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Empire of Blood and Sand
In a brutal desert empire, Jael Crowfeeder survives as a Beast Hunter. Last of his kind and despised by society, he’s betrayed and thrown in prison just as a legion of man and monster storm the border. Forcibly conscripted, Jael will soon wet his sword in the front lines. Standing against the invaders is General Larika, warrior princess and heir to the throne. As monsters of legend tear a bloody rent through her soldiers, a treasonous knife readies to strike. Defeat is a breath away. The enemy have harnessed an ancient magic that turns the order of man and beast on its head, a magic created by Jael’s ancestors that only he might break. Jael is torn. Larika may become a worthy Queen but can he fight for an empire that slaughtered his people?----------Praise for Empire of Blood and “With Empire of Blood and Sand, a monstrous tale of betrayal, blades, beasts, and bloodlust, Hodge proves his mettle as a master of military sword and sorcery. Jael Crowfeeder is the hero we all need right now.” - Lee Murray, Bram Stoker Award®-winner and author of Into the Mist.“A glorious ride through monster-filled deserts with the last of the reviled Scalzini beast hunters. Hodge weaves war and political gain, betrayal and loyalty into a dark tapestry brimming with forbidden magic, and characters you want to ride alongside into battle, and others you’d like to force-feed your blade. Empire of Blood and Sand launches you into a world of magic and monsters that will have you clamouring for more.” - Amanda J Spedding, Shadow Award winning author and editor“Part grimdark epic of political machinations in a darkly realised broken world, part exploration of the trauma of war and the trials of identity. With monsters and magic. Compelling stuff.” - Alan Baxter, award-winning author of Devouring Dark and The Gulp.
- GenresFantasy
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2021
9 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 21, 2023
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I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. We are thrown into a Desert Empire where wild beast occupy the land. Jael Crowfeeder is a beast hunter paid to bring these haunting creatures under control. Little does he know, Jael will get swept up in turmoil of the Empire and be forced to reveal his most guarded secret about his heritage and what it will mean for the upcoming war. The creatures of the wild are set to be unleashed and a traitorous knife is waiting in the heart of the Empire’s army.
Jael was once in the service of the Empire as a soldier man years ago. His time has been served and he now works as a beast hunter with his assistant Pyx. Upon the conclusion of his last job, Jael is betrayed and thrown in prison to be tried and hanged but Pyx comes to the rescue and enlists Jael for service to the Empire he hates once more. Being thrown back into the fire, Jael’s company needs to make haste through the desert wilds but there is no telling what creatures lay beyond. General Larika is a warrior princess and heir to the throne. Larika is trying to keep an invading hoard from destroying the Empire but an enemy is waiting for her in plain sight. The enemy has gathered an ancient magic that will bring the Empire to its knees and the only person capable of helping Larika is Jael himself as he is the last surviving member of the Scalzini people once slaughtered in a brutal genocide.
Right off the bat we are thrusted into a grimdark world amid massive amounts of bloodshed that boarder in the scenes we would find is horror novels. At the beginning’s of each chapter we get glimpses into certain events of the past including the Scalzini people being slaughtered. We even get to see Jael’s memories surrounding the events and it was enough to make me tear up. The Scalzini were considered to be barbarians living in the free wilds and being one with wild beasts. Jael needed to survive and hide his ancestry lest he be hunted to death and his only escape, ironically, was to join the folds of the Empire itself. This is very much a character driven novel with the fighting scenes providing the sharp edge to take the action over the top. This is a world that shows no fear and its secrets may be more scary than the wild beast keeping the humans on the edge of there toes.
This is a novel any fan of dark fantasy with long suffering characters will enjoy. I can’t say that this was a smiles and a great read to take to the beach but with the short page count and pacing of the chapters being quick, I was able to finish this book in very short order. Very much looking forward to the sequel which I have waiting on standby.
