Fear's Union

by James Hockley

Anejo has always battled against the natural order of things – she is nobility, but she plays at being a soldier. And her reckless streak often brings her notoriety, where all she actually wants is to hide away. Trouble follows where she treads, but will she be a force for good or a force for bad?

And Keles has the unenviable task of controlling Anejo. But he also has his own agenda, and he is having an illicit affair – with Anejo’s friend no less. That too is becoming a burden he can no longer bear. Will he be able to shed his problems and fulfil his potential?

Because in the meantime, enemies are circling and conflict gathers. There are dangers stalking the borders, and a darker menace looms large. But even allies are not dependable, and perhaps the greatest threat is from within. A lot will rest on Anejo’s narrow shoulders; including the continued liberation of her country.

407 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2016

About the author

Hey there - so this is where I introduce myself. Umm... [stands in corner with eyes to the floor].

Well, that's what the introvert in me says, but I'm sure we can do better than that, can't we?

First up, there's a picture of me right up there, which is a good start. And yes, I’m the one at the back – where the arrow is pointed. The cut-off mop of blond hair at the front is my son, who always seems to make it into my photos these days. It seemed rude not to include him...

But a photo isn’t really getting to know someone, is it? So, that’s why I thought I’d lay my whole life in front of you in this handy breakdown:

1. Sleeping [33.3% of my life]
2. Working [23.8% of my life]
3. Tidying up after the kids [20.5%]
4. Having fun with the kids [7.1%]
5. Running (to escape from the kids) [3%]
6. Watching anything but kids' TV [8%]
7. Writing [4%]

As you can see, there’s only a little slither of time for writing – right up there at the top. Not that I’m complaining or anything, but hopefully that explains why it has taken 17 years (yup, that’s seventeen) to get these stories down onto digital paper. Hopefully it’ll get quicker with practice…

In the meantime, if you fancy finding out more (or indeed saying hello), then please do. These are the best ways of getting in touch:

Website: jhockley.com

Email: jh@jhockley.com

It may alarm you to notice that there isn’t a link to a Facebook page at this juncture. Sorry about that. As you will see from the infographic, there isn’t any time put aside for social media, and so the Facebook page I did once setup became a desolate waste-ground that wasn’t helpful to anyone. So it got binned. Maybe one day it will get revived, but in the meantime come and visit me at the website or ping me an email – it’d be great to hear from you.

Reviews

[Dan Gillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this stirring dark tale of an embattled nation which must contend against the subversion of rival nations. The political intrigue and the plight of the cast of characters is deeply imbedded in each chapter. Overall, the action revolves around three main characters, with the perspective following secondary characters occasionally between switches. I found the characters well developed and engaging.

The country of Ahan has a rich backstory that the author develops carefully through the narrative. This includes elements of connection to rival countries as well as a fractured relationship with the head of dominant religion. The author establishes the tension early with Anejo, a young brash protagonist who seeks independence through her place within Ahan’s special forces, the Mandahoi. Anejo is certainly dynamic as her resolve fluctuates in times of great crisis, but ultimately her sense of duty drives her to act. Of all the main characters, I found her the most engaging and interesting. I was drawn to her plight, that of a ruling heiress who is repulsed by the fame of her station. This is not a new approach for the fantasy genre, but I did enjoy Hockley’s take on it.

I can appreciate the great internal struggles that characters deal with in all good stories. Yet I found the amount of times the characters pondered/agonized over their troubles slowed the pace in this novel. Much of the introspection was repetitive, to remind the reader of how the characters motivations, weaknesses or desires. I personally felt overwhelmed at times and desired to get back to the great detail work and complex story elements. It may have detached me from characters like Xen and Keles, whose story is heavy at times.

This was a great fantasy read and I was comfortable with the unveiling the unique history and backstory. Again I was very impressed with the amount of attention and detail put into all critical elements. I felt transported and immersed into the struggles of Ahan. As such, the mood was oppressive, brooding and dark. I was able to follow the storyline without any issues, even if I were to forget a reference to any specific people or place. In the end, I was satisfied with the conclusion and fate of the main characters. I was left wondering on a few points which the author has baited quite nicely for the inevitable sequel.

I received a copy of this novel for a fair non-reciprocal review.

