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Empire of the East #1
The Broken Lands
In a world of the future, where only the barest shreds of science and technology remain, sorcery and magic are ways of life
197 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
1 person is currently reading
733 people want to read
About the author
Fred Saberhagen
335 books494 followersFred Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his ''Beserker'' and Dracula stories.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 21, 2024
I dropped this very short book twice and then took about a year to pick it up again, the beginning just drags a bit, I suppose? But I greatly enjoyed how everything came together at the end and I love the (very classic) world-building. This was actually my first Empire of the East book and I am quite curious to learn more about the whole Ardneh business.
April 5, 2013
The Empire of the East, represented west of the Broken Mountains by a collection of satraps on the frontier, is your fairly standard evil land-conquering organization of a type endlessly imitated/replicated by genre fiction. Purpose of conquest and subjugation: check. Evil overlord who hangs rebels by their thumbs outside the pterodactyl roost: check. Smoking hot evil daughter of overlord: check. Evil wizard who secretly loves evil daughter of overlord: check. One wonders if this story or series was the prototype.
And yet the Empire is more interesting than the Free Folk, Ardneh, or the Elephant. After a very entertaining opening with a death-duel of wizards at Ekuman's castle, the action pulls back to Rolf's journey to and with the Free Folk. And the energy leaves the piece and the writing itself seems to suffer, becoming sort of dry and clinical, until the last third or quarter or so, when the Castle comes back into focus and the reader gets to see more about Ekuman and the infighting and intrigue between satraps and within Ekuman's own household (and the leadership of the Empire is only intriguingly teased).
And yet the Empire is more interesting than the Free Folk, Ardneh, or the Elephant. After a very entertaining opening with a death-duel of wizards at Ekuman's castle, the action pulls back to Rolf's journey to and with the Free Folk. And the energy leaves the piece and the writing itself seems to suffer, becoming sort of dry and clinical, until the last third or quarter or so, when the Castle comes back into focus and the reader gets to see more about Ekuman and the infighting and intrigue between satraps and within Ekuman's own household (and the leadership of the Empire is only intriguingly teased).
January 18, 2017
I have wanted to read Fred Saberhagen's Sword books for a long time and I had read somewhere that this trilogy was the precursor to them. Perhaps if I had read this when it was originally published I would have liked it more. It was boring and flat to me. In a post apocalyptic world the Empire of the East is enslaving the people of the west. The resistance are looking for the fabled 'Elephant' and their prophesized leader, Ardneh, to free them. Very short and lacking details, it seemed more like a draft than a full story. Oh well, I'll finish the trilogy one day.
June 22, 2023
"Nothing that I know can stop the Elephant."
March 5, 2025
More fantasy that walks as SF.
April 10, 2012
Odd short novel of a post apocalyptic world with some technology mixed with magic. The story is slight for Saberhagen, but the premise is sound. He obviously saw some of the shortcomings when he combined this with its two sequels into a single revised volume as Empire of the East.
June 22, 2021
Fred Saberhagen foi um escritor conhecido por suas obras de ficção científica e terror, especificamente pelas séries Berserker sobre máquinas auto-replicantes tentando exterminar a humanidade e Drácula Sequence com uma nova interpretação do famoso vampiro. Ele também é responsável por uma terceira série ambientada em um mundo pós apocalíptico onde a humanidade regrediu para um estado medieval, a magia existe e resquícios tecnológicos podem ser encontrados, essa série começou com a trilogia Empire of the East, formada por The Broken Lands, The Black Mountains e The Changeling Earth (depois renomeado para Ardneh's World). Apenas o último livro dessa série é citado no Apêndice N, mas Gygax recomenda com seu “et al” toda obra do autor.
The Broken Lands (As terras devastadas numa tradução livre) conta a história de um jovem fazendeiro de 16 anos que se junta a um bando de rebeldes depois que sua família é morta por soldados de um império maligno, qualquer semelhança com algum filme famoso de guerra nas estrelas dos anos 1970 é mera coincidência já que o livro é de 1968.
