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Empire Asunder #1
Three of Swords
Character-rich epic fantasy in the tradition of A Game of Thrones and The Demon Cycle.
From humble beginnings is greatness born...
With one fateful decision, the Empire of Twelve Kingdoms drifts from tenuous peace to limitless conflict. Emperor Eberhart's unexpected abdication creates an absence of power just as the land most needs leadership. Kinship, unity, and hope give way to ambition, conspiracy, and tragedy. Royal families, once allied, now fight for the throne, heedless of a rising threat from abroad. All the while, an ancient, sinister presence looms in forgotten corners, awaiting the opportunity to reclaim a world it once enslaved...
Yet some stars shine brightest on the darkest nights. An unheralded prince places honor and conviction above privilege and prestige. A quiet soldier's unwitnessed heroism has the potential to save a kingdom. A common servant boldly confronts the face of unnatural evil. And the unlikeliest of love blossoms in the midst of hatred and violence.
Three of Swords is the irresistible first act of the Empire Asunder medieval fantasy saga, featuring political intrigue, turbulent warfare, and star-crossed romance.
From humble beginnings is greatness born...
With one fateful decision, the Empire of Twelve Kingdoms drifts from tenuous peace to limitless conflict. Emperor Eberhart's unexpected abdication creates an absence of power just as the land most needs leadership. Kinship, unity, and hope give way to ambition, conspiracy, and tragedy. Royal families, once allied, now fight for the throne, heedless of a rising threat from abroad. All the while, an ancient, sinister presence looms in forgotten corners, awaiting the opportunity to reclaim a world it once enslaved...
Yet some stars shine brightest on the darkest nights. An unheralded prince places honor and conviction above privilege and prestige. A quiet soldier's unwitnessed heroism has the potential to save a kingdom. A common servant boldly confronts the face of unnatural evil. And the unlikeliest of love blossoms in the midst of hatred and violence.
Three of Swords is the irresistible first act of the Empire Asunder medieval fantasy saga, featuring political intrigue, turbulent warfare, and star-crossed romance.
Audible Audio
Published May 14, 2019
197 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Michael Jason Brandt
6 books27 followersMichael Jason Brandt is a specialist in history and geopolitics. Born in Washington, DC, he has lived, worked, and studied in the US, England, and Spain. He received his first degree in business from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. After a decade in the corporate IT world, Michael returned to education and received degrees in International Relations from George Washington University and The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Now dedicated to research and writing, Michael is a co-founder of Casus Belli Books. He currently lives in Maryland.
His first novel, PLAGUED, WITH GUILT, is the story of five friends confronted by war, disease, and the end of humanity. The EMPIRE ASUNDER series is his second writing adventure and first sojourn into fantasy.
Now dedicated to research and writing, Michael is a co-founder of Casus Belli Books. He currently lives in Maryland.
His first novel, PLAGUED, WITH GUILT, is the story of five friends confronted by war, disease, and the end of humanity. The EMPIRE ASUNDER series is his second writing adventure and first sojourn into fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 11, 2019
I have been reading more fantasy than usual lately, so I was curious about this book when it came to one of the book review sites. I will admit to a little trepidation when I saw the rather long descriptions of roles in this world as well as a detailed, but not complete per the author, dramatis personae. However, I'm happy to say that the author did juggle all these characters and the variety of roles well. This book is a combination of three intertwined stories, each with their own set of characters, so it is a little easier to keep track of than I had imagined. I thought the main characters were well drawn, and even the secondary characters were more than just stock figures. The pacing seemed slow at first, as we got to know the characters and the world. I do appreciate that the author did not do a massive world data dump, as is often seen in fantasy, although there were character data dumps when we are introduced to some of the characters. At least in terms of the world-building, the author revealed it naturally, giving information as it was needed. Gradually showing a world like this actually tantalizes and makes you curious about the rest of it. I definitely find myself curious to see where the story goes next, and I hope that the author continues to develop the characters, as he has given them a good foundation. As a freelance copyeditor, I appreciated that the book was relatively free of any errors with grammar, punctuation, and usage. That is definitely a problem in this world of independently published books, but at least it is not an issue in this book. If you enjoy fantasy, you may enjoy this introduction to a new series.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
January 18, 2019
A writer to keep reading!
This book gripped me from the first chapter, having read the genre for over 30 years I like to think I know a good author.
The characters are engaging, the plots are well fashioned and as a first foray into fantasy I think this is damn fine. Well done Michael Jason Brandt. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. Keep writing.
This book gripped me from the first chapter, having read the genre for over 30 years I like to think I know a good author.
The characters are engaging, the plots are well fashioned and as a first foray into fantasy I think this is damn fine. Well done Michael Jason Brandt. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. Keep writing.
