Review: Wonderfully dark and intensely emotional read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 24, 2011
As always with Andrew Ashling, an intense read.  Mr. Ashling has an uncanny knack for creating complex characters who you really want to hate, but you can't help but be drawn to.  In this first of a series (no, there is no real resolution in this first novel), the author creates a universe that could be drawn from our medieval history and which involves complex, canny political gamesmanship.  I have to admit that it took me a number of chapters to get into the story, and I was tempted to put it down once or twice, but I'm glad I stuck it out in the end.  The last three or four chapters of the book are some of the best I've read in this genre for their emotional impact and the way in which they dealt with a very difficult topic.Without going into depth to explain the plot, a complicated political drama involving the King of Ximerion and his four sons, the action in this installment of the series centers around two half-brothers, Anaxantis and Ehandar.  The princes are sent to the far reaches of the kingdom, to a region in which a border kingdom threatens to invade.  They are given almost no troops or means of protecting themselves - the King wants to see what they are made of and, seeing as they are the two youngest of his sons, the King isn't terribly worried about their futures.Anaxantis is the youngest, not even 16 at the beginning of the story.  He has been in love with Ehandar for some time, but Ehandar cares little for him.  When Ehandar, in a drunken rage, does the unthinkable to his little brother, Anaxantis is determined to take his revenge.  But revenge weighs heavily on Anaxantis as he strives to discover his place in the world.  The relationship between the two brothers is the focal point of this book, and it is a tortured and painful one.  My heart broke at the end of the book, when Anaxantis reveals his innermost thoughts and agony to his best friend.I would have rated this wonderful book an unhesitating 5 stars, but for a few complaints.  First, the exposition is very slow and it took me more than half of the book before I felt that I connected with the characters (the reason I almost gave up on it a few times).  That said, when I did connect with Ehandar and Anaxantis, I did so thoroughly and I have no doubt that I'll be reading the rest of the series.Also, there are a number of editing "misses" that were distracting and could have easily been fixed before publication (use of "it's" instead of "its" throughout for the possessive form stood out as the most glaring example). These editing problems took something away from Mr. Ashling's excellent (and intelligent) writing.  I had the same gripe with the last book I read of his, as well.I've read some of the other reviews for the book, and I have to say that I had some misgivings about the modern language in the book in the context of this medieval society.  To me, this was mostly because the language felt "uneven." In parts of the book, the language is quite formal, but at other times, it is overtly colloquial, 21st century speech (as in "hey, guys!").  Otherwise, I probably would not have noticed the modern speech at all.  Again, better editing probably would have helped smooth this out.These relatively small complaints aside, Mr. Ashling's writing can be overwhelmingly (and wonderfully) emotional at times, and I've read few other authors who can create such wonderfully complex characters.  I highly recommend the series to anyone who enjoys fantasy along the lines of King Arthur and The Lord of the Rings.