Emperor’s Bane

Tales of the Empire #4.5

by S.J.A. Turney

From barbarian slavery to conquest and treachery
For centuries, the Khmar have eked out a nomadic existence on the fringes of civilisation. Tenzhin is only a boy when his tribe strikes deep into the Jin Empire and faces the might of the Jade Emperor. After his father is killed before his eyes, he is plunged into a new ancient, courtly – and brutal.


Adopted by the Emperor, the boy must forget his old life and learn to survive the challenges of life as a prince. Tenzhin must perfect his mind, his soul and finally his body, in order to prepare for what lies ahead. Allies are few and far between, and eventually he must face the biggest trial of them all…


Emperor’s Bane is a novella set in the Tales of the Empire universe. A gritty tale based on the Mongolian invasions of imperial China, it will engross readers of Guy Gavriel Kay and Conn Iggulden.


The Tales of the Empire series

Interregnum
Ironroot
Dark Empress
Insurgency
Invasion

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2016

About the author

Simon lives with his wife and children and a menagerie of animals in rural North Yorkshire, where he sits in an office, wired on coffee and digestive biscuits, and attempts to spin engrossing tales out of strands of imagination while his children drive toys across his desk and two dogs howl as they try to share a brain cell.

A born and bred Yorkshireman with a love of country, history and architecture, Simon spends most of his rare free time travelling around ancient sites, writing, researching the ancient world and reading voraciously.

Following an arcane and eclectic career path that wound through everything from sheep to Microsoft networks and from paint to car sales, Simon wrote Marius’ Mules and, with help and support, made a success of it. Now, with in excess of 20 novels under his belt, Simon writes full time and is represented by MMB Creative literary agents.

Simon writes Roman military novels in the form of the bestselling Marius’ Mules series based on Julius Caesar’s campaigns, Roman thrillers in the Praetorian series, set during the troubled reign of Commodus, medieval adventures in the Ottoman Cycle, following a young Greek thief around the 15th century world, and a series of Historical Fantasy novels with a Roman flavour, called the Tales of the Empire.
Simon can be found on Twitter as @SJATurney and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SJATurney/ as well as on his website http://www.sjaturney.co.uk

Reviews

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emperor's Bane is a novella set in the world of Tales Of The Empire (or TOTE as referred to by the author). Chronologically I believe it's set some time after the events of Dark Empress but before the events of Insurgency. The story is set in third person omniscient view and the reader views it all through the mind of Tenzhin (this world's analogue for the creator of the Mongol empire).

Tenzhin Khanzada is the son of the Khan of the nine Khmar tribes. His father has begun a rather quick invasion to rid the Jin (chinese) people of their lush lands and to take them for themselves. he war rally while being successful in the start meets its brutal end at the hands of the main Jin army at the gates of Jiong-Xhu. While most of the tribes men and women are wiped out brutally. Tenzhin along with a few other chidren are spared and taken into the Jade emperor's court. Then we get to see Tenzhin's growth (mentally, martially & philosophically) from the age of seven all the way to seventeen. This however is done rather quickly as befitting a short story.

On the way Tenzhin meets and befriends three other children from the horse tribes of the west who have been similarly captured. They plan a way out of their captivity because of the Jade emperor's poor health but what truly is the case ends up surprising them.

This short novelette was a good way to be re-introduced to the eastern world of TOTE. events from Interregnum are quickly referenced and certain things are clued about Insurgency. The main storyline deals with Tenzhin as the reader is clued in to his growth from a child to a brilliant teenager.

I can only imagine what he will grow into considering whom he's based on in real life but the crucial difference being in this world, he's armed with more dangerous knowledge than the Genghis Khan at his age. The story has a quick pace to it and the reader will pulled into it sharply all the way into the surprising climax. The author doesn't pull any punches with regards to violence and brutality of this world and considering the historical aspect, it's not surprising.

A quick and good read is the best way to describe this story. For all those curious about the world and SJA Turney's writing, grab a copy (it's less than a buck) and find out why he's so underrated and yet beloved among his fans.

[Simon Binning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story set in the imaginary world of the author's 'Tales of Empire' series. I always find it difficult to review these novellas (which seem to be increasingly popular) as, by their very nature, there is not much to get your teeth into. This means they can be pretty awful. The trick is to either tell a small story in detail, or a grander story which requires the writing skill to allow the readers imagination to flesh out the tale; this book falls into the latter category. Anyone who has read Simon Turney's work will appreciate his talent for storytelling. The story here, whilst full of events and action, is fairly simple; but it certainly gripped my imagination, and held my interest throughout.
If you have read the author's work, then I would recommend this book, especially if you have read any of the Tales of Empire series. If new to the author, then I would perhaps recommend starting with one of the full-length novels.