December 27, 2019
Preface: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a solid 4.5 up until the last 20 pages or so, when it took a weird turn - but before that moment, it was a pretty standard-but-interesting fantasy novel. Standard, in that it uses a typical medieval setting - princesses, knights of sorts, kingdoms, etc., - but interesting in that it took those plain ideas and used them as a back-drop for genuinely compelling characters. All three of our leads are very different people, but all three are likable, as are the characters around them. They feel fleshed-out and well-developed, and are easy to root for. Even the less likable characters are still understandable.
The scope of all three main plotlines are also interesting because they're so different. Nico is a prince who ends up defending another kingdom caught in an internal war. Yohan is just a soldier trying to survive in the mountains. And lil Jak is just a servant doin' his thing, trying to figure out what's happened to his best friend. They're each very simple stories, but you're invested in them because of the strength of the characters.
I did have a few quibbles. The three storylines are completely unrelated, at least by the time the first book closes. I assume in future books they'll become more interwoven, but here nothing one did had any impact on the other. They were also almost a little /too/ simple at times - Yohan's story is just him trying to get out of the mountains with his companion, and Jak's is just frittering around in a small town with is friends, up until the end...which is my biggest complaint. This book takes a hard turn for the weird in the last 20 pages, and it's almost entirely unforeshadowed, except for a small legend around the halfway point. What was an entirely magic-less fantasy novel suddenly contains mystical/monstrous elements that I was not expecting in the least, and their introduction is very jarring and confusing. I wish there had been more foreshadowing of what happened, and some more time dwelling on it. But, again, most of the novel was great, and I am definitely interested in checking out the rest of the trilogy, where I assume most of my gripes will probably be placated. If medieval, character-driven fantasy is your thing, give this one a try!
This book was a solid 4.5 up until the last 20 pages or so, when it took a weird turn - but before that moment, it was a pretty standard-but-interesting fantasy novel. Standard, in that it uses a typical medieval setting - princesses, knights of sorts, kingdoms, etc., - but interesting in that it took those plain ideas and used them as a back-drop for genuinely compelling characters. All three of our leads are very different people, but all three are likable, as are the characters around them. They feel fleshed-out and well-developed, and are easy to root for. Even the less likable characters are still understandable.
The scope of all three main plotlines are also interesting because they're so different. Nico is a prince who ends up defending another kingdom caught in an internal war. Yohan is just a soldier trying to survive in the mountains. And lil Jak is just a servant doin' his thing, trying to figure out what's happened to his best friend. They're each very simple stories, but you're invested in them because of the strength of the characters.
I did have a few quibbles. The three storylines are completely unrelated, at least by the time the first book closes. I assume in future books they'll become more interwoven, but here nothing one did had any impact on the other. They were also almost a little /too/ simple at times - Yohan's story is just him trying to get out of the mountains with his companion, and Jak's is just frittering around in a small town with is friends, up until the end...which is my biggest complaint. This book takes a hard turn for the weird in the last 20 pages, and it's almost entirely unforeshadowed, except for a small legend around the halfway point. What was an entirely magic-less fantasy novel suddenly contains mystical/monstrous elements that I was not expecting in the least, and their introduction is very jarring and confusing. I wish there had been more foreshadowing of what happened, and some more time dwelling on it. But, again, most of the novel was great, and I am definitely interested in checking out the rest of the trilogy, where I assume most of my gripes will probably be placated. If medieval, character-driven fantasy is your thing, give this one a try!
May 31, 2019
Here we have a very well written story with engaging characters.
Matthew Jackson's narration is solid. Although his reading is flat in tempo, that fits the writing style perfectly. His voices could be a bit more diverse, but his accents are excellent and vocal inflections are quite good.
Okay, this first thing to understand going into this is it is written in an older, more formal style.
There is a certain distance from the characters that is less common than it once was, as is the omniscient point of view. There is some bouncing between the POVs of characters within scenes, but most of the time it's still easy to identify who's head we're in and what the salient points are.
To a modern reader, the language might come off as a bit stilted, but I found it accurate to the world the author has created.
I myself am a little burned out on political fantasy, but the author did a good job of creating something a little different than what's been done lately and I very much enjoyed the different POV characters that are not directly related to the politics.
There were a few points where I was a little confused about who I was following or what was going on, but most of the story was very easy to follow and engaging.
There are a number of scenes that bring in some levity to break up the very heavy ideas being presented. I think my favorite part is a scene early on where Nico is trying to familiarize himself with his men and ends up in a card game. The interactions that take place in this scene are fantastic and give a lot of great insight into the characters.
