Lord of a Shattered Land

The once great city of Volanus has fallen. The Dervan Empire has invaded, crushing all resistance and driving its people to extinction or slavery. Their greatest general falling to his death in the sea. Soon, there will be no trace of Volanus left if Derva has anything to say about it. Little did they count on the ghost of Hanuvar, Derva's greatest enemy, to return in order to free his people from slavery.

Thus begins the epic tale of Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones. For full disclosure, I have been provided with an advanced reading copy by the author for review purposes.

In the realm of fantasy, good sword and sandals stories are few and far between. With the early fantasy genre having been partially defined by works like Conan the Barbarian (and my own childhood by shows like Xena, Mythic Warriors and the film Prince of Egypt to excite my own imagination) this often seems like a terrible oversight! However, with sword and sorcery having many avenues for adventure, the works of Howard Andrew Jones fill a niche that readers will be thankful for! Jones has a distinguished writing career, from writing historic and epic fantasy, work inside Paizo Pathfinder line and was the Managing Editor of Black Gate before it transferred to the digital sphere. When he's not writing tales of suitable drama and action, he is currently the editor for the sword-and-sorcery magazine Tales From the Magician’s Skull

Jones then has quite a lot of skill in weaving together exciting, fast paced, and enthralling tales of heroism alongside short sighted evil. That means that he knows how to wind a series of short stories into a fast paced epic that weaves well together! Lord of a Shattered Land is set more like a TV series, or perhaps an anthology, with episodic content tying into a grander arc that tells us Hanuvar's story. And Hanuvar has many stories to tell!

From his fortunate escape from imprisonment, to his clashes with literal gods, Hanuvar endures a long series of traumas. First through watching the destruction of his home, then through the wrinkles of old age. Heroism is a younger man's game, but he is the only hero remaining to Volanus. Without him, his people will disappear. Through this all, he has only one constant ally, the playwright turned unlikely hero, Antires. The young actor wants to tell Hanuvar's story to the ages, and though the thought amuses the aging hero, he sees the earnestness in the young man and invites him on what Hanuvar believes will be a suicidal mission. Fortunately for Hanuvar, he's Hanuvar, the greatest military mind of a generation!

In each of the stories within, that mind is as much an asset as his sword arm. The way in which Hanuvar reasons out traps, outthinks opponents and gains allies is thrilling to watch. We see this master strategists mind at work, and it's a joy to behold. In the later stages of his life and skill, he has nothing to prove, only a quest to fulfill. Jones portrays this masterfully as the old warrior must confront not just mortal enemies, but monsters and gods who are more powerful than any single human. Too often he comes within spitting distance of death, only to just wriggle out of reach.

Through his journeys he finds many unlikely allies besides Antires. From former Volani warriors to Dervan soldiers unwillingly serving alongside him, Hanuvar makes allies and slays enemies. Jones has an impressive array of foes for Hanuvar to fight past. With a flare for both quiet conversation and intense action, Jones delivers many exciting scenes for the reader to chew on, plotted out cleverly against the greater story of the quest to free the remaining Volani from slavery.

Each story builds on the next progressively, and set as episodic as they are, if you really enjoy one you can simply go back and read it and have a self contained short story to chew on during a coffee break. It makes for good dialogue and small character moments that are compiled against a great backdrop. The more tender moments where we explore Hanuvar's life, his story, and the sheer scale of the loss he has suffered after the Third Volani War are as well told as the scenes of action and adventure. Jones skill as a writer can't be missed here!

Choosing to draw from history, Jones does excellent work in portraying the Dervan Empire - and in a very sword and sandals style epic, no prizes for guessing who they're based off - in excellent detail. From the marching matters of a unit of legionnaires, to the casual pursuits of the Dervan upper class and their backstabbing politics, its a well built and interesting world for Hanuvar to inhabit. Pushing up against that world of course are all manner of magical beasties, from mythic creatures with a taste for human flesh, demons, indifferent gods who seem to regard the lives of all men as playthings, and more benign spirits. The more you read of Hanuvar's backstory, the more impressed you have to be with what he accomplishes, even in comparison to his historical counterpart!

The stories here head towards a genuinely action and horror packed conclusion which tie together some threads from the early stories in a way which is extremely satisfying! Old enemies meet again, and old allies are forced to work together once more under a threat greater than anything even the empire might present! And don't worry, there's no great cliffhanger, we are guaranteed a sequel which is also coming out this year!

Jones has created a fascinating setting, populated by intelligent, witty, honorable, idiotic, evil and outright monstrous characters that can keep a reader entertained for hours! There's plenty of room for rereading, and I think that I've got lots to look forward to from Hanuvar yet! Don't miss out on something the fantasy genre sorely needs more of! Grab your copy on August 1st!