De um lado temos o império do oeste que domina as terras do ocidente através de seus sátrapas, imenso exército, ninhadas de répteis voadores inteligentes e magos malignos, do outro temos os bravos free folks (povos livres) escondidos em pântanos, ajudados por uma raça de corujas gigantes (Silent People) e agindo em ações de guerrilha. Ambos os lados estão atrás do Elefante, uma criatura lendária de tempos ancestrais que supostamente tem o poder para definir o destino do mundo. Vou dar um spoiler sobre isso mais a frente, estejam avisados.
Continuando com nosso herói, vagando a esmo depois da morte dos pais e do desaparecimento da irmã, o jovem Rolf encontra um mágico viajante chamado Mewick na estrada e este se revela um excelente lutador quando é obrigado a enfrentar com alguns guardas. Ele se torna mentor do protagonista e também descobrimos que é um dos líderes dos rebeldes que tentam expulsar os invasores do leste. Eles descobrem uma pista da localização do Elefante, e como Rolf tem os atributos necessários para chegar ao local, ele parte junto com Thomas e dois pássaros do Povo Silencioso. A trama se complica também com uma introdução do Oasis das Duas Pedras, que tem esse nome por conta de dois itens mágicos ligados a origem do local.
A história intercala cenas do palácio com do acampamento rebelde. Confesso que o ponto de vista dos vilões chama mais atenção. Temos o sátrapa Ekuman que tenta consolidar seu poder nesse fim de mundo, enfrentando não só os insurgentes como também intrigas palacianas, sua bela e conspiradora filha Charmian, dois magos rivais, Elslood, mais velho e apaixonado pela princesa e Zarf, mas jovem, com roupas de mercador, mas carregando um sapo familiar, além do noivo Chup, um sátrapa vizinho igualmente traiçoeiro mas com um senso de honra forte. Em contraste, as missões de reconhecimento dos povos livres e pequenos combates com guardas parecem bem menos interessantes.
Agora um spoiler leve que acho importante que quem estiver interessado saiba de antemão. É um livro curto e sem enrolação, em pouco tempo descobrimos que o tal Elefante é um tanque nuclear com uma interface extremamente amigável, ou seja, uma arma de poder incalculável em um mundo que regrediu a espadas e armaduras. Se você acha que magia e tecnologia devem estar separadas, então é melhor ficar longe, mas quem tem uma mente mais aberta certamente vai gostar dessa história. O livro realmente parece uma aventura de RPG com certeza vai gerar uma série de boas ideias para quem o ler.
Indo para o mundo dos jogos, os magos têm o poder de invocar elementais, esse é um elemento clássico do D&D e sempre tive curiosidade de descobrir de onde tinha vindo. Essas criaturas podem ser usadas não só para o combate como para produzir efeitos auxiliares (como um elemental da água ajudando um barco a se locomover mais rápido). Além disso, as pedras mágicas são um belo exemplo de como um simples item mágico pode ter camadas, sendo muito mais do que aparenta, e como um personagem inventivo pode utilizar esses elementos de formas inusitadas. Podemos destacar também que elementos tecnológicos estão presentes em módulos mais antigos. Se já achei coisas interessantes nesse primeiro livro, estou bastante curioso para o que vou encontrar quando chegar ao terceiro volume da série, o único citado realmente no Apêndice.
Uma nota interessante é que houve um financiamento coletivo bem sucedido para um livro capa dura do cenário de Empire of the East com as regras do DCC (Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game). Ele tem previsão de entrega no início de 2021
February 24, 2023
Contrary to most good-versus-evil fantasy epics, The Broken Lands was surprisingly compact in terms of its storytelling breadth. After a brief chapter that establishes this volume's villain, we meet our farmboy hero, Rolf, moments before his parents are slaughtered by soldiers of the occupying forces of "the East." (The East is never well defined, intentionally so, beyond being a mysterious, oppressive, and--yes--evil distant empire ruled by some malign force of . . . demons, perhaps?)
