Engines of Empire
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- Create Date：2022-01-28 00:16:40
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Richard S. Ford
- ISBN：B0943DR6YF
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Summary
Engines of Empire is the unmissable start to a new epic fantasy trilogy— a tale of clashing Guilds， magic-fueled machines， intrigue and revolution， and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction。
The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry， and industry is run by the Guilds。 Chief among them are the Hawkspurs， and their responsibility is to keep the gears of the empire turning。 It’s exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation。
Conall， the eldest son， is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military。 It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution。
Tyreta’s sorcerous connection to the magical resource of pyrstone that fuels the empire’s machines makes her a perfect heir – in theory。 While Tyreta hopes that she might shirk her responsibilities during her journey one of Torwyn’s most important pyrestone mines， she instead finds the dark horrors of industry that the empire would prefer to keep hidden。
The youngest， Fulren， is a talented artificer， and finds himself acting as consort to a foreign emissary。 Soon after， he is framed for a crime he never committed。 A crime that could start a war。
As each of the Hawkspurs grapple with the many threats that face the nation within and without， they must finally prove themselves worthy – or their empire will fall apart。
The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry， and industry is run by the Guilds。 Chief among them are the Hawkspurs， and their responsibility is to keep the gears of the empire turning。 It’s exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation。
Conall， the eldest son， is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military。 It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution。
Tyreta’s sorcerous connection to the magical resource of pyrstone that fuels the empire’s machines makes her a perfect heir – in theory。 While Tyreta hopes that she might shirk her responsibilities during her journey one of Torwyn’s most important pyrestone mines， she instead finds the dark horrors of industry that the empire would prefer to keep hidden。
The youngest， Fulren， is a talented artificer， and finds himself acting as consort to a foreign emissary。 Soon after， he is framed for a crime he never committed。 A crime that could start a war。
As each of the Hawkspurs grapple with the many threats that face the nation within and without， they must finally prove themselves worthy – or their empire will fall apart。
Reviews
Luke Scull
，
Richard Ford returns with Engines of Empire， an engrossing epic fantasy novel which expertly weaves together the stories of the noble Hawkspur clan into a wide-ranging and compelling narrative featuring demons， magic， steampunk-style constructs and much political intrigue。The writing is solid and the world-building intriguing in this 600 page monster of a book。 Each chapter unfolds like an episode of a fast-paced TV show as the heroes encounter constant peril and the stakes continue to ramp up。 Richard Ford returns with Engines of Empire， an engrossing epic fantasy novel which expertly weaves together the stories of the noble Hawkspur clan into a wide-ranging and compelling narrative featuring demons， magic， steampunk-style constructs and much political intrigue。The writing is solid and the world-building intriguing in this 600 page monster of a book。 Each chapter unfolds like an episode of a fast-paced TV show as the heroes encounter constant peril and the stakes continue to ramp up。 It's refreshingly old school in many ways， not quite as gritty as Ford's previous novels but still packed with bloody violence and action。In spite of a slowish start and some uninspiring cover art， this is an easy book to recommend and is certainly Ford's best work since the excellent Heralds of the Storm。 。。。more
Reaper Hound
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1。75 stars
Katya
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DNF @ 25%。 Setting this one aside for now。 I'm having a hard time connecting with this book， and I think it's because of the writing style。 It's all very matter-of-fact， even when there's a major onscreen event or revelation。 I don't feel the buildup of anticipation or the stakes rising， which makes it difficult for me to engage with the story and the characters。 There's also a dearth of description for my taste， also contributing to the difficulty in engagement。 I don't know what any of the cha DNF @ 25%。 Setting this one aside for now。 I'm having a hard time connecting with this book， and I think it's because of the writing style。 It's all very matter-of-fact， even when there's a major onscreen event or revelation。 I don't feel the buildup of anticipation or the stakes rising， which makes it difficult for me to engage with the story and the characters。 There's also a dearth of description for my taste， also contributing to the difficulty in engagement。 I don't know what any of the characters look like or how old they are。 Tyreta， for example， acts like a bratty teenager but she has a younger brother who's an accomplished fighter and maker， so she has to be at least。。。 sixteen？ Seventeen？ Is she twenty？ What color is her hair？ Her eyes？ I don't know anything about her beyond her actions， and that makes it difficult to care。 The world-building is similarly sparse on details， even though there is a great deal of potential there。 A kingdom run by Guilds， each responsible for an aspect of operations， and the potential for political drama therein sounds so promising！ Unfortunately， we're just given the facts of the present-day events （for the most part） with little description or explanation。 I wanted more！ What does a stormhulk look like？ What is a Titanguard？ Where， exactly， is the intersection of science/technology and magic？ How do these people dress？ What do they eat？This book is described as an 'epic fantasy' and it may be one in scope; however， I feel that in order to be truly epic， the world should be immersive， a reader should be able to reach out and feel the realm they're being invited into。 I felt at arm's length here。 Not giving a rating as I don't feel it's fair after only reading a quarter of the book。 I may return to it eventually。 Judging from the reviews， there are plenty of readers who loved this one so don't let my experience deter you from picking it up and judging for yourself。 Thanks to the author， Orbit Books， and NetGalley for the eARC！ 。。。more
Amanda Lauren
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An action packed character driven fantasy novel。 Remarkably combines aspects of steampunk， fantasy and a sprinkling of Final Fantasy vibes。 The different locations visited are vibrant and unique。 I grew to love some of the POV characters。 The book kept me on the edge of my seat towards the end， anticipating what will happen to the Hawkspur Family。 Vey much recommend this book and I can not wait to read more in this world and by this author！
James Harwood-Jones
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An immersive authentic epic world。 Masterfully combines elements of steampunk， and fantasy。 The hierarchy of the guilds is forefront of a militaristic empire。 Absolutely action packed。 Much recommended！
Kevin Xu
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this book felt like a mess， each of the point of views didn't feel like they connected， making the overall plot and story not having the best experience this book felt like a mess， each of the point of views didn't feel like they connected， making the overall plot and story not having the best experience 。。。more
Joebot
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4。5 starsI went in wanting to love this， and I came out having loved it。 The plot， worldbuilding and magic were all top notch。 This book had a very unique feel。 Super excited about book 2。 Two things kept this from being a 5 star for me。 One， not all of the POV characters were engaging to me。 Hopefully they grow in book two。 Second， I feel like the story ramped up too fast。 We didn't get enough time to sit with the characters and world before things hit the fan 4。5 starsI went in wanting to love this， and I came out having loved it。 The plot， worldbuilding and magic were all top notch。 This book had a very unique feel。 Super excited about book 2。 Two things kept this from being a 5 star for me。 One， not all of the POV characters were engaging to me。 Hopefully they grow in book two。 Second， I feel like the story ramped up too fast。 We didn't get enough time to sit with the characters and world before things hit the fan 。。。more
Mark - Shield Anvil
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A huge thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review！ （My first ever eARC！！）I tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible。 I'd like to start with literally the first few lines of the prologue。。。 "Courage。 That ever-elusive virtue。 Willet had once been told a man could never possess true courage without first knowing true fear。"Dragon-gods， demon worshippers， magic-infused machines？ Those are just a few of the things you w A huge thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review！ （My first ever eARC！！）I tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible。 I'd like to start with literally the first few lines of the prologue。。。 "Courage。 That ever-elusive virtue。 Willet had once been told a man could never possess true courage without first knowing true fear。"Dragon-gods， demon worshippers， magic-infused machines？ Those are just a few of the things you will find in Engines of Empire by R。S。 Ford。 It's the first book in a new epic fantasy series called The Age of Uprising。 The setting mainly takes place in the nation of Torwyn， which is at the height of industry and ruled by guilds。 There are a variety of guilds and they are all family run。 The highest among them are the Hawkspurs， whom four of our five point of view characters are members of。 "Are you so easily swayed by riches？ Don't let your greed overcome your reason。"Rosomon is the matriarch of the family。 She is a powerful asset of the Hawkspur guild and pretty much takes on the duty of trying to keep the nation afloat behind the scenes。 Especially after her brother proclaims himself emperor and her husband was killed years ago。 There is much greed within the political system and Rosomon faces the brunt of it。 She became my favorite character， I think she is the most developed and given the most unique voice amongst them。 I'm always a fan of strong independent women who aren't afraid to act！Moving on to Conall， he is the eldest of the Hawkspur children。 He is the heir to the guild and with that duty looming over him he finds it best to earn respect and goes off to the military located in a different area called the Karna Uzan。 There he is a captain of the Phoenix Battalion。 He faces many obstacles， mainly that of Frontier Marshall Beringer， whose bias towards the wealthy and pampered halts a lot of Conall's discoveries。 Conall starts to uncover something very detriment to the safety of Torwyn。 