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where do I begin, this book in my opinion could have benefitted from a simple writing style, I love the voice of the author but I felt his choice of words were a tad too taxing that is just my opinion. While I understood what the author was saying, I prefer reading books which are not bogged down with descriptive words.
it does not take from the story itself, it just made it a struggle to get into at first. But once I started to understand and connect with the characters, I fell into a stride and I found myself turning page after page. The author crafted characters that you feel strongly for and keeps you wanting to know how their fate ends. Without writing a tell all and spoiling it for readers, there are lots of actions, fight scenes, mysteries, dragons and dark forces all in the mix here and I recommend this book to all fantasy lovers.
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review

[Joe Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start off by saying I really don't like writing negative reviews. If I'm going to criticize someone else's work, I'd rather do it in the context of a beta read or editing services, not reviewing a finished product. Alas, that's what I have to do here.

Fear's Union starts off with an interesting, if familiar, premise: a dark army of specter-like knights is gathering power, and moving steadily east with the intention of conquering all before it.

Unfortunately, for me, that's where the interest dried up. We are shortly deposited into a battle between people we don't know anything about yet, and people who are never actually identified. Action quickly swirls into a furious maelstrom that left me with the impression that this was going to be an anime in written form, with characters single-handedly killing dragons in mid-air, and young girls taking out entire squads of enemy soldiers because they're angry, and being angry makes them focus.

It didn't stay like that for long, though, dropping back down into the realm of fantasy "realism." But what we're left with is a puzzling band of PoV characters (eight of them, if I remember correctly, with a ninth thrown in at the end of the book). The characters felt largely wooden, all of them a walking cliche of some kind that, for some reason, are each endowed with a "nervous tick" that they perform repeatedly every time the books shifts to their point of view. Hardly a page can go by without Anejo digging at her cuticles, Aran scratching the back of his shoulder, Xen smoothing her uniform, Keles cracking his knuckles, etc. After the twentieth time I read it, it became really grating. By the end of the book, I was rolling my eyes every time one of them did it.

Probably the biggest problem with the work is the lack of a map. Directions are given in relation to a pair of mountains instead of by the usual north/south/east/west, so for most of the book, I had directions reversed and I never really got a good grasp of where a lot of the places mentioned were. The book could really use a map and an appendix so people can look this stuff up when it confuses them. On top of this, there are so many nations/races/places and they all have similar names, and the distinctions are never plainly spelled out. For example, you have the House of Jinq, to which several of our PoV characters belong, and then there's a character named Jinqué. Aran, Ahan, Mandaria, mandahoi, mahan, Jinq, Jinqué, Rianja, Rhanna, etc.

Dialogue is choppy, almost always separated by a paragraph or three detailing what the current PoV character thinks about what was just said, and how elated they are at the witty retort they're about to unleash. Every conversation seems to be a verbal duel, with the characters seeming to get off on how rude and disrespectful they are to each other, or simply never ceasing to try to one-up each other, even their "friends" and "allies." And when the PoV character starts performing their nervous tick in between every other line of dialogue, it gets really bogged down.

Does magic exist in this world? Because certain characters can seem to defy the laws of physics and reality, but magic is never even mentioned, much less explained. About the closest thing to it is a demon-possessed character, but how he came to be that way is also never explained.

Continuity seems to be a problem in many places. Weather changes from page to page, such that a battle that's taking place during a thunderstorm doesn't stop the setting sun from reflecting brilliantly off a combatant's sword. While that's possible, I suppose, in another scene, we have people go from standing in the rain talking to suddenly looking out at storm clouds on the horizon, signalling rain is coming when it was already there 2 pages ago. Characters go from being able to stand toe-to-toe with dragons and beating up entire squads of enemy soldiers single-handedly to getting humiliated by one person who had no business beating her. A character is put on trial for murder, but nobody asks how a 125-pound girl lifted a full grown, armed and armored man 2 feet off the ground and stapled him to a doorway. Enemy soldiers try to rape one of the female leads in the middle of a battle? Really? In the middle of a battle?

And battle is the final point of contention I have with the work. The big battle at the end is anti-climactic, and full of cliches, contradictions, and blatant shades of influence from movies. The armies standing idly and watching while two champions duel it out may have worked in Troy, but makes no sense in the context of this book. Likewise, the bad guys standing around doing nothing while the heroes hug and cry it out after defeating an enemy champion is just plain baffling. A massive volley of arrows that blots out the sun may be everyone's favorite moment from 300, but it comes across as a stretch here. The army with the low ground doesn't have the advantage tactically, and firing uphill is a big part of that. Arrows also don't pierce plate armor, which is the point of wearing it, whereas crossbows were made to pierce plate armor, yet the Dusk warriors apparently stop using theirs once they're actually in range. 50,000 soldiers are completely demoralized by the death of one officer; did they not have any other officers? And this is to say nothing of the disappointment in learning that this army of Dusk is just ugly people under it all? I was expecting spectre-like beings. Having it turn out to be people was a major letdown after the way they were presented in the prologue and the first encounter during the chase scene.

