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Morlock Ambrosius #1
Blood of Ambrose
Behind the king's life stands the menacing Protector, and beyond him lies the Protector's Shadow...
Centuries after the death of Uthar the Great, the throne of the Ontilian Empire lies vacant. The late emperor's brother-in-law and murderer, Lord Urdhven, appoints himself Protector to his nephew, young King Lathmar VII and sets out to kill anyone who stands between himself and mastery of the empire, including (if he can manage it) the king himself and his ancient but still formidable ancestress, Ambrosia Viviana. When Ambrosia is accused of witchcraft and put to trial by combat, she is forced to play her trump card and call on her brother, Morlock Ambrosius a stateless person, master of all magical makers, deadly swordsman, and hopeless drunk. As ministers of the king, they carry on the battle, magical and mundane, against the Protector and his shadowy patron. But all their struggles will be wasted unless the young king finds the strength to rule in his own right and his own name.
Centuries after the death of Uthar the Great, the throne of the Ontilian Empire lies vacant. The late emperor's brother-in-law and murderer, Lord Urdhven, appoints himself Protector to his nephew, young King Lathmar VII and sets out to kill anyone who stands between himself and mastery of the empire, including (if he can manage it) the king himself and his ancient but still formidable ancestress, Ambrosia Viviana. When Ambrosia is accused of witchcraft and put to trial by combat, she is forced to play her trump card and call on her brother, Morlock Ambrosius a stateless person, master of all magical makers, deadly swordsman, and hopeless drunk. As ministers of the king, they carry on the battle, magical and mundane, against the Protector and his shadowy patron. But all their struggles will be wasted unless the young king finds the strength to rule in his own right and his own name.
401 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2009
52 people are currently reading
1745 people want to read
About the author
James Enge
48 books158 followersJames Enge lives in northwest Ohio with his wife and a philosophic dog-detective. He teaches Latin and mythology at a medium-sized public university. His stories (frequently featuring Morlock Ambrosius) have appeared in
Black Gate
, in the Stabby-Award-winning
Blackguards
, in
Tales from the Magicians's Skull
, in
F&SF
, and elsewhere. His first novel,
Blood of Ambrose
was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2010 and its French translation was shortlisted for the Prix Imaginales in 2011.
Look for more Morlock stories this year in Tales from the Magician's Skull and Old Moon Quarterly .
You can reach James Enge on Twitter (as jamesenge) or, if all else fails, via (jamesenge.com).
Look for more Morlock stories this year in Tales from the Magician's Skull and Old Moon Quarterly .
You can reach James Enge on Twitter (as jamesenge) or, if all else fails, via (jamesenge.com).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
June 12, 2009
I've been enjoying Enge's short stories about Morlock the Maker in the pages of Black Gate since the first issue of my subscription. When I saw this book on the display table at my local bookstore, I let out an involuntary whoop of joy.
My husband and I both found this book un-put-downable, which was problematic, because we were both trying to read it at once. The book surprised us both, in some fairly impressive structural ways that I won't spoil for you. I am quite confident that, no matter who you are, there will be at least one moment when you stop short and say, "Well, I wasn't expecting _that_!"
The funny bits are laugh-out-loud funny. The ending both opens out into the series to come and provides a very satisfying sense of closure--the book could have stood alone, even if the publisher hadn't signed on for sequels. The characters are absolutely themselves.
Warning: the creepy bits toward the end are very effectively creepy. (Many readers will find that to be a plus.) The villain does a wide variety of especially disturbing things. I think it's not too much of a spoiler to say that, if you are unable to tolerate zombies or bad things happening to children, you might not make it all the way through this book.
My husband and I both found this book un-put-downable, which was problematic, because we were both trying to read it at once. The book surprised us both, in some fairly impressive structural ways that I won't spoil for you. I am quite confident that, no matter who you are, there will be at least one moment when you stop short and say, "Well, I wasn't expecting _that_!"
The funny bits are laugh-out-loud funny. The ending both opens out into the series to come and provides a very satisfying sense of closure--the book could have stood alone, even if the publisher hadn't signed on for sequels. The characters are absolutely themselves.
Warning: the creepy bits toward the end are very effectively creepy. (Many readers will find that to be a plus.) The villain does a wide variety of especially disturbing things. I think it's not too much of a spoiler to say that, if you are unable to tolerate zombies or bad things happening to children, you might not make it all the way through this book.
December 26, 2011
For the first 30 or so pages I thought I was going to love this book...then I thought I could like the book...after that I thought I could probably endure this book. Finally, I skimmed forward to the point I just laid it aside.
This is another story built loosely (very, very loosely) on the rotting carcass of the Arthurian Legend. As a matter of fact at one point I'm sure I heard the bodies of Sir Thomas Malory and Alfred, Lord Tennyson whirring as they spun in their graves. Mostly don't even try to worry about that tie in...just get the story.
The book opens with a fairly stirring account of the young king in peril and a daring rescue, promising stuff. Unfortunately the book turns out to be pretty much a one trick pony. It doesn't give us one lone sequence...it repeats the sequence over and over again. In between there is a little about the magic system of the land, some background about our heroes and hints about "what's to come". But I didn't really find a lot of meat on the bone after the first 150 pages or so.
I'd say try the book for yourself, I may be more easily bored now than in the past. It just got so tiring. After the first 200 pages the book looked to be settling in on expanding the plot a bit and setting up a more in depth story. There were hints about the regicide the old or other race Morlock and Ambrosia's ties to them and each other. There were hints about other mysteries and plot points but they just never jelled...never go onto the story past the initial "snatch the boy king-rescue the boy king" plot line.
