Elgar schemes, and Lady Margraine calculates, Prince Kel has a very sharp mind and plays the game of politics better than anyone might expect. At Reglay are: King Kelken, Prince Kel, Alessa, Cadfael
Issamira: This is a land that is only referenced, but is seen by the other kingdoms to be in a calm-before-the-storm status. Prince Landon and heir to the Issamira throne is missing and presumed dead, creating an opportunity for his siblings to not follow hierarchical structure and grab the throne by force. Nothing has happened yet, but there is a lot of talk and speculation.
One issue I had that occurred mostly at the beginning was how the narrative switched between the different players and kingdoms in the book. This is not due to there being too many characters. Instead, my copy of the book did not include separators of any kind when switching from one group of people/locations to another. One paragraph I am with Shinsei in one location. The very next paragraph I’m with Gravis somewhere completely different. It caused quite a bit of confusion as I was still attempting to learn everyone. I hoping this is due to my electronic version of the book and is not in the final copy. But if not, I do recommend to the publishers to add a separator of some kind between scenes/locations, or subheadings that tell me where I am. Eventually, I went to the audio book, which is when I didn’t notice anymore.
Overall, a book I very much enjoyed and look forward to the next one in the series when it comes out.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.
Before picking up this epic fantasy novel, I did what I often do when attempting to decide if the book in question is one that I would want to read: I took a look at other reviews. Overwhelming, what I read over and over again was that there was a large cast of characters that left some confused during reading. For me, I generally like to read fantasies with large casts so when I got the book I dug right in. To help anyone who is considering this book determine if there are too many characters for their own preference I have attempted to create a list of the more major characters and their kingdoms or groups. My copy of the book did not contain this type of list, so I am hoping that the publisher will consider this in future books in the series.
Dragon’s Head (A tavern in town of Sheath): The Dragon’s Head is owned by Morgan Imrick and is what would be considered the heart or home of the story. It’s the most predominant location in the first half of the book as the story starts out not by focusing on kings and other royalty in their castles, but instead with a group of rag-tag friends who hang around the local pub. Characters are: Deinol, Lucius, Seth, Roger, Braddock, Morgan Imrick
Esthrades: Lady Margraine rules the land of Esthrades after the death of her father. Out of all the characters in the book, she is the one I found most intriguing: a character I was never sure if I should trust or distrust. I never knew if I liked her or didn’t like her. She definitely has a secret that you sense almost from the beginning that leaves you wondering what you are supposed to think of her through-out the story. If this were a movie, I’d call her a scene-stealer because she is someone you are always watching and makes the room more interesting just be being in it. Others at Esthrades are: Seren Almasy and Gravis
Hallarnon: Imperator Elgar is the character I was surprised by the most. With the book description describing him as a dictator, I was expecting to absolutely hate him. I was expecting him to be one-dimensional. With his goal of wanting to conquer all lands and neighboring kingdoms and place them under his control, it couldn’t be more obvious that he wants power and more power. But then he’ll do something that seems ‘slightly’ out of character for a dictator and demonstrates that he knows how to stop and think first. That there are calculations going on in the back of his head that you wish you were privy to. His actions and conversations had me watching him almost as closely as I did Lady Margraine. Others at Hallarnon are: Varalen and Shinsei
Reglay: This is the kingdom you truly like as individuals. They are decent in how they treat each other and how they treat others. Some will say that Prince Kel has “weak legs,” but he likes to think that they are “just stupid – they didn’t understand what they were supposed to do.” Alessa, his sister has coughing fits making traveling to certain locations dangerous for her. While Elgar schemes, and Lady Margraine calculates, Prince Kel has a very sharp mind and plays the game of politics better than anyone might expect. At Reglay are: King Kelken, Prince Kel, Alessa, Cadfael
Issamira: This is a land that is only referenced, but is seen by the other kingdoms to be in a calm-before-the-storm status. Prince Landon and heir to the Issamira throne is missing and presumed dead, creating an opportunity for his siblings to not follow hierarchical structure and grab the throne by force. Nothing has happened yet, but there is a lot of talk and speculation.
One issue I had that occurred mostly at the beginning was how the narrative switched between the different players and kingdoms in the book. This is not due to there being too many characters. Instead, my copy of the book did not include separators of any kind when switching from one group of people/locations to another. One paragraph I am with Shinsei in one location. The very next paragraph I’m with Gravis somewhere completely different. It caused quite a bit of confusion as I was still attempting to learn everyone. I hoping this is due to my electronic version of the book and is not in the final copy. But if not, I do recommend to the publishers to add a separator of some kind between scenes/locations, or subheadings that tell me where I am. Eventually, I went to the audio book, which is when I didn’t notice anymore.
Overall, a book I very much enjoyed and look forward to the next one in the series when it comes out.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.
June 18, 2017
Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2017/0...
The Empire’s Ghost is epic on many levels. The massive empire of Elesthene is now history, fractured into separate lands. Magic has become fable, thought to be rooted in superstition rather than historical fact. The story gives viewpoints from several rulers, all with their own agendas and ruling styles. You also get the view point of many citizens and soldiers as well. It gives a sweeping view of what life is like across the board, giving the reader insights into the life and happenings for commoners as well as intrigue from within the palace. Though the perspectives are all unique, they become intricately intertwined as the story progresses.
Through perspectives on the struggles between adjacent lands that used to be part of the Empire, we meet the rulers of all three and three and see the contrasting styles of rule. We see hints of magic, enough for speculation. The story can be dark at times, but this is not a brutal and gritty story. It is epic with ups and downs, and definitely death and blood. It’s not a happy feel good story that glosses over battles, but it is not terribly graphic either (at least not by my standards).
Now, one of the hallmarks of many epic fantasies is often a large cast of characters and varying lands to keep up with, along with all the political maneuvering, etc. This book takes the epic number of characters to, well, an epic level. Even for a large cast epic fantasy, the number of people to keep up with could be overwhelming. This is not a bad thing, just go in prepared that you will be introduced to what may feel like at times to be a staggering number of characters. I did find myself at times working to keep them all straight, but I have to say, overall, I did. That said, I truly hope the publisher includes a Cast of Characters, perhaps even with a visual representation of people and relationships/alliances (a friend was joking it could use a flow chart, and honestly, I think it really could). I do worry readers may complain that they had a hard time keeping characters straight, or remembering all the details. Some kind of reference or aid to help keep them straight would be highly beneficial. Maybe I’ll create one myself 🙂 Another downside of so many characters is that I can’t say I found myself as attached to any of them as I would have preferred just because no single character had as much page time as a book with fewer characters. Time learning about another new character is that much less time to grow attachment to existing or primary characters. I certainly was not detached, but the more page time a character gets, the easier it is form emotional attachments to them.
Another forewarning for those that love fully contained stories that can stand on their own and have a hard time when that is not the case, you may want to wait for subsequent books to be released. This is an exciting and fun book, I know way more than I did in the beginning, and there were a ton of revelations (and some great opportunities for speculation), but I left it feeling like the story is really just getting ready to take off instead of feeling like there was closure of any type. That is not something that bothers me, particularly in a book 1 of an epic fantasy series. Just mentioning it because I know different readers have different preferences. Personally, I enjoyed the journey and am anxious for the next installment.
Overall, I think this was a very ambitious and good debut. Considering the page length (this is not the heftiest epic fantasy), it is crammed with information and people and a crazy amount of things going on. I may have talked about the number of characters being hard to keep up with, but sometimes epic stories require more perspectives to really give the reader a comprehensive understanding of the world and all its facets. For me, it was worth it. Without a doubt, I plan to read the next one. I need to find out what happens next.
The Empire’s Ghost is epic on many levels. The massive empire of Elesthene is now history, fractured into separate lands. Magic has become fable, thought to be rooted in superstition rather than historical fact. The story gives viewpoints from several rulers, all with their own agendas and ruling styles. You also get the view point of many citizens and soldiers as well. It gives a sweeping view of what life is like across the board, giving the reader insights into the life and happenings for commoners as well as intrigue from within the palace. Though the perspectives are all unique, they become intricately intertwined as the story progresses.
Through perspectives on the struggles between adjacent lands that used to be part of the Empire, we meet the rulers of all three and three and see the contrasting styles of rule. We see hints of magic, enough for speculation. The story can be dark at times, but this is not a brutal and gritty story. It is epic with ups and downs, and definitely death and blood. It’s not a happy feel good story that glosses over battles, but it is not terribly graphic either (at least not by my standards).