My one true complaint is the ending. While there are some plot lines that are closed by the time we end, I didn't feel that there was a real resolution to the main plot.
Matthew Jackson's narration is solid. Although his reading is flat in tempo, that fits the writing style perfectly. His voices could be a bit more diverse, but his accents are excellent and vocal inflections are quite good.
Okay, this first thing to understand going into this is it is written in an older, more formal style.
There is a certain distance from the characters that is less common than it once was, as is the omniscient point of view. There is some bouncing between the POVs of characters within scenes, but most of the time it's still easy to identify who's head we're in and what the salient points are.
To a modern reader, the language might come off as a bit stilted, but I found it accurate to the world the author has created.
I myself am a little burned out on political fantasy, but the author did a good job of creating something a little different than what's been done lately and I very much enjoyed the different POV characters that are not directly related to the politics.
There were a few points where I was a little confused about who I was following or what was going on, but most of the story was very easy to follow and engaging.
There are a number of scenes that bring in some levity to break up the very heavy ideas being presented. I think my favorite part is a scene early on where Nico is trying to familiarize himself with his men and ends up in a card game. The interactions that take place in this scene are fantastic and give a lot of great insight into the characters.
My one true complaint is the ending. While there are some plot lines that are closed by the time we end, I didn't feel that there was a real resolution to the main plot.
July 9, 2019
I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I don't believe this changed my feelings at all.
I was pretty disappointed with this book in audio format. It was incredibly hard to distinguish between narration, dialogue, and characters. It blended into just this massive heap of facts and unrecognizable characterization. It may be a better book to read, but there is a lot of dry exposition that drags on for quite a while. Even the action was bland to me because of the narrator's reading and I had so much trouble knowing who was talking that I could never settle in and just enjoy the story. I feel like if the narrator had tried harder with some characterization (however slight) or had had more natural inflection, it would have been easy to settle in and enjoy, even if I had drifted off during some exposition.
I felt that the political aspects could have been delivered in a more interesting way. As it was, it was very much an info dump and too complex initially to follow and then with the narration being so hard to follow, I struggled to keep track of everything. I've read plenty of fantasy with political maneuvering and such that was executed in a more flowing way.
The writing style was actually really nice. I like slow pacing, lyrical descriptions. This is what initially drew me in. But again, the narration was just so difficult to follow! Just plain dry. With the style, it would have worked if he had just added some more life to his reading and differentiated between the characters/dialogue a bit. It had so much potential!
Overall, I think it would be better to read than listen to this book, if only to keep up with the more complex elements and multiple characters. Brandt's writing is gritty and lyrical, but it dies on the reader's lips.
I was pretty disappointed with this book in audio format. It was incredibly hard to distinguish between narration, dialogue, and characters. It blended into just this massive heap of facts and unrecognizable characterization. It may be a better book to read, but there is a lot of dry exposition that drags on for quite a while. Even the action was bland to me because of the narrator's reading and I had so much trouble knowing who was talking that I could never settle in and just enjoy the story. I feel like if the narrator had tried harder with some characterization (however slight) or had had more natural inflection, it would have been easy to settle in and enjoy, even if I had drifted off during some exposition.
I felt that the political aspects could have been delivered in a more interesting way. As it was, it was very much an info dump and too complex initially to follow and then with the narration being so hard to follow, I struggled to keep track of everything. I've read plenty of fantasy with political maneuvering and such that was executed in a more flowing way.
The writing style was actually really nice. I like slow pacing, lyrical descriptions. This is what initially drew me in. But again, the narration was just so difficult to follow! Just plain dry. With the style, it would have worked if he had just added some more life to his reading and differentiated between the characters/dialogue a bit. It had so much potential!
Overall, I think it would be better to read than listen to this book, if only to keep up with the more complex elements and multiple characters. Brandt's writing is gritty and lyrical, but it dies on the reader's lips.
May 15, 2020
I found this one a slow start to a series.
I liked this book but found that the chapters were too long and could have been broken up a little more. This one also jumps from region to region which I don't mind but find that some may have issues with that. Also found that the pace is slower then I expected. There are several main characters, one a servant or thrall, another a swordsman and prince, another a soldier, there is a princess commander.
A king plans on sacrificing his second son in a plot to make the first one the new first king since the last one suddenly steps down. Wild tribes start raiding the borders. A small town see the first dark creatures attack.
I would still like to read the next book and see how the adventure continues.
I liked this book but found that the chapters were too long and could have been broken up a little more. This one also jumps from region to region which I don't mind but find that some may have issues with that. Also found that the pace is slower then I expected. There are several main characters, one a servant or thrall, another a swordsman and prince, another a soldier, there is a princess commander.