So in the end in spite of castle sieges, flying horses and hints of magical subplots I give it a two. It didn't even with all that hold my interest. Try it yourself, maybe you'll like it more than I...let's hope so, some loved it I see, but not me.
This is another story built loosely (very, very loosely) on the rotting carcass of the Arthurian Legend. As a matter of fact at one point I'm sure I heard the bodies of Sir Thomas Malory and Alfred, Lord Tennyson whirring as they spun in their graves. Mostly don't even try to worry about that tie in...just get the story.
The book opens with a fairly stirring account of the young king in peril and a daring rescue, promising stuff. Unfortunately the book turns out to be pretty much a one trick pony. It doesn't give us one lone sequence...it repeats the sequence over and over again. In between there is a little about the magic system of the land, some background about our heroes and hints about "what's to come". But I didn't really find a lot of meat on the bone after the first 150 pages or so.
I'd say try the book for yourself, I may be more easily bored now than in the past. It just got so tiring. After the first 200 pages the book looked to be settling in on expanding the plot a bit and setting up a more in depth story. There were hints about the regicide the old or other race Morlock and Ambrosia's ties to them and each other. There were hints about other mysteries and plot points but they just never jelled...never go onto the story past the initial "snatch the boy king-rescue the boy king" plot line.
So in the end in spite of castle sieges, flying horses and hints of magical subplots I give it a two. It didn't even with all that hold my interest. Try it yourself, maybe you'll like it more than I...let's hope so, some loved it I see, but not me.
November 24, 2013
The first novel about Morlock Ambrosius, although he doesn't actually appear onscreen for the first couple chapters. His sister Ambrosia is acting as advisor to the 12 year old King; politics ensues, but turns out to be merely a cover for dark magics. Morlock is a fascinating character -- old, hunchbacked, taciturn, but an accomplished swordsman and enchanter when called upon. The other characters (his sister; the little King; his dwarf apprentice; various others) are equally well-drawn, and the villains suitably awful. Definitely recommended if you want to stray a little off of the beaten path.
November 2, 2009
This book is engrossing, original, and uneven. Various parts epic adventure, humor, political intrigue, and horror, it veers unexpectedly from witty banter to cruelty to deep emotion. Set it the imaginary Ontilian Empire, it is possessed of a long and complex, if not always relevant, history. A few background characters are taken from Arthurian legend, but it is not not otherwise Arthurian and clearly does not occur on our earth (there are multiple moons, different continents, and it seems even different laws of nature). I see from other reviews that some of the characters previously appear in short stories, so perhaps some of the dissonances occur from trying to mesh various prior elements and histories.
November 8, 2013
This is a straightforward fantasy novel for a grownup audience. It’s set in a well-imagined fictional world where young Lathmar, the nominal king of the Ontil Empire, is facing a coup d’etat from his own Lord Protector, who is in league with some truly creepy dark forces. To the rescue comes Morlock Ambrosius, Lathmar’s great uncle, who is a centuries-old knight and magician from the Wardlands, accompanied by his faithful apprentice Wyrth the dwarf. Morlock is a wonderful character – powerful and noble, tragic and comic -- with more than a small nod to Don Quixote. The plot weaves from gruesome episode to gruesome episode, but balances the somber and sometimes downright horrifying action with some fine black humor. The novel is worth reading just to meet Velox, the flying, flaming, screaming horse. ‘Nuff said.
November 1, 2013
I really hated this book, but GoodReads saw fit to delete my actual review. Apparently, we aren't allowed to say that the book failed at being entertaining or that the actions of the characters came across as being a jumbled mishmash of what a nine year-old would consider cool...
August 20, 2022
A book written with unleashed personality, that you get along with, is so rare that I have to give 5, in spite of the time I took to acclimatise and in spite of eccentricities I blinked at. I have a new standby author whose sword & sorcery adventures I am guaranteed to enjoy.
Its playfulness has an upper register of zany. But I became committed to its characters such that I was often moved, and had to stop myself glancing at lines ahead when they were in danger. Those books get 5, whatever.
Although the dark and saturnine type, Morlock’s watchword is loyalty and he earns great loyalty from the few who know him well – a recipe for a hero I’m going to care about. Animals are people too, and Morlock treats them that way. The weird gets wild, but always with light notes and wit – the way I prefer my horror.
It is Arthurian – tenuously, with an unlikeable and incompetent Merlin popping up.
I haven’t had the opportunity to read James Enge before, but he writes Morlock short stories with a sword & sorcery sensibility. This novel, while it has an overarching high-politics plot, retains a lot of that origin in its still-episodic structure and its base in character, rather than prioritising world creation, consistency or some big picture. It feels free to change its register from high-serious to silly. My most beloved Arthurian author TH White does that, and I began to think of him.
There’s a literate quality to the style – I don’t mean literary, but one that likes words for their own sake, not merely to be used as a transparent medium. That, I crave.
Its playfulness has an upper register of zany. But I became committed to its characters such that I was often moved, and had to stop myself glancing at lines ahead when they were in danger. Those books get 5, whatever.
Although the dark and saturnine type, Morlock’s watchword is loyalty and he earns great loyalty from the few who know him well – a recipe for a hero I’m going to care about. Animals are people too, and Morlock treats them that way. The weird gets wild, but always with light notes and wit – the way I prefer my horror.