Overall I didn't care much for Conall in this book。 I felt he was dull and under-developed。 He is very inconsistent in his mindset。 He tries to balance the line of being a good solider with respect but also wanting to help his family， which is a hard choice to make however he does it over and over again！ I didn't care for that repetition。 It felt like he was making progress in his decision to just go back and erase it。 I'm hoping to see some more depth with him in the next entry。 How long do you think the battalions will carry on this war when it stops being profitable？ This won't last。"Tyreta， the daughter of Rosomon Hawkspur is the next character whom we see thru POV chapters。 She is a webwainer， which is a sorceress that has the ability to channel the power of pyrestones （a glowing stone that has many uses and is the main conductor/energy source to most of the machinery in the story）。 Like Conall， she almost immediately leaves Torwyn to go to the mines where Pyrestone is harvested in order to learn more about the process。 However what she discovers there throws her into a dangerous pit of war between the original inhabitants of that land and the colonizers from her nation。 "By placing a number of pyrestones inside small conversion chambers， a webwainer could use them to imbue any piece of artifice to life。"Tyreta's arc is my least favorite in the book， not because she's a bad character but just because of how fast she becomes adept at fighting， using a bow。 She just automatically becomes friends with an indigenous tribe even though her people are hurting them。 The speed of this book is very good in many ways， a lot happens but I wish this part slowed down so her abilities and relatinships could develop more。Fulren Hawkspur。 I like Fulren a lot！ He is the youngest son of the Hawkspur family and a prodigy artificer。 Unlike his brother and Sister he has no desire to leave Torwyn。 He becomes a guide to a woman from Nyrakkis， Assenah Neskhon。 Nyrakkis is a rival nation （that worships demons！） and Assenah has traveled to Torwyn in order to make a trade deal between the nations。 However， during Fulren's showing her of the city he becomes embroiled in a plot and framed for a heinous crime he had nothing to do with。 We see a lot of growth with Fulren， it may be because he is the youngest in the family and has the most growth to achieve or he goes through the most traumatic experiences in the book。 Needless to say his journey is astounding。 He does suffer like Tyreta of making friends of strangers too quickly though and wish that was fleshed out more delicately。 "But don't you see？ This is our future。 The old gods are not revered as they were。 We are done with that past。 Inventions like this will ensure that famine and hunger are eradicated from Torwyn。 They offer so much potential。"The last POV of the book is that of Lancelin Jagdor。 He is a swordwright， which is a highly trained swordsman。 Lancelin is bad-ass！ He is a great character。 I don't want to get into much more about him since it's spoilery but I really don't have any issues with his arc。Some last things I want to touch on in this book is the religion of Torwyn。 The religion is called The Draconate Ministry and it worships the five Great Wyrms （dragon gods） which are as follows: Ammenodus Rex， Ravenothrax the Unvanquished， Saphenodon， Undometh， and Vermitrix。 I just wanted to list those， how absolutely awesome are those names？ I just want to know and see more of the religion。 I wish there was more about it in this book but being the first in the series I understand there needs to be that build-up。 "Only you seem to have many great things in your country。 Great Wyrms， a Great Library。 Is anything merely mundane？"Score: 3。75/5 - A good start to a series with atmospheric world-building， unique magic mixed with artifice and treacherous politics and religion。 I would have liked to see more character development and less auto-friendships。 The prose was fine， easy to read but didn't leave a lasting impression。 I thought the magic would also be more prevalent after the stunning prologue。 Overall， an enjoyable read and I will be continuing the series once the next is released。Review also on my blog here: https://shieldanvilsstudy。wordpress。c。。。 。。。more
Thus Kvothe The Raven
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It is always fun when an author is able to successfully merge fantasy and science fiction。 Ford has begun a yarn with characters that are interesting and relatable， living in a world where magic and science work together。 The world building is robust and the plot keeps you guessing。While the story is not perfect， it is really well developed。 A couple of plot elements were overused and while this is not listed as a YA， it reads like one to me。 I’m not exactly “over” YA， but I am less enamored of It is always fun when an author is able to successfully merge fantasy and science fiction。 Ford has begun a yarn with characters that are interesting and relatable， living in a world where magic and science work together。 The world building is robust and the plot keeps you guessing。While the story is not perfect， it is really well developed。 A couple of plot elements were overused and while this is not listed as a YA， it reads like one to me。 I’m not exactly “over” YA， but I am less enamored of it than when Maas， Stiefvater， and Collins burst onto the scene。 Nevertheless， there are points where the youth of the protagonists advances the story line in inevitable ways。 Surprisingly this does not make the bulk of the tale predictable， only the general direction。Four stars is where “Engines of Empire” lands for me。 I am invested enough in the characters， their struggles， and the mystery of the overall story to want to read the next book when it becomes available。 If you are a steampunk/archaic sci-fi/fantasy reader， I feel confident you will like this book。 My thanks to Orbit via Netgalley。#Orbit #EnginesOfEmpire #SciFi #Fantasy #Steampunk #IfCatsCouldRead #CatsAndBooks #BooksAndCats #Audiobook #Audiobooks 。。。more
Yev
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The biggest problem for me with this book was that it didn't seem to have a sense of its own identity。 It didn't know what it wanted to be。 Perhaps that was the point。 If everything is tried all at once then maybe some part of it will work。 The story felt to me more like a cobbled together assemblage of disparate story elements rather than a coherent and organic whole。 Even so， the overall narrative was weirdly traditional。 Several promising ideas and concepts were included， but few of them saw The biggest problem for me with this book was that it didn't seem to have a sense of its own identity。 It didn't know what it wanted to be。 Perhaps that was the point。 If everything is tried all at once then maybe some part of it will work。 The story felt to me more like a cobbled together assemblage of disparate story elements rather than a coherent and organic whole。 Even so， the overall narrative was weirdly traditional。 Several promising ideas and concepts were included， but few of them saw regular use。 It would've been far more interesting to me if it instead had been a metastory about contemporary fantasy versus traditional fantasy。A basic plot summary would be that the children of a powerful family go their own ways and through the trials they face develop their own individual strengths。 As noted by the series name， there's also an uprising。 There are two empires， one is magitek and the other necromantic。 Although there was some promise with the magitek， it's mostly surface level and not nearly enough was done with it for my preference。 The necromantic followed through with demons， human sacrifice， immortality（？）， and similar being prevalent。I don't know quite why it was， but I didn't care for almost any of the characters。 It's not just because almost every character constantly makes terrible choices or behaves ridiculously。 I can tolerate that。 Yet， I found myself indifferent to what any of them did。 Some characters seemed to exist only to be killed off， but since they were only there for relatively few pages， it didn't really have any impact on me。 At the reveal of the antagonist of the story， who is a cackling melodramatic megalomaniac convinced of their own self-righteousness， I could be barely be bothered to roll my eyes。Initially this seemed to have promise， but it wasn't able to deliver what I wanted。 While there are structural problems with it， it was more the accumulation of many small concerns that harmed my enjoyment。 I won't be reading any more from this series。 That's not because it's a bad book， it isn't， but rather because I don't have any sense of personal investment in it。 I read this as part of a whim where I would read a book that was published each month this year。 The book I was going to read for this month was pushed back to next month and this was its substitute。Rating: 2。5/5 。。。more
Marcy Torres
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The description of the book is what caught my attention。 Particularly， the "magic-fueled machines" since I immediately thought this would be some sort of steam punk novel （which， I've never read）。After reading this book， the closest thing I can think that is similar to this world is Final Fantasy 7。 Throughout the book， machines called stormhulks were mentioned and I just inserted one of the various machines you fight in FF7。 The are these stones called pyrestones that artificer's make to power The description of the book is what caught my attention。 Particularly， the "magic-fueled machines" since I immediately thought this would be some sort of steam punk novel （which， I've never read）。After reading this book， the closest thing I can think that is similar to this world is Final Fantasy 7。 Throughout the book， machines called stormhulks were mentioned and I just inserted one of the various machines you fight in FF7。 The are these stones called pyrestones that artificer's make to power these machines。 For them， I straight up just thought of it as FF7's materia。If you're into that type of magic （and more！） then I would give this a read。 Even though it didn't go into too much detail with it， it was good enough for me。What I LovedThe various magic and how it interacts with the machines。 As mentioned above， this world just reminded me of FF7's world but just not as advance。The political/conspiracy drama， the twists and surprises！ I think I actually gasped a total of 3 or 4 times。 Those parts of the story were the most memorable and honestly it felt like I was watching a TV show at times。- I'm not a fan of all characters we follow but I actually think that's what makes me mark it as something I loved。 Even though I wasn't a fan of Rosomon， I actually enjoyed reading her parts more than others just because she had the right personality for that political environment。 I can't imagine any other character handling her situation with such elegance。- The epilogue。 I'm very interested in a particular character's journey so it definitely hyped me up！What I Disliked- The antagonist of the story seem very one dimensional。 I particular don't understand why they did somethings。- The nation of Torwyn is being divided by two。 Both sides say that they are what is best for the people but you never get to see it or explained how or why they are the better solution。 Since we mostly follow the Hawkspur Guild， the reader is already biased towards one side。 Some more world building involving your average citizens would help a lot to actually demonstrate why even consider the other side。 Doing so would actually help out the first point since we would understand the antagonist better。- Tyreta's story was good but found the pacing slower or just not as interesting compare to the others。 When things picked up for the other characters， I found myself speed reading her sections just because I wanted to get back to other characters。 - This is me being nitpicky， but I absolute hate when a story tries to make the character seem humble by saying how much they don't use their privilege/their name to get things they want。 I believe all the character's were guilty of this， Rosomon the most。 It always feels like it's trying to force me into liking them by saying 'Yeah， they're rich and lived a really good life but don't worry， they're just like you and me！'。 Considering how all the character's started， I honestly find it hard to believe that they never actually mistreated someone like a servant or thought low of them。 Rosomon actually even made comments about Starn， her guard， and Athelys， her handmaid， a few times。Final ThoughtsThe story and character's were interesting。 While not perfect （and nothing really is）， I believe R。S。 Ford wrote a good introduction to his The Age of Uprising series and I look forward to picking up the second book！If you want to read a bit more on my thoughts， keep reading my review here where I go into some spoilers！ 。。。more
Ray Curto
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I was given a free copy of Engines of Empire by R。S。 Ford （author）， Orbit （publisher） and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。 Engines of Empire is the first book in The Age of Uprising series。This review will be spoiler free。I would characterize Engines of Empire as high fantasy that includes a coup， jungle warfare， necromancy， and political intrigue。The story takes place in several different types of settings such as a city that could have been something akin to a European city during I was given a free copy of Engines of Empire by R。S。 Ford （author）， Orbit （publisher） and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。 Engines of Empire is the first book in The Age of Uprising series。This review will be spoiler free。I would characterize Engines of Empire as high fantasy that includes a coup， jungle warfare， necromancy， and political intrigue。The story takes place in several different types of settings such as a city that could have been something akin to a European city during the Renaissance， jungle， desert， and snow-capped mountains。 There is an emperor， but guilds are responsible for the management of the services and industries that ensure the empire is running。 The guilds are families that operate monopolies in the story。The world building， in this story， is expansive， but nothing unique。 It， however， did add another layer of complexity to the story。The magic system appears to a blend of hard and soft magic systems。 The hard magic system is comprised of stones of different colors have special properties if used by people who can manipulate the different properties of the stones。 The stones can be used to operate heavy machinery and munitions。 The soft magic system is comprised of people who have glyphs burned onto their bodies that enable them to do things。The magic system serves the story。Engines of Empire has four major characters and a secondary character that have chapters told by their perspectives。 The four main characters are mother， her older son， middle daughter， and younger son。 The mother’s perspective is about the political intrigue and coup。 The older son’s perspective is about him being in the military。 The daughter’s perspective is about the war between humans and orc-like creatures called kesh that takes place on island that is a large jungle。 The younger son’s perspective deals with another country that is considered the enemy of the empire。 The secondary character is asked by the mother to rescue her younger son from the enemy。I enjoyed the daughter’s story in Engines of Empire because she grows and evolves from the beginning of her story to the end of the story。 I found her to be interesting and engaging， especially when she interacts with the kesh。 I did not find the mother and the younger son’s chapters interesting because I thought each of them are mostly reacting to events instead of making decisions and initiating the action。 The older son’s perspective was somewhat interesting but could have been further developed and could have been more interesting。I think I would have preferred if either the mother’s perspective or younger son’s perspective and that of the secondary character were removed which would enable to have the remaining perspective along with the older son’s to be expanded and developed。 Another aspect of the story that I had difficulty with was the antagonist（s） of the story。 The three antagonists are the leaders of the country that is considered the enemy of the empire， the leaders of the coup， and the kesh。 I think it would be helpful if part of the story revealed the perspective of each the antagonists to understand the motivations and why do each group do what they do。I found the story to be too long。 The plot of the story meandered in the middle of the story， and I thought some chapters did not add to the plot nor propel the story forward。 The ending， however， was a rush to the conclusion and sets the table nicely for the sequel。I plan to read the sequel。I would recommend Engines of Empire to readers who enjoy high fantasy with multiple points-of-view。I rate Engines of Empire 3。5 stars。I would like to thank R。S。 Ford， Orbit， and Netgalley for the free ARC。 。。。more
Whimsical Amoura
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Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。 An action-packed start to a new high stake epic fantasy series you will not be able to put down！In the nation of Torwyn， the power and politics are run by the Guilds who oversee their people。 Each Guild is responsible for different jobs within this world to keep the economy running。 In this story we follow the point of view of one family， the Hawkspurs， as they set out on their Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。 An action-packed start to a new high stake epic fantasy series you will not be able to put down！In the nation of Torwyn， the power and politics are run by the Guilds who oversee their people。 Each Guild is responsible for different jobs within this world to keep the economy running。 In this story we follow the point of view of one family， the Hawkspurs， as they set out on their own paths to take on their responsibilities within the Guild。 Each of the family members encounters trouble as they encounter situations that whisper revolution， betrayal and barbarity。 This book was a rollercoaster of a ride with twists that caught me by surprise multiple times I almost got whiplash。 This book was such as fun read from beginning to end and at no point did I feel it dragged。 There was always something going on somewhere to one of the character’s POV that I could stop turning the pages！ This book is so great！ If you want an author who can rip the carpet out from under your feet and slap you across the face when you least expect it， then read this book！I believe what was exceptionally well done within this novel was the plot。 It was constantly moving， intriguing and engaging。 Part One had so many surprises that left me bug eyed on multiple occasions。 Once Part Two came into play I think I’ve read faster than I ever have in my life。 That being said， the characters are well written but they aren’t written in a way where you know the inner workings of every thought。 Which is totally fine with me but I feel character focused readers may find this lacking in their reading experience。 If the book was able to dive just a tad more into the inner workings of the character’s minds I think it would have elicited more of an emotional connection that generally find， for me， separates a good book from a great book。 I think the author did a fantastic job changing up the setting for each character within this world。 One was set in the “capital” area， one in the jungle， one in the dessert， and one on the complete other side of the drift。 At some points we even find ourselves at sea or riding on an eagle in the sky！ I found this super interesting and even more compelling when characters would cross into each other’s settings。 I would have liked to have seen more of the Anvil and more of the tech within the world to explore more on the steam punk feel I got from the read。 The character I felt less drawn to was Tyreta’s POV。 I wasn’t really drawn to her as a reader however that doesn’t mean her character arc was not interesting。 I did enjoy it but just not as much as I did with Fulren and Lancelin。 I think each POV offered something to the story and I liked how the POVs constantly were written in a forward progressing story line and not jumping around from past to future to present。 This world has actual repercussions that occur which I loved to read because it made it seem more realistic in the sense that every action will have a reaction。 I like it when a writer is able to make me fall in love with a character but also scared that they may not even make it through the book。 I think that shows the absolute talent of the story teller。 It keeps me as a reader emotionally invested and on my toes as well。 The magic system was extremely interesting with how the different pyrestones worked within this world as well as how different individuals with or without gifts interacted with the stones。 For some reason I kept referring to the show Arcane in my head when I started reading this book。 It reminded me a lot of the magic system used there within the show。 The magic is volatile and can harm anyone including the user。This book was masterfully written。 As a reader I can appreciate that there was a likely an outlined process of how this book was going to occur and the timing of events that occurred within the book hit so perfectly paced。 The writing style is very readable and the book is written in such a way that it didn’t feel like I was reading a 600+ page book。 I didn’t even care about the pages I was too worried about the story。 There were some tropes that were written that felt awfully convenient despite the gravity of repercussion the book possessed but I’m able to look over that。 It didn’t bother me much。 Content Warnings I would include would be profanity， graphic violence， death and murder。 There are a lot of grim visualization within the book and it reminded me a lot of The Poppy War in that sense。Overall， I rated this book 4/5 stars which for me is a GREAT book！ I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes epic fantasy， steam punk and even thriller readers wanting to bridge over into fantasy。 。。。more
Mackenzie Busalacchi