Cheers!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. We are thrown into a Desert Empire where wild beast occupy the land. Jael Crowfeeder is a beast hunter paid to bring these haunting creatures under control. Little does he know, Jael will get swept up in turmoil of the Empire and be forced to reveal his most guarded secret about his heritage and what it will mean for the upcoming war. The creatures of the wild are set to be unleashed and a traitorous knife is waiting in the heart of the Empire’s army.
Jael was once in the service of the Empire as a soldier man years ago. His time has been served and he now works as a beast hunter with his assistant Pyx. Upon the conclusion of his last job, Jael is betrayed and thrown in prison to be tried and hanged but Pyx comes to the rescue and enlists Jael for service to the Empire he hates once more. Being thrown back into the fire, Jael’s company needs to make haste through the desert wilds but there is no telling what creatures lay beyond. General Larika is a warrior princess and heir to the throne. Larika is trying to keep an invading hoard from destroying the Empire but an enemy is waiting for her in plain sight. The enemy has gathered an ancient magic that will bring the Empire to its knees and the only person capable of helping Larika is Jael himself as he is the last surviving member of the Scalzini people once slaughtered in a brutal genocide.
Right off the bat we are thrusted into a grimdark world amid massive amounts of bloodshed that boarder in the scenes we would find is horror novels. At the beginning’s of each chapter we get glimpses into certain events of the past including the Scalzini people being slaughtered. We even get to see Jael’s memories surrounding the events and it was enough to make me tear up. The Scalzini were considered to be barbarians living in the free wilds and being one with wild beasts. Jael needed to survive and hide his ancestry lest he be hunted to death and his only escape, ironically, was to join the folds of the Empire itself. This is very much a character driven novel with the fighting scenes providing the sharp edge to take the action over the top. This is a world that shows no fear and its secrets may be more scary than the wild beast keeping the humans on the edge of there toes.
This is a novel any fan of dark fantasy with long suffering characters will enjoy. I can’t say that this was a smiles and a great read to take to the beach but with the short page count and pacing of the chapters being quick, I was able to finish this book in very short order. Very much looking forward to the sequel which I have waiting on standby.
Cheers!
January 24, 2023
A gritty, fantasy world torn apart by war and bloodshed. Need I say more? Take my money now please. The story tells of Jael Crowfeeder, a Beast Hunter and one of the last survivors of of the Scalzini clan, as circumstances force him to return to military service. At the same time, a mysterious foreign enemy threatens to invade. Follow Jael and his apprentice Pyx as they battle to survive in a world of beasts, warring armies, and political intrigue, where their actions may very well decide the fate of an empire. The author, Alister Hodge, has done a superb job in crafting his fantasy world, introducing a bevy of interesting characters, hooking the reader from page 1. I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable read, and look forward to the next instalment in the series (City of Stone and Ruin) – which at the time of writing this review has just gone on ‘Pre-order,’ available on Amazon.
June 4, 2021
I received an advance copy of Empire of Blood and Sand from author Al Hodge in return for a review. Please note, this book will be released on June 30, 2021.
Empire is a quick paced fun story about building a kingdom that must be won through battle and bloodshed, and believe me, there is plenty of bloodshed in this story. I have read some fantasy (it’s not my favorite genre) and have enjoyed a lot of what I’ve read, but this one moves to the top of my list of favorites.
Jael Crowfeeder is a beast hunter. Along with his partner, Pyx and Jael travel the countryside collecting bounties for killing troublesome beasts. There are many skeletons in Jael’s closet. One rears its head when he crosses a local official and winds up with a choice, either be hanged or be conscripted into the military. He chooses the latter and begins an adventure taking him into a fight for control of a kingdom.
Aging King Loic’s daughter, Princess Larika, is slated to become the ruler of Kalech by right of blood. But there are others who also wish to become ruler and go to great lengths to secure their possible ascendency. One is Larika’s cousin, Lord Revarc, a ruthless rival who has few redeeming qualities.
Before anyone can rise to succeed King Loic, there are problems needing to be solved. A rival king has control over giant beasts that seem to come right out of hell. Without a solution for this, there will never be a united kingdom for anyone to rule.