A king plans on sacrificing his second son in a plot to make the first one the new first king since the last one suddenly steps down. Wild tribes start raiding the borders. A small town see the first dark creatures attack.
I would still like to read the next book and see how the adventure continues.
September 26, 2020
I received a free ARC of this novel via Hidden Gems in exchange for a review. My opinion is my own.
This is a new author for me and I must say I am glad I found him. The plot is a combination of three stories that have not crossed over yet but I have a feeling they will eventually in this series. Even though there are multiple storylines it is still pretty easy to keep track of what is going on. The characters are interesting and I hope they acquire a bit more depth as the story progresses. My only real gripe is that the book ends on a major cliffhanger. If the next book wasn't already out I would probably forget to look for the next book.
This is a new author for me and I must say I am glad I found him. The plot is a combination of three stories that have not crossed over yet but I have a feeling they will eventually in this series. Even though there are multiple storylines it is still pretty easy to keep track of what is going on. The characters are interesting and I hope they acquire a bit more depth as the story progresses. My only real gripe is that the book ends on a major cliffhanger. If the next book wasn't already out I would probably forget to look for the next book.
February 13, 2019
Struggled to get into this one at first. Felt a bit awkward and clunky at the beginning, names and places and all sorts just seemed to be being thrown at me, none of them relating to each other and the intros felt a bit rushed. But once past the first few chapters I started to really enjoy it. I like the characters we've seen so far and found the writing style really easy to read and although I have absolutely no idea how any of them are going to tie in with each other or where the plot is going I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
January 18, 2022
She may be a princess but she wanted to be more than that so she became a soldier. He is a prince who fight for his country and he will be joined by her in a battle to fight the evil that is coming towards them. They will meet another young man and will join together to fight the battle of their lives. How will they get on? Can they defeat the evil that is coming? How will they fight the evil? See just how they get on
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 24, 2018
Good Story
I enjoyed this story although it wasn't clear in the beginning what kind of a story it was. Some of it was awkward, jumping from place to place and to different characters with no ties to bind it together. As it ended, I still had no idea where the plot was taking me with no hints. Perhaps this was Brandt's way of building a series but I think each book needs some sort of conclusion.
I enjoyed this story although it wasn't clear in the beginning what kind of a story it was. Some of it was awkward, jumping from place to place and to different characters with no ties to bind it together. As it ended, I still had no idea where the plot was taking me with no hints. Perhaps this was Brandt's way of building a series but I think each book needs some sort of conclusion.
October 5, 2019
The first thing that struck me about "Three of Swords" was the character building - you can almost believe the author actually knows these people. The second thing was that the first few chapters are relatively slow and gentle reading. There is plenty of action though, so don't be fooled. This is a book to read on a cold winter's night.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.
July 7, 2019
What a pleasant surprise this book was. We get 3 POVs in this book, two of which I found utterly compelling. I almost always root for the book to speed up to certain story lines when reading multiple points of view, but was evenly intrigued by 2. I anxiously await the 2nd and 3rd books in the mail as we speak.
February 19, 2019
Book 1
Book 1 was a fun read and had a few errors. I enjoyed the characters and plot. The story has a lot going on and many characters to keep up with, with thier own stories that will probably merge in the next books. I look forward to book 2.
Book 1 was a fun read and had a few errors. I enjoyed the characters and plot. The story has a lot going on and many characters to keep up with, with thier own stories that will probably merge in the next books. I look forward to book 2.
March 13, 2021
Starts kind of slow, and I needed that nice list of characters he put in the front of the book. But once I got to know them I am really invested in what happens to everyone, I will be reading the next one.
November 20, 2017
I love the book - all the characters and their struggles and triumphs. I am hoping all of them will become one team to save their world.
June 10, 2019
Got some epic fantasy for you - https://www.alwroteabook.com/2019/06/...
December 18, 2019
A great start
A rather good start to this epic tale
Just about to read the next instalment fingers crossed the story flows effortlessly forwards
A rather good start to this epic tale
Just about to read the next instalment fingers crossed the story flows effortlessly forwards
Want to read
March 21, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/21/2020)! 🎁
August 29, 2022
Lays the foundation for an interesting series. It feels like a prologue focused on introducing characters without any major heroics.
Looking forward to book 2
Looking forward to book 2
November 26, 2017
Three of Swords is a great start to the new fantasy series Empire Asunder. Due to frightening changes coming to the once peaceful Empire of Twelve Kingdoms, the Emperor is stepping down leaving a tremendous challenge for someone to step in and claim leadership. Michael Jason Brandt is an excellent storyteller and pulled me into this new world with well developed characters and interesting twists and turns that made the book hard to put down. I definitely recommend this story and look forward to what happens next in the second book, Hearts of Fire.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews