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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Fascinating
Any one of the three interwoven stories that make up this book would have made a fine book on its own. Weaving the three adds depth, but also distracts, sometimes annoyingly, from fully getting into any one character’s story.
Any one of the three interwoven stories that make up this book would have made a fine book on its own. Weaving the three adds depth, but also distracts, sometimes annoyingly, from fully getting into any one character’s story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When she awakes from a bar fight with a wicked hangover and locked in a prison cell, Evie finds herself forced into the Savage Legion, the nation of Crache's disposable shock troops. Only, this is exactly what Evie wanted because Evie has a plan. A plan that involves exposing the Savage Legion for what it is. Thus begins Matt Wallace's 'Savage Legion', a blunt and brutal take on the costs of empire. Fans of Seth Dickinson's Masquerade books will likely find much to enjoy here, although the book is more action-heavy than that (also great!) series. Exploring how Wallace's world works is its strength. This is not a setting with much in the way of magic. Rather the worldbuilding explores the social systems of Crache, which maintains a seeming utopia through a system of communal patronage. Of course, everything is not as it seems. Crache has many dark secrets explored through several PoV characters.
Evie fills in the military fantasy portion of the story. Her plot is fast-paced and by far the most violent part of the story. It's also a bit predictable, in that if you've read enough military campaigns in fantasy, you'll be able to predict how things go. More interesting plot-wise are the segments that explore the inner workings of Crache. Lexi, an advocate for the city's poor, and Taru, Lexi's incredibly badass retainer, investigate the disappearance of Lexi's husband.
Meanwhile, a brilliant young orphan named Dyeawan finds herself unexpectedly whisked into the halls of Crachian power.
Exploring these characters where Wallace really delves into commentary on the natures of the capitalist and colonialist systems in Crache. Whether it's the criminalization of homelessness or how militaries take advantage of to disenfranchised, this book has a lot to say on issues facing our world. These themes aren't subtle, and people wanting social commentary in their fantasy books done with a little more nuance might be annoyed. But I didn't particularly mind. It's nice to have a clearly ambitious book and wants to explore these topics.
All the reviews I've seen for this book mention how great the action scenes are, and I would have to agree. They're brutal and chaotic with a good eye for detail and some fun stylistic flourishes. Wallace was a professional wrestler and self-defense instructor, and it shows. All the characters (especially the supporting ones) have their own weapons of choice and fighting styles that make the action scenes memorable. However, some of the most interesting conflicts in the book aren't ones that can be solved with swords. Dyeawan's chapters feature a character whose struggles are intellectual and moral, asking the old question of systemic issues: "how much can you really change from the inside?" She's easily the most interesting character, although I think that perhaps she changes a bit too much by the end. Without delving into spoilers, I would have liked a little more introspection on a decision she makes at the end of the book that, while making for a shocking ending, doesn't feel like an earned character choice.
Despite some flaws, this is probably one of the more enjoyable surprises I've had from this year. It's fast-paced but also introspective and ambitious. Bloody, but also empathetic to its characters. Overall, highly recommended.
4/5 stars
Evie fills in the military fantasy portion of the story. Her plot is fast-paced and by far the most violent part of the story. It's also a bit predictable, in that if you've read enough military campaigns in fantasy, you'll be able to predict how things go. More interesting plot-wise are the segments that explore the inner workings of Crache. Lexi, an advocate for the city's poor, and Taru, Lexi's incredibly badass retainer, investigate the disappearance of Lexi's husband.
Meanwhile, a brilliant young orphan named Dyeawan finds herself unexpectedly whisked into the halls of Crachian power.
Exploring these characters where Wallace really delves into commentary on the natures of the capitalist and colonialist systems in Crache. Whether it's the criminalization of homelessness or how militaries take advantage of to disenfranchised, this book has a lot to say on issues facing our world. These themes aren't subtle, and people wanting social commentary in their fantasy books done with a little more nuance might be annoyed. But I didn't particularly mind. It's nice to have a clearly ambitious book and wants to explore these topics.