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The best way to describe Engines of Empire is as a steampunk， epic fantasy。 The story mainly focuses on the members of the Hawkspur family - Rosomon （the mother）， Conall （the eldest son）， Tyreta （the daughter）， and Fulren （the youngest son）。 There is one other POV who is a close ally to some of the Hawkspurs。 From the start， each family member is sent off to different areas of this fantastical world。 In the sense that the reader then follows the adventures of each family member， the book reminde The best way to describe Engines of Empire is as a steampunk， epic fantasy。 The story mainly focuses on the members of the Hawkspur family - Rosomon （the mother）， Conall （the eldest son）， Tyreta （the daughter）， and Fulren （the youngest son）。 There is one other POV who is a close ally to some of the Hawkspurs。 From the start， each family member is sent off to different areas of this fantastical world。 In the sense that the reader then follows the adventures of each family member， the book reminded me a lot of Game of Thrones。 There were some POVs that I liked more than others and a few that I wished the author had dedicated more pages to。 So much happens throughout the novel， it is hard to summarize in a short review post。 Overall， I really enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading the sequel！ 。。。more
Nina
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The Fussy Reader Thank you to Netgalley， Orbit， and Hachette Audio for letting me listen to an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 Because this was an audio listen and I don't yet own a physical copy （I will！）， I may spell some of the names wrong。TLDRCharacters - 5/5Plot -4/5Setting - 5/5Writing - 5/5Final Impression - 5/5-Everything about this was chef's kiss to me。 Detailed world-building， characters with developed arcs， intricately woven plots， high stakes， plot twis The Fussy Reader Thank you to Netgalley， Orbit， and Hachette Audio for letting me listen to an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 Because this was an audio listen and I don't yet own a physical copy （I will！）， I may spell some of the names wrong。TLDRCharacters - 5/5Plot -4/5Setting - 5/5Writing - 5/5Final Impression - 5/5-Everything about this was chef's kiss to me。 Detailed world-building， characters with developed arcs， intricately woven plots， high stakes， plot twists， and to top it off， fantastic writing。 There's nothing about this book that I didn't like。 I'm not even going to pretend this isn't a five star read because it is more than worthy。 I fucking loved it。 If you enjoyed Arcane on Netflix， then you will LOVE this book。Full ReviewSo wow。 This book just came out of nowhere and knocked me for six。 I thought the premise sounded cool but I didn't expect to be so enthralled。 This was fucking great。 Seriously。 Possibly a new favourite。 I'll definitely be buying a copy of this for my collection。CharactersOut of the five POVs in this book， I enjoyed all of them， though I think I found Tyreta's the least interesting。 My favourite was Fulren， then Conall， then Rosomon， and then Lancelyn。 This isn't to say I found any POV boring because I found everyone one of them exciting。 And neither did I dislike Tyreta or her story， I actually thought she was great， I just didn't invest in her quite as much as the others， but I didn't resent returning to her chapters at any point。 I actually thought she was a fantastic character。There are multiple narrators for each POV and all of them were fantastic。 Read in crisp English accents which perfect diction and annunciation。 They read with zeal and emotion which only made the story more exciting and really brought the characters' personalities to life。 Excellent work。SettingI would LOVE to see a map for this world。 I really want to see where the countries are situated in relation to the Drift。 Even without the aid of a map， I can feel this is a vast world brimming with culture。 So much of this world is explored in detail。 It's incredibly well-developed。 Each culture is completely different and supports a separate set of customs， all of which are explored。A heavily steampunk-inspired fantasy， from the level of technology and transportation， such as airships and landships （trains）， cog references and machines powered by crystals called pyrestones。 There are different colour pyrestones that have different effects and are used to power various machines。 It expertly blends science and magic and finds a perfect balance。 It was really fascinating and gave me vibes of Arcane on Netflix。 Seriously， if you enjoyed Arcane， then you will LOVE this book。The city of Torwyn is run by an emperor and a collection of wealthy guild houses that fund and offer patronage to the industrial progression on the cityThe Drift， described as a scar across the land caused by a magical war initially made me think of the Shadow Fold from Shadow and Bone。 Then it made me think of the Misery for Blackwing， and beyond The Wall in GoT。 Other times it remained me of planet Arrakis， especially with the sand and the mention of wyrms （made me think of sandworms）。 Then I realised it just felt like a glorious mix of them all， and I loved it。PlotFive different storylines told through five different POVs。 We see these stories unfold through the eyes of the four members of the Hawkspur family， a wealthy and powerful guild family， and the Hawkslayer， LancelynRosomon is the matriarch and head of the guild。Conall is the eldest son and an officer in the army。Tyreta， the middle child and only girl， has magic abilities。And Fulren is the youngest and an artificer， building machines powered by pyrestones。My goodness， this book has some serious stakes。 People actually get hurt。 Badly hurt。 And people die， shockingly and unexpectedly， and it caused me pain。 On more than one occasion， my mouth fell open in shock。 One thing this book can't be accused of is being predictable。 So much happened and all those shocking moments slapped me right out of nowhere when I least expected it。 This book certainly doesn't pull its punches。I loved the plot， but I would've liked if the different narratives connected somehow at the end。 Only Fulren， Lancelyn and Rosomon's stories were connected， and Connal and Tyreta's stories both felt like they were left drifting and didn't really fit the bigger picture of this book， but I'm assuming they will fit the bigger picture of this series in general。 Also I didn't pick up on the relevance of the prologue， again， I'm assuming this is merely set up for something bigger to come。 But in this case， I feel the prologue could've been the epilogue and a cool hint of something to come。 If not， I really couldn't figure out how the prologue fits within this narrative。 But these are only minor criticisms and I still loved the story。 Writing StyleGorgeous。 The prose is stunning and paints such unapologetically gruesome but poetic pictures。Continuing my point from above about the book not being predictable， I think it shows the quality of the writing from the fact that everything is so perfectly timed。 Just when you think the characters are safe， boom！ Something unexpected happened。 It's fucking great。 In the end， I just learnt to never trust any of them were safe at any moment， constantly on the edge of my seat waiting for the next sucker punch。The pacing is super quick， but I don't think this is a bad thing。 I never got bored because I never had a chance。 The story is constantly evolving， constantly moving。 Once the action really gets going， there's no time to even breathe and I loathed having to stop listening to this one to go to bed。 Quality writing。Final ImpressionIs this going to be a series？ Cause I will definitely be reading the next one。 Everything about this was chef's kiss to me。 Detailed world-building， character's with developed arcs， intricately woven plots， high stakes， plot twists， and to top it off， fantastic writing。 There's nothing about this book that I didn't like。 I'm not even going to pretend this isn't a five star read because it is more than worthy。 I fucking loved it。I NEED the next one！！InstagramTwitter 。。。more
Kym's Open Books
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“This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds， magic-fueled machines， intrigue and revolution— and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction。” （quoted from Goodreads。） I could not put it in better words！This is masterfully written。 There was so much depth to the story but also to the characters。 The Hawkspur family are sent to different ends of the nation。 As the heirs， their responsibility is great。 They each have a mission but they face attacks， brutal ki “This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds， magic-fueled machines， intrigue and revolution— and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction。” （quoted from Goodreads。） I could not put it in better words！This is masterfully written。 There was so much depth to the story but also to the characters。 The Hawkspur family are sent to different ends of the nation。 As the heirs， their responsibility is great。 They each have a mission but they face attacks， brutal killings， an uprising and more all while their home is being overrun。 This is where the story started building what would be a tremendous adventure。 We hear from multiple POV and I was astonished at the simplicity of being able to tell each story apart without any sort of backtracking。 With such depth to this story， that is extraordinary。 We are taken through jungle and sea， we ride in the air on giant animals， we are taken to exotic places that hit every spectrum of the world。 This story is not short on adventure and I loved being able to experience it all。 The story builds slowly， giving you background stories and in-depth character development before the climax of the story hits and it all comes together。 The audio was phenomenal。 It is narrated with a full cast that brought life to the story。 Each voice matched perfectly with the character just as I imagined each to be。 I will be watching for book 2， I cannot wait to hear beyond that conclusion！Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review。The book releases January 18， 2022。https://www。theopenbooks。net/2022/01/。。。 。。。more
Nick Borrelli