By far, my favorite character in Empire is Jael. He is a rough man with a good side. Don’t cross him though; there will be hell to pay. He is a member of a tribe of people who were feared in the past and have nearly been completely wiped out. They have special talents that come in very handy when fighting dangerous beats. He will help people until they cross him, then watch out! After spending much of his life in the military, he is a well-trained soldier who sees situations before they develop. He makes mistakes, some almost fatal.
Princess Larika is every bit as tough as Jael. Unlike many princesses in stories, she believes she must lead her army by being the first into battle. Against the advice of her advisors, she will not send others out to fight unless she will fight herself. She makes excellent decisions mostly and will usually listen to her advisors. She knows there are rivals for her future reign and will deal with them.
Lord Rezac is the antithesis to Larika. This character is flawed, he is vile and seems to have no redeeming qualities. Rezac takes pleasure at the pain of others. He doesn’t care for anyone or anything other than his own ambition.
There are surprises involving characters but will not spoil them here. I will say I was surprised at a revelation by a major character. But Al is known for having very human characters. Mostly, no one is all good or all bad, and everyone has character flaws.
Many other characters in the story add to the reading experience. They are dynamic, funny, tragic, and some of them are of poor character.
In this book, not all the things motivating characters are revealed in the exposition. Much of the backstory is covered by epigraphs that begin every chapter. As it goes along, we learn about Jael’s motivations to behave the way he does, and why his people, the Scalzini. Princess Larika gets wisdom and rulership advice from her father, King Loic. We also get a lot of insight into other relevant issues involving characters and situations. Keep the epigraphs in mind while reading the text.
Good versus evil is the overall theme of Empire, as one would expect from a fantasy book. Only in this story, good is vastly outnumbered by evil. Larika faces what she admits to herself is an impossible situation with just the sheer numbers of people under her command and those that oppose her. Evil has the upper hand, and it will take some clever planning to get her out of a grave situation.
Another takeaway for me was how bigotry can get to such a point that an asset can be wasted through fear and misunderstanding of the Scalzini. The eradication of Jael’s people marked him, and any others remaining, to hide their heritage. It is a sad story. No one really knows the actual reason for the slaughter. All everyone knows is that Scalzini are not to be trusted. Jael is fighting for Loric and Larika. When some find out who he really is, they call for his death.
Honor and Dishonor is another theme that stood out to me. There are no obvious lines of who is honorable and who is not. Mostly, honor is determined by the situation. Even Larika, a champion of “leadership by example,” does something dishonorable.
As I mentioned earlier, this is the best fantasy novel I have read so far. It is not my usual genre and most of the fantasy I do read is for a podcast I take part in. But Empire of Blood and Sand is a book, had I read it when first introduced to the genre, would have hooked me from the beginning. It is a great story full of intriguing characters, epic battles, and there’s even a dragon! I would recommend this for someone who doesn’t normally read fantasy novels as a gateway book into the genre.
I should mention though, there are graphic scenes describing injuries in some detail that some may find quite disturbing. Those with an aversion to descriptions of injuries may want to avoid this book. The author works in the medical profession and had seen his share of trauma. Otherwise, I give my highest recommendations for this book!
Empire is a quick paced fun story about building a kingdom that must be won through battle and bloodshed, and believe me, there is plenty of bloodshed in this story. I have read some fantasy (it’s not my favorite genre) and have enjoyed a lot of what I’ve read, but this one moves to the top of my list of favorites.
Jael Crowfeeder is a beast hunter. Along with his partner, Pyx and Jael travel the countryside collecting bounties for killing troublesome beasts. There are many skeletons in Jael’s closet. One rears its head when he crosses a local official and winds up with a choice, either be hanged or be conscripted into the military. He chooses the latter and begins an adventure taking him into a fight for control of a kingdom.
Aging King Loic’s daughter, Princess Larika, is slated to become the ruler of Kalech by right of blood. But there are others who also wish to become ruler and go to great lengths to secure their possible ascendency. One is Larika’s cousin, Lord Revarc, a ruthless rival who has few redeeming qualities.