Now, one of the hallmarks of many epic fantasies is often a large cast of characters and varying lands to keep up with, along with all the political maneuvering, etc. This book takes the epic number of characters to, well, an epic level. Even for a large cast epic fantasy, the number of people to keep up with could be overwhelming. This is not a bad thing, just go in prepared that you will be introduced to what may feel like at times to be a staggering number of characters. I did find myself at times working to keep them all straight, but I have to say, overall, I did. That said, I truly hope the publisher includes a Cast of Characters, perhaps even with a visual representation of people and relationships/alliances (a friend was joking it could use a flow chart, and honestly, I think it really could). I do worry readers may complain that they had a hard time keeping characters straight, or remembering all the details. Some kind of reference or aid to help keep them straight would be highly beneficial. Maybe I’ll create one myself 🙂 Another downside of so many characters is that I can’t say I found myself as attached to any of them as I would have preferred just because no single character had as much page time as a book with fewer characters. Time learning about another new character is that much less time to grow attachment to existing or primary characters. I certainly was not detached, but the more page time a character gets, the easier it is form emotional attachments to them.
Another forewarning for those that love fully contained stories that can stand on their own and have a hard time when that is not the case, you may want to wait for subsequent books to be released. This is an exciting and fun book, I know way more than I did in the beginning, and there were a ton of revelations (and some great opportunities for speculation), but I left it feeling like the story is really just getting ready to take off instead of feeling like there was closure of any type. That is not something that bothers me, particularly in a book 1 of an epic fantasy series. Just mentioning it because I know different readers have different preferences. Personally, I enjoyed the journey and am anxious for the next installment.
Overall, I think this was a very ambitious and good debut. Considering the page length (this is not the heftiest epic fantasy), it is crammed with information and people and a crazy amount of things going on. I may have talked about the number of characters being hard to keep up with, but sometimes epic stories require more perspectives to really give the reader a comprehensive understanding of the world and all its facets. For me, it was worth it. Without a doubt, I plan to read the next one. I need to find out what happens next.
Read
April 23, 2017DNF. I normally always finish a book but I just couldn't find any connection to the numerous plot lines that were creeping along. I left it and came back 2 times, thinking a mood change or a different day would change my perspective. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. The Empire's Ghost, at 25% (which was probably close to the length of a regular novel) still didn't hold my attention and I have to admit defeat, this read wasn't for me.
I received this ARC copy of The Empire's Ghost from St. Martin's Press - Thomas Dunne Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. The Empire's Ghost is set for publication May 16, 2017.
I received this ARC copy of The Empire's Ghost from St. Martin's Press - Thomas Dunne Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. The Empire's Ghost is set for publication May 16, 2017.
May 13, 2017
The Empire' Ghost is a book full of mysteries and dark secrets, fading magic and the plots of the cunning. There are a lot of characters involved which I came to love.Braddok for example is one of my favourite outlaws.
I loved how the story progressed slowly and every character had a back story, and depth that not many authors accomplish without being boring. I found that Steiger has mastered the art of not telling much, but having said everything that is needed. The hesitant stories and pieces provided by the characters left you wondering what would happen next and how the war for the continent would end.
Of course, the reader is left hanging because we don't see what is going to happen next, at least not in this part of the series. This is actually the only reason I have 4 Stars. I would have liked there to be a little more plot, overall. Even though I enjoyed the book and its characters extremely, I cannot write this review without telling my readers that even though the plot is well-built and thought-through, it is progressing slow because the important thing for now are the characters and world-building.
But it is worth reading because the world building is at least just as awesome as character development! The history of the different kingdom is told through its intriguing and fierce characters who will try everything to stop their kingdom from being overrun by the Emperor. Every one of them has their own way to go about it, though. We visit lots of ruined and thriving places, learn their story and the story of all those involved.
It was fun reading about this new and intriguing world where magic has almost been forgotten. I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to read something new and exciting and doesn't mind that's it's the first book of a surely awesome series and things have to be explained in this part first.
I loved how the story progressed slowly and every character had a back story, and depth that not many authors accomplish without being boring. I found that Steiger has mastered the art of not telling much, but having said everything that is needed. The hesitant stories and pieces provided by the characters left you wondering what would happen next and how the war for the continent would end.
Of course, the reader is left hanging because we don't see what is going to happen next, at least not in this part of the series. This is actually the only reason I have 4 Stars. I would have liked there to be a little more plot, overall. Even though I enjoyed the book and its characters extremely, I cannot write this review without telling my readers that even though the plot is well-built and thought-through, it is progressing slow because the important thing for now are the characters and world-building.
But it is worth reading because the world building is at least just as awesome as character development! The history of the different kingdom is told through its intriguing and fierce characters who will try everything to stop their kingdom from being overrun by the Emperor. Every one of them has their own way to go about it, though. We visit lots of ruined and thriving places, learn their story and the story of all those involved.
It was fun reading about this new and intriguing world where magic has almost been forgotten. I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to read something new and exciting and doesn't mind that's it's the first book of a surely awesome series and things have to be explained in this part first.
June 23, 2020
3.5- Rounded up because the last 20% of the book really brought it all together and made me eager to read the sequel! There were many different threads to this story and it took time for me to feel fully invested. With a wide range of characters, I never felt there was one central protagonist to focus on and instead the story followed everyone from power-hungry rulers to a tavern’s kitchen boy. The complex, character-driven worldbuilding packed a lot of information into the first half of this book. Once established, you can see it was clearly built with intense care and planning.
The Empire’s Ghost has a little bit of everything: quests, fight scenes, dark secrets, and tons of royal intrigue. It took time for me to feel a real connection with the characters, I think mainly due to the many POVs/worldbuilding. But once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down! The clever power plays and behind-the-scenes plots were very satisfying. This book has complicated world building, a myriad of political schemes, and excellent dialogue. While it may take a bit to settle into the world, it is worth it. In particular, during the last act of the book, all of the story threads are pulled taunt and you begin to see how everything comes together. What an ending!
If you enjoy epic fantasy, royal politics, and satisfying stories with a slower pace- check this out! Book two will soon be released, which is very fortunate after reading that ending. The Rightful Queen releases on July 21, 2020. I can’t wait to see what happens next! Thank you to Isabelle Steiger, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Empire’s Ghost has a little bit of everything: quests, fight scenes, dark secrets, and tons of royal intrigue. It took time for me to feel a real connection with the characters, I think mainly due to the many POVs/worldbuilding. But once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down! The clever power plays and behind-the-scenes plots were very satisfying. This book has complicated world building, a myriad of political schemes, and excellent dialogue. While it may take a bit to settle into the world, it is worth it. In particular, during the last act of the book, all of the story threads are pulled taunt and you begin to see how everything comes together. What an ending!
If you enjoy epic fantasy, royal politics, and satisfying stories with a slower pace- check this out! Book two will soon be released, which is very fortunate after reading that ending. The Rightful Queen releases on July 21, 2020. I can’t wait to see what happens next! Thank you to Isabelle Steiger, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 28, 2017
A hefty read, The Empire's Ghost weaves together a multitude of tales - mysterious and adventurous into this colossal first book of what promises to be an epic series.
In the wake of the fall of the empire of Elasthene, Imperator Elgar has no qualms about airing his ambitions to reforge the huge kingdom under his rule, and only three more kingdoms have yet to fall to his control. In Esthrades, the calculating and unnerving Lady Arianrod Margraine has taken her father's throne upon his death, with an assassin and perhaps something even more mysterious on her side. The deformed and young Prince Kelken in Reglay has seen his father brutally murdered in front of him and is now contending with a weak kingdom and the avaricious Elgar turning towards his lands next. And in the faraway and isolated Issamira, the succession of the crown is shaky after the disappearance of the crown prince. Within Elgar's own kingdom, trouble may also be brewing.
While it took me a chapter or two to fully sink into this book, made a bit more difficult by the plethora of characters and plot lines introduced from the very beginning, I found it a fascinating and interesting read. The storylines are well woven with each other, and the characters are enigmatic but just revealing enough to keep the reader hooked. The novel surprisingly addresses and questions ideas of service and loyalty and what vows of fealty mean in the face of disagreeable rulers. A fantasy, the novel does not contain much magic, but it plays a role in the history and aspirations of the book's characters. While I found some storylines less interesting than others (and some which seem to have no significance to the overall story - at least not yet), I overall found the novel to be incredibly interesting and filled with differing characters who are painted as humans with all the flaws and caprices of humanity. While a male-dominated world, I appreciated the strong and sneaky women who also starred in the tale.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in picking up an epic fantasy full of wonder and amazement with a splash of sword fighting and pickpocketing.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a fair review!
In the wake of the fall of the empire of Elasthene, Imperator Elgar has no qualms about airing his ambitions to reforge the huge kingdom under his rule, and only three more kingdoms have yet to fall to his control. In Esthrades, the calculating and unnerving Lady Arianrod Margraine has taken her father's throne upon his death, with an assassin and perhaps something even more mysterious on her side. The deformed and young Prince Kelken in Reglay has seen his father brutally murdered in front of him and is now contending with a weak kingdom and the avaricious Elgar turning towards his lands next. And in the faraway and isolated Issamira, the succession of the crown is shaky after the disappearance of the crown prince. Within Elgar's own kingdom, trouble may also be brewing.