So, unfortunately, very little of this book worked for me. The fact that it was 640 pages only exacerbated that. A work of this length really needs to be strong to hold the reader throughout, and for me, there were too many places where it was easy to put down out of frustration. The author seems to have painted himself into a bit of a corner, eliminating his largest threat in the opening volume and leaving people we're not really scared of or intimidated by at all. Re-establishing the threat in Book 2 will be a tremendous uphill battle.

- I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[E.M. Swift-Hook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply dark and detailed.

“I fear I only part-own this collection of events. I have a mind to leave the recital to those enriched with the detail.”

I must make an admission here, I love dark, action-based fantasy with strong characters - especially strong female characters - and a fast paced plot. So when I started Fear's Union I was feeling full of anticipation and it did deliver on some of that promise very well indeed.

Fear's Union is the first book in a dark fantasy series. It is painted on an epic canvas with both the broad brush of world scene setting and the fine pen of local detail. The world is well envisaged and thought through by the author. Its geography and political structures, its social and religious institutions, are all explored well and allow the reader a sense of place which slowly builds up. The action is well planned and progresses at a good pace.

The story has two key themes: the defence of the realm of the Mandari against its enemies, both internal and external, and the decline (and possible eventual redemption) of the elite military order of the Mandari - the Mandahoi.

Relentless logic and brutal single-mindedness were part of the formula, but there were so many other components: expert interpretation of the senses; the ability to manage and repress emotions; and an unparalleled link between thought and action.

This description speaks of the Mandahoi as an elite - a warrior caste of extreme excellence combining the mental and physical discipline of shaolin monks with some kind of Jedi-like training perhaps. However, it is quickly very obvious that the reputation is no longer the realty. The author very cleverly brings us to realise something has gone wrong with the present generation.

The Mandahoi we follow - Xen, Anejo and Aran - are ruled by their emotions, even given to bursting into tears at any moment of stress. They are pulled around by various desires, wishes and needs, over which they seem able to exercise almost no self-control. They frequently make bad decisions in battle, surviving more by good fortune than good management and are driven by their passions and expediency rather than any logic. At one point Anejo even screams at her family like a hormonal teen: “You have ruined my life.” Even the Mandahoi Master, Keles, has almost no real control over his own emotions. He is caught up in a love affair and is continually distracted by it - when he should be focused on the task in hand he is wondering how his lover is. But he shows he has greater insight than all the others, recognising his own weakness and taking drastic steps to learn a better way. As a reader, I began to feel increasingly sad for the loss of the spirit of the once great order - especially as this was coinciding with the moment of greatest peril for the people they were supposed to protect.

The narrative begins with a series of battles in which the Mandahoi Master Keles, his lover Xen and her best friend Anejo - who is also daughter of the ruling dynasty - all take part. They are aided by the enigmatic and legendary Kato and hindered by the cowardly Aran, who is grappling with his own inner demons - maybe literally. Evidence mounts that these attacks were caused by a supposed ally and, going against direct orders from the highest authority, our heroes head off to get evidence of this vile perfidy. The consequences of that action lead onto further misfortunes and difficulties for all of them, ramping up the tension as they move towards a final crisis.

It all takes place under the growing shadow of threat from the arrival of the dreaded Dusk - which is never really defined but seemed to me to be some kind of undead force, or perhaps something more like the darkspawn from Dragon Age. A bit like in the real world, the various factions are so busy fighting each other and jostling for advantage that they don't seem to care that a greater external threat is on the way. Even those who believe in the existence of the Dusk, don't behave as if it is a greater priority than the chance to get one over on their neighbour. This sets the scene for a world unprepared for the descent of a great evil, disunited and in desperate need of good leadership.

The young man’s eyes exploded, and Kantal steadied.

The book has just two flaws, in my opinion. The major flaw is the style of writing. Language use is very odd and took a few too many steps into the realms of incomprehensibility for my taste. More often, though, the inappropriate use of a word simply misleads the reader. In the example above, someone's eyes explode and just as I had dealt with that horrific mental image, a couple of sentences further on it became clear there was in fact no injury. It was actually metaphorical hyperbole. But this kind of thing is not an exceptional event. The entire book is written in an extreme style. This might be a genuine plus point for some readers, but for me it was pretty much a deal-breaker, ruining my immersion in the story, as I had to go back and reread and then re-envisage some events.