Before anyone can rise to succeed King Loic, there are problems needing to be solved. A rival king has control over giant beasts that seem to come right out of hell. Without a solution for this, there will never be a united kingdom for anyone to rule.
By far, my favorite character in Empire is Jael. He is a rough man with a good side. Don’t cross him though; there will be hell to pay. He is a member of a tribe of people who were feared in the past and have nearly been completely wiped out. They have special talents that come in very handy when fighting dangerous beats. He will help people until they cross him, then watch out! After spending much of his life in the military, he is a well-trained soldier who sees situations before they develop. He makes mistakes, some almost fatal.
Princess Larika is every bit as tough as Jael. Unlike many princesses in stories, she believes she must lead her army by being the first into battle. Against the advice of her advisors, she will not send others out to fight unless she will fight herself. She makes excellent decisions mostly and will usually listen to her advisors. She knows there are rivals for her future reign and will deal with them.
Lord Rezac is the antithesis to Larika. This character is flawed, he is vile and seems to have no redeeming qualities. Rezac takes pleasure at the pain of others. He doesn’t care for anyone or anything other than his own ambition.
There are surprises involving characters but will not spoil them here. I will say I was surprised at a revelation by a major character. But Al is known for having very human characters. Mostly, no one is all good or all bad, and everyone has character flaws.
Many other characters in the story add to the reading experience. They are dynamic, funny, tragic, and some of them are of poor character.
In this book, not all the things motivating characters are revealed in the exposition. Much of the backstory is covered by epigraphs that begin every chapter. As it goes along, we learn about Jael’s motivations to behave the way he does, and why his people, the Scalzini. Princess Larika gets wisdom and rulership advice from her father, King Loic. We also get a lot of insight into other relevant issues involving characters and situations. Keep the epigraphs in mind while reading the text.
Good versus evil is the overall theme of Empire, as one would expect from a fantasy book. Only in this story, good is vastly outnumbered by evil. Larika faces what she admits to herself is an impossible situation with just the sheer numbers of people under her command and those that oppose her. Evil has the upper hand, and it will take some clever planning to get her out of a grave situation.
Another takeaway for me was how bigotry can get to such a point that an asset can be wasted through fear and misunderstanding of the Scalzini. The eradication of Jael’s people marked him, and any others remaining, to hide their heritage. It is a sad story. No one really knows the actual reason for the slaughter. All everyone knows is that Scalzini are not to be trusted. Jael is fighting for Loric and Larika. When some find out who he really is, they call for his death.
Honor and Dishonor is another theme that stood out to me. There are no obvious lines of who is honorable and who is not. Mostly, honor is determined by the situation. Even Larika, a champion of “leadership by example,” does something dishonorable.
As I mentioned earlier, this is the best fantasy novel I have read so far. It is not my usual genre and most of the fantasy I do read is for a podcast I take part in. But Empire of Blood and Sand is a book, had I read it when first introduced to the genre, would have hooked me from the beginning. It is a great story full of intriguing characters, epic battles, and there’s even a dragon! I would recommend this for someone who doesn’t normally read fantasy novels as a gateway book into the genre.
I should mention though, there are graphic scenes describing injuries in some detail that some may find quite disturbing. Those with an aversion to descriptions of injuries may want to avoid this book. The author works in the medical profession and had seen his share of trauma. Otherwise, I give my highest recommendations for this book!
August 1, 2021
I love when authors reach out to me to review their books, and I have a problem because I say yes to nearly all of them, sadly this overstretches me a bit and I feel guilty to those books I miss, my TBR is enormous, and I really need to learn to be better with this. So those are maybe reading this that have sent me a book, I promise, one day I will read it and I will review it, just bear with me. However, Empire of Blood and Sad was one of those that I did read and how could it not be with the synopsis you just read…
After Alister Hodge emailed me as with any author I haven’t heard of I do a little googling, as far as I can tell Hodge is a very unknown author with a few books under his belt, all those books seem to have over 4/5 stars and a fairly large chunk of reviews showing that those scores seeming to be well earned but after being one of those people that got to read his book Ive decided he’s definitely an author that deserves more recognition. When you review smaller authors books whether that be just debut authors or smaller self-published authors there’s often those signs of inexperience or a lack of confidence from the author that disappears as they publish more books and get braver with their writing. Alister wasn’t one of those authors in my opinion. Empire of Blood and Sand struck me as a book from not only a noticeably confident and well-polished author but also something I would expect from a much bigger publisher. This was a well-crafted book that was an easy read, it was genuinely fast paced and entertaining with a level of polish that left me genuinely impressed.