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R。S。 Ford is an author whose books I have been meaning to check out for a while， but for whatever reason it just hadn't happened as of yet。 All that thankfully changed when I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of his brand new book ENGINES OF EMPIRE from publisher Orbit Books。 So it was with much curiosity and excitement that I leapt into the opening pages。I had a feeling right off the bat that I was going to enjoy this book as things take shape fairly quickly and the intrigue is in R。S。 Ford is an author whose books I have been meaning to check out for a while， but for whatever reason it just hadn't happened as of yet。 All that thankfully changed when I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of his brand new book ENGINES OF EMPIRE from publisher Orbit Books。 So it was with much curiosity and excitement that I leapt into the opening pages。I had a feeling right off the bat that I was going to enjoy this book as things take shape fairly quickly and the intrigue is intense very early on in the story。 Not a lot of setup and dilly-dallying about as it were。 And in the end that's a big part of what made this a great book and not just a good book for me。We are told this story mainly through the eyes of three siblings from the very influential Hawkspur guild。 Every so often a different POV chapter is interspersed， but the three main characters carry the bulk of the tale。 Torwyn is a nation and empire that is at the height of its power， built mostly through industry。 And yet there is also a hinting that at one time they were vulnerable， most specifically from a neighboring nation Nyrakkis。 There are still worries throughout the kingdom that certain parts of their border are susceptible to aggression from across the border。Much of this concern begins to dissipate when out of the blue an emissary from Nyrakkis shows up in an airship （i'll get to that later） asking for an audience with the leader of Torwyn。 The emissary claims to be there with a peace offering and a deal that would usher in a new era of cooperation and harmony between the two formal rival lands。 Old suspicions die hard however， and many in Torwyn speculate whether this is simply a ploy to gain sensitive intelligence rather than the olive branch it is being portrayed as。 When something unexpected happens during the emissary's visit， the three siblings each find themselves faced with their own burdens to avoid a catastrophic war， and maybe even save their own lives in the process。And this is really where the intriguing element of the book I was talking about grabs you and never lets go through the 600 or so pages。 Each POV chapter takes you back to a part of the story that is engrossing in its own right and also integral to the overall plot， which we know will at some point come back together again。 I love books like this because we aren't focused on one linear viewpoint that can sometimes tend to get boring and stagnant。 There's none of that here as each time we jump into another sibling's adventure， it's almost like reading three books in one。 Ford handles this very skillfully and keeps the focus on the main conflict， which is quite fantastic and kept me fixated on every word。But what truly separates this book from just good fantasy and catapults it into great fantasy is the world-building and magic。 Yes， the characters are amazing， the story is super intense and interesting， but where I was really dazzled was Ford's brilliant world that didn't fit in the typical box we see in so many epic fantasies。 In this world we encounter multiple moons that you would normally see in science-fiction， yet it felt totally unique and mysterious set in this fantasy setting。 And those airships！ No this isn't a steampunk novel， but a main mode of transportation are enormous airships。 And wait until you find out what powers these mysterious flying machines in their "engine rooms"。 It completely blew me away！I guess you could say I had a giant crush on this book。 It came as a breath of fresh air for me as just when I would think the story was headed in one direction， I was continually kept off balance。 Nothing is as it seems in ENGINES OF EMPIRE and Ford has pushed the boundaries to give us an epic fantasy that feels very different and doesn't follow the rules。 This is a wonderful thing and I believe that anyone who picks up this book will be treated to a story that while not conventional epic fantasy， still captivates with the same sense of wonder that we find in those reads。 Get ready for an entertaining and magical book that will keep you up until the early morning hours dying to know what happens next！ 。。。more
Rachel （TheShadesofOrange）
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3。5 StarsMy favourite aspect of this novel was the intersection between technology and magic。 In this world， some technology exists， but it is controlled and powered through technology rather than through traditional means。 Yet despite this worldbuilding， I was surprised to find this to be a very traditional fantasy narrative。 The story is very action based while hitting on a lot of the classic tropes of the genre。 The characters are all quite young and immature， despite this being an adult fant 3。5 StarsMy favourite aspect of this novel was the intersection between technology and magic。 In this world， some technology exists， but it is controlled and powered through technology rather than through traditional means。 Yet despite this worldbuilding， I was surprised to find this to be a very traditional fantasy narrative。 The story is very action based while hitting on a lot of the classic tropes of the genre。 The characters are all quite young and immature， despite this being an adult fantasy。Overall， this was a good fantasy story， but not as new or inventive as I expected。 I liked but did not love it。 I would recommend primarily to readers who do not tire of traditional fantasy narratives。Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review。 。。。more
Nichole
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Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit for the e-arc。This story follows three siblings and their separate paths to make their Mother and their Guild proud。 They are Hawkspurs。 The Guilds control industry and the Hawkspur Guild is one of the most powerful。Conall is the heir。 He is sent to prove himself in the military。 Tyreta can control pyrestones。 Pyrestones are used to power the machines。 She is sent off to learn more about how pyrestones are harvested。 Fulren is the youngest。 He is busy inventing Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit for the e-arc。This story follows three siblings and their separate paths to make their Mother and their Guild proud。 They are Hawkspurs。 The Guilds control industry and the Hawkspur Guild is one of the most powerful。Conall is the heir。 He is sent to prove himself in the military。 Tyreta can control pyrestones。 Pyrestones are used to power the machines。 She is sent off to learn more about how pyrestones are harvested。 Fulren is the youngest。 He is busy inventing new things for his uncle the Emperor。 He's an artificer that secretly wishes to be a fighter。 All of this seems pretty mundane， until it isn't。 The Hawkspurs will have to prove themselves worthy in ways they never could've imagined。This book is fantastic！ So much political intrigue！ I loved these characters so much。 Everything about this book is amazing。 I can't wait for the next one。 。。。more
Tesia
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2。75This year I have decided to get more tight on my stars， so if you're thinking "Wow， I haven't seen Tes rate this way" it's because I was giving away 5 stars like I was Oprah last year and we can't have that anymore！Anyway， about Engines of Empire。 Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC！I want to start off by saying Richard Ford's writing style is descriptive and easy to follow。 Something that I find doesn't always go to together when it comes to fantasy writers。 The chapters are structur 2。75This year I have decided to get more tight on my stars， so if you're thinking "Wow， I haven't seen Tes rate this way" it's because I was giving away 5 stars like I was Oprah last year and we can't have that anymore！Anyway， about Engines of Empire。 Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC！I want to start off by saying Richard Ford's writing style is descriptive and easy to follow。 Something that I find doesn't always go to together when it comes to fantasy writers。 The chapters are structured around a character coming from one family。 If you enjoyed the structure of Game of Thrones and Malice by John Gwyenne， this authors writing style is in your wheel house。The book is medium paced， it doesn't take long for things to speed up and a plot to be established。 I will say between character focus and plot focus， it leaned more on the character focus side with a lot of individual character development。The lore in this world regarding the pendants and how each guild uses them or how they run these giant machines can get a bit confusing。 Within the first few chapters a ton of information is thrown at you。 If you're like me just continue to read on because it does explain itself more later if you don't quite understand how it works yet。 Overall this book was good， and I can see each book in this new series getting better and better。 。。。more
Kyle Erickson
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Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the copy in exchange for an honest review！ So， Engines of Empire。。。。 super mixed feelings but overall an enjoyable start to a new series！。 My biggest issue is that it felt like Ford was too afraid to let things breathe。 I've read non-stop action books before but they usually feel a lot more confident， this felt like he was worried if he didn't throw a giant lizard or a betrayal or an explosion into every single chapter people would DNF。 Some of the time， he woul Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the copy in exchange for an honest review！ So， Engines of Empire。。。。 super mixed feelings but overall an enjoyable start to a new series！。 My biggest issue is that it felt like Ford was too afraid to let things breathe。 I've read non-stop action books before but they usually feel a lot more confident， this felt like he was worried if he didn't throw a giant lizard or a betrayal or an explosion into every single chapter people would DNF。 Some of the time， he would introduce a twist or an obstacle or kill a character and then the following chapter would bring entirely new circumstances so the previous thing was almost an irrelevant event meant to keep the plot "moving" at all times。 Many aspects of the world are just introduced for a chapter or two and then never spoken about again- some of the early stuff I almost forgot was even introduced。 A secondary aspect of this is that there were times where he let the reader know about a reveal or some juicy information *immediately* and I think the reading experience would have been better with a bit more delay to build the tension。 The dialogue was never better than serviceable and was cliche at times。 It felt like Ford took a lot of inspiration from ASOIAF for characters/plot but took all the wrong lessons from the back half of the show- he went for spectacle every time over substance。 There's a character that is so clearly inspired by Jaime Lannister that it's almost funny。 But all that said， I was super entertained the whole time。 I devoured the book quickly and set aside every other book to read it。 The plots introduced were really cool and I greatly enjoyed learning more about the world， the multiple magic systems， the types of sentient creatures， and the technology in Torwyn， the main civilization we follow。 The book follows four major POVs （with another POV joining later） and each of these four POVs are in the same family and go off on their separate adventures， like the Starks。 I enjoyed every POV character which is a difficult feat， although my favorites were Fulren and Tyreta。 The end of the book was a bit of a forced cliffhanger， but I enjoyed reading the climax immensely。 I'm definitely going to read the second book。 I just hope Ford can learn to trust his story。I listened to this book primarily on audio and I have to say， the audiobook was fantastic！ Each POV had a different narrator and all of them did a great job at performing the book， I was engaged the entire time。 I think the narrator for Fulren was my favorite。 I'm gonna say 7。5/10 。。。more