Rolf goes in search of his sister, who is missing and was presumably kidnapped by the soldiers of the East. On the road, Rolf meets Mewick, a traveling salesman who turns out to be part of the resistance, one of the so-called Free Folk. They're stopped by soldiers of the East and Rolf is knocked unconscious. He wakes up in one of the Free Folks' camps where he learns about the resistance and joins up to help them search for a creature of mythical power called Elephant.
Rolf teams up with another resistance fighter, Thomas, to investigate a lead provided by two anthropomorphic bird creatures, who claim to have seen Elephant in a cave very close to castle occupied by the East's local satrap (our villain for this volume). The two are split up, but Rolf finds Elephant, which turns out to be a nuclear-powered tank from the twentieth century (this novel, it becomes clear, takes place long after our own time). Monkeying around with the gears and switches Rolf figures out how to turn the thing on and then leaves to report back to the Free Folk. But he's captured by soldiers of the East and taken to the castle, where one of the soldiers trains him to fight in an upcoming gladiatorial match.
Meanwhile, members of the Free Folk make plans to storm the castle and, knowing that Rolf has been captured, they resolve to help him escape through magical means so that he can take control of Elephant, a key element in their plans. There is some derring-do and, in the end, the Free Folk prevail.
So, a fine novel (and another entry in my ever-expanding list of books that probably exerted some influence on George Lucas as he developed Star Wars), and one happily devoid of hardcore sexism (at least on the author's part, if not quite on the evil characters' parts), given that this is a genre novel written by a white man in the '60s.
That said, I was disappointed when I found out that the enigmatic Elephant was just a tank. If I hadn't known ahead of time that this was a far-future fantasy novel, the revelation might have given me a pleasing jolt. But since I knew the score going into it, the revelation was rather mundane. I'd been hoping for something extraordinary.
Additionally, Saberhagen left the personal relationships between his characters largely unexplored. For instance, Rolf is enamored with a young woman he meets in the Free Folks' camp, but learns that she has a boyfriend. Later, she witnesses Rolf nearly kill her boyfriend, assuming that the man he attacked was someone else. The two exchange looks of anger (on her part) and dismay (on his part), but that's it. The novel ends with the two of them having had only a single, largely insignificant conversation. Rolf's relationships with Mewick and Thomas are similarly flimsy, leading me to wonder why Rolf decided to join the Free Folks' struggle--beyond his own need for revenge, that is.
Nonetheless, as soon as I'd turned the last page I charged ahead right into The Black Mountains so, as I said, an enjoyable novel.
Rolf goes in search of his sister, who is missing and was presumably kidnapped by the soldiers of the East. On the road, Rolf meets Mewick, a traveling salesman who turns out to be part of the resistance, one of the so-called Free Folk. They're stopped by soldiers of the East and Rolf is knocked unconscious. He wakes up in one of the Free Folks' camps where he learns about the resistance and joins up to help them search for a creature of mythical power called Elephant.
Rolf teams up with another resistance fighter, Thomas, to investigate a lead provided by two anthropomorphic bird creatures, who claim to have seen Elephant in a cave very close to castle occupied by the East's local satrap (our villain for this volume). The two are split up, but Rolf finds Elephant, which turns out to be a nuclear-powered tank from the twentieth century (this novel, it becomes clear, takes place long after our own time). Monkeying around with the gears and switches Rolf figures out how to turn the thing on and then leaves to report back to the Free Folk. But he's captured by soldiers of the East and taken to the castle, where one of the soldiers trains him to fight in an upcoming gladiatorial match.
Meanwhile, members of the Free Folk make plans to storm the castle and, knowing that Rolf has been captured, they resolve to help him escape through magical means so that he can take control of Elephant, a key element in their plans. There is some derring-do and, in the end, the Free Folk prevail.
So, a fine novel (and another entry in my ever-expanding list of books that probably exerted some influence on George Lucas as he developed Star Wars), and one happily devoid of hardcore sexism (at least on the author's part, if not quite on the evil characters' parts), given that this is a genre novel written by a white man in the '60s.