Empire of Blood and Sand has all the bits needed to be very classic fantasy book, we have plenty of classic fantasy tropes, and this isn’t a complaint, those tropes are popular for a reason, because they work so well and are the building blocks of the books we love, and we will continue to reread them over and over, good versus evil, the reluctant hero, wars between the gods, my all-time favourite, coming of age stories. Hodge had some fantastic additions to these and built something that felt original while following these classic story arcs we all love.
A really big thing that really grabbed me for this book and something I really love in general, but as of recent years authors more and more seem to be going for impact right out of the gates, their first sentences, first paragraphs aiming to be a punch to the reader, putting you on the back foot from the get-go, a rock to the senses as you are introduced to this world born on to a battlefield.
“Blood ran hot over Jael’s fingers as he sawed at the sentry’s neck. The man convulsed with agony, bladder voiding in an acrid-smelling flood as he hacked through muscle and vasculature, opening a hideous smile where there should be none.”
How can you not read further after a start like this? This is the sort of paragraph that instantly draws you in, you aren’t making a choice at that point, you need to read further. After reading this book I went straight into Anthony Ryan’s The Pariah and he did something similar, I love it, keep them coming please guys. I don’t want that slow burn, give me that dopamine hit straight away.
This book was a two person POV, our first character being Jael Crowfeeder, a grizzled veteran of the kings armies and part of the race known as the Scalzini, human in all ways but a magical people with an affinity for the beasts that roam from the chasms. A people that has been killed off for their differences from regular folk, hunted down because of peoples fears. Jael is one of the last Scalzini left and travels the lands as a Beast Hunter, killing monsters for a few pennies here and there. I’m not going to lie, a big reason I read this book was because the synopsis and Jaels character gave me massive Witcher vibes and I’m a massive fan of Geralt, with that in mind I never felt like I was reading a clone or a spinoff, Jaels character and the world we were in had its similarities but very much felt like its own thing. Jael is closely followed by Pyx, a young girl he has all but adopted and looks after, Pyx was the perfect accomplice to Jael, offering the springboard we needed for Jaels character to flow out that little more and was great supporting cast for Jael’s chapters.
Larika was our second character, Princess, and heir to the Empire, and a great second POV for this story. I loved that with Larika we got the opposite of the classic princess tropes that you come across, from the get-go Larika was strong and kicking ass, a soldier, and a leader of her men. We didn’t have to struggle through the typical gender issues to allow Larika to become the person she was or meant to be, Hodge from the get-go introduced us to a strong and powerful woman who was a fantastic arc of this story in whole and I can’t wait to see her continue to kick arse in the next book.
Hodge takes these two and builds up their own distinct and exciting storylines, he did a brilliant job of playing out those storylines, slowly intertwining these two together for an ending you knew was going to be exciting and exploded in a fantastic set piece. I mentioned how polished I thought this book was but again I just want to point out there wasn’t a part of this story that felt wrong or forced, Jael and Larika didn’t act out of character to fit the story and even though this isn’t something that’s commonplace, it happens enough that I really appreciate a story that flows well.
Finally, another thing I want to mention that really impressed me from Empire of Blood and Sand is Hodge’s worldbuilding. The setting and world he created had many of those common tropes I mentioned but he built something that differed enough that it felt unique, a fun spin on a classic idea. Hodge did a great job of painting this world very vividly and I had no issues imagining this apocalyptic desert setting, chasms running through it delivering both lush green lands and beautiful waters, gorgeous oases in the middle of this barren, dry world filled with plenty of terrifying monsters.