Tyra Leann
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4/5 stars。 Engines of Empire is a phenomenal debut to a new epic fantasy series。 All of the main POVs go through their own complex journey's full of successes and failures。 The setting of the book was diverse and sprawling， and the magic system was very interesting， in fact I'm looking forward to continuing to explore that particular aspect in book two。I do think that there were parts of the book where the suspense and tension could have been built up a bit more， reveals kept coming quite quickl 4/5 stars。 Engines of Empire is a phenomenal debut to a new epic fantasy series。 All of the main POVs go through their own complex journey's full of successes and failures。 The setting of the book was diverse and sprawling， and the magic system was very interesting， in fact I'm looking forward to continuing to explore that particular aspect in book two。I do think that there were parts of the book where the suspense and tension could have been built up a bit more， reveals kept coming quite quickly。 And the pacing was break-neck pretty much the entire time and could have been slowed down。So if you're looking for a fast-paced book with a great magic system， this is it。 *Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Eric
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TL;DREngines of Empire by R。 S。 Ford should be on top of any fantasy fans to be read pile。 This engaging story of a family drawn apart forced to fight for their empire delivers on all its promises。 Highly recommended。 Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone。For more reviews like this， please， visit my website Primmlife。com。 Review: Engines of Empire by R。S。 FordSomeone once said that all f TL;DREngines of Empire by R。 S。 Ford should be on top of any fantasy fans to be read pile。 This engaging story of a family drawn apart forced to fight for their empire delivers on all its promises。 Highly recommended。 Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone。For more reviews like this， please， visit my website Primmlife。com。 Review: Engines of Empire by R。S。 FordSomeone once said that all fiction is either someone comes to town or someone leaves。 Well， in R。S。 Ford’s Engines of Empire， both happen。 Rosomon Hawkspur travels to the empire capital in order to gather her three children to her in the opening chapters and then immediately sends them out into the wider world of the novel。 Their journey allows the reader to discover the wonderful realms that Ford has created。 Along the way， they each discover their own inner strength as they face down growing threats to the empire。Rosomon Hawkspur， matriarch of the Hawkspur Guild， travels to the Anvil， seat of the Torwyn empire， where her children gather before their own departure into the corners of the empire。 Rosomon is a widow and sister to the emperor; she’s got a shrewd political mind and is fiercely loyal to her family。 She’s sending her children out into the world to learn， to grow up， to become the next generation of leaders。 But forces within Torwyn work to change the course of the nation。Conall is the eldest and presumptive heir to the guild。 He’s a soldier; he’s a noble。 Unfortunately for him， the latter label underscores the former。 He takes a contingent of Hawkspur soldiers to the frontiers of the empire where soldiers fight against the inhuman Durrga。 These creatures raid the pyrestone mining camps and devil the borders of the empire。 They’re formidable， strong enemies。 Upon arrival at the frontier， Conall receives a message from his mother informing him of trouble back at the capital。 Conall must decide whether to return to the Anvil in order to protect his family and confirm everyone’s suspicion that he’s just a noble or remain with the troops and earn the right to call himself a soldier。Tyreta is the daughter， the middle child， and a webwainer。 Webwainers are magicians that ignite pyrestone， which are magical stones that power various artifices。 Tyreta is willful and impulsive; she delights in defying her mother in small ways。 In order to learn more about duty and the Hawkspur business， Tyreta is sent to the most important pyrestone mines on an island in the Sundered Isles。 While there， she meets the native Kesh at great personal cost and faces the consequences of Torwyn’s industry。Next， young Fulren is the baby of the family。 He’s an artificer studying and conducting research with his uncle’s artificers in the Anvil。 Rosomon’s plans for him were to continue his education towards becoming a master artificer， and Fulren’s personal plans were to learn the sword in order to challenge his father’s murderer。 But plans for fictional characters rarely come to fruition， and Fulren is no exception。 Framed for a murder he didn’t commit， Fulren is given to Torwyn’s oldest enemy in order to answer for slaying their diplomat。 With no hope of proving his innocence， he travels back to Nyrakkis。 There he finds a nation far different from the one he knows。Engines of Empire is a close third person point of view novel。 It follows the lives of the Hawkspurs as they seek to do their perceived duty。 The worldbuilding is top notch， and I look forward to learning more about Torwyn， Nyrakkis， and the Drift。 My ARC came in at 575 pages; so， this isn’t quite a door stopper Sanderson sized book， but there is a whole lot of story here to dig into。 World BuildingThe world of Engines of Empire is expansive。 Ford gave himself a lot of ground to cover in this opening book。 The empire of Torwyn is ruled by an emperor who is the head of a Guild， similar to Hawkspur。 He seems to be first among equals， really。 The Guilds are the ruling class in Torwyn because they made the empire rich; though some would say decadent。 The Guilds control the pyrestone trade that power the artifices， allowing economic prosperity。 But not everyone in Torwyn is happy about Guild control， and plots run underneath the surface to make Torwyn great again。Nyrakkis， Torwyn’s enemy state， sent a diplomat to begin the process of peace talks。 While in Torwyn， the diplomat is murdered， and Fulren is given to Nyrakkis for their judgment。 He accompanies the diplomat’s entourage in the Nyrakkian （Nyrakkin？） airship。 There， he learns of Nyrakkis’s death obsessed culture。 People literally give their lives in order to keep the airship afloat。 The culture of Nyrakkis is reminiscent of necromancers; it’s distinct from Torwyn in numerous ways。 Queen Meresankh of Nyrakkis can commune with the dead and may be immortal herself。 The magic of Nyrakkis is much， much different than that of Torwyn。 They don’t rely on pyrestone the way that Torwyn does。 But Nyrakkis has dark magic that drains life， that communes with demons， and that seems destructive in comparison with Torwyn magic。Between Torwyn and Nyrakkis lies the Drift， a magical wasteland。 The Drift was the result of an archmage challenging the power of the Draconate Ministry， Torwyn’s church。 The magical battle laid waste to both humans and land。 Nyrakkis was born， and the Ministry began the long descent from ruling to being merely a cultural institution。 The Drift， of course， has more to it than readers know， and I hope we learn more in future books。In the Sundered Isles， civilization meets tribal culture。 Resentment for the occupation of native land runs deep through the tribes， and Tyreta gets to see the results firsthand。 She also learns that just because the tribes live differently than Torwyn’s folk， it doesn’t mean they are backwards。 The Kesh are much more in tune with the land of the Isles。 They learn Tyreta’s language much faster than she theirs。 There is a lot to unpack here。 I think Ford does a good job with the Kesh。 They’re not idealized natives; they come across as distinct in their own culture。 The HawkspursI loved the Hawkspurs。 They are distinct from each other while still keeping the threads that link them as family。 In the beginning， Fulren was my favorite character。 As an engineer， I’m always drawn to engineering characters， and Fulren’s artificing fit that category。 But we don’t go deep into Fulren’s artificing; his adventure is bigger than that。 His skills inform his story but is not his story， and I appreciated this。 It was quite well done。 About halfway through， Tyreta became my favorite character。 I didn’t like her much at the beginning of the story， but she’s forced to grow up fast。 She does so in a way that requires her to become a leader of her people， not the Kesh。 While she’s undergoing these changes， she learns to respect the Kesh in a way that I’m not sure start of book Tyreta would。 By the end Rosomon’s story became my favorite。 She starts the book a strong woman looking out for her family and her Guild。 Her political abilities are on display from the start， and it’s clear she’s quite skillful。 As the book advances， she soon has to deal with the loss of her son， Fulren， as she watches him depart on the Nyrakkis airship to his certain doom。 Rosomon is understandably depressed and seeks to pull her other children back to her。 When that fails， though， she gets to work discovering who set up Fulren。 Her political abilities aid her detective work as she discovers who betrayed her， her son， and her empire。 By the end of the book， her strength really shines through in her actions。 As the book progresses， we see more and more of the depth of her character， the strength of her will， and the dedication she has to her family。My favorite character changed throughout the book， but really it could have been any of the four main point of view characters。 Each has moments where they and their story shine brighter than the others。 The Hawkspurs are a family that is worth getting to know。 More， PleaseMy one complaint about this story is that， other than the Anvil， we don’t spend very much time at any one locale。 We don’t get to see and experience enough of the scenery， culture， and lives of the location。 I would have loved more time with the Kesh， more time on the frontier with Conall and the mining towns， more time in Nyrakkis。 But the story moves so fast， we don’t get to sit in any of the locales。 With each setting being very interesting in its own right， I’d love to have learned more。Because of this， I felt the pacing was a bit too fast。 I would have preferred a chapter here or there that let me pause and catch up。 Or maybe just dwell for a bit in one spot。Both of these， however， are small complaints。 Mostly， I’m just interested in Ford’s world， and I would love to spend more time there。 I’m definitely ready for the follow up book right now。 Seriously， give it to me now。 WritingThere are a lot of aspects to good writing。 Most people think it’s just elegant prose， but an underappreciated aspect is how the writer chooses to deliver information。 Ford does this really well throughout Engines of Empire。 Background information relevant to one character informs later chapters for a different character。 For example， Fulren’s discussion of the Drift also contains information about the Draconate Ministry。 The reader learns that the Guilds didn’t always rule Torwyn。 Since the focus is on the Drift， this bit of information is absorbed but doesn’t become important until later where Rosomon meets with her nephew， who happens to lead the current Draconate ministry。 Ford threads pertinent information seamlessly throughout each chapter， and close reading pays off。 ConclusionR。S。 Ford’s Engines of Empire knocked my socks off。 This wonderful book had everything I like in fantasy: fantastic world building， complex yet engaging characters， and political intrigue。 This book should be on top of any fantasy fan’s to be read pile。Engines of Empire by R。S。 Ford is available from Orbit on January 18th， 2022。 。。。more