The other flaw is a highly personal one and may well be something no one else would agree with - I just could not find much empathy with any of the main characters. Don't get me wrong, they were all well drawn and believable, just not the sort of people I could find very likable. I know the characters have to be weak to make the point about the decline of the Mandehoi, but it would have pleased me more if they were nicer people.

These two issues aside, if you are looking for a book that has a stonking fantasy action based plot, is set in a well-thought out and intriguing world, with very humanly flawed characters, you may well want to join the resistance and spread the word that Dusk is coming!

[251 Things To Do · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horses, sword fights, mythology, dragons and a dark setting. James Hockley’s “Fear’s Union” is centered around three young friends, Xen, Anejo, and Aran, who are each very different from one another. I loved the dynamic between these protagonist characters.

I personally would have liked to see a little more simplified language, but if you are into poetry I think you can easily fall in love this. I felt I struggled a bit with this one in comprehending. I am slightly biased on that topic as well, because I love simple smooth reads, straight forward but for the poetic soul, this could be a treasure.

Another aspect I would have changed are the character names…Anejo and Aran are too similar, throw in the similar name of the territory Ahan… I found my mind not fully distinguishing between them at times.

I felt the reactions and depictions of the characters were pretty accurate. I believe women usually have a harder time inflicting pain and terror, because we are born and the ultimate nurturers/lovers. We are by nature more caring for everything and this is why I believe women will eventually be the leaders of the world after being so oppressed for so long. Negative energy only attracts negative energy, positive nurturing energy, mitigation towards a logical solution is the intelligent way to go about things, and this is what women are excellent at. Controlling one’s anger/aggression, emotions, is the ultimate power.

Overall, I thought this was beautifully written, packed with details, and the author did an excellent job in painting a picture. If you are into the medieval war, fantasy reads, with strong female characters, then you’ll probably love this.

[Om Chand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the kind of reader who is always looking for good writing. Having been a fan of classic literature from my early childhood, I like a good balance of telling vs showing. This book had such a good balance for me to enjoy it to the fullest.

This book is first part of an epic fantasy trilogy - the Age of Ku. Three friends who suddenly find themselves in middle of a war. The friendship among them is suddenly at stake too, for they encounter unimaginable situations that test their forbearance. It's a tough journey for them till the end, but what would they find at the end? Or, would they even be there to see the end? Those were the constant questions that kept me hooked to the book.

The writing is solid. It's very clear that the author has not only done a lot of research with the subject but also with the words. It all comes together very well. The battle scenes are so rich in their descriptions. The personalities are portrayed in such detail manner as though you've known them from past. Specifically Anejo's character has been designed with such a deep insight throughout the book.

Despite of being a bigger book than what i usually read, I never felt once that I was just turning pages - the story and the pace kept me thoroughly engaged. Anyone who is looking for a lot of good fantasy reading, this book is a must read. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in Mr. Hockley's epic series.

[James Cardona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark, mysterious force is on the rise, an army that fights from the shadows, creatures believed to only exist in fairytales used to frighten small children, the Dusk. The kingdoms are in disarray. In the confusion they fight each other leaving only the Mandahoi to fight the approaching horde. But to be a Mandahoi is to sacrifice self, to yield all things human, mind, body, and soul, and give one’s self over to the bloodlust of a demon.

The book was chock full of crazy-good battle scenes. I really enjoyed the imagery in the epic high-fantasy tale. Most notable was the inner turmoil several of the characters had in becoming Mandahoi. One was a coward, wanting to fight yet so resistant to yielding himself. Two others were females-apparently unheard of in the order—who had to constantly prove themselves. Add to these a mysterious outsider and finally a the battle-proven leader and you have a great varied cast.

As to offensive content, there’s a smattering of profanity in addition to some scenes of attempted rape such as when a few of the female warriors are captured by the enemy. Additionally, there are some speed bumps in the writing, particularly around some of the dialog, but the rest of the writing is quite solid and more than compensates.

Certainly a brilliant first effort from new, fresh talent from across the pond. I am rating it 4.5 stars rounded to 5. Recommended!

[Arielle LeClair · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I did enjoy this author's world and how he built up the characters and scenes happening within. He used beautiful language to illustrate battle scenes, and the feelings his characters were experiencing.

There were some points where the reader could get confused, especially when the points of view change so drastically in a small amount of time. The author sometimes lags when it comes to telling us just who the view has changed to, and it can become a guessing game until a name is mentioned. Other times, when one character is speaking of another, it can be unclear at first as to who he or she is referring to.