All the reviews I've seen for this book mention how great the action scenes are, and I would have to agree. They're brutal and chaotic with a good eye for detail and some fun stylistic flourishes. Wallace was a professional wrestler and self-defense instructor, and it shows. All the characters (especially the supporting ones) have their own weapons of choice and fighting styles that make the action scenes memorable. However, some of the most interesting conflicts in the book aren't ones that can be solved with swords. Dyeawan's chapters feature a character whose struggles are intellectual and moral, asking the old question of systemic issues: "how much can you really change from the inside?" She's easily the most interesting character, although I think that perhaps she changes a bit too much by the end. Without delving into spoilers, I would have liked a little more introspection on a decision she makes at the end of the book that, while making for a shocking ending, doesn't feel like an earned character choice.
Despite some flaws, this is probably one of the more enjoyable surprises I've had from this year. It's fast-paced but also introspective and ambitious. Bloody, but also empathetic to its characters. Overall, highly recommended.
4/5 stars
4'5 stars, really. I've really enjoyed this book, it doesn't feel slow for a second. The worldbuilding is fascinating and it's very easy to fall in love with the characters, each with their unique strength.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked the book. A lot of politics and underhanded evils. It was different than I was thinking, but still good.
Savage Legion is the first in an epic fantasy series by Matt Wallace. As with many first entries in a series, this novel spends a good portion of its time introducing us to our main characters and setting the stage. The world building done in this novel was well done. It may have slowed my reading due to the time it took to absorb all of the details, but I never felt overwhelmed. This novel felt like a good introduction to the world that Wallace is building and to the conflict that will unfold in the subsequent books. As the title of this review states, there were two traits of this novel that really stuck with me. Savage Legion was surprising and thought-provoking.
The novel was surprising for two reasons. Wallace heavily features women as the main POV characters in this novel. While that by itself is not atypical of the genre, Wallace's execution of those points of view was refreshing. Many times when I read fantasy works by men, I have a hard time relating to and believing in the female POVs. Wallace made each woman feel real, relatable, and believable. There was also a wonderful amount of representation for various underrepresented groups in fantasy. Evie is a woman of color. Taru is nonbinary. Dyeawan is a person with physical disabilities. There are references to LGBT+ relationships, without making them a huge deal or something to gawk at. It was so nice to see all of this representation, especially when I hadn't expected it at all.
Additionally, Savage Legion was very thought-provoking. While I don't personally think it's a necessity for all fiction to offer huge conversation starters or commentary on modern life, I definitely appreciated it in this story. I don't want to spoil too much of the plot by delving in to deep here, but there's a lot going on in regards to environmentalism, human rights, politics, and more.
I'm interested to see what direction this series takes next!
The novel was surprising for two reasons. Wallace heavily features women as the main POV characters in this novel. While that by itself is not atypical of the genre, Wallace's execution of those points of view was refreshing. Many times when I read fantasy works by men, I have a hard time relating to and believing in the female POVs. Wallace made each woman feel real, relatable, and believable. There was also a wonderful amount of representation for various underrepresented groups in fantasy. Evie is a woman of color. Taru is nonbinary. Dyeawan is a person with physical disabilities. There are references to LGBT+ relationships, without making them a huge deal or something to gawk at. It was so nice to see all of this representation, especially when I hadn't expected it at all.
Additionally, Savage Legion was very thought-provoking. While I don't personally think it's a necessity for all fiction to offer huge conversation starters or commentary on modern life, I definitely appreciated it in this story. I don't want to spoil too much of the plot by delving in to deep here, but there's a lot going on in regards to environmentalism, human rights, politics, and more.
I'm interested to see what direction this series takes next!
Very fun, engaging book with incredible imaginative world building. Excited for the sequel
I liked it. It feels more like three blended novellas blended than a typical multi-POV epic fantasy. Dyewan's, a disabled but ingenious girl, story was my favorite. It's rare to see authors proving their characters' ingenuity instead of just making claims, and Wallace succeeded at it.
The book contains too many POVs to my liking, and it uses omniscient-like narration I'm not sure I enjoy. Other than that, it's interesting, violent, and gory, but also clever.
It's scorching hot outside and I don't feel like writing a longer review at the moment. Safe to say it's an interesting book, worth a try, but far from perfect.
The book contains too many POVs to my liking, and it uses omniscient-like narration I'm not sure I enjoy. Other than that, it's interesting, violent, and gory, but also clever.
It's scorching hot outside and I don't feel like writing a longer review at the moment. Safe to say it's an interesting book, worth a try, but far from perfect.