While it took me a chapter or two to fully sink into this book, made a bit more difficult by the plethora of characters and plot lines introduced from the very beginning, I found it a fascinating and interesting read. The storylines are well woven with each other, and the characters are enigmatic but just revealing enough to keep the reader hooked. The novel surprisingly addresses and questions ideas of service and loyalty and what vows of fealty mean in the face of disagreeable rulers. A fantasy, the novel does not contain much magic, but it plays a role in the history and aspirations of the book's characters. While I found some storylines less interesting than others (and some which seem to have no significance to the overall story - at least not yet), I overall found the novel to be incredibly interesting and filled with differing characters who are painted as humans with all the flaws and caprices of humanity. While a male-dominated world, I appreciated the strong and sneaky women who also starred in the tale.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in picking up an epic fantasy full of wonder and amazement with a splash of sword fighting and pickpocketing.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a fair review!
April 19, 2020
Added after re-read 4/2020: Yep, this is still absolutely incredible fantasy (maybe even better upon re-read!?) and I do not understand at all why everyone has been sleeping on this. Maybe with the release of the sequel in the fall it can have a second life--and I'm starting the sequel next, so excited!
Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!
The Empire's Ghost is the first book in a new fantasy series in which the great empire Elesthene rose and at the same time ended the use of magic. (If you want a more thorough summary, I definitely recommend you check out the Goodreads summary, as it will provide much more information.) Honestly, the more I think about this book, the more I love it, and I definitely plan to purchase a copy of this book for myself.
The most prominent thing about this book, in my opinion, is that there is a lot of dialogue. That might sound odd, but it really is true. Fortunately, I found Steiger's dialogue to be extremely entertaining and realistic, and I really enjoyed it. I have never been a huge fan of extensive action scenes in the first place, so the amount of action that was interspersed throughout this book was perfectly balanced. Plus, the actions scenes were wonderfully written, and every sword battle or confrontation was written with precise detail and an engaging narrative.
There is a lot of politics, strategy, and social play at work here, and I loved every second of it. The political interactions and discussions included so many subtle snide remarks and wisdom that I could not help but hang on to every word.
The characters in The Empire's Ghost are amazing. There is a wide variety of characters, which extremely impressed when I discover how distinct each character's voice was. Along with the many characters, there are also many alternating third person points of view throughout this book, and I - surprisingly - didn't really mind. Each character had such an interesting storyline and fascinating personality that I sincerely enjoyed each one. I'm tempted to go into more depth about some of the characters, but trust me when I say that if I did that, this review would be far too long, so I will not do that for this review for the sake of brevity. (You're welcome.)
The worldbuilding in this book is subtle in how it is told, but strong in the way in which it draws the reader in. There is no info-dumping (yes!), and there really isn't much of an exposition either. It took a little while to get into the world Steiger has created in this book simply due to being thrown right into the world, but her charismatic characters really help to lead the way kept me interested.
The best part of this book, in my opinion, is the sheer depth of history of the world and the character backgrounds that are presented. The attention to detail made this book so real and I could not draw myself away from it. Steiger has also proven herself to be incredibly deft at carefully writing in twists and elements that impressed me immensely.
I can already imagine that there are going to be two main camps for this book: those who love it because they enjoy slow character-building and a plot that is mainly focused on settings things up, and those that hate it because it is too slow-paced. I'm in the former category and I cannot recommend this one enough. Overall, I am giving The Empire's Ghost five stars!
Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!
The Empire's Ghost is the first book in a new fantasy series in which the great empire Elesthene rose and at the same time ended the use of magic. (If you want a more thorough summary, I definitely recommend you check out the Goodreads summary, as it will provide much more information.) Honestly, the more I think about this book, the more I love it, and I definitely plan to purchase a copy of this book for myself.
The most prominent thing about this book, in my opinion, is that there is a lot of dialogue. That might sound odd, but it really is true. Fortunately, I found Steiger's dialogue to be extremely entertaining and realistic, and I really enjoyed it. I have never been a huge fan of extensive action scenes in the first place, so the amount of action that was interspersed throughout this book was perfectly balanced. Plus, the actions scenes were wonderfully written, and every sword battle or confrontation was written with precise detail and an engaging narrative.
There is a lot of politics, strategy, and social play at work here, and I loved every second of it. The political interactions and discussions included so many subtle snide remarks and wisdom that I could not help but hang on to every word.
The characters in The Empire's Ghost are amazing. There is a wide variety of characters, which extremely impressed when I discover how distinct each character's voice was. Along with the many characters, there are also many alternating third person points of view throughout this book, and I - surprisingly - didn't really mind. Each character had such an interesting storyline and fascinating personality that I sincerely enjoyed each one. I'm tempted to go into more depth about some of the characters, but trust me when I say that if I did that, this review would be far too long, so I will not do that for this review for the sake of brevity. (You're welcome.)
The worldbuilding in this book is subtle in how it is told, but strong in the way in which it draws the reader in. There is no info-dumping (yes!), and there really isn't much of an exposition either. It took a little while to get into the world Steiger has created in this book simply due to being thrown right into the world, but her charismatic characters really help to lead the way kept me interested.
The best part of this book, in my opinion, is the sheer depth of history of the world and the character backgrounds that are presented. The attention to detail made this book so real and I could not draw myself away from it. Steiger has also proven herself to be incredibly deft at carefully writing in twists and elements that impressed me immensely.
I can already imagine that there are going to be two main camps for this book: those who love it because they enjoy slow character-building and a plot that is mainly focused on settings things up, and those that hate it because it is too slow-paced. I'm in the former category and I cannot recommend this one enough. Overall, I am giving The Empire's Ghost five stars!
Read
September 13, 2024this starts off pretty slow and it kind of takes a while to understand where the story's heading. at least to me it did.
there is a lot of politics, strategy, and social play at work here, and a few fight scenes thrown here and there, but there's more dialogue interaction which I honestly enjoyed.
the characters are quite interesting, and some you sort of wonder why they're even there like ... *cough* Roger *cough* (I see you) but maybe we'll find out more about everyone's purpose later on.
there is a lot of politics, strategy, and social play at work here, and a few fight scenes thrown here and there, but there's more dialogue interaction which I honestly enjoyed.
the characters are quite interesting, and some you sort of wonder why they're even there like ... *cough* Roger *cough* (I see you) but maybe we'll find out more about everyone's purpose later on.
July 22, 2017
Interesting premise and a beautiful cover which actually caused me to read it. A really, really slow and confusing start - too many characters from all over the darn kingdom. It made trying to figure out what was going on, who were the good guys vs bad guys,where exactly things were happening. Just too much going on to really get a handle on anything until over half way through and then everything drew together into a cohesive story and was enjoyable.
July 30, 2017
I received the Empire's Ghost over my Magic Chest book subscription in May.
After reading six of crows, I was in the mood for more thrilling multi-POV fantasy novels and this book did not disappoint.
Even though the start was quite slow, due to the eleven ! POVs. It took more than a 100 pages to introduce most of them and tell their part of the story. Due to the sheer height of the book, this would account for approximately 150 pages in "normal" book size and that is a bit too much for my feelings.
But since Magic Cheat has yet to disappoint me, I kept on reading and was rewarded with a great story, worldbuilding and very enjoyable story weaving. No character was flawless, which made them much more relatable and likable. I feel this book would have profited from Elgars POV, since he is the main villain in the story, but we only get to learn about him through his advisor Varalen.
I truly enjoyed this fantasy story with all its different protagonists trying to make their way in this contested and complicated country. I will definetly read the next book in this series, even though I would have preferred a stand alone novel. Keep on writing Miss Steiger and your next book will be even better.
After reading six of crows, I was in the mood for more thrilling multi-POV fantasy novels and this book did not disappoint.
Even though the start was quite slow, due to the eleven ! POVs. It took more than a 100 pages to introduce most of them and tell their part of the story. Due to the sheer height of the book, this would account for approximately 150 pages in "normal" book size and that is a bit too much for my feelings.
But since Magic Cheat has yet to disappoint me, I kept on reading and was rewarded with a great story, worldbuilding and very enjoyable story weaving. No character was flawless, which made them much more relatable and likable. I feel this book would have profited from Elgars POV, since he is the main villain in the story, but we only get to learn about him through his advisor Varalen.
I truly enjoyed this fantasy story with all its different protagonists trying to make their way in this contested and complicated country. I will definetly read the next book in this series, even though I would have preferred a stand alone novel. Keep on writing Miss Steiger and your next book will be even better.
June 4, 2017
The Empire's Ghost started out unevenly -- like it couldn't quite decide what tone to take, so it took them all. But once it got rolling, I really liked it. It doesn't work the way books normally do in the sense that often times, characters make sensible decisions that preclude large swathes of possible plot. (For instance, a character who can't fight might actually.... stay out of a fight!) There's a lot going on, and at the same time, there's very little actually happening; most of what propels the book is mystery (there are lots of mysteries, in the "how does this connect" and "who is this person *really*" vein) and character. I thought this was a standalone at first, and I was surprised when potential Main Plot ventures kept tying themselves up. But as the first part of a larger work, it sets up something curious and compelling. I'm just hoping I remember the questions I still have when the next book comes out and starts supplying answers.
June 16, 2020
Wow! Just… Wow. If you enjoy epic fantasy go get yourself a copy of The Empire’s Ghost by Isabelle Steiger and make sure to pre-order book two, The Rightful Queen, which comes out on July 21, 2020.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read an epic fantasy book. I think I was put off because I was reading the wrong ones. Ones where the women have big breasts and are scantily clothed. I should have known I need to seek out female authors. Authors like Steiger who has numerous strong female characters, not everyone is constantly thinking about or having sex, and where the men are allowed to have a feeling other than rage.
The characters are so well developed and I look forward to meeting up with them again. You have the usual tropes; magic is missing, quests for the royalty, hidden revolts, and more, but it doesn’t feel like you’ve read it before. Steiger takes a fresh approach that I really enjoyed.
And the world that is built is amazing. You feel like you’re actually there with her vibrant descriptions. You can smell the stew cooking in the tavern and feel the dampness of the prison walls seep into your bones.
Steiger masterfully had the story progress giving just enough information to have you believe you know what is going on with a particular character and then she gives you some more insight that has you second guessing yourself. This made me want to read faster to see how the different characters were intertwined and I was actually saddened when the book ended. But you know that’s a great book when an author leaves you wanting, no needing, to know more.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read an epic fantasy book. I think I was put off because I was reading the wrong ones. Ones where the women have big breasts and are scantily clothed. I should have known I need to seek out female authors. Authors like Steiger who has numerous strong female characters, not everyone is constantly thinking about or having sex, and where the men are allowed to have a feeling other than rage.
The characters are so well developed and I look forward to meeting up with them again. You have the usual tropes; magic is missing, quests for the royalty, hidden revolts, and more, but it doesn’t feel like you’ve read it before. Steiger takes a fresh approach that I really enjoyed.
And the world that is built is amazing. You feel like you’re actually there with her vibrant descriptions. You can smell the stew cooking in the tavern and feel the dampness of the prison walls seep into your bones.
Steiger masterfully had the story progress giving just enough information to have you believe you know what is going on with a particular character and then she gives you some more insight that has you second guessing yourself. This made me want to read faster to see how the different characters were intertwined and I was actually saddened when the book ended. But you know that’s a great book when an author leaves you wanting, no needing, to know more.
June 11, 2020
This was a great start to a new series. I thoroughly enjoy fantasy with large casts, complex plot threads, and switching perspectives. I dove into the world due to rich descriptions and latched onto characters easily. What is really wonderful about this novel, is that each character, good, bad, or in-between as most are, they were all well rounded and drawn with the keen eye of realism. When there is that sort of realism, the fantasy slips in unnoticed, feeling natural. I was lost in in the world in best possible way and loathe to put it down for real life. Everything about this is epic and I hope to get to read the next part soon.
June 12, 2020
I really enjoyed this book the characters have pulled me in and made me want to see a better future for them, I can’t wait to read the next book to find out what has become of all of these wonderful people. I love how all the characters are coming together in their stories and how their individual stories intermingle. This is the first book I have read by this author but I know I will be reading more. I definitely recommend this book.
July 31, 2017
A well-written but over-busy debut novel, "The Empire's Ghost" is the answer to the question, "What would 'Game of Thrones' be like if the plot never really went anywhere?" The answer is that it would end up feeling a lot like "The Empire's Ghost." There is a LOT of intrigue, treachery, plotting, double-dealing, theiving, assassination, battling, and covert traveling in this novel. Ms. Steiger REALLY loves her intrigue...and to be fair, she's pretty good at writing it! George R.R. Martin would be impressed; on the other hand, even HE might find all of the moving parts a bit much. A little too much focus is put on this world's political machinations, and not enough focus on the plot progression. The result is a lot of talking and speculating, and not enough "happenings."
The characters, with few exceptions, don't become immediately engaging, three-dimensional, or memorable the way Martin's do. This is a double bummer, because there are simply WAY TOO MANY characters in this book. There are a few great character IDEAS here, but many more that never really come together. I admire the author's desire to use lots of characters to showcase different locations & situations in her world, but she spreads herself too thin. I really struggled at times to remember who was who, or who was where, or who was which character. Part of the reason for the confusion is Steiger's middling dialogue...another area in which she falls way behind Martin. Many of the dialogue exchanges are either very repetitive, or sound like the same two or three characters speaking to each other, regardless of who is supposed to be speaking. There are far too many scenes of characters repeating their goals, personality traits, or motivations to each other. These scenes happen over and over and over and over. By the time yet ANOTHER character questioned the stone-cold lady assassin's fealty to her master, I wanted to throw the book across the room. I'd already read that conversation THREE OTHER TIMES! Repeating the same character beats gets old when none of the characters never A: Explain ANYTHING to each other; or B: Have any clue what is actually going on outside the scene they are currently in.
There is a coronation/war council section in the middle of the book where many of the main characters meet, and was filled with verbal sparring and dramatic fireworks; it was a good showcase of the potential of this world and the different factions in it. At the same time, though, there was a whole set of OTHER characters that were inexplicably sidelined for this section, and most of the book's back half. The jumping between characters was clumsy and didn't serve the story well. Characters often acted very irrationally, simply because the plot (such as it was) required them to be in a certain situation. By the time the reader is FINALLY let in on some of the world's greater secrets, it is too late for it to make much of a difference in my feelings for the book. And right up until the final chapter, new characters and factions are being introduced, with no finesse, foreshadowing, or thematic point. It was blatant setup for a sequel that (may) never come. Very frustrating!
I am sorry for sounding so hard on this book...it's mostly because I feel that the author has a lot of potential. She has created a world that has lots of tantalizing, hidden secrets, and characters with intriguing backstories (at least, that's what they tell us over and over...a few ACTUAL backstory reveals would have made this aspect of the book a little stronger). Her prose is fairly confident, her world-building is deliberate and well thought out. Her characters and dialogue are more spotty, but there is enough good stuff there that I could be persuaded to read more about some of them. But maybe not ALL of them...at least not all in the same volume next time! Sometimes, less is more...that is a lesson "The Empire's Ghost" should have taken to heart.
The characters, with few exceptions, don't become immediately engaging, three-dimensional, or memorable the way Martin's do. This is a double bummer, because there are simply WAY TOO MANY characters in this book. There are a few great character IDEAS here, but many more that never really come together. I admire the author's desire to use lots of characters to showcase different locations & situations in her world, but she spreads herself too thin. I really struggled at times to remember who was who, or who was where, or who was which character. Part of the reason for the confusion is Steiger's middling dialogue...another area in which she falls way behind Martin. Many of the dialogue exchanges are either very repetitive, or sound like the same two or three characters speaking to each other, regardless of who is supposed to be speaking. There are far too many scenes of characters repeating their goals, personality traits, or motivations to each other. These scenes happen over and over and over and over. By the time yet ANOTHER character questioned the stone-cold lady assassin's fealty to her master, I wanted to throw the book across the room. I'd already read that conversation THREE OTHER TIMES! Repeating the same character beats gets old when none of the characters never A: Explain ANYTHING to each other; or B: Have any clue what is actually going on outside the scene they are currently in.
There is a coronation/war council section in the middle of the book where many of the main characters meet, and was filled with verbal sparring and dramatic fireworks; it was a good showcase of the potential of this world and the different factions in it. At the same time, though, there was a whole set of OTHER characters that were inexplicably sidelined for this section, and most of the book's back half. The jumping between characters was clumsy and didn't serve the story well. Characters often acted very irrationally, simply because the plot (such as it was) required them to be in a certain situation. By the time the reader is FINALLY let in on some of the world's greater secrets, it is too late for it to make much of a difference in my feelings for the book. And right up until the final chapter, new characters and factions are being introduced, with no finesse, foreshadowing, or thematic point. It was blatant setup for a sequel that (may) never come. Very frustrating!
I am sorry for sounding so hard on this book...it's mostly because I feel that the author has a lot of potential. She has created a world that has lots of tantalizing, hidden secrets, and characters with intriguing backstories (at least, that's what they tell us over and over...a few ACTUAL backstory reveals would have made this aspect of the book a little stronger). Her prose is fairly confident, her world-building is deliberate and well thought out. Her characters and dialogue are more spotty, but there is enough good stuff there that I could be persuaded to read more about some of them. But maybe not ALL of them...at least not all in the same volume next time! Sometimes, less is more...that is a lesson "The Empire's Ghost" should have taken to heart.
April 15, 2019
A strong debut novel with a pretty solid premise that lays down the foundation of future books in the epic story that it is trying to tell. This is one of the underrated books, and I hope that it gains a more wider audience. Isabelle Steiger is definitely a talented author to watch, and I would feel sorry if she stops writing because the book goes unnoticed or so in regards to the fantasy reading community. There isn't much action and conflict in the story, but, the political tension is palpable throughout. This is just the introduction to a more epic story arc, and the author does give us the initial scope of it with flourish.
The worldbuilding was good, as it gave a clear picture of the kingdoms, and the characters involved. The plot is based on the conquest of kingdoms by a Stalinsque figure in order to unite entire Lantistyne continent under his banner and establish a empire, along with the revival of lost magic. I liked the way the author has integrated little nuggets of information in history and magic in the narrative. The plot takes the reader along with the journey of the characters to almost four kingdoms - Esthrades, Issamira, Reglay, and Valynrend where the story first begins. The magical element is kept to a minimum in the story, and I as a reader would like to know more about the mages, and the Wardenfell, along with a good exposition about the old Empire which is so much hinted at in the story. The multi-point-of-view narrative adds a sense of suspense and anticipation on the part of the characters who are centered around the crucial events of the story.
The characters are rounded and well-written. The most intriguing of all were two women - Lady Margraine, and Seren Almasy. Both are complex, intelligent, and sort of enigmatic. The others like Roger the thief adds a certain kind of lighthearted humor into the story. I'm particularly intrigued by Lucius who is kind of a samurai swordsman, and I can't to see him in action and unite with his fellow warriors called the Shinrian. The antagonist Elgar is also a grey character with his own dubious morale. He is callous and intelligent. I enjoyed the relationship between Morgan and Braddock. I'm also further interested to know about Shinsei, Caedfael and his sister. All these unlikely characters have a part in the larger story, and the author has carefully placed them in the game that is being played and manipulated by someone strange from the shadows.
The ending is suffused in mystery, and I believe that the second book will vamp the action, and make more revelations in term of the premise and some shadowy characters. I particularly loved the part of the teenage king Kelken and his bastard sister. It was written with passion and fortitude, and it is always good to read about specially abled characters. The pacing was moderate, the writing was elegant, laced with humour and wit. I would urge the fantasy readers to pick this up, and I'm eagerly waiting for the next book The Rightful Queen.
The worldbuilding was good, as it gave a clear picture of the kingdoms, and the characters involved. The plot is based on the conquest of kingdoms by a Stalinsque figure in order to unite entire Lantistyne continent under his banner and establish a empire, along with the revival of lost magic. I liked the way the author has integrated little nuggets of information in history and magic in the narrative. The plot takes the reader along with the journey of the characters to almost four kingdoms - Esthrades, Issamira, Reglay, and Valynrend where the story first begins. The magical element is kept to a minimum in the story, and I as a reader would like to know more about the mages, and the Wardenfell, along with a good exposition about the old Empire which is so much hinted at in the story. The multi-point-of-view narrative adds a sense of suspense and anticipation on the part of the characters who are centered around the crucial events of the story.
The characters are rounded and well-written. The most intriguing of all were two women - Lady Margraine, and Seren Almasy. Both are complex, intelligent, and sort of enigmatic. The others like Roger the thief adds a certain kind of lighthearted humor into the story. I'm particularly intrigued by Lucius who is kind of a samurai swordsman, and I can't to see him in action and unite with his fellow warriors called the Shinrian. The antagonist Elgar is also a grey character with his own dubious morale. He is callous and intelligent. I enjoyed the relationship between Morgan and Braddock. I'm also further interested to know about Shinsei, Caedfael and his sister. All these unlikely characters have a part in the larger story, and the author has carefully placed them in the game that is being played and manipulated by someone strange from the shadows.
The ending is suffused in mystery, and I believe that the second book will vamp the action, and make more revelations in term of the premise and some shadowy characters. I particularly loved the part of the teenage king Kelken and his bastard sister. It was written with passion and fortitude, and it is always good to read about specially abled characters. The pacing was moderate, the writing was elegant, laced with humour and wit. I would urge the fantasy readers to pick this up, and I'm eagerly waiting for the next book The Rightful Queen.
December 31, 2022
12/30/22 - reread
Such an underrated book! Political fantasy fans need to pick it up asap!
I love when a book makes me feel like it was written for me. Can't wait to see how this story ends.
6/10/20 - reread
Loved it just as much the second time around. I think fans of Robin Hobb and George R. R. Martin will enjoy this book.
2/20/20
This book is not for everybody. It's slow but if you like character driven, political fantasy with some strong female characters - this book is for you. Some people say that the plot went nowhere and they are not wrong, however, this book is only a set up for a long series. The cast of characters is very large and it is definitely the reason for the lack of plot but I believe it will only get better from here. As a reader who prefers character driven stories, this book became my new favorite. Can't wait for the next installment.
Such an underrated book! Political fantasy fans need to pick it up asap!
I love when a book makes me feel like it was written for me. Can't wait to see how this story ends.
6/10/20 - reread
Loved it just as much the second time around. I think fans of Robin Hobb and George R. R. Martin will enjoy this book.
2/20/20
This book is not for everybody. It's slow but if you like character driven, political fantasy with some strong female characters - this book is for you. Some people say that the plot went nowhere and they are not wrong, however, this book is only a set up for a long series. The cast of characters is very large and it is definitely the reason for the lack of plot but I believe it will only get better from here. As a reader who prefers character driven stories, this book became my new favorite. Can't wait for the next installment.
June 25, 2017
This book was enjoyable after getting into it. This took quite some time, about half the book.
Since the book is about 400 pages long, this means it takes about 200 pages.
This book tells the story about a continent that once was the one country Elesthene, beautiful, rich and the place where magic fled from. Imperator Elgar wants to bring magic back to this world and also wants to recreate the illustrious Elesthene. To do this he already has conquered to of the five (Aurnis and Lanvaldis) lands on the continent besides his own (Hallarnon).
This books starts of with a 20 page prologue that is a jumble of styles fantasy can be written. As if the author wanted to try everything and keep only the best. In doing this, she introduces what seems like half of the characters in about the first half of the prologue.
When the story settles down in a bit of a pattern, a clear goal, it becomes way more enjoyable to read and some of the characters get some incredible character development.
At times it may feel a bit like an info-dump, because of the fact that the author is more so telling than showing, when she should be showing. I also got the feeling of something being overdeveloped, where some of the characters and a lot of the plot were underdeveloped. On the positive note, this leaves a lot of room for improvement and possibilities fot the next two books of the trilogy.
A lot of the characters were still likable in one way or another or have to potential to be. The likableness may also be due to the way they are written and developed as opposed to their actual character traits. I really like the character of Arianrod Margraine for this reason. Man, did Isabelle Steiger make her a well-written, well-developed, smart, badass character.
The writing style also led me to love some of the following quotes, because they made me root, or think, or both. Or sometimes simply because they were written so well.
" People often say things, my lord, simply for the pleasure of saying them. The most delightful secrets are the ones everybody knows and no one can substantiate." -Eirnwin to prince Kelken of Reglay-"
The laws of men exist to protect the innocent - but what is an innocent? Peaceful subjects are innocent until they protest. Children are innocent, but not if they steal." She shook her head. "It is a game, nothing more. Today your ruler grants you his protection, and tomorrow it is taken away because you dared to suffer, to ask too many questions."
These are just a couple of examples of beautiful quotes. There are more in the book. I find a shame I didn't all mark and write them down.
One last point: there is sort of a mystery happening in this book. It is not really meant to be important or instrumental to the plot (at least not in this book). One of the countries has a missing crown prince, believed to be dead, by some. This is said several times in the book, because his father died and that country now has trouble getting a new leader, because the siblings of the crown prince make it more difficult than it needs to be.
Nobody has found him or knows anything of where is, at all. For all we know, we could have met a character that is actually him, being incognito. There are more then enough characters in this book you know too little about to draw conclusions. I have a feeling he will show up in one of the later books.
He isn't dead until a body is found somewhere. He may be a thief, a swindler, a guide or a traitor. It may be he just wanted to get away, but He is alive until proven otherwise...
All in all it was decent, quite solid epic fantasy for a debut author. It definitely suffers a bit from the: debut vibes. The author is trying to put in too many different things, especially in the beginning.
I have a feeling it will get better in the sequels, though. This story has a lot of potential and as of now it feels like it will be worth it reading through the plot poor info dumpy sections to be able to read next one, but I will have to see if that is true.
Curious to see what the next one will bring, but until then, I'll read other books on my shelf :D
Since the book is about 400 pages long, this means it takes about 200 pages.
This book tells the story about a continent that once was the one country Elesthene, beautiful, rich and the place where magic fled from. Imperator Elgar wants to bring magic back to this world and also wants to recreate the illustrious Elesthene. To do this he already has conquered to of the five (Aurnis and Lanvaldis) lands on the continent besides his own (Hallarnon).
This books starts of with a 20 page prologue that is a jumble of styles fantasy can be written. As if the author wanted to try everything and keep only the best. In doing this, she introduces what seems like half of the characters in about the first half of the prologue.
When the story settles down in a bit of a pattern, a clear goal, it becomes way more enjoyable to read and some of the characters get some incredible character development.
At times it may feel a bit like an info-dump, because of the fact that the author is more so telling than showing, when she should be showing. I also got the feeling of something being overdeveloped, where some of the characters and a lot of the plot were underdeveloped. On the positive note, this leaves a lot of room for improvement and possibilities fot the next two books of the trilogy.
A lot of the characters were still likable in one way or another or have to potential to be. The likableness may also be due to the way they are written and developed as opposed to their actual character traits. I really like the character of Arianrod Margraine for this reason. Man, did Isabelle Steiger make her a well-written, well-developed, smart, badass character.
The writing style also led me to love some of the following quotes, because they made me root, or think, or both. Or sometimes simply because they were written so well.
" People often say things, my lord, simply for the pleasure of saying them. The most delightful secrets are the ones everybody knows and no one can substantiate." -Eirnwin to prince Kelken of Reglay-"
The laws of men exist to protect the innocent - but what is an innocent? Peaceful subjects are innocent until they protest. Children are innocent, but not if they steal." She shook her head. "It is a game, nothing more. Today your ruler grants you his protection, and tomorrow it is taken away because you dared to suffer, to ask too many questions."
These are just a couple of examples of beautiful quotes. There are more in the book. I find a shame I didn't all mark and write them down.
One last point: there is sort of a mystery happening in this book. It is not really meant to be important or instrumental to the plot (at least not in this book). One of the countries has a missing crown prince, believed to be dead, by some. This is said several times in the book, because his father died and that country now has trouble getting a new leader, because the siblings of the crown prince make it more difficult than it needs to be.
Nobody has found him or knows anything of where is, at all. For all we know, we could have met a character that is actually him, being incognito. There are more then enough characters in this book you know too little about to draw conclusions. I have a feeling he will show up in one of the later books.
He isn't dead until a body is found somewhere. He may be a thief, a swindler, a guide or a traitor. It may be he just wanted to get away, but He is alive until proven otherwise...
All in all it was decent, quite solid epic fantasy for a debut author. It definitely suffers a bit from the: debut vibes. The author is trying to put in too many different things, especially in the beginning.
I have a feeling it will get better in the sequels, though. This story has a lot of potential and as of now it feels like it will be worth it reading through the plot poor info dumpy sections to be able to read next one, but I will have to see if that is true.
Curious to see what the next one will bring, but until then, I'll read other books on my shelf :D
January 18, 2023
I loved this book. There's a lot of different plots that seem to be all over the place but have faith and keep going as everything starts to make sense or at least starts paying off before the book ends. There's a lot of characters to keep track of, it can be a bit hard at times to keep track as one minute you could be in one kingdom and then be in a totally different, but you should be able to get the gist of things along the way. Everything feels well established, you can get a sense of history of the kingdoms and the long time friendships/history among the characters. Even those that don't like each other know and for the most part respect each other and gives a vibe that's missing in most books. Normally there's characters that I don't like and can't gel with but even the "bad guy" is entertaining and doesn't particularly feel like a bad guy, more ambitious then anything. I'm definitely going to read the next book, I have a day to wait before it gets returned to the library (hopefully won't be late) and then I can continue on. If I'm being honest this is better then a lot of Game of Thrones books and it doesn't have all the unnecessary sexual scenes and violence, so this would be a good starting point for the new comers of political fantasy stories.
December 5, 2022
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4
This is an extremely ambitious book with a massively sprawling story, so many characters and plot threads that it takes some time to really get into the story. This whole first book was really just world building and introducing the many characters…it’s a lot, so much that it took most of the book to really be able to start keeping who/where/what (mostly) straight in my head. I’m hoping there will be more focus on character development in the next book now that the world is established, as they feel rather shallow thus far…most of them feel like caricatures of stereotypes so I’d really love to see them fleshed out. But even with all of that and some issues with the writing style feeling a bit clumsy and unpolished, by the end I’m feeling invested in the story and most of the characters, and I am looking forward to diving straight into the next book!
This is an extremely ambitious book with a massively sprawling story, so many characters and plot threads that it takes some time to really get into the story. This whole first book was really just world building and introducing the many characters…it’s a lot, so much that it took most of the book to really be able to start keeping who/where/what (mostly) straight in my head. I’m hoping there will be more focus on character development in the next book now that the world is established, as they feel rather shallow thus far…most of them feel like caricatures of stereotypes so I’d really love to see them fleshed out. But even with all of that and some issues with the writing style feeling a bit clumsy and unpolished, by the end I’m feeling invested in the story and most of the characters, and I am looking forward to diving straight into the next book!
February 26, 2024
The Empire's Ghost is a slow build novel, but considering the rich, descriptive writing and intricate plotline, I would say it balances itself off pretty well.
The history of the world consumes most of the pages but is relevant to the catalyst and continuation of the novel. By far, my favorite aspect of the book is how masterfully interwoven all of the characters are. The dual POV enables readers to voyeur into the lives of each character which justifies the length of the novel. Each character is unique and feels like a friend. The female leads are headstrong but distinctly vulnerable at times which makes them relatable.
The tale is impeccable with twists, turns, and intricate narratives that leave you feeling complete.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review. You can follow me on IG @JessicaReadsIt.
The history of the world consumes most of the pages but is relevant to the catalyst and continuation of the novel. By far, my favorite aspect of the book is how masterfully interwoven all of the characters are. The dual POV enables readers to voyeur into the lives of each character which justifies the length of the novel. Each character is unique and feels like a friend. The female leads are headstrong but distinctly vulnerable at times which makes them relatable.
The tale is impeccable with twists, turns, and intricate narratives that leave you feeling complete.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review. You can follow me on IG @JessicaReadsIt.
August 3, 2020
DNF - I couldn't get into the story. It started off so slow.
March 17, 2023
This is the first book in a high fantasy trilogy. It shifts between the POVs of several characters, all from a continent on brink of war. There is little/no romance with bit of action, but is mostly a political/character driven book.
This book is centered around a band of thieves and conmen living in Sheath, a slum of the imperial city of Imperator Elgar. They, along with an assorted cast of kings, ladies, butchers, advisors, and swordsmen, play a dangerous game to keep their love ones and countries safe.
Two countries have already fallen to Elgar’s dream of uniting the continent into the long-gone empire of Elesthene, and three remain. The board has been set and the opening moves and countermoves played. Who will remain standing, and who will fall?
This book is centered around a band of thieves and conmen living in Sheath, a slum of the imperial city of Imperator Elgar. They, along with an assorted cast of kings, ladies, butchers, advisors, and swordsmen, play a dangerous game to keep their love ones and countries safe.
Two countries have already fallen to Elgar’s dream of uniting the continent into the long-gone empire of Elesthene, and three remain. The board has been set and the opening moves and countermoves played. Who will remain standing, and who will fall?
Read
May 31, 2025D.N.F.
Unfortunately, I am going to have to shelf this one. I only made it 4%, which I usually prefer to push farther, but there were so many different characters and plot lines just in that small amount of time, it is very hard to follow. I couldn't tell you who any of them were or what the story was even about. None of the characters peaked my interest either, they all seem very downtrodden.
Unfortunately, I am going to have to shelf this one. I only made it 4%, which I usually prefer to push farther, but there were so many different characters and plot lines just in that small amount of time, it is very hard to follow. I couldn't tell you who any of them were or what the story was even about. None of the characters peaked my interest either, they all seem very downtrodden.
May 16, 2021
ARC Review: Received for free via Netgalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
CW/TW: war, invasion, death, blood, gore, violence, slut shaming slurs, ableism/ableist slurs, imprisonment, torture, parental death, cremation, treason, mention of beheading, knives, swords, stabbing, physical child abuse, child neglect
1. According to Goodreads, this book is 419 pages long. But the prologue alone feels like 500 pages. Why does this book feel so damn long? Is it the story? Is there too much story in this? The shock I felt when I flipped the page and it read Chapter One. I s2g I thought I was already deep in this book, but nope.
2. I think the issue here is that there is so much going on all at once and there are so many characters being introduced, that it feels stuffed. Like there are so many characters, so many, and some of them, their stories are for what? I don't get why there are so many characters and not enough story for them. We aren't given enough story to care about all of them.
3. Too many characters are introduced all at once and I can only name like three (3) characters and that's because they're names are easy to remember. Everyone else is just *shrug*, I know there's a D name and a B name. I remember Shinsei because he's a sad baby and I attach myself to sad babies.
4. So many words, so many, many words! So much words, it's just a lot of words. Why are there so many words in a book that's only 419 pages long? It feels like I've already ready 500 pages. Why does it feel so long!??
5. On the upside though, it picks up. Around the 40% mark it does start to show where it's going and it does start to get interesting. The more the worldbuilding comes together, and the more you learn about the characters, the better it gets, which is a good thing because this book sounds interesting as heck and I was getting a little disappointed that after my excitement for it I'd suddenly be disappointed.