It is Arthurian – tenuously, with an unlikeable and incompetent Merlin popping up.
I haven’t had the opportunity to read James Enge before, but he writes Morlock short stories with a sword & sorcery sensibility. This novel, while it has an overarching high-politics plot, retains a lot of that origin in its still-episodic structure and its base in character, rather than prioritising world creation, consistency or some big picture. It feels free to change its register from high-serious to silly. My most beloved Arthurian author TH White does that, and I began to think of him.
There’s a literate quality to the style – I don’t mean literary, but one that likes words for their own sake, not merely to be used as a transparent medium. That, I crave.
August 12, 2011
Blood of Ambrose is the debut novel from James Enge. Enge published numerous sword and sorcery short stories in Black Gate (a magazine which features adventure fantasy), focused on his central character Morlock Ambrosius, before producing this novel-length work. Blood of Ambrose attracted critical recognition and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2010.
Nothing epic to see here
Blood of Ambrose opens with a very contained and superficially derivative story. Boy-king Lathmar, whose parents died under suspicious circumstances, is dominated by his ambitious uncle, the poorly named Protector of the Realm. The Protector is scheming to rid the nation of its royal family, the Ambrosii. Lathmar’s true protector and guardian, his incredibly ancient great grandmother Ambrosia, runs afoul of the Protector and exhorts Lathmar to summon their potential deliverer, the infamous Morlock Ambrosius. The opening act is dominated by this intimate royal squabble. The story initially focuses on a very small cast of characters and the impact of their conflict reaches only as far as the personal threat to Lathmar’s life and position.
Good, old-fashioned sword and sorcery
If the intimacy of the conflict wasn’t enough, the arrival of primary protagonist Morlock grounds the story firmly in the sword and sorcery tradition. He is deliberately constructed as an unsympathetic character who is not nearly as concerned with Lathmar’s plight as he is with being drunk. He appears to deserve the fear and contempt in which he is held by the people of Lathmar’s realm. There is no saviour of the world to be found in Morlock, nor does the story call for one.
It’s a family affair
The brilliance of the plotting in Blood of Ambrose is that the Ambrosius family drama forces the story to expand and take on more of an epic scope. In the space of one new viewpoint paragraph in the second act the reader’s perception takes a sudden turn as the stakes are raised—the enemy is revealed to be more powerful and frightening than previously realized, and other forces join the fight. Revelations of Morlock’s past provide a sense of both his enduring pain and truly tremendous capabilities. At the same point, Lathmar displays significant growth (and thankfully stops being annoying) after the traumatic loss of a friend. As irritating and unimpressive as the characters were at first, credit must go to Enge for creating real people with believable flaws. After slowly working up to this turning point through a few sessions of reading I devoured the remainder of the book in a few short hours.
A certain point of view
The subtle quality of Enge’s writing is easy to overlook. One of the more interesting areas in which he experiments is in the use of viewpoint. The narrative feels like the current standard third person limited approach, but Enge actually applies an omniscient perspective, which is brave in today’s fantasy market. Interestingly this viewpoint actually helps to mask Morlock’s qualities behind myth and rumour for the entire first act, as every character seems to share the opinion that he is a worthless wretch.
Enge also delivers one of the best hooks that I have come across for his future instalments without resorting to a cheap cliffhanger. His conclusion implies a greater power behind the events of Blood of Ambrose with a very human motive at work in his superhuman planning and actions.
Lashings of Steampunk
To add one last bit of flavour to his story, Enge plays with some elements of Steampunk. As well as being a magic user of sorts, Morlock seems to be at the forefront of an impending industrial revolution as the ‘Master Maker.’ The ‘magic’ that strikes fear into the common people is usually just creative (and somewhat reckless) application of his world’s scientific principles.
Why should you read this book?
You have to admire the brashness of an author who dares to call his main character Morlock (whose father is Merlin, incidentally) and imply a real world setting for his story by casually dropping in references to Ancient Rome and Britain. Sword and sorcery is making a comeback in modern fantasy, and Enge is in the vanguard.
Nothing epic to see here
Blood of Ambrose opens with a very contained and superficially derivative story. Boy-king Lathmar, whose parents died under suspicious circumstances, is dominated by his ambitious uncle, the poorly named Protector of the Realm. The Protector is scheming to rid the nation of its royal family, the Ambrosii. Lathmar’s true protector and guardian, his incredibly ancient great grandmother Ambrosia, runs afoul of the Protector and exhorts Lathmar to summon their potential deliverer, the infamous Morlock Ambrosius. The opening act is dominated by this intimate royal squabble. The story initially focuses on a very small cast of characters and the impact of their conflict reaches only as far as the personal threat to Lathmar’s life and position.
Good, old-fashioned sword and sorcery
If the intimacy of the conflict wasn’t enough, the arrival of primary protagonist Morlock grounds the story firmly in the sword and sorcery tradition. He is deliberately constructed as an unsympathetic character who is not nearly as concerned with Lathmar’s plight as he is with being drunk. He appears to deserve the fear and contempt in which he is held by the people of Lathmar’s realm. There is no saviour of the world to be found in Morlock, nor does the story call for one.
It’s a family affair
The brilliance of the plotting in Blood of Ambrose is that the Ambrosius family drama forces the story to expand and take on more of an epic scope. In the space of one new viewpoint paragraph in the second act the reader’s perception takes a sudden turn as the stakes are raised—the enemy is revealed to be more powerful and frightening than previously realized, and other forces join the fight. Revelations of Morlock’s past provide a sense of both his enduring pain and truly tremendous capabilities. At the same point, Lathmar displays significant growth (and thankfully stops being annoying) after the traumatic loss of a friend. As irritating and unimpressive as the characters were at first, credit must go to Enge for creating real people with believable flaws. After slowly working up to this turning point through a few sessions of reading I devoured the remainder of the book in a few short hours.
