The Empire's Ruin

May 31, 2021
Three intertwined tales reveal the cracks of a dying empire in this grim, disappointing epic fantasy, which returns to the world of Staveley’s Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series to launch the Ashes of the Unhewn Throne series. Gwenna Sharpe, a disgraced former commander of the empire’s elite warriors, is sent on a mission to a treacherous continent to retrieve the eggs of a rare species of gargantuan birds used as military transports. Meanwhile, Ruc Lakatur Lan Lac and Bien Qui Nai, priests of an unpopular religion, are forced into arena combat as sacrifices to gods they don’t believe in. And monk-turned-thief Akiil plans to con Emperor Adare herself with the promise that he can teach her the secrets of powerful portals called kenta. Despite complex politics and conflicting cultures, the characters are simplistic and unmotivated, and their relationships to one another feel uninspired. Few surprises and little suspense along the way does nothing to make it easier to root for the protagonists. Fans of Staveley’s other works will enjoy revisiting the world and appreciate the appearance of familiar characters, but this ambitious trio of adventures falls flat and lacks heart. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Assoc.

June 14, 2021
In the city of Domb�ng, Gwenna Sharpe, leader of the last Kettral wing, burns down the Purple Baths and loses the last of the Annurian Kettral in an extraction gone horribly wrong. Instead of executing her for the failure, Emperor Adare sends her on an improbable mission to find Kettral eggs on the mostly dead continent of Menkiddoc. Meanwhile, Ruc and Bien, priests of Eira, are the only survivors of a brutal mob attack on the temple; they are captured and sent to the arena to fight for the Three. Akiil is busy running the biggest con of his life--he has convinced Adare that he can teach her how to use the ancient Csestriim kentra gates. There is a threat coming--Domb�ng receives warning in the form of messengers of a power who threatens their gods--and it may not be just the Annurian empire that is destroyed. Much development here is relatively small-scale for an epic fantasy this ambitious, with character introspection ultimately at the forefront; nonetheless, there's plenty of action, and the setup for sequels promises plenty of epic struggle for the fate of the world.

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