SFF Chronicles News
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- Oct 20, 2013
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17th July 2013 12:28 PM
Tim James
This is the second book in Mark Robson’s Imperial trilogy, following on from the events of Imperial Spy. Here we see the centre of attention shift from Femke, the spy although she still plays a major role, to Reynik a solid and career soldier who has already found his time with the infantry disrupted by a special mission from the Emperor; finds that a smooth re-integration will not be happening when he is picked for another. This time though he must infiltrate the Assassin’s Guild, now declared illegal and do his best to find a way to shut it down. It may be a lot more dangerous than he thinks.
The previous book was almost complete in its own right, but this novel is definitely part of a greater whole, with no resolution coming at the end, rather a whole restructuring which sets up the third book perfectly. Written as a young adults adventure it tames down some of the language and situations you might get in an older book, but it does not detract from the over all reading experience, producing a highly entertaining book, which gets faster and faster as the the book races through to an excellent finale and a cliffhanger that makes you want to read the next book.
Robson seems to shy away from too much world development, just giving the reader what they need to know about the city and the world around it. This makes the story read faster which is a refreshing change; while the characters are well drawn, making us want to cheer for the good guys and boo the bad. Indeed it is the characters that really give the story its depth, with even the relatively minor ones becoming interesting as you read.
The magic that the assassins use is different, well thought out and used, and in at least one aspect quite chilling, and by the end you get the feeling that there might be more than meets the eye in the heart of their guild.
If there was one thing that really bugged me it was the apparent death a a character close to one of the two main ones. It seemed somehow disconnected, almost as though it did not really happen, and consequently it made this reader at least, wonder if it actually happened. The emotional turmoil of this is very slight, and I would have thought it would have a greater effect on the character. In the same light one of the major deaths (a brilliantly executed part of the story) that comes at the end, happens off page, and it makes you wonder if it actually happened or not.
All in all though, an excellent and very enjoyable read that makes you really want to pick up the conclusion to the series. Which I will.
Mark Robson has been a member of the Chronicles Network for quite a while, and uses the cunning user name Mark Robson to hide his identity. His contact with the areas I hang out is minimal, but he proved himself to be a major asset back when I first joined the network, helping me, as so many others did with a problem I was facing at the time. He is the author of a number of successful series.
Tim James
This is the second book in Mark Robson’s Imperial trilogy, following on from the events of Imperial Spy. Here we see the centre of attention shift from Femke, the spy although she still plays a major role, to Reynik a solid and career soldier who has already found his time with the infantry disrupted by a special mission from the Emperor; finds that a smooth re-integration will not be happening when he is picked for another. This time though he must infiltrate the Assassin’s Guild, now declared illegal and do his best to find a way to shut it down. It may be a lot more dangerous than he thinks.The previous book was almost complete in its own right, but this novel is definitely part of a greater whole, with no resolution coming at the end, rather a whole restructuring which sets up the third book perfectly. Written as a young adults adventure it tames down some of the language and situations you might get in an older book, but it does not detract from the over all reading experience, producing a highly entertaining book, which gets faster and faster as the the book races through to an excellent finale and a cliffhanger that makes you want to read the next book.
Robson seems to shy away from too much world development, just giving the reader what they need to know about the city and the world around it. This makes the story read faster which is a refreshing change; while the characters are well drawn, making us want to cheer for the good guys and boo the bad. Indeed it is the characters that really give the story its depth, with even the relatively minor ones becoming interesting as you read.
The magic that the assassins use is different, well thought out and used, and in at least one aspect quite chilling, and by the end you get the feeling that there might be more than meets the eye in the heart of their guild.
If there was one thing that really bugged me it was the apparent death a a character close to one of the two main ones. It seemed somehow disconnected, almost as though it did not really happen, and consequently it made this reader at least, wonder if it actually happened. The emotional turmoil of this is very slight, and I would have thought it would have a greater effect on the character. In the same light one of the major deaths (a brilliantly executed part of the story) that comes at the end, happens off page, and it makes you wonder if it actually happened or not.
All in all though, an excellent and very enjoyable read that makes you really want to pick up the conclusion to the series. Which I will.
Mark Robson has been a member of the Chronicles Network for quite a while, and uses the cunning user name Mark Robson to hide his identity. His contact with the areas I hang out is minimal, but he proved himself to be a major asset back when I first joined the network, helping me, as so many others did with a problem I was facing at the time. He is the author of a number of successful series.