A certain point of view
The subtle quality of Enge’s writing is easy to overlook. One of the more interesting areas in which he experiments is in the use of viewpoint. The narrative feels like the current standard third person limited approach, but Enge actually applies an omniscient perspective, which is brave in today’s fantasy market. Interestingly this viewpoint actually helps to mask Morlock’s qualities behind myth and rumour for the entire first act, as every character seems to share the opinion that he is a worthless wretch.
Enge also delivers one of the best hooks that I have come across for his future instalments without resorting to a cheap cliffhanger. His conclusion implies a greater power behind the events of Blood of Ambrose with a very human motive at work in his superhuman planning and actions.
Lashings of Steampunk
To add one last bit of flavour to his story, Enge plays with some elements of Steampunk. As well as being a magic user of sorts, Morlock seems to be at the forefront of an impending industrial revolution as the ‘Master Maker.’ The ‘magic’ that strikes fear into the common people is usually just creative (and somewhat reckless) application of his world’s scientific principles.
Why should you read this book?
You have to admire the brashness of an author who dares to call his main character Morlock (whose father is Merlin, incidentally) and imply a real world setting for his story by casually dropping in references to Ancient Rome and Britain. Sword and sorcery is making a comeback in modern fantasy, and Enge is in the vanguard.
October 24, 2011
This was a strange one. There were things that I loved and things that didn't work at all. As a fantasy fan, I found the world building simple to understand and follow. The magic system was sometimes confusing as it was not a natural magic but more scientific. I did not enjoy this aspect as I am a magical purest. There was liberal use of zombies, not my favorites but it was very well done. If you are thinking about the Merlin world of Camelot, don't.
As with most fantasy, there is a generous cast of characters. Most were randomly thrown in at different points in the story. It made no sense why but they didn't take anything away. At the heart of the story is a young King named Lathmar. He is 12, his family has been murdered, and he is surrounded by enemies. He is a coward. He is descended from Ambrosia, Merlin's daughter, but many generations removed. He fears her like everything and everybody else. The King's Protector, Lord Urdhven, has deadly plans for the young King and the rest of the world. He has the magic and enough evil willpower to pull it off. He is a nasty piece of work as protagonist go. He put Ambrosia on trial for being a witch so he can get her out of the way of his plans for the King. Ambrosia decides she is not going down like that and calls for a Champion to fight on her behalf. Enter Morlock, Ambrosia's brother because Ambrosia's magic was worthless whatever it actually was. Morlock is a wizard/sorcerer (never clarified) that uses too much steampunk type technology for my magical taste. Morlock has a dwarf named Tyrfing who is his apprentice and sidekick. It does not take long for everything to get down and dirty once Morlock enters the story. While his magical family members battle a nemesis that defies their understanding, the King has to grow up. He must not only face death around every corner, he must embrace his role as King. Something he really doesn't want.
I liked the growth of Lathmar's character. I liked the level of evil and the uncertainty of who would live or die. The book did not have hardcore execution problems but there was too much use of unnecessarily complex lingo and vague references to important historical events. The dialog was cumbersome between the characters. I spent too much time re-reading conversations trying to figure out what the characters are talking about. When the characters where thinking or interacting with their environment, it was clear as a bell what was going on. I don't ever recall reading anything so frustrating.
About 3/4 of the way through, I also realized that I had no idea what these characters looked like other than Ambrosia and Morlock. Both crooked. One shoulder was higher than the others. Ambrosia has grey hair but I don't know if she is attractive, tall, short, busty, fat, skinny...Morlock had the shoulder thing and scars on his face with grey eyes. The King had curly brown hair. That's about it. I felt like the author was not aware that people reading do not live in his head with him and that we needed more information.
Conceptually, the story was good. It did not reach it's full potential for me, regretfully. I don't see myself reading the next book although I like the world. It's too much of a headache not knowing what these characters look like or which direction the magic is going to take.
As with most fantasy, there is a generous cast of characters. Most were randomly thrown in at different points in the story. It made no sense why but they didn't take anything away. At the heart of the story is a young King named Lathmar. He is 12, his family has been murdered, and he is surrounded by enemies. He is a coward. He is descended from Ambrosia, Merlin's daughter, but many generations removed. He fears her like everything and everybody else. The King's Protector, Lord Urdhven, has deadly plans for the young King and the rest of the world. He has the magic and enough evil willpower to pull it off. He is a nasty piece of work as protagonist go. He put Ambrosia on trial for being a witch so he can get her out of the way of his plans for the King. Ambrosia decides she is not going down like that and calls for a Champion to fight on her behalf. Enter Morlock, Ambrosia's brother because Ambrosia's magic was worthless whatever it actually was. Morlock is a wizard/sorcerer (never clarified) that uses too much steampunk type technology for my magical taste. Morlock has a dwarf named Tyrfing who is his apprentice and sidekick. It does not take long for everything to get down and dirty once Morlock enters the story. While his magical family members battle a nemesis that defies their understanding, the King has to grow up. He must not only face death around every corner, he must embrace his role as King. Something he really doesn't want.