I didn't have any issues with grammar or spelling, which is a big plus. There was a rawness to the scenes and people in this book that I enjoyed, and I would recommend this to fantasy readers.

[Chrys Cymri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not an easy read, for a number of reasons.

The language varies widely. The writing and dialogue is often very formal, complete with lack of contractions, but then suddenly a modern expletive will be thrown in. Descriptions are piled on and sometimes I couldn’t work out what the writer actually meant. An example sentence from early on: ‘The whispered words of his companion seemed to aggregate through the eerie silence of the dead forest, but alarm remained absent.’

Many chapters offer only pronouns for the point of view character for the first few pages. It isn’t until quite a way in that we have the name of the person. This happened time and again, and I found it annoying to have to work out whom the book is currently following rather than just making it clear at the start of the chapter.

There is a lot of telling, not showing. Dialogue scenes are slowed by long stretches of telling us what the character is thinking or feeling. We are told by a character what they are like, and then another character tells us again what that person is like.

I also didn’t understand why the three main characters, who supposedly are part of an elite military group, seem to be so inadequate in battle. The female characters seemed to end up crying after every skirmish, which made me wonder why they wanted to be warriors.

Finally, I wasn’t sure what the plot was. There were battles, there is a struggling romance, and much talk about ‘The Age of Ku’ and ‘The Coming of Dusk’ but when I finished the novel I hadn’t a clue what either of these were.

[Katherine Espano · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this engaging epic fantasy, a country is threatened both by political strife and dark, magical creatures. These creatures, known as the Dusk, are thought to be a bedtime fairytale to scare children. In reality, they are a very real, looming danger. As the story progresses, the main characters are tested by events and discover their strengths, but also their failings. Anejo, a mandahoi warrior of noble birth, comes of age in the novel. Although she is fiery and reckless, readers watch her begin to gain wisdom and maturity.

The story begins with a long-lasting battle. After that, the pacing settles down, and readers are able to get to know the characters better. I'll admit that I'm not a fan of extended battle scenes. In movies, I usually fast-forward them. My personal interest in the novel picked up after the battle was over. I was most engaged by the relationships between the characters. We witness sibling rivalry between Anejo and Felip, and a love story unfolds between Xen and Keles. The plot's arc was easy to follow, and although the novel leaves room for more books in the series, the reader is not left with an uncomfortable cliffhanger. The ending was handled well. While reading, I became immersed in the storyline, which is fundamental for any novel. I wasn't as moved emotionally as I'd ideally like, but I wanted to know what would happen next.

Readers of epic fantasy will enjoy this entertaining tale filled with action, intrigue, and drama.

[K.A. Lentz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has potential, however, for me, its' promises fell flat. At times the storyline pulled me in and peaked my curiosity, but then a turn in the story would throw me for a loop, or some unknown term barges in wrecking flow. Much of the book’s lore wasn’t properly conveyed, or ever explained, yet the author often used undefined terms in conversation or thought. Now, mind you, I’m dyslexic, so I have a bit of a handicap when it comes to maintaining focus, however, I was confused more than a few times reading this novel.

I’m not really one for teenage drama, which is much of the book’s plotline besides constant fight scenes and political intrigue. While some sections within battle scenes are written well, often odd wording or a sudden jump in plot would inevitably turn the conflict tedious. For my tastes, the author may have done better if he’d put more detail into his world, and cut out many the characters’ repetitive idiosyncrasies, revisited in every quiet moment.

While I didn’t enjoy much of this book, I could not give it a one-star review. The author has potential, and fans of teenage drama/coming of age stories may find the characters more relatable and the plotline more to their liking.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeanne Foguth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not fond of war and/or battle stories, and get confused when stories are told from ever-changing points of view, so I am awarding it 3 stars because I feel the story has potential.

This book was given to me in return for an honest review. My initial impression was confusion because I wasn't sure which point of view I was experiencing the story from, this repeatedly caused me to backtrack. Due to the book being written in 'author omniscient', it took a while to figure out that Fear’s Union is centered around three soldier-friends, Xen, Anejo and Aran. Add a dark medieval setting where they use horses and katana swords and have multiple skirmishes, even against dragons and you have a general idea of what to expect.

The story is told from somewhat poetic, but confusing voice. Example of the voice: "Once the Enabler was sat stiffly in the cushioned seat, Kantal turned his gaze to the dark pit hiding the man’s face, and offered a broad smile. He needed to gain the high ground, and he would achieve this through courtesy."