6. Steiger's writing is actually very good, I like how she uses words to describe things (unlike my meager skills at doing the same thing). It's not too much, there isn't an overabundance of fantastical words, and it's instead quite simple language that's easy to understand. The only issue I can see, as mentioned before, is just how long it feels. It's not actually that long, especially when you get past the first 40%, but the buildup feels very long. But again, once the story picks up, it actually moves very quickly.
7. Its uncomfortable how Kel is described and how he describes himself. I get that it's because of the people he's around and the language they use, but still. Like, sure he has the whole 'perservers despite' thing going on, and even that's a little *squints eyes*. I like his character though, it's well put together, just wish is was minus the ableism.
8. My favourite characters are definitely Lady Margraine and Lucius, LM because she's got that delicious evilness that didn't start from delicate flower, she's just always been that way, always playing the game of thrones, lol. I like her mind and her characterisation and enjoy the parts with her in them. I love Lucius just becuase of the mystery. Like nobody knows much about him but we know he's more than he says. How can you not like that? He's intriguing. I am thoroughly intrigued by him! And Seth who I'm scared is going to die only becuase he's been set up that way (characters like Seth always die for some reason and it needs to stop!) I love that he's a soft boy TM who everyone loves and cares for and about. Please don't die Seth 💔.
9. As the story goes on, the many characters we were introduced to don't feel so many after all. When you learn more about them and their roles in the story become more clear, they actually don't feel like too many characters. You get to see the roles they're play. (I still don't remember most of their names though, but nobody can name all the character in GoT either, so.. Only the important names are remembered!)
10. Again, I really like Steiger's writing style and I love how well the story goes once it's picked up. It really does fly by once you get past that 40% mark, everything starts flowing and coming together and you can see the story unfolding.
11. There is still a lot going on and you almost forget what one character was up to by the time you get back to them, but I find that it's not as bad as it could. Despite the *almost forgetting* thing, when you do get back to the character you don't feel like you've forgotten too much of what is happening, and Streiger makes it so you are reminded without a full-on recap of the previous situation.
12. Overall,i enjoyed this book and will definitely read the next one!
CW/TW: war, invasion, death, blood, gore, violence, slut shaming slurs, ableism/ableist slurs, imprisonment, torture, parental death, cremation, treason, mention of beheading, knives, swords, stabbing, physical child abuse, child neglect
1. According to Goodreads, this book is 419 pages long. But the prologue alone feels like 500 pages. Why does this book feel so damn long? Is it the story? Is there too much story in this? The shock I felt when I flipped the page and it read Chapter One. I s2g I thought I was already deep in this book, but nope.
2. I think the issue here is that there is so much going on all at once and there are so many characters being introduced, that it feels stuffed. Like there are so many characters, so many, and some of them, their stories are for what? I don't get why there are so many characters and not enough story for them. We aren't given enough story to care about all of them.
3. Too many characters are introduced all at once and I can only name like three (3) characters and that's because they're names are easy to remember. Everyone else is just *shrug*, I know there's a D name and a B name. I remember Shinsei because he's a sad baby and I attach myself to sad babies.
4. So many words, so many, many words! So much words, it's just a lot of words. Why are there so many words in a book that's only 419 pages long? It feels like I've already ready 500 pages. Why does it feel so long!??
5. On the upside though, it picks up. Around the 40% mark it does start to show where it's going and it does start to get interesting. The more the worldbuilding comes together, and the more you learn about the characters, the better it gets, which is a good thing because this book sounds interesting as heck and I was getting a little disappointed that after my excitement for it I'd suddenly be disappointed.
6. Steiger's writing is actually very good, I like how she uses words to describe things (unlike my meager skills at doing the same thing). It's not too much, there isn't an overabundance of fantastical words, and it's instead quite simple language that's easy to understand. The only issue I can see, as mentioned before, is just how long it feels. It's not actually that long, especially when you get past the first 40%, but the buildup feels very long. But again, once the story picks up, it actually moves very quickly.
7. Its uncomfortable how Kel is described and how he describes himself. I get that it's because of the people he's around and the language they use, but still. Like, sure he has the whole 'perservers despite' thing going on, and even that's a little *squints eyes*. I like his character though, it's well put together, just wish is was minus the ableism.
8. My favourite characters are definitely Lady Margraine and Lucius, LM because she's got that delicious evilness that didn't start from delicate flower, she's just always been that way, always playing the game of thrones, lol. I like her mind and her characterisation and enjoy the parts with her in them. I love Lucius just becuase of the mystery. Like nobody knows much about him but we know he's more than he says. How can you not like that? He's intriguing. I am thoroughly intrigued by him! And Seth who I'm scared is going to die only becuase he's been set up that way (characters like Seth always die for some reason and it needs to stop!) I love that he's a soft boy TM who everyone loves and cares for and about. Please don't die Seth 💔.
9. As the story goes on, the many characters we were introduced to don't feel so many after all. When you learn more about them and their roles in the story become more clear, they actually don't feel like too many characters. You get to see the roles they're play. (I still don't remember most of their names though, but nobody can name all the character in GoT either, so.. Only the important names are remembered!)
10. Again, I really like Steiger's writing style and I love how well the story goes once it's picked up. It really does fly by once you get past that 40% mark, everything starts flowing and coming together and you can see the story unfolding.
11. There is still a lot going on and you almost forget what one character was up to by the time you get back to them, but I find that it's not as bad as it could. Despite the *almost forgetting* thing, when you do get back to the character you don't feel like you've forgotten too much of what is happening, and Streiger makes it so you are reminded without a full-on recap of the previous situation.
12. Overall,i enjoyed this book and will definitely read the next one!
July 15, 2020
*** I received this book as a free copy from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/ Thomas Dunne Books
in return for an honest review ***
Side note: Isabelle Steiger's new book is coming out next week, so St Martin's Press was offering a special download on her first book in exchange for a review. Unfortunately, the version they sent me was a protected PDF with horrible formatting. This mattered because the book has a lot of POVs and different characters and the POV in the PDF would shift from character to character with no warning whatsoever. Super confusing and annoying.
BUT ...
The good news is that I was enjoying the story, so I got a Kindle version (it's on sale at Amazon) and that was much better ... so on to the review.
This is a intricately-plotted novel with some excellent world-building. There are numerous characters all with their own POVs (did I mention that already?) The good news is that all the POVs belong to empathetic characters. There are no obvious villains or heroes in this book, just everyone trying to do the best they can to survive. There are no pitched battles, a couple of sword fights here and there (which can be good or bad news depending on what you are looking for). The not-so-good news is that it can get very difficult to keep track of everyone and all their relationships to each other. The bad news is that if you are looking for a clear plot-line with some idea of where the series is going, because of all these plotlines, you are pretty much screwed. Till the end, I'm still not sure where the author is taking this book.
Here is my sense of what is going on in the book: There used to be magic in the world, now its all gone. With the exception of the two of the protagonists, both rulers, Arianrod Margraine and her enemy, Imperator Elgar, who are sort of proto-mages with limited magic powers. There are a bunch of supporting characters, a gang of tavern hangers-on each with their own skills. There are a few soldiers/assassin who serve each of these rulers, but in many cases, have lost their memories, so have no idea what they are doing. Arianrod is trying to understand and restore magic, Elgar is trying to conquer the continent, but everything is very low-key.
I find this sort of refreshing because I've seen a lot of books with clear quests and clear goodies and baddies. I like Isabelle's lack of clear demarcation between good and bad (or indeed in her refusal to make anyone intrinsically bad). I like her world building, I like the way she describes her characters' issues and how they deal with them. I would put this down as a thoughtful book, quiet, understated and well-done. I would definitely want to read the next book - even if it is only to figure out where she is going with this.
in return for an honest review ***
Side note: Isabelle Steiger's new book is coming out next week, so St Martin's Press was offering a special download on her first book in exchange for a review. Unfortunately, the version they sent me was a protected PDF with horrible formatting. This mattered because the book has a lot of POVs and different characters and the POV in the PDF would shift from character to character with no warning whatsoever. Super confusing and annoying.
BUT ...
The good news is that I was enjoying the story, so I got a Kindle version (it's on sale at Amazon) and that was much better ... so on to the review.
This is a intricately-plotted novel with some excellent world-building. There are numerous characters all with their own POVs (did I mention that already?) The good news is that all the POVs belong to empathetic characters. There are no obvious villains or heroes in this book, just everyone trying to do the best they can to survive. There are no pitched battles, a couple of sword fights here and there (which can be good or bad news depending on what you are looking for). The not-so-good news is that it can get very difficult to keep track of everyone and all their relationships to each other. The bad news is that if you are looking for a clear plot-line with some idea of where the series is going, because of all these plotlines, you are pretty much screwed. Till the end, I'm still not sure where the author is taking this book.