I liked the growth of Lathmar's character. I liked the level of evil and the uncertainty of who would live or die. The book did not have hardcore execution problems but there was too much use of unnecessarily complex lingo and vague references to important historical events. The dialog was cumbersome between the characters. I spent too much time re-reading conversations trying to figure out what the characters are talking about. When the characters where thinking or interacting with their environment, it was clear as a bell what was going on. I don't ever recall reading anything so frustrating.
About 3/4 of the way through, I also realized that I had no idea what these characters looked like other than Ambrosia and Morlock. Both crooked. One shoulder was higher than the others. Ambrosia has grey hair but I don't know if she is attractive, tall, short, busty, fat, skinny...Morlock had the shoulder thing and scars on his face with grey eyes. The King had curly brown hair. That's about it. I felt like the author was not aware that people reading do not live in his head with him and that we needed more information.
Conceptually, the story was good. It did not reach it's full potential for me, regretfully. I don't see myself reading the next book although I like the world. It's too much of a headache not knowing what these characters look like or which direction the magic is going to take.
August 19, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyable. It escalates from its start situation as various layers of the conflict are revealed, with each new threat being more weird and menacing. The relatively simple civil war between a young king and his self-appointed regent Protector gives way to a world-threatening villain.
The magic of Morlock Ambrose has solid metaphysics behind it, blending aspects of alchemy and mysticism in a way that the fantastic outcome always has a solid explanation: Morlock attracts a lightning strike by pushing around the charged particles in his target. The source of all combustion is phlogiston, which if removed from an object makes it harder, lighter, and non-flammable. A zombie is actually a corpse-golem, controlled--programmed--by a name scroll stuffed into its throat. It goes on like this, detail after detail, all inventive, only slightly weighing too much on the magical technobabble (objects being in tal-stranj' as a controlling or linking principle and the ramifications of such, for example).
The magic of Morlock Ambrose has solid metaphysics behind it, blending aspects of alchemy and mysticism in a way that the fantastic outcome always has a solid explanation: Morlock attracts a lightning strike by pushing around the charged particles in his target. The source of all combustion is phlogiston, which if removed from an object makes it harder, lighter, and non-flammable. A zombie is actually a corpse-golem, controlled--programmed--by a name scroll stuffed into its throat. It goes on like this, detail after detail, all inventive, only slightly weighing too much on the magical technobabble (objects being in tal-stranj' as a controlling or linking principle and the ramifications of such, for example).
June 19, 2020
Excellent fantasy fiction adventure!
I came the work of James Enge through Goodman Games' "Takes From The Magician's Skull" (sword-and-sorcery fiction of the sort that inspired Gary Gygax to compile "Appendix N," the list of authors and books that inspired Dungeons & Dragons) , and loved the adventures of Morlock Ambrosius, so I sought out more from Amazon. I was delighted to find more collections of stories, but this is the first novel-length work that I've read - and it was really great! Enge has a wonderful imagination and excellent style (and he is a fellow classicist, and therefore more familiar with elements of grammar, vocabulary, style, linguistics, etc. than the average writer). Highly recommended!
I came the work of James Enge through Goodman Games' "Takes From The Magician's Skull" (sword-and-sorcery fiction of the sort that inspired Gary Gygax to compile "Appendix N," the list of authors and books that inspired Dungeons & Dragons) , and loved the adventures of Morlock Ambrosius, so I sought out more from Amazon. I was delighted to find more collections of stories, but this is the first novel-length work that I've read - and it was really great! Enge has a wonderful imagination and excellent style (and he is a fellow classicist, and therefore more familiar with elements of grammar, vocabulary, style, linguistics, etc. than the average writer). Highly recommended!
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October 3, 2012
This book has some pretty significant problems with pacing and characterization. Despite all that it was quite enjoyable in part, especially the end. This is Enge's first novel and it is very u even. Where it is bad it is pedestrian. Where it is good it is amazing. I will absolutely read on in this series but only in expectation of great things in the future from this author. Very raw talent but very talented author.
May 19, 2009
The character development in this fantasy/horror novel was too choppy, and the juxtaposition of Merlin-y stuff with zombie stuff with stuff called "phlogiston" and "aethrium" just didn't all hang together well enough for me to give this book the full five stars. However, I really enjoyed reading it, and I will definitely be looking for Enge's next novel.
April 21, 2011
I really wanted to like Morlock. This book was my introduction to James Enge's work, and the main reason I picked it up was because of the blurb's description of Morlock Ambrosius. He seemed like a compelling character, and this type of storyline is generally right up my alley.
The writing, unfortunately, was hard to get into, and although the plot was interesting enough to keep me turning pages for awhile, it was not particularly engaging. I feel like Enge was trying to accomplish too much in too short a space, and things happened very, very quickly -- not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, the writing was loose, and character development was left behind in favor of getting the story told. The characters here were one-dimensional, which was a disappointment given how much I was looking forward to them.
I think I'll probably take a look into Enge's short stories. As far as Blood of Ambrose, though, I did find the mix of fantasy elements and the concept of the characters interesting, but they weren't enough on their own to make me finish the book.
The writing, unfortunately, was hard to get into, and although the plot was interesting enough to keep me turning pages for awhile, it was not particularly engaging. I feel like Enge was trying to accomplish too much in too short a space, and things happened very, very quickly -- not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, the writing was loose, and character development was left behind in favor of getting the story told. The characters here were one-dimensional, which was a disappointment given how much I was looking forward to them.
