Read other Upstream Reviews here and here, as well as Michael Gallagher’s interview with Mr. Jones here.
Impressed with Mr. Jones’ interview here, I requested a copy of Lord of a Shattered Land to read. Unfortunately, due to a variety of stressful events, I did not finish the book until recently. This review is long overdue and I hope it does credit to the author who was not only kind enough to pass along a review copy of this work, but to create a fantastic world and excellent characters in Lord of a Shattered Land.
Volanus was a rich coastal city full of wonder, with silver towers stretching to the sky. Home to dragons, fierce soldiers, women warriors, and excellent sailors, the city state’s greatest enemy was the expanding Dervan Empire. Thrice the two nations warred and, if not for a man named Ciprion, in the second war Volanus may have conquered. For Volanus had an ace in its hand: a general born and bred for war, who hailed from the famous Cabera line. His name was Hanuvar and he died with his city.
...Or did he?
The Story
A scant few months have passed since the third war ended with Volanus’ towers destroyed, its fields salted, and the majority of its people massacred. Those few who survived that terrible onslaught were enslaved and scattered to the four winds. All except one, that is.
In the city’s hour of need, Hanuvar rode one of the two dragons who had called Volanus home from its founding. They arrived at Volanus as it was besieged, but a Dervan catapult brought the great dragon down. She managed to save Hanuvar from death when this blow threw him from her back, as well as to swim him within sight of an island before she finally perished, but perish she did. Hanuvar spent his time there making rafts. The first raft sank. The second raft sank when he was within sight of the kingdom of Narata. Hanuvar swam the rest of the way to the island and was captured by Narata’s king.
Keeping Hanuvar confined for three days, the king suddenly removes him from the dungeon because he has a proposition for the famous general. It is well known that Hanuvar is a sorcerer (he isn’t) and that the Volani controlled dragons (they didn’t). There are raiders coming to burn, pillage, and loot Narata as the king prepares to hide his treasures. But hiding is a last resort: the king’s grandfather made a pact with a dragon that calls Narata home. To gain his freedom, all Hanuvar must do is go to the dragon’s lair and command it to keep its bargain if the priestess sent with him cannot convince the serpent to hold up its end of the deal.
The fact that the king is lying through his teeth about granting him freedom does not mean that Hanuvar cannot use this bargain to his advantage. Once he escapes Narata, Hanuvar goes to the Isles of the Dead, where the wealthiest Volani are buried. The Dervans seek to plunder the ancient tombs to enrich their emperor, and they are using Volani slaves to do it. With a little creative effort, Hanuvar frees those slaves, then reveals his plan: he intends to find his remaining people and free them. He will then send them to New Volanus, a secret colony he managed to found before the Dervans brought hell down upon his city.
But not everyone can be saved, and Hanuvar still has no word of his daughter beyond the fact that she survived Volanus’ fall. Not to mention he has this annoyingly endearing young Herrene playwright tagging along after he hires him for one job, where Antires proves useful indeed but he is not a fighter. Yet the young man insists on continuing by his side, all the while taking notes so he can write plays for posterity….
Meanwhile, something summoned into the world brings with it a dark hunger. If it is not stopped, it will bury the lands in darkness. It has its sights set on Hanuvar – and it knows how to wait.
The Characters
Hanuvar is a man of few words, deep thought, excellent tactical acumen, and more deep feeling than anyone knows because he keeps it well hidden. Despite his suffering, Hanuvar at no point chooses to take revenge on the Dervans who celebrate the destruction of his city. No matter how much he dislikes them, he will put his life on the line for individual Dervans because it is the right thing to do, it is the honorable thing to do, or both. This is not a man driven mad by grief or desirous of revenge but a general trying desperately to save the remnants of his race to build a better future from the ashes of their forsaken past.
Antires, for his part, is a delightful sidekick who is nowhere near as flighty as he seems. The Face to Hanuvar’s tactical acumen, Antires has steel underneath his flights of fancy and innocent bewilderment, showing a keen intellect as well as a willingness to learn. He soon proves himself loyal, level-headed, full of common sense, and smarter than even he may realize.
The side characters in each story are drawn well, evoking rage, admiration, or pity depending on how well they do or do not behave within the narrative. Some are as heroic as the two leads while others are scum of the earth who receive their just reward. It is impossible to be bored when there are so many intriguing new characters to meet in every episode!
The World
Anyone who knows history can tell that Volanus is based on Carthage, Derva on Rome, the Herrene are Hellenistic Greeks, and that the story essentially asks: “What if the Carthaginians were the good guys?” But the world doesn’t stop with recasting these Ancient nations in new dress. It adds dark gods, strange sorceries, creatures from worlds no man should see, witches, ghosts, and a little dash of Warhammer 40K with the Order of the Revenants – a Dervan unit that hunts spellcasters. Picture the weird fiction adventures of Conan the Barbarian thrown into an A-Team-esque quest with Hannibal Barca as the lead, and it is not hard to see how very intriguing this world can be!
Politics
None.
Content Warning
There are nasty creatures from nightmares that kill horribly. While they are not dwelt upon, these can be slightly spooky, so try not to read about them at night or give the book to little kids. Antires briefly mentions that he isn’t straight and once claims Hanuvar is his lover to try to hide his friend’s identity; this is no surprise given that Antires is based on the Ancient Greek pattern, but it may upset some readers. There is also magical mind control combined with torturous surgeries that rely on the torturers suppressing victims’ pain, which can excite fear, sickness, and rage in a reader. There is some mild language, too. Overall, the book keeps it to PG-13 level descriptions and it is fit for any mature teen.
Who is it for?
Those who admire Hannibal Barca will want this book, as will anyone who loves weird fantasy fiction or who enjoyed The A-Team television series. Conan the Barbarian enthusiasts will enjoy this novel and may find it useful as a method of attracting new fans to the Hyborian Age by introducing readers to Hanuvar first and Conan second. Alternately, anyone craving some Conan-style action would be remiss if they did not pick up and read Lord of a Shattered Land, as it pays excellent homage to the fictional warrior. Epic fantasy fans will have a great time with the episodes contained in this story, as will anyone who wishes that more fantasists would look to Classical antiquity for their inspiration. Fans of the late Howard Andrew Jones should pick this book up and read it at the earliest opportunity, if they have not already done so, or pester their library to order it so that others may be easily introduced to his work.
Why buy it?
Lord of a Shattered Land is good, solid fun with enough twists and turns to keep seasoned readers guessing while leaving newcomers breathless with excitement. It also pays homage to one of the best characters in history, who too often ends up a footnote outside military history courses. Why not buy it and enjoy the fun?
That cover art...the name "Howard"...
I'm going to have to add this to my pile!