Here is my sense of what is going on in the book: There used to be magic in the world, now its all gone. With the exception of the two of the protagonists, both rulers, Arianrod Margraine and her enemy, Imperator Elgar, who are sort of proto-mages with limited magic powers. There are a bunch of supporting characters, a gang of tavern hangers-on each with their own skills. There are a few soldiers/assassin who serve each of these rulers, but in many cases, have lost their memories, so have no idea what they are doing. Arianrod is trying to understand and restore magic, Elgar is trying to conquer the continent, but everything is very low-key.
I find this sort of refreshing because I've seen a lot of books with clear quests and clear goodies and baddies. I like Isabelle's lack of clear demarcation between good and bad (or indeed in her refusal to make anyone intrinsically bad). I like her world building, I like the way she describes her characters' issues and how they deal with them. I would put this down as a thoughtful book, quiet, understated and well-done. I would definitely want to read the next book - even if it is only to figure out where she is going with this.
August 23, 2020
Covers often provide vehicles to draw us to books. If I were to see a person walking alone on the beach or into the arms of a significant other, I know I need to head into the opposite direction of that novel. But by the same token, if I see a desolate frozen world with a lone individual walking towards a deep dark abyss or something indistinguishable in the distance, well then you have me intrigued. For good measure, you can also throw in something supernatural in the title. The Empire's Ghost, suddenly I want to know more.
The Empire's Ghost is the tale of a continent in disarray. Once a mighty land full of magic, it is now a bunch of tiny kingdoms struggling to see the new day. Enter Elgar, who has taken over the old capital of the land and from there grows his dictatorship over each of the small ruling kingdoms until it has achieved total rule. However, hope still exists and as we learn about the princes, kings and queens who still have their kingdom and their people to look after, we find that there might be a resistance that stands a chance in this world.
Most stories like to throw around the word Epic a lot. The Empire's Ghost embodies and absorbs that statement all upon its own. It's actually about four main stories spanning multiple kingdoms with a whole lot of sub-stories that intertwine at will. The amount of characters is staggering, almost to the point of over saturation. It literally takes 150-175 pages to really grasp all of the plot and the nuances that are a part of each kingdom.
Another issue with the book is that even though the reader might understand the plot before they reach the halfway point, they spend an insane amount of time away from the action and focus too much on narrative and political ends. Thrilling points occur mostly at the very tail end of the book and asking the reader to stick around through some of the confusing subplots is a bit much for the eventual reward.
However, with that said once the book really gets going, it does find its foothold. One has to keep in mind that this is the author's first novel and the improvement from page 1 to page 419 is staggering. In fact, I'm really interested to see the sequel and see if my theory that it's a fantastic follow up will hold true. In that sense, I do give this book a hearty recommendation for it is a fine first effort, and despite some issues, there is promise. Take care and enjoy.
The Empire's Ghost is the tale of a continent in disarray. Once a mighty land full of magic, it is now a bunch of tiny kingdoms struggling to see the new day. Enter Elgar, who has taken over the old capital of the land and from there grows his dictatorship over each of the small ruling kingdoms until it has achieved total rule. However, hope still exists and as we learn about the princes, kings and queens who still have their kingdom and their people to look after, we find that there might be a resistance that stands a chance in this world.
Most stories like to throw around the word Epic a lot. The Empire's Ghost embodies and absorbs that statement all upon its own. It's actually about four main stories spanning multiple kingdoms with a whole lot of sub-stories that intertwine at will. The amount of characters is staggering, almost to the point of over saturation. It literally takes 150-175 pages to really grasp all of the plot and the nuances that are a part of each kingdom.
Another issue with the book is that even though the reader might understand the plot before they reach the halfway point, they spend an insane amount of time away from the action and focus too much on narrative and political ends. Thrilling points occur mostly at the very tail end of the book and asking the reader to stick around through some of the confusing subplots is a bit much for the eventual reward.
However, with that said once the book really gets going, it does find its foothold. One has to keep in mind that this is the author's first novel and the improvement from page 1 to page 419 is staggering. In fact, I'm really interested to see the sequel and see if my theory that it's a fantastic follow up will hold true. In that sense, I do give this book a hearty recommendation for it is a fine first effort, and despite some issues, there is promise. Take care and enjoy.
January 24, 2018
"As much as I love being made privy to confessions of dishonesty and criminal acts in my own establishment," Morgan interrupted, "I don't believe I gave you two any impression--any at all--that this was the proper place to stash your spoils."
The quote rendered above was the first moment while reading this book I laughed aloud (certainly not the last), and was also the moment I fell in love with everything about it. And yes, this quote came from page seven.
To say this book was good would be doing it a disservice.
This book reminded me of David Eddings' The Belgariad in all the best ways. At first glance, it seems like your run-of-the-mill fantasy series, complete with rulers and kingdoms and ancient whispers of magic. The summary leaves a lot to be desired, and really, when you get into it, the plot seems kind of simple. But that's the point, because the plot isn't what's important, it's the characters. I love, relate to, and/or believe every single character in this goddamn masterpiece. Within just a few pages, I already felt like I could go somewhere and meet Lucius Aquila or Shinsei or Cadfael or Marquise Margraine. They were all so real, and those are just the first few characters! (admittedly, my favorites).
Yes, this book does take a bit of time to get started, but I guess I'm used to that after spending so much of my life reading high fantasy. You have to give them time, let them set-dress and introduce characters.
The Empire's Ghost didn't really start the party until it was absolutely sure it had me in its grasp, until it knew without a shadow of a doubt that I loved and would DIE FOR these characters. Then it threw them into a multitude of different plotlines that somehow all converged near the end and made way for the second book because Isabelle Steiger is a genius??? Oh my god????
I finished this book an hour ago and I can't stop thinking about it. I've dreamt about it lately, and that's just not good. How am I supposed to wait for the next one? I need to know who Shinsei is. I need to know what's going on with Rhia and Prince Hephestion. I need to know if Prince Landon is alive or not, why Lady Margraine is the way she is, what King Kelken can do, what Lucius' goal is, and who were those two women Roger overheard speaking in Valyanrend? (Are they the gods? I think they're the gods.)
Anyway, I've been destroyed by this book. Thanks.
dnf
September 14, 2023DNF @ 52%
oh, this book! i tried so hard, as you can see, getting just a little over halfway through the book, but alas, my struggle is over. i've been reading this book extremely slowly, since may, and at some point i think i just had to call it quits, because i was starting to forget important details.
i was tempted to dnf a while ago, but every time i picked it up again i found myself kind of enjoying it, which isn't surprising, because there's a lot of potential here. i think the writing is really sharp and elegant (and actually like, really lovely at times, the kind of writing you'd want to emulate), most of the characters (and there are a TON of them, way too many, frankly) are relatively interesting and distinctive (arianrod is awesome, honestly one of the most interesting female characters i've seen in fantasy), and the epic scope feels very all-encompassing.
however, the worldbuilding is lacking -- i don't get a sense of culture from any of the countries in this book. even the magic is very generic, and we don't really get much information about that until pretty far into the book. the pace is extremely slow; very little happens, and there's even a side-quest situation that happens early on with a bunch of characters who, while enjoyable, really could have been excised entirely from the novel. there's certainly a lot of build-up and intrigue, but none of it ever really goes anywhere. it's the sort of book where the journey matters far more than the destination, but unfortunately the journey isn't that interesting.
it's unfortunate, because i think i could have enjoyed this book far more (or at least finished it!) if it had focused on a smaller cast of characters and picked up the pace just a bit! that said, i will definitely check out whatever this author writes next.
oh, this book! i tried so hard, as you can see, getting just a little over halfway through the book, but alas, my struggle is over. i've been reading this book extremely slowly, since may, and at some point i think i just had to call it quits, because i was starting to forget important details.
i was tempted to dnf a while ago, but every time i picked it up again i found myself kind of enjoying it, which isn't surprising, because there's a lot of potential here. i think the writing is really sharp and elegant (and actually like, really lovely at times, the kind of writing you'd want to emulate), most of the characters (and there are a TON of them, way too many, frankly) are relatively interesting and distinctive (arianrod is awesome, honestly one of the most interesting female characters i've seen in fantasy), and the epic scope feels very all-encompassing.
however, the worldbuilding is lacking -- i don't get a sense of culture from any of the countries in this book. even the magic is very generic, and we don't really get much information about that until pretty far into the book. the pace is extremely slow; very little happens, and there's even a side-quest situation that happens early on with a bunch of characters who, while enjoyable, really could have been excised entirely from the novel. there's certainly a lot of build-up and intrigue, but none of it ever really goes anywhere. it's the sort of book where the journey matters far more than the destination, but unfortunately the journey isn't that interesting.
it's unfortunate, because i think i could have enjoyed this book far more (or at least finished it!) if it had focused on a smaller cast of characters and picked up the pace just a bit! that said, i will definitely check out whatever this author writes next.
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