Empire of Blood and Sand is a brutal, nonstop rollercoaster that keeps you fully entertained and wanting to blitz through to the end, if you love the Witcher series and books like the recent Seven Deaths of an Empire, this is for you. Ive already bought myself a physical copy of Hodges book as this was one was I needed to add to my bookshelf, I genuinely can’t wait for Hodge to carry on this story and see this world explored more. Go read this.
This was an fantastically fun read, ton of action, really well written characters
After Alister Hodge emailed me as with any author I haven’t heard of I do a little googling, as far as I can tell Hodge is a very unknown author with a few books under his belt, all those books seem to have over 4/5 stars and a fairly large chunk of reviews showing that those scores seeming to be well earned but after being one of those people that got to read his book Ive decided he’s definitely an author that deserves more recognition. When you review smaller authors books whether that be just debut authors or smaller self-published authors there’s often those signs of inexperience or a lack of confidence from the author that disappears as they publish more books and get braver with their writing. Alister wasn’t one of those authors in my opinion. Empire of Blood and Sand struck me as a book from not only a noticeably confident and well-polished author but also something I would expect from a much bigger publisher. This was a well-crafted book that was an easy read, it was genuinely fast paced and entertaining with a level of polish that left me genuinely impressed.
Empire of Blood and Sand has all the bits needed to be very classic fantasy book, we have plenty of classic fantasy tropes, and this isn’t a complaint, those tropes are popular for a reason, because they work so well and are the building blocks of the books we love, and we will continue to reread them over and over, good versus evil, the reluctant hero, wars between the gods, my all-time favourite, coming of age stories. Hodge had some fantastic additions to these and built something that felt original while following these classic story arcs we all love.
A really big thing that really grabbed me for this book and something I really love in general, but as of recent years authors more and more seem to be going for impact right out of the gates, their first sentences, first paragraphs aiming to be a punch to the reader, putting you on the back foot from the get-go, a rock to the senses as you are introduced to this world born on to a battlefield.
“Blood ran hot over Jael’s fingers as he sawed at the sentry’s neck. The man convulsed with agony, bladder voiding in an acrid-smelling flood as he hacked through muscle and vasculature, opening a hideous smile where there should be none.”
How can you not read further after a start like this? This is the sort of paragraph that instantly draws you in, you aren’t making a choice at that point, you need to read further. After reading this book I went straight into Anthony Ryan’s The Pariah and he did something similar, I love it, keep them coming please guys. I don’t want that slow burn, give me that dopamine hit straight away.
This book was a two person POV, our first character being Jael Crowfeeder, a grizzled veteran of the kings armies and part of the race known as the Scalzini, human in all ways but a magical people with an affinity for the beasts that roam from the chasms. A people that has been killed off for their differences from regular folk, hunted down because of peoples fears. Jael is one of the last Scalzini left and travels the lands as a Beast Hunter, killing monsters for a few pennies here and there. I’m not going to lie, a big reason I read this book was because the synopsis and Jaels character gave me massive Witcher vibes and I’m a massive fan of Geralt, with that in mind I never felt like I was reading a clone or a spinoff, Jaels character and the world we were in had its similarities but very much felt like its own thing. Jael is closely followed by Pyx, a young girl he has all but adopted and looks after, Pyx was the perfect accomplice to Jael, offering the springboard we needed for Jaels character to flow out that little more and was great supporting cast for Jael’s chapters.
Larika was our second character, Princess, and heir to the Empire, and a great second POV for this story. I loved that with Larika we got the opposite of the classic princess tropes that you come across, from the get-go Larika was strong and kicking ass, a soldier, and a leader of her men. We didn’t have to struggle through the typical gender issues to allow Larika to become the person she was or meant to be, Hodge from the get-go introduced us to a strong and powerful woman who was a fantastic arc of this story in whole and I can’t wait to see her continue to kick arse in the next book.