Chris Monceaux
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See more of my reviews and other bookish content here！***Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for a copy of the book。 My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience。***I really， really liked this book。 I was absorbed into the narrative every time I turned on my Kindle。 The writing was engaging， and the pacing was non-stop。 Once the story started， it did not let up and included so many twists and turns I gave up trying to predict what would happen next。 The author also manage See more of my reviews and other bookish content here！***Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for a copy of the book。 My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience。***I really， really liked this book。 I was absorbed into the narrative every time I turned on my Kindle。 The writing was engaging， and the pacing was non-stop。 Once the story started， it did not let up and included so many twists and turns I gave up trying to predict what would happen next。 The author also managed to weave together five distinct POVs into a clear， coherent story， which was truly impressive。 Not only did the POVs complement each other remarkably well， but I never found myself wanting to stay with one over the others。 Each viewpoint consistently grabbed my attention in a way that doesn't often happen。My favorite thing about this book was the world the author created。 It was incredibly fascinating and complex。 There were at least four different， well-developed societies represented in this work， and each one had a unique take on magic and religion。 I was riveted by reading them all collide in the different story threads。 My favorite of the cultures/magic systems shown in this book had to be Torwyn。 The interconnection of magic， precious gemstones， and machinery was just really dang cool。 I also found the conflict between the guilds and the dragon religion to be very interesting。 Despite loving the different cultures， the world-building itself was a bit clunky， mostly due to the scope and complexity involved。 There were so many different factions at play， and， while the author did a good job of making the general conflicts understandable， I often lost track of the specific parties involved。The plots associated with each character were all well-developed and interesting。 This book kept me on my toes because I never knew where it was going to go next。 There were characters I liked and expected to be a major part of the book that were unceremoniously killed off fairly quickly。 The family drama and dynamics between the main characters created an interesting backdrop for the events of the book， as well。 Despite enjoying the stories and all the characters， I didn't really connect with any of them on an emotional level。 I don't know if it was me thing （I've been in a bit of a reading slump so far this year） or the characters themselves， but they all felt a bit flat。 That being said， each of the characters endured a lot of struggles and underwent much growth throughout the story， and I enjoyed reading it。 I just felt somewhat removed from it。There were so many interesting themes in this book。 I particularly enjoyed how the author handled the topics of imperialism and colonialism。 The story illustrated the negative impacts quite well and acted as a fascinating critique of they way indigenous peoples have been treated under such doctrines in the real world。 I also found the portrayals of religious fundamentalism and unfettered capitalism， and their dangers， to be eerily familiar to some conversations happening in the world today。 This book explores these topics in a fascinating way that also acts as a warning of what can happen when a complacent ruling class cares about wealth and power more than doing what is best for their people。Overall， I really enjoyed reading this novel。 The societies and cultures created for this one were fantastic， and the plot was gripping。 I could see this being a 5 star read for a lot people who love epic fantasy， and it might have been one for me too if I'd read it at a different time。 However， my lack of connection to the characters leads me to rate this 4 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Caitlin G
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Final Rating: 3。5/5 Stars - Liked it！In the kingdom of Torwyn， the Guilds of commerce hold sway over the land， and few are more powerful than the Hawkspurs。 Lady Rosomon has ensured that each of her three heirs are pursuing a path that will prepare them to eventually assume leadership in the guild。 Conall is undergoing military service on the frontier， while Fulren prepares for an apprenticeship in artificing。 Tyreta， meanwhile， has been sent to an island mining outpost to be trained in running Final Rating: 3。5/5 Stars - Liked it！In the kingdom of Torwyn， the Guilds of commerce hold sway over the land， and few are more powerful than the Hawkspurs。 Lady Rosomon has ensured that each of her three heirs are pursuing a path that will prepare them to eventually assume leadership in the guild。 Conall is undergoing military service on the frontier， while Fulren prepares for an apprenticeship in artificing。 Tyreta， meanwhile， has been sent to an island mining outpost to be trained in running the operations and the family business。 But troubled times are sparked in the kingdom when an emissary from a rival kingdom is murdered and Fulren is framed。 With no one at court willing to defend her son’s innocence， Rosomon must investigate matters on her own， and soon discovers a sinister plot。 Elsewhere in the kingdom， Conall and Tyreta make disturbing discoveries of their own that will push the kingdom ever closer to war。ENGINES OF EMPIRE is a fast-paced epic fantasy adventure that is always engaging， though at the cost of deeply written characters。 Those who usually find 600-page fantasy tomes a slog may find this story more to their liking， as it never lets up the pace， constantly throwing characters from one fire into another。 I found myself constantly hooked by the story and flew through it in four or five days – books of similar length have taken me well over a week。ENGINES is a brutal tale with surprising moments， peppered across multiple kingdoms and different magic systems。 I enjoyed the steampunk adjacent setting， where industry has risen through the use of arcana devices powered by magic stones mined from various regions。 These stones power everything from giant trains to guns to mechsuits – fans of the recent ARCANE will enjoy the magical technology vibe。 There are also some great action set pieces （Fulren in particular has a memorable fight）。What succeeded less in my opinion was the writing of the characters。 The story of ENGINES OF EMPIRE is so whirlwind-fast that we hardly get a moment to sit with any of our POV protagonists。 The result is that everyone felt a bit the same: hot-headed， impulsive people who are nonetheless dedicated to the family and who will go to extreme lengths to protect it without a second thought。 “I’ll pay whatever the cost” is a feeling almost every character utters without hesitation。 While you could chock some of this up to “it runs in the family，” the result is that you have four characters who generally make knee-jerk reactions to every bit of information they receive。 There’s little variation to how anyone handles the situation。 No one plays the long game or is a coward or is more methodical。 As a “character first” kind of reader， this was a bit of a hang up for me， but your mileage may vary！While ENGINES OF EMPIRE was not a home run for me， I commend the author for writing a tome that goes by in the blink of an eye。 I didn’t connect with the characters in the way I was hoping， but it is certainly an engaging story setting up plenty of mysteries and trials for the Hawkspur family to overcome。Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review。 。。。more
Daniel Holland
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This is the first book in an epic fantasy with artifice setting series。 Another name for it would be "The Hawkspurs have a very bad time。"Reasons to read:-Great world building， establishes a lot of the setting but touches on interesting history to put the hooks in-Demon and Dragon churches-Political intrigue-Colonizers having a bad time-Sudden explosions-Large animals-Doesn't dance around a reveal for 4 books when it makes sense to do it now-Powered armorCons:-That's not how a panther hunts。。。 S This is the first book in an epic fantasy with artifice setting series。 Another name for it would be "The Hawkspurs have a very bad time。"Reasons to read:-Great world building， establishes a lot of the setting but touches on interesting history to put the hooks in-Demon and Dragon churches-Political intrigue-Colonizers having a bad time-Sudden explosions-Large animals-Doesn't dance around a reveal for 4 books when it makes sense to do it now-Powered armorCons:-That's not how a panther hunts。。。 Sorry MSc in Animal sci-Not enough Sted 。。。more
Will