I think I'll probably take a look into Enge's short stories. As far as Blood of Ambrose, though, I did find the mix of fantasy elements and the concept of the characters interesting, but they weren't enough on their own to make me finish the book.
August 4, 2015
This book started off a little choppy a lot of the background isn't presented up front instead you have to read between the lines on a lot of things. As for the writing it's hard to get into but once you pick up on it it's a really good book.
The magic and magical background was a little confusing and hard to follow based on how it's written but overall it wasn't a drawback and it was an interesting read. I probably would not read it again though.
The magic and magical background was a little confusing and hard to follow based on how it's written but overall it wasn't a drawback and it was an interesting read. I probably would not read it again though.
May 12, 2012
I've got mixed feelings on this one. I picked it up based on a short story that I absolutely loved. The story seems a bit drawn out, but also has a fairly unique plot. I'll probably read the next book.
November 17, 2009
I really liked this book and look forward to the next installment. The characters are fantastic, especially Morlock.
January 30, 2019
It’s been a while since I’ve read some good, hardcore Sword & Sorcery and Blood of Ambrose scratched that itch perfectly. That said, James Enge plays fast and loose with some of the common notes of the genre, upends a few expectations, and dares to be funny (!) without making his novel into a parody. If I had to guess, I’d say that Enge’s style owes as much to Glen Cook’s
Black Company
as it does to Howard or Moorcock.
Enge’s central hero is the wizard Morlock Ambrosius, immortal (or at least long-lived) son of Merlin, raised by dwarves, feared by many, and generally burned out after centuries of harrowing adventure. Those earlier adventures, some of which sound like the bases of entire series on their own, are merely hinted at. The Morlock presented here is in many ways a broken man who keeps soldiering on because what else is he going to do when his family needs him?
On the S&S spectrum, Morlock is something of an “Elric Light” with a touch of Indiana Jones’s “I’m just making this up as I go along” attitude. Despite him being the hero of the novel, Enge keeps him at a distance for most of the book, instead presenting him though the eyes of his dwarven apprentice, his also-long-lived sister who's spent centuries domineering an empire, and the child king Lathmar – Morlock’s distant relative who begins the novel on the run from his tyrannical Protector who would love nothing more than to take Lathmar's kingdom for his own.
Lathmar is the character who truly matters in Blood of Ambrose, despite Morlock being the one we’ll follow in the rest of the series. This book goes against the normal quick-and-dirty Sword and Sorcery structure by chronicling several years of Lathmar and company fighting against the Protector’s rebellion and the truly horrifying entity using the Protector as a front. As such, Blood of Ambrose is a great stand-alone novel in a sea of trilogies, even though there are sequels to follow.
Enge’s central hero is the wizard Morlock Ambrosius, immortal (or at least long-lived) son of Merlin, raised by dwarves, feared by many, and generally burned out after centuries of harrowing adventure. Those earlier adventures, some of which sound like the bases of entire series on their own, are merely hinted at. The Morlock presented here is in many ways a broken man who keeps soldiering on because what else is he going to do when his family needs him?
On the S&S spectrum, Morlock is something of an “Elric Light” with a touch of Indiana Jones’s “I’m just making this up as I go along” attitude. Despite him being the hero of the novel, Enge keeps him at a distance for most of the book, instead presenting him though the eyes of his dwarven apprentice, his also-long-lived sister who's spent centuries domineering an empire, and the child king Lathmar – Morlock’s distant relative who begins the novel on the run from his tyrannical Protector who would love nothing more than to take Lathmar's kingdom for his own.
Lathmar is the character who truly matters in Blood of Ambrose, despite Morlock being the one we’ll follow in the rest of the series. This book goes against the normal quick-and-dirty Sword and Sorcery structure by chronicling several years of Lathmar and company fighting against the Protector’s rebellion and the truly horrifying entity using the Protector as a front. As such, Blood of Ambrose is a great stand-alone novel in a sea of trilogies, even though there are sequels to follow.
May 21, 2025
I don't know what I find so attractive about these books. They're dark. They're horribly gory. And they are monstrous and weird. Yet, I am thoroughly engaged. I'm claiming it's the well-written, somewhat oddly loveable characters that appeals me so much to Enge's Morlock novels.
I enjoyed the second book in this series more. Partly for the unique way the plot unfolded itself. This one I still really liked and one day I will probably go and buy my own copy.
I'm also going to have to see if there are more because I am morbidly addicted.
I enjoyed the second book in this series more. Partly for the unique way the plot unfolded itself. This one I still really liked and one day I will probably go and buy my own copy.
I'm also going to have to see if there are more because I am morbidly addicted.
July 16, 2022
This book has witty turns of phrase, that’s the best I can say about it. Plot wise it bored me so much that it took me almost a year of on and off listening to it to finish it. It finally became the thing I listen to when I can’t sleep at night that somehow, despite its gore, was so boring it could put my insomniac self to sleep. I’m sorry to be harsh, maybe some will like it, if gore is your thing and you have more patience than I.
March 12, 2022
I almost abandoned this book because the beginning was a bit off for me...the characters weren't particularly likeable. I'm glad I stuck with it though, more likeable characters appear and there were lots of twists, turns, and laughs -from jumping middle aged horses, to human meatballs bouncing around rooms, to murderous fathers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2021
2.5 rounded down so GR doesn't try to give me recommendations. Honestly if I hadn't been reading this for book-club I doubt I'd have finished it. It seemed much to drawn out and didn't really hold my attention. It started off okay, but by the end I was struggling to finish it.
August 1, 2021
It was a very interesting book. I loved all the sass. Especially from Wyrth, the dwarf. Morlock was a very interesting character and reading the transformation of Lathmar was enjoyable. Def worth the read if you like kingdoms, magic, and plot twists.
September 3, 2023
I'm sorry, what? The Ambrose family goes from invincible to normal to stupid and back again through all three. The kingdom goes through ups and downs that, while perhaps making the story readable, are quite unbelievable given how easily Morlock and others create other ups.
February 18, 2018
A big fan of Enge and his Black Gate stories
A satisfying tale of Morlock the Maker, on a scale that serves as a fine successor to the shorter works.
A satisfying tale of Morlock the Maker, on a scale that serves as a fine successor to the shorter works.
August 20, 2018
Unusual fantasy with some eclectic characters and with quite a different way of presenting the story.
October 23, 2024
I’m mixed on this one as it drags at parts but is really good at others.
September 11, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. I think it ran a bit long - the middle wasn't as entertaining. I did like that characters, I'd red more about Morlock and Ambrosia - maybe about Lathmar (as a full adult).
March 23, 2012
I love booksales, but then again, who doesn’t? The reason I love them is because I can get a lot of books for little money. Some of the books I can find there are high on my wishlist, but others are books of authors I have never heard of and if it weren’t for their incredibly low price, I wouldn’t buy them. Blood Of Ambrose by James Enge is one of them. If it weren’t for the fact that it only cost me 1.50 euros, I wouldn’t have bothered to pick it up. But since it was that cheap, I figured it would be difficult for it not to be worth my money.
When the late Emperor’s brother-in-law and murderer appoints himself Protector to his nephew, the Emperor-to-be, he embarks on a mission to kill anyone who dares to stand between him and the throne of the Empire. That is, until the help of Morlock Ambrosius is requested in the matter, cause the Crooked Man knows his way with a sword…
When I started this book, I didn’t know what to expect and afterwards, I can say that the idea and the plot are pretty good. It’s not the most inventive idea out there, but that’s not a necessity to make a good book. There are some funny moments in the book as well as some more gruesome parts. Especially the magic that was practiced was kind of creepy to me. However, despite the nice idea and those particular moments, this book has its issues.
The main issue is chaos. This book is so chaotic that at times I didn’t know what the heck I was reading. To begin with, I never had a good idea of where everything was situated. There is no map to help the reader orient himself and the story hops from place to place which makes it very difficult to track sometimes. The writing as well was pretty chaotic. The book starts immediately with action and you have no clue about who is who and why and what and when and how. Things never really get explained all that well and it kept me guessing the whole time. Without mentioning it, between chapters years might have gone by to prevent dull moments and go from action to action to action. I don’t have any problem with that, but it would be really helpful if there was any indication that some time has passed, besides the mentioning of it after two pages of confusion.
The story in itself, however, was intriguing enough to read on and set those issues aside. There were some pretty nice inventions and the magic was, as said, peculiar to say the least. The main characters are also the descendants of and he is quite the selfish bastard, which became pretty clear in the small appearance he made.
The characters, however, weren’t engaging. I never felt like caring for them and most of the time, I thought they were pretty annoying. I did like the relationship and the bantering between Morlock and his dwarfish help, though, but aside from that, I didn’t connect with any of the characters at all. The fact that time passes without you noticing it, and thus makes the characters get older without any growth being visible, makes it harder to get acquainted with them. You only see fragments of their lives and I didn’t respond too well to that.
In the end, I bought this book because it seemed worth the – little – money, and it was. But, I don’t think I would have wanted to pay full price for this. I did buy the sequels with it, because they were cheap as well, and I will read them in good time, because the idea behind it is interesting enough to keep going. Just not full price.
When the late Emperor’s brother-in-law and murderer appoints himself Protector to his nephew, the Emperor-to-be, he embarks on a mission to kill anyone who dares to stand between him and the throne of the Empire. That is, until the help of Morlock Ambrosius is requested in the matter, cause the Crooked Man knows his way with a sword…
When I started this book, I didn’t know what to expect and afterwards, I can say that the idea and the plot are pretty good. It’s not the most inventive idea out there, but that’s not a necessity to make a good book. There are some funny moments in the book as well as some more gruesome parts. Especially the magic that was practiced was kind of creepy to me. However, despite the nice idea and those particular moments, this book has its issues.
The main issue is chaos. This book is so chaotic that at times I didn’t know what the heck I was reading. To begin with, I never had a good idea of where everything was situated. There is no map to help the reader orient himself and the story hops from place to place which makes it very difficult to track sometimes. The writing as well was pretty chaotic. The book starts immediately with action and you have no clue about who is who and why and what and when and how. Things never really get explained all that well and it kept me guessing the whole time. Without mentioning it, between chapters years might have gone by to prevent dull moments and go from action to action to action. I don’t have any problem with that, but it would be really helpful if there was any indication that some time has passed, besides the mentioning of it after two pages of confusion.
The story in itself, however, was intriguing enough to read on and set those issues aside. There were some pretty nice inventions and the magic was, as said, peculiar to say the least. The main characters are also the descendants of and he is quite the selfish bastard, which became pretty clear in the small appearance he made.
The characters, however, weren’t engaging. I never felt like caring for them and most of the time, I thought they were pretty annoying. I did like the relationship and the bantering between Morlock and his dwarfish help, though, but aside from that, I didn’t connect with any of the characters at all. The fact that time passes without you noticing it, and thus makes the characters get older without any growth being visible, makes it harder to get acquainted with them. You only see fragments of their lives and I didn’t respond too well to that.
In the end, I bought this book because it seemed worth the – little – money, and it was. But, I don’t think I would have wanted to pay full price for this. I did buy the sequels with it, because they were cheap as well, and I will read them in good time, because the idea behind it is interesting enough to keep going. Just not full price.
August 10, 2011
The concept and characters of this book are far stronger than the writing and execution. Which is a pity, because the characters and concept are very, very promising.
The Empire is threatened twice - there's an internal threat, from the Protector who seeks to "protect" the country a little too well, arranging for the death of the Empress and stealing power from the very young King - as well as an external threat, from a mysterious "Shadow" that was bolstering the Protector. The first half of the book deals with the King's overthrow and the events that bring his immortal ancestors, Morlock and Ambrosia, into the city and to his aid. The second half deals with the discovery of the Shadow and his creepy necromantic acts, and his attempts to take over not just the Empire, but the world.
The world and its magical systems are fascinating - there's ties to Arthurian England, odd hints of immortality and spiritual magic, and all sorts of cool quasi-magical, quasi-mechanical creations wandering about. There's illusions, and alchemy, and smithery - phlogiston plays a major part in several areas, and dephlogistonating something seems to be an activity reserved for an excellent smith (or Maker) that also has psychic abilities. Fascinating concepts, all, and they're well applied against a backdrop of political machinations and coming-of-age.
The characters are unusual and engrossing, especially Ambrosia. She's an impossibly strong, dominant female character, the sort you don't see too often in fantasy literature. She's the progenetrix of an entire empire, and is still around to try to guide it and mould it to her will as the power behind the throne for generations; she's a powerful psychic and an incredibly deadly warrior, and is just plain badass. She's fearless, unsentimental, and vicious. It's striking to see this in a female character, because usually they're watered down with sentiment or sympathy SOMEWHERE along the line - not so Ambrosia. She has very little maternal instinct, and her drive is simply to gather power and protect the legacy she spent centuries building. She'll fight like a wolverine for her brother, but nothing else gets that sort of devotion - just cold, calculating logic and the fierceness of a hardened general. It's refreshing.
That said, the writing really lets down the side. There's way too many parenthetical asides, and there's a lot of details that simply don't compute. The young King has food tasters and constant bodyguards, for instance, and yet he mentions at one point being used to being cuffed, because the scullery boys used to beat him up. WHAT?! That doesn't even begin to make sense or flow in the context of this world or the author's own setup. There are simply too many contradictions and "oopsies" in terms of consistency and flow.
Which truly stinks, because I'd like to get to know more of this world and its characters - how Morlock and Ambrosia and Hope came to be who they are, and why Morlock really got kicked out of the Wardlands, and how this whole world came to be, with Merlin playing a large role in things and there being a clear link back to earth (this is NOT set on earth - there are three moons and a complicated timekeeping system based on their movement). I just don't think I can handle more of these internal inconsistencies and all the parenthetical asides.
The Empire is threatened twice - there's an internal threat, from the Protector who seeks to "protect" the country a little too well, arranging for the death of the Empress and stealing power from the very young King - as well as an external threat, from a mysterious "Shadow" that was bolstering the Protector. The first half of the book deals with the King's overthrow and the events that bring his immortal ancestors, Morlock and Ambrosia, into the city and to his aid. The second half deals with the discovery of the Shadow and his creepy necromantic acts, and his attempts to take over not just the Empire, but the world.
The world and its magical systems are fascinating - there's ties to Arthurian England, odd hints of immortality and spiritual magic, and all sorts of cool quasi-magical, quasi-mechanical creations wandering about. There's illusions, and alchemy, and smithery - phlogiston plays a major part in several areas, and dephlogistonating something seems to be an activity reserved for an excellent smith (or Maker) that also has psychic abilities. Fascinating concepts, all, and they're well applied against a backdrop of political machinations and coming-of-age.
The characters are unusual and engrossing, especially Ambrosia. She's an impossibly strong, dominant female character, the sort you don't see too often in fantasy literature. She's the progenetrix of an entire empire, and is still around to try to guide it and mould it to her will as the power behind the throne for generations; she's a powerful psychic and an incredibly deadly warrior, and is just plain badass. She's fearless, unsentimental, and vicious. It's striking to see this in a female character, because usually they're watered down with sentiment or sympathy SOMEWHERE along the line - not so Ambrosia. She has very little maternal instinct, and her drive is simply to gather power and protect the legacy she spent centuries building. She'll fight like a wolverine for her brother, but nothing else gets that sort of devotion - just cold, calculating logic and the fierceness of a hardened general. It's refreshing.
That said, the writing really lets down the side. There's way too many parenthetical asides, and there's a lot of details that simply don't compute. The young King has food tasters and constant bodyguards, for instance, and yet he mentions at one point being used to being cuffed, because the scullery boys used to beat him up. WHAT?! That doesn't even begin to make sense or flow in the context of this world or the author's own setup. There are simply too many contradictions and "oopsies" in terms of consistency and flow.
Which truly stinks, because I'd like to get to know more of this world and its characters - how Morlock and Ambrosia and Hope came to be who they are, and why Morlock really got kicked out of the Wardlands, and how this whole world came to be, with Merlin playing a large role in things and there being a clear link back to earth (this is NOT set on earth - there are three moons and a complicated timekeeping system based on their movement). I just don't think I can handle more of these internal inconsistencies and all the parenthetical asides.
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