Hodge takes these two and builds up their own distinct and exciting storylines, he did a brilliant job of playing out those storylines, slowly intertwining these two together for an ending you knew was going to be exciting and exploded in a fantastic set piece. I mentioned how polished I thought this book was but again I just want to point out there wasn’t a part of this story that felt wrong or forced, Jael and Larika didn’t act out of character to fit the story and even though this isn’t something that’s commonplace, it happens enough that I really appreciate a story that flows well.
Finally, another thing I want to mention that really impressed me from Empire of Blood and Sand is Hodge’s worldbuilding. The setting and world he created had many of those common tropes I mentioned but he built something that differed enough that it felt unique, a fun spin on a classic idea. Hodge did a great job of painting this world very vividly and I had no issues imagining this apocalyptic desert setting, chasms running through it delivering both lush green lands and beautiful waters, gorgeous oases in the middle of this barren, dry world filled with plenty of terrifying monsters.
Empire of Blood and Sand is a brutal, nonstop rollercoaster that keeps you fully entertained and wanting to blitz through to the end, if you love the Witcher series and books like the recent Seven Deaths of an Empire, this is for you. Ive already bought myself a physical copy of Hodges book as this was one was I needed to add to my bookshelf, I genuinely can’t wait for Hodge to carry on this story and see this world explored more. Go read this.
This was an fantastically fun read, ton of action, really well written characters
February 20, 2023
Empire of Blood and Sand – Alister Hodge
I was given a copy of this book by the author in order to provide an honest review.
Alister Hodge is an Australian author, Sydney specifically, who also works as a Nurse. His experiences working the in the emergency department is reflected in his writing. Often experiencing people at their lowest. It is also evident in his descriptions of injuries and wounds – because he really has seen it, knowing just how it should be described.
Jael Crowfeeder is a drunk and a general good for nothing. He was a soldier, a member of the King’s army but after almost 20 years of loyalty to the King and the army he was turned out. So now he drinks and hunts the beasts that scare the mere men of this land, all for some coin. Ironic isn’t it considering he is of the race that many feared and was thought wiped out – Scalzini. But now Jael is a beast hunter, accompanied by his young companion Pyx – it's not much of a life but it’s what they know.
That is until fate intervenes and Jael is forced to once again to swear fealty and commit his service to the King’s army. There is a mysterious force invading the land and the Princess has been dispatched to help quell this invasion – she calls on help from her cousin and the remaining forces of the King’s army. Yet her cousin labels her a traitor and with holds the army, on pain of death, preventing them from helping the heir to the throne.
And if things couldn’t get any stranger, Jael comes across another Scalzini, Azea, hiding out in what was thought to be an abandoned keep deep in the forest. Their fates slowly become intertwined and must work together with the Princess and those under her commend, in order to help save the people from the mysterious forces and the beasts they seemingly commend, from destroying them all
“Empire of Blood and Sand” is just like it says in the name – bloody. A fantasy story that is severely packed full of action and naturally all the blood and gore that comes along with it. The author’s day job experiences as it were, really comes through in his writing. Adds a genuine realness and authenticity to the writing. Jael is the guy who knows he can and should do better but can’t - at least that is until it really matters. He’s an unsung hero, a character I immediately felt drawn too, his story completely relatable and extremely well written. I really enjoyed how fast paced the story is, even when the author was giving back story it didn’t slow down the pace of the book at all which is something as a reader I tremendously appreciate. Pyx is just a lovable and loyal sidekick who literally almost defends Jael to the death. This story was left in such an interesting place I am eager to see where the second instalment of this series (City of Stone and Ruin) takes us.
I was given a copy of this book by the author in order to provide an honest review.
Alister Hodge is an Australian author, Sydney specifically, who also works as a Nurse. His experiences working the in the emergency department is reflected in his writing. Often experiencing people at their lowest. It is also evident in his descriptions of injuries and wounds – because he really has seen it, knowing just how it should be described.