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4。4 / 5 ✪https://arefugefromlife。wordpress。com。。。While Torwyn was once a nation based on the will of the Wyrms—five great dragons that granted men magic and ruled the doors of life and death—it is now powered by the might of industry。 And industry is booming。But industry is only as good as the people that run it—and in Torwyn， industry is run by the Guilds; chief among them the Archwind Guild， whose guildmaster now occupies the Emperor’s throne。 Only a step below them sit the Hawkspur Guild， run 4。4 / 5 ✪https://arefugefromlife。wordpress。com。。。While Torwyn was once a nation based on the will of the Wyrms—five great dragons that granted men magic and ruled the doors of life and death—it is now powered by the might of industry。 And industry is booming。But industry is only as good as the people that run it—and in Torwyn， industry is run by the Guilds; chief among them the Archwind Guild， whose guildmaster now occupies the Emperor’s throne。 Only a step below them sit the Hawkspur Guild， run by the Emperor’s only sibling， Rosomon。 It is around Rosomon that the story resolves—her and her three children。Conall， the eldest son， is dispatched to the frontier， where he hopes to earn honor and fame through military valor。 Instead he finds a desert full of enemies， be they human or demon。 The sands also hide a conspiracy， one that hints of a coming revolution， one that may shake the empire to its core。Tyreta， the eldest daughter， the future Guildmaster of the Hawkspurs， is sick of duty。 She’s not her brother， and constantly feels the weight of responsibility。 A webwainer， she can control and wield the power of pyrestone—a geological component vital to the Empire’s burgeoning industry。 When Tyreta is dispatched to visit Torwyn’s overseas colony of New Flaym， it might be just the escape she has been seeking。 Or it might change everything for her， including in ways she never thought were possible。Fulren， youngest son and brightest star of the family， is a talented artificer， one that is destined to lead the Guilds into the new age of industry。 If he survives to see it。 After being assigned as an escort to a foreign dignitary， he soon finds himself accused and condemned of murder he didn’t commit。 A crime that may just start a war。Industry drives the future of Torwyn。 And the future seems bright， for now。 But whispers in the Empire’s darkest corners tell of something more: of revolution， of rebirth， of the rise of an enemy long forgotten。 —In many ways Engines of Empire is high fantasy at its best。 A rich， immersive world， built on the backs of its strong leads， and equally strong characters。 A lovely steampunk setting that blends magic with technology， and that pits the new ways against the old。 A plot that plays at speculation， at fears， at rumors of revolution， and even darker whispers of unknown evil at its edges。 It all comes together to tell an amazing story， one that I had absolutely no trouble tearing through once I got into it。The problem is that I didn’t get into it right away。 While I appreciated that the story was driven by alternating POVs of the same one family， it was this style that somewhat dampened my enjoyment。 See， in a story of technology， one that tells of discontent and possible revolution， of an industry built on the backs of the working class， it’s important to see at least some of what the working class is dealing with。 The Hawkspurs are each different， each see the world their own way and each want something different for their place in it—but if there’s one thing they’re not it’s underprivileged， downtrodden， working class。 I would’ve liked to see at least one POV from the commonfolk， to see what life was like out of a position of inherent power。 This is my main issue with the plot， one that really kept me from getting immersed in the story sooner。That said， it’s also really my only complaint。The story is a great one—interesting， entertaining， faced-paced at times and slow-built tension at others。 There’s not a lot I can say about Engines of Empire， other than you really should read it。 There was a lot of hype surrounding the release of this book， and I’m happy to say it was entirely warranted。 I’ve read R。S。 Ford before; his first series， Steelhaven， was a bit of a mixed bag—partial world-building and mostly human characters， some combination of dark and epic fantasy that never quite figured out what it wanted to be。 It’s a good story， but one that leaves something to be desired。 It’s been seven years since Steelhaven finished， and it seems that Ford has spent his time since well。 Engines of Empire begins a much different series， one with stronger leads， stronger world-building， and a more immersive plot。 It’s not that I hated his previous works—it’s more how much I love this new universe。 Can’t wait to see where the story goes from here！The Age of Uprising continues with Book #2， Engines of Chaos， presumably out 2023。 。。。more
Cherilyn Cleveland
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Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for providing me with a digital copy for review。This is a very plot driven story and has several POVs in which the story is told。 I enjoyed the hell out of the magic system。 It’s like if John Gwynne and Brent Weeks had a book baby this is it。 I believe all the characters are important and have a unique voice throughout the story。 I wish the characters were more developed and I cared about them a little bit more。 I enjoyed the idea of machines and magic toge Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for providing me with a digital copy for review。This is a very plot driven story and has several POVs in which the story is told。 I enjoyed the hell out of the magic system。 It’s like if John Gwynne and Brent Weeks had a book baby this is it。 I believe all the characters are important and have a unique voice throughout the story。 I wish the characters were more developed and I cared about them a little bit more。 I enjoyed the idea of machines and magic together。 The different types of magic and how it integrates with machines。 I find this part the most fascinating of the book。 I hope there is more exploration of the cultural and custom differences。 The story was very surface level with both character development and those parts of the world。 I think if these parts were more developed I might give it a higher rating。 I blew through this book in a couple of days。 Even if I kind of saw the ending coming I will be buying future installments of this novel。 I really can’t wait to see what will be next！ 。。。more
Sophia
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3。5 stars The first book in Ford's Age of Uprising series， Engines of Empire follows primarily the members of the Hawkspur family as they try to survive uncovered secrets and treachery that threaten to swallow all of them home。 There's the strong and collected Rosomon- the matriarch of the family who has been leading them since the death of her husband in a duel， Conall- a young man eager to prove himself worthy of his family name on the battlefield， Tyrete- a willful young woman who wants nothi 3。5 stars The first book in Ford's Age of Uprising series， Engines of Empire follows primarily the members of the Hawkspur family as they try to survive uncovered secrets and treachery that threaten to swallow all of them home。 There's the strong and collected Rosomon- the matriarch of the family who has been leading them since the death of her husband in a duel， Conall- a young man eager to prove himself worthy of his family name on the battlefield， Tyrete- a willful young woman who wants nothing more than to escape the expectations of her mother and forge her own path， and Fulren- the youngest， who must try and survive deception and betrayal after he has been framed for a crime he didn't commit。 We also follow the POV of Lancelin- the man who killed the Hawkspur patriarch in a duel and whose true intentions are secret to all but one。 That being said， I enjoyed all these characters well enough but the POVs definitely felt like they favored some characters over others in both length and number- leaving the others feeling a bit underdeveloped and lacking the emotional stake for me to truly care that much about what happened to them in comparison to those that got a majority of the attention。 Aside from that， the characters were all fairly well done and none of the perspectives really felt boring once past the first few chapters。 The characters were all definitely distinct and while I can't say I was super attached to them， I could clearly see the difference in their voices through the text。 The setting for the book was also pretty interesting as we are in four different locations in this world as we follow the cast- from a steampunk city that runs on magic rocks， to a desert army post where soldiers are in battle with the goat-headed native inhabitants of the land。 The setting was always pretty dynamic and fun to learn about as each one was vastly different from the others， and while I do wish we got a bit more depth and development from each I have to remind myself that this was the first book in a series which leaves me hoping for even more in depth world building in the upcoming books。The plot itself was fairly average and if you're an avid fantasy fan then I think you'll be able to predict where it's going pretty fast。 While it wasn't really anything new it was well done and well-paced and definitely had several world elements that made it stand out。 My only real issue with it is one specific storyline that followed the result of a conflict that had lasted for over a decade and a character seemed to solve within a matter of weeks but I hesitate to really even call that an issue as it was a great opportunity to learn more about the fascinating magic and world provided。The magic is probably what I have the least to say about as while it was there and it was prominent- it hasn't really been developed all that much yet。 Most of what we have now are just hints at what is to come and what it means， which leaves me pretty excited about the next book as I was genuinely interested in the clues we were given now。All in all， this was a pretty good start to a series and while the beginning was a little slow and some of the characters weren't as fleshed out as I would have hoped for them to be， the story we were given was still intriguing and leaves you wanting to learn more。 If you're looking for a steampunk inspired fantasy world with magic based in empathy and a connection to nature then I have no doubt that you'll find something to enjoy here。 。。。more
Fernanda
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That was disappointing。。。I really thought the premise showed real promise， specially because it seemed that the book was going to be really interesting steampunk fantasy。 But what I found in this book were only badly executed cliches and tropes and characters I could not care about。 Every time a new situation presented itself， I could tell exactly what was going to happen since the beginning。 The book is a mess of all the possible fantasy cliches thrown togeteher in order to try to establish the That was disappointing。。。I really thought the premise showed real promise， specially because it seemed that the book was going to be really interesting steampunk fantasy。 But what I found in this book were only badly executed cliches and tropes and characters I could not care about。 Every time a new situation presented itself， I could tell exactly what was going to happen since the beginning。 The book is a mess of all the possible fantasy cliches thrown togeteher in order to try to establish the world and to develop the story。 The attempt to create "danger" for characters that I didn't care about simply didn't work， just made the plot convoluted and without real stakes。 Even the dialogue "-you won't get away with this！！ -I already have" was used in order to convey the evil of the main villain （telegraphed since page 1）。The world created is also uninspired。。。 It's barely explained， and the reader just gets bits and pieces of the world and the magic when it's convenient for the plot。 There is no history， no structure， just information thrown in order to be able to move the plot along。 There is no explanation for so much of the characters interactions， why some people hate some of the characters aside from the fact that the author wanted to throw some unnecessary hostility at them in order to create tension that went nowehere。 The main plot of the book has been done so many times and so much better in other books。 I really wished we've gotten the story that was promised in the blurb。Thank you Netgalley， author， and publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Engines of Empire
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Engines of Empire&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Engines of Empire&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0