That said, I was disappointed when I found out that the enigmatic Elephant was just a tank. If I hadn't known ahead of time that this was a far-future fantasy novel, the revelation might have given me a pleasing jolt. But since I knew the score going into it, the revelation was rather mundane. I'd been hoping for something extraordinary.
Additionally, Saberhagen left the personal relationships between his characters largely unexplored. For instance, Rolf is enamored with a young woman he meets in the Free Folks' camp, but learns that she has a boyfriend. Later, she witnesses Rolf nearly kill her boyfriend, assuming that the man he attacked was someone else. The two exchange looks of anger (on her part) and dismay (on his part), but that's it. The novel ends with the two of them having had only a single, largely insignificant conversation. Rolf's relationships with Mewick and Thomas are similarly flimsy, leading me to wonder why Rolf decided to join the Free Folks' struggle--beyond his own need for revenge, that is.
Nonetheless, as soon as I'd turned the last page I charged ahead right into The Black Mountains so, as I said, an enjoyable novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2023
My copy was a 1968 first edition, Ace paperback. It's been stored for years, and I have never read it until now.
Some of it was difficult to follow. It seems to be set in a distant post-apocalyptic world where people are ruled by monarchy and rely on magic. Out there are bits of the past. They worship what can best be described by me as a military tank known as the elephant. There are balls of magic and fire extinguishers. There are talking birds and reptiles among the humans.
There are free people who are really peasants and live in villages and leaders who live in a castle. The free people revolt using bows and arrows led by a kid named Roth who manages to find the elephant and figure out how to work it.
It finished with an open ending, and I can see by looking at Goodreads that there are other books that follow.
When it comes to classic science fiction, it is reasonably well written, although there is more telling than showing. It's under 200 pages but felt longer to me. The characters are somewhat predictable in their mannerisms. I think it would've been better to read in 1968 during the paranoia of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear war always lingering in the back of our minds.
Some of it was difficult to follow. It seems to be set in a distant post-apocalyptic world where people are ruled by monarchy and rely on magic. Out there are bits of the past. They worship what can best be described by me as a military tank known as the elephant. There are balls of magic and fire extinguishers. There are talking birds and reptiles among the humans.
There are free people who are really peasants and live in villages and leaders who live in a castle. The free people revolt using bows and arrows led by a kid named Roth who manages to find the elephant and figure out how to work it.
It finished with an open ending, and I can see by looking at Goodreads that there are other books that follow.
When it comes to classic science fiction, it is reasonably well written, although there is more telling than showing. It's under 200 pages but felt longer to me. The characters are somewhat predictable in their mannerisms. I think it would've been better to read in 1968 during the paranoia of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear war always lingering in the back of our minds.
June 5, 2024
Who's this Fred Saberhagen guy, I wondered - the advertising copy sounds interesting!
Reader, it was not interesting.
The book started with a lively picture of despotic imperial power which - while hopelessly cliche - was at least powered by drama and intrigue. Second chapter took a sudden swing to oppressed, revolutionary peasantry, but without heart, soul, or interest, and the plot followed a depressingly "by the numbers" approach through to its conclusion. Was I interested in why there was a nuclear-powered tank hidden in a hole? No.
Not going to pursue this series, over and above the latent orientalist regressivism, but also because there's just very little of interest happening here. Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion and Legacy of Gird books do something similar so, so better - albeit without the tank.
Reader, it was not interesting.
The book started with a lively picture of despotic imperial power which - while hopelessly cliche - was at least powered by drama and intrigue. Second chapter took a sudden swing to oppressed, revolutionary peasantry, but without heart, soul, or interest, and the plot followed a depressingly "by the numbers" approach through to its conclusion. Was I interested in why there was a nuclear-powered tank hidden in a hole? No.
Not going to pursue this series, over and above the latent orientalist regressivism, but also because there's just very little of interest happening here. Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion and Legacy of Gird books do something similar so, so better - albeit without the tank.