Jael Crowfeeder is a drunk and a general good for nothing. He was a soldier, a member of the King’s army but after almost 20 years of loyalty to the King and the army he was turned out. So now he drinks and hunts the beasts that scare the mere men of this land, all for some coin. Ironic isn’t it considering he is of the race that many feared and was thought wiped out – Scalzini. But now Jael is a beast hunter, accompanied by his young companion Pyx – it's not much of a life but it’s what they know.
That is until fate intervenes and Jael is forced to once again to swear fealty and commit his service to the King’s army. There is a mysterious force invading the land and the Princess has been dispatched to help quell this invasion – she calls on help from her cousin and the remaining forces of the King’s army. Yet her cousin labels her a traitor and with holds the army, on pain of death, preventing them from helping the heir to the throne.
And if things couldn’t get any stranger, Jael comes across another Scalzini, Azea, hiding out in what was thought to be an abandoned keep deep in the forest. Their fates slowly become intertwined and must work together with the Princess and those under her commend, in order to help save the people from the mysterious forces and the beasts they seemingly commend, from destroying them all
“Empire of Blood and Sand” is just like it says in the name – bloody. A fantasy story that is severely packed full of action and naturally all the blood and gore that comes along with it. The author’s day job experiences as it were, really comes through in his writing. Adds a genuine realness and authenticity to the writing. Jael is the guy who knows he can and should do better but can’t - at least that is until it really matters. He’s an unsung hero, a character I immediately felt drawn too, his story completely relatable and extremely well written. I really enjoyed how fast paced the story is, even when the author was giving back story it didn’t slow down the pace of the book at all which is something as a reader I tremendously appreciate. Pyx is just a lovable and loyal sidekick who literally almost defends Jael to the death. This story was left in such an interesting place I am eager to see where the second instalment of this series (City of Stone and Ruin) takes us.
December 21, 2021
WOW!
What an unbelievable book! As grim as they come. The book was fast paced, with tight writing, and hard hitting action. It reminds me of the Warhammer 40K universe, “In the future there is only war.” I am counting the days until the next book is released. If you are into grimdark writing, do yourself a favor and read this book. Great job Alister!
What an unbelievable book! As grim as they come. The book was fast paced, with tight writing, and hard hitting action. It reminds me of the Warhammer 40K universe, “In the future there is only war.” I am counting the days until the next book is released. If you are into grimdark writing, do yourself a favor and read this book. Great job Alister!
December 11, 2024
Straddling grimdark and epic fantasy, this was a satisfying read, with some truly fresh worldbuilding and frequent immersive battle scenes.
The magic system is fully fleshed out and coherent. The various characters feel realistically motivated. And the desert setting makes a nice change from forests and townships and snowy mountains.
The action pulls no punches. The author has thought carefully about how military tactics worked with this level of technology and might then work when facing these situations. The politics are interesting. Villains have actual reasons for being villainous. And I particularly enjoyed early on some of the spiritual/supernatural backdrop to this: the gods and religion only appear as things that mortals pay their dues to (hoping for a blessing or two) while we get on with the daily grind in the physical realm.
Really looking forward to the next one!
The magic system is fully fleshed out and coherent. The various characters feel realistically motivated. And the desert setting makes a nice change from forests and townships and snowy mountains.
The action pulls no punches. The author has thought carefully about how military tactics worked with this level of technology and might then work when facing these situations. The politics are interesting. Villains have actual reasons for being villainous. And I particularly enjoyed early on some of the spiritual/supernatural backdrop to this: the gods and religion only appear as things that mortals pay their dues to (hoping for a blessing or two) while we get on with the daily grind in the physical realm.
Really looking forward to the next one!
November 10, 2022
I had read several horror novels by this author and found this sword and sorcery novel full of savage sword play and monsters aplenty. The writing was excellent and vividly described a world of horror. Book started out action packed and never let up. Here is a author worth checking out.
October 11, 2021
A great fantasy read! Blood, guts and gore are so surgically described that it makes my soul shudder. Love it.
April 4, 2023
Solid dark fantasy / grimdark story with interesting monsters and intriguing characters. Looking forward to the sequel.
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