Read One to Win One – Prize
“A Darkness Forged in Fire” by new Canadian author, Chris Evans, is a cross between traditional epic fantasy and military fiction, with enough elements of either one to appeal to readers of both.
PLOT SUMMARY: In an unforgiving world of brutal conflict—where musket and cannon, bow and arrow, magic and diplomacy are all weapons in the Calahrian Empire—there’s no denying that Konowa Swiftdragon, former commander of the Empire’s Iron Elves, could be looked upon as anything but ordinary. He’s murdered a Viceroy, been court-martialed, seen his beloved regiment disbanded, and finally been banished to the one place he despises the most—the forest. Now all he wants is to be left alone . . . but for Konowa, nothing is ever that simple.
A falling Red Star in the east heralds the return of magic long vanished from the earth, sparking a frantic race within the Empire to reach it first. Now Konowa is recalled to duty and asked to reform the Iron Elves—only the soldiers he gets aren’t quite what he was expecting. And worse, their key adversary to obtain the Star is none other than the dreaded Shadow Monarch—a legendary elf-witch whose machinations for absolute domination spread deeper than Konowa could ever imagine
“A Darkness Forged in Fire” is a clash of two different worlds. On one side you have elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards, dragons, powerful magic and other classic fantasy trappings that recall Terry Brooks and J.R.R. Tolkien. On the other side you have muskets, cannons, howitzers, military tactics, and so on, taken right out of a Bernard Cornwell Napoleonic epic. Besides the setting and military aspects, other strengths include the descriptive prose, the short chapters and quick pacing, imaginative flora/fauna and amusing wholesome laughs.
It may disappoint in a number of areas, most notably the plot, underdeveloped subplot, and a surprise twist at the end that is not very surprising. Overall though,
“A Darkness Forged in Fire” is a solid first effort—a book that readers of fantasy can enjoy and that the author should be proud of—and the start to a series that should only get better…
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2008/07/darkness-forged-in-fire-by-chris-evans.html