April 14, 2021
I struggle to know how to describe this without giving everything away? Well, I guess I can say it's kind of fantasy...but also kind of post-apocalyptic sci-fi? Read for yourself! The characters are pretty flat and one note, but I did enjoy the setting and some of the magic ideas. I would have loved to see this world more explored, but it is not that kind of tale. No, this is a tale of the downtrodden folk rising up and overthrowing the nasty evil invaders from the East. Guess who wins!? The best part for sure, at least for me, was the discovery of the Elephant and the aha moment that resulted. That sequence was delightful. Book as a whole is fine. Not great, but for a '60s novel, still enjoyable!
March 24, 2021
It’s been many years (47 to be exact) since I read this trilogy. I found the books when going through my bookshelves looking for books to, possibly, send to the local charity shop. I thought “why not read them again?” and sat down outside on a sunny Sunday morning to start this one (the first in the trilogy). I haven’t devoured a book in a day for years and I thoroughly enjoyed it again. I’ve just started the second in the trilogy now and am savouring it a little more. Fred Saberhagen had a very vivid imagination and a clever melding of “old technology” and “new magic” in a world set in the future after, presumably, a final battle involving nuclear weapons (“demons”?).
August 24, 2022
I always enjoy Saberhagen's writing style. From Dracula to alternate dimensions, sword and sworcery, science fiction and more!
Set in the far future, long after some apocalyptic event, Rolf is a peasant who has to deal with the occupying forces of an evil overlord.
The freedom-fighter hero seeks The Elephant, a semi-mythical steed for the god Ardneh which is said to be an unstoppable force. The Elephant exists and it's the only thing that can save the small army of freedom fighters.
Set in the far future, long after some apocalyptic event, Rolf is a peasant who has to deal with the occupying forces of an evil overlord.
The freedom-fighter hero seeks The Elephant, a semi-mythical steed for the god Ardneh which is said to be an unstoppable force. The Elephant exists and it's the only thing that can save the small army of freedom fighters.
January 14, 2025
A sword and planet story taking place in the post-apocalypse future where technology has been forgotten and replaced by magic. It follows the original pulp canons somewhat, mostly pushing the actions, but there's a fair amount of side plots and character development as well. A satisfying fun read.
Should count as an Appendix N read, for Gygax names the third book of this trilogy in his list.
Should count as an Appendix N read, for Gygax names the third book of this trilogy in his list.
May 29, 2017
I started and stopped this book many times over the years. Once I finished, I realized why: this book is kinda bad. It sets the framework for one of my favorite series of all time, but man getting through it was a chore.
January 30, 2020
A fun post-apocalyptic fantasy read. Having read the First Book of Swords a while ago and not been that impressed, I wasn't sure if I would like this. But I did, and now I'm thinking about re-reading the Swords series again.
December 1, 2018
Always heard good things about Fred Saberhagen, but I’ve tried several of his books and been unable to finish a one. This was no different.
June 7, 2020
Pulp fiction! It's a classic, genre-defining post-future fantasy. You know what you're getting. Maybe a 3.5 for being part of the Appendix N canon.
November 7, 2021
Love this trilogy.
July 6, 2014
Fun pulp sci-fi in the classic vein, mixing magic and technology in liberal measure. May seem a bit tin-eared to modern sensibilities, but I think it holds up well. That ending is quite the unabashed lead-in to a future book, though!
Read
January 9, 2014Read this as a stand alone book. When I found out it was a trilogy, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the other two. I now have the Empire of the East trilogy. One of my favorites.
June 21, 2014
An odd combination of post-atomic-apocalypse-sci-fi and sword-and-sorcery . . . not exactly my kind of combination of genres, but well-written, and with some really good ideas . . .
January 6, 2015
Not bad, I liked it better than his Swords books but it is very similar. Probably won't chase up the rest of the trilogy.
June 21, 2016
Spoiler alert! How can you not love a book in which the good guys win because they discover a nuclear tank with a great user interface and use it to attack a castle?
May 19, 2012
Interesting read - bit dated now in some ways
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews