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A review by thekingcrusoe
Return to Edan by Philip Chase
5.0
There's quite a lot I could say about Return to Edan, but the short of it is that this is in the upper echelon of my book of the year list, and handily swept its position away from a couple other books from where they were initially back when I prepared my Top 10 a couple of weeks ago.
I just finished the book this morning (30 December, 2023), just before the end of the year, and the Edan trilogy as a whole I will likely think back on as one of my favorite and most memorable reading experiences of the entire year, to rival even my read of The Dark Tower in 2022, and even my continuous reads and re-reads of Sun Eater material throughout 2022-2023.
I harken back to what I said in my review for The Prophet of Edan, not just about that book itself, but also about The Way of Edan as well. I said the The Prophet of Edan, while a great book, was not quite as "magical" to me as its predecessor, and so didn't hold quite as high a place in my heart when I finished it. In the context of Return to Edan, that magic returned, avenged sevenfold, and made this read, albeit drawn out to a much longer timespan than I ideally would have, into something truly special to me - and perhaps even more special than the first book of the trilogy already was.
Additionally, I think back to how I predicted this book would go based on my analysis of The Prophet of Edan, which Philip more-or-less confirmed for me: the big climactic moment of that book was what most people would have assumed was coming for this, the third book in the trilogy, but instead it occurred an entire book early. So what does that leave for the conclusion of the trilogy? Well, one of the final chapters of The Prophet of Edan (if not THE final chapter; I forget off the top of my head) basically lines up all of the loose threads and plotlines that either haven't been resolved yet, or haven't reached their own peaks yet, setting up Return to Edan as not *necessarily* the climax of the series, but rather the withdrawal from it, though it IS ALSO the climax.
This may not make much sense to someone reading this review, but that's essentially what this book was. It was the wrap-up of all the remaining plotlines, with long-resolutions being that wrap-up for some, while others still had their own major arcs and climaxes for themselves. Return to Edan isn't so bombastically battle-worn as its predecessor...but I also think this is for the better. I found that aspect of Prophet to be a tad heavy-handed, making some of the pacing feel weird until one notices about halfway through that it's going for that "end of trilogy" moment in book 2. Either way, Return was a lot more introspective, thematic, and deliberate in its story-telling choices, without relying on epic battle sequences except where necessary, and what battles do exist here are relatively brief, with the primary factor of their impact being in what it means for the people fighting them, even where they're being fought, rather than the spectacle or brutality of the fights themselves being forefront.
I found myself really invested in every single plot arc, and even if some POVs/storylines took a tiny bit longer to come around than I would have liked at 1 or 2 points, the general balance of everything that Philip wrought in this novel was unbelievably well done. There were times when I managed to predict where one of the storylines was going in certain moments because of how, again, deliberately they were plotted and paced, and I give major kudos for that.
The book started, strangely enough, with a new plotline and a new character - a surprising choice at first, though I very quickly came to understand it as Chapter 1 itself became one of my favorite chapters in this entire trilogy, even still. Then, as more of the remaining plots came back and the various characters moved around and came back into the narrative and intermingled at different, sensible times, the book really breathed with life for me as a reader. Characters who I hadn't thought would be around on-page until the very end, let alone be important in the narrative, surprised me with their deep inclusion; places I had wondered about since as early as the first half of book 1 came to matter again in ways that I'm very glad to have seen because this conclusion would have felt notably empty without it; and actions and conflicts that I had no idea how they'd conclude despite knowing they were nowhere near done with The Prophet of Edan left me gripped as certain developments strongly shifted how I rooted for...well, everyone here.
I remember noting with The Way of Edan especially how Philip has done an incredible job making sure just about every single character - and furthermore, the place in which that character comes from - is simultaneously the good guy AND the bad guy at once, depending on which other character or kingdom you could hypothetically ask. Return to Edan continues that trend very well, not least because loyalties and feelings amongst the peoples of Eormenlond change and adapt in every moment of major change, one of the most realistic things Philip has added to this series. This made many character moments within various story arcs all the more impactful and intriguing, and really sold the idea that I was not reading a simple fantasy novel, but a world of PEOPLE and of KINGDOMS with stakes all their own - a world that will live on eternally in my head.
Thematically, the series is also which with topics and ideas that made me think deeply about the human condition, religious ideals, and the price of a power trip - all themes that ate covered quite extensively in writing, but handled very appropriately in Edan. Never does Chase resort to such clichés as Religion Bad, or Bad Leader = Bad Nation, and tho some things in this regard aren’t inherently new, they also aren’t the exact same as when everybody else has covered them. There are dynamics that make the whole thing quite worthwhile.
Finally, I want to talk about the morality of Edan. One of the things I find myself most deeply appreciating about this trilogy is that Philip does not shy away from the darker themes, the darker scenes, the darker implications that are inherent to some of humanity. He includes these scenes at points to remind you that with good is evil, and with evil is good. I love and I respect the way that the morality of this series remains inherently good and light, even when the content itself swerves rather dark or violent at times. One can tell that Philip enjoys grimdark by the inclusion of a few scenes littered throughout the trilogy, and yet it never becomes overbearingly dirty. It’s just meant to accentuate the lighter side of the world - a lighter side that is quite prominent in this the final book, mainly surrounding the Prophet character (who at one point in the book is a on the border of being a literal Christ-like stand-in), but also just in the world itself.
There is much violence, and there is much darkness, but that’s never the point, and it makes this series so easy to recommend from a thematic point of view, even for those who might be sensitive to some of the content that does appear, because it is only included to make you appreciate the changes to the world and the kingdoms and the characters even more by the time you finish and you reflect on the full journey.
But now that I’ve skirted around actually talking in-depth about this novel’s climax and resolution, I want to just say that this book affected me more emotionally near and at its end than any other book has, save for Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man, books 4-5 of Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio (which, if you've read those books...well, you know why). Being a solid third place in the emotional department, and I think a first place for a climax and resolution for me in the year, Return to Edan solidly earns a place in my Top 10 books of the year - and fairly high up, as the case may be.
The last 50-60 pages of this book had me in a constant state of misty-eyed, which allowed a tear to shed a few times, including in the last few pages where I finally let it out. Not only was every storyline and character arc satisfied, but they were done so well, that I felt like I was saying goodbye to characters and a world that I'm not entirely ready to be done with yet, and this was only a trilogy.
The actual climactic battle in Chapter 29, and the resolution to come in Chapter 30, were some of the most gripping and engaging reading experiences of my year, and they make for a very melancholic close to 2023 for me. I want to express a heartfelt thank you to Philip for publishing these books, and to thank him personally for sending me my copy of Return to Edan a few weeks before it was available to read for anybody else. I should have tried reading this from the moment I had my copy, but it made a finer wrap to my entire year than I could have hoped for, and I'm grateful for that. My copy has a small scuff on the spine that must have happened in shipping, but that scuff combined with the short message on its signature are more than enough for me to cherish not just this story, but also the bindings in which I read it, forever.
I highly recommend The Edan Trilogy by Philip Chase. And I don't just say this as a new acquaintance of the author; I say this is as a lover of books and of reading. I haven't read much, but this series is near the top regardless.
P.S. Oh, and for those you wondering. Yes. Return to Edan handily receives the proud rating of So Book. In fact, it earns two of them. It's so damn book, that other books are jealous of its bookness.
P.P.S. If you don't get the previous post-script, I'm sorry. It's an inside joke.
I just finished the book this morning (30 December, 2023), just before the end of the year, and the Edan trilogy as a whole I will likely think back on as one of my favorite and most memorable reading experiences of the entire year, to rival even my read of The Dark Tower in 2022, and even my continuous reads and re-reads of Sun Eater material throughout 2022-2023.
I harken back to what I said in my review for The Prophet of Edan, not just about that book itself, but also about The Way of Edan as well. I said the The Prophet of Edan, while a great book, was not quite as "magical" to me as its predecessor, and so didn't hold quite as high a place in my heart when I finished it. In the context of Return to Edan, that magic returned, avenged sevenfold, and made this read, albeit drawn out to a much longer timespan than I ideally would have, into something truly special to me - and perhaps even more special than the first book of the trilogy already was.
Additionally, I think back to how I predicted this book would go based on my analysis of The Prophet of Edan, which Philip more-or-less confirmed for me: the big climactic moment of that book was what most people would have assumed was coming for this, the third book in the trilogy, but instead it occurred an entire book early. So what does that leave for the conclusion of the trilogy? Well, one of the final chapters of The Prophet of Edan (if not THE final chapter; I forget off the top of my head) basically lines up all of the loose threads and plotlines that either haven't been resolved yet, or haven't reached their own peaks yet, setting up Return to Edan as not *necessarily* the climax of the series, but rather the withdrawal from it, though it IS ALSO the climax.
This may not make much sense to someone reading this review, but that's essentially what this book was. It was the wrap-up of all the remaining plotlines, with long-resolutions being that wrap-up for some, while others still had their own major arcs and climaxes for themselves. Return to Edan isn't so bombastically battle-worn as its predecessor...but I also think this is for the better. I found that aspect of Prophet to be a tad heavy-handed, making some of the pacing feel weird until one notices about halfway through that it's going for that "end of trilogy" moment in book 2. Either way, Return was a lot more introspective, thematic, and deliberate in its story-telling choices, without relying on epic battle sequences except where necessary, and what battles do exist here are relatively brief, with the primary factor of their impact being in what it means for the people fighting them, even where they're being fought, rather than the spectacle or brutality of the fights themselves being forefront.
I found myself really invested in every single plot arc, and even if some POVs/storylines took a tiny bit longer to come around than I would have liked at 1 or 2 points, the general balance of everything that Philip wrought in this novel was unbelievably well done. There were times when I managed to predict where one of the storylines was going in certain moments because of how, again, deliberately they were plotted and paced, and I give major kudos for that.
The book started, strangely enough, with a new plotline and a new character - a surprising choice at first, though I very quickly came to understand it as Chapter 1 itself became one of my favorite chapters in this entire trilogy, even still. Then, as more of the remaining plots came back and the various characters moved around and came back into the narrative and intermingled at different, sensible times, the book really breathed with life for me as a reader. Characters who I hadn't thought would be around on-page until the very end, let alone be important in the narrative, surprised me with their deep inclusion; places I had wondered about since as early as the first half of book 1 came to matter again in ways that I'm very glad to have seen because this conclusion would have felt notably empty without it; and actions and conflicts that I had no idea how they'd conclude despite knowing they were nowhere near done with The Prophet of Edan left me gripped as certain developments strongly shifted how I rooted for...well, everyone here.
I remember noting with The Way of Edan especially how Philip has done an incredible job making sure just about every single character - and furthermore, the place in which that character comes from - is simultaneously the good guy AND the bad guy at once, depending on which other character or kingdom you could hypothetically ask. Return to Edan continues that trend very well, not least because loyalties and feelings amongst the peoples of Eormenlond change and adapt in every moment of major change, one of the most realistic things Philip has added to this series. This made many character moments within various story arcs all the more impactful and intriguing, and really sold the idea that I was not reading a simple fantasy novel, but a world of PEOPLE and of KINGDOMS with stakes all their own - a world that will live on eternally in my head.
Thematically, the series is also which with topics and ideas that made me think deeply about the human condition, religious ideals, and the price of a power trip - all themes that ate covered quite extensively in writing, but handled very appropriately in Edan. Never does Chase resort to such clichés as Religion Bad, or Bad Leader = Bad Nation, and tho some things in this regard aren’t inherently new, they also aren’t the exact same as when everybody else has covered them. There are dynamics that make the whole thing quite worthwhile.
Finally, I want to talk about the morality of Edan. One of the things I find myself most deeply appreciating about this trilogy is that Philip does not shy away from the darker themes, the darker scenes, the darker implications that are inherent to some of humanity. He includes these scenes at points to remind you that with good is evil, and with evil is good. I love and I respect the way that the morality of this series remains inherently good and light, even when the content itself swerves rather dark or violent at times. One can tell that Philip enjoys grimdark by the inclusion of a few scenes littered throughout the trilogy, and yet it never becomes overbearingly dirty. It’s just meant to accentuate the lighter side of the world - a lighter side that is quite prominent in this the final book, mainly surrounding the Prophet character (who at one point in the book is a on the border of being a literal Christ-like stand-in), but also just in the world itself.
There is much violence, and there is much darkness, but that’s never the point, and it makes this series so easy to recommend from a thematic point of view, even for those who might be sensitive to some of the content that does appear, because it is only included to make you appreciate the changes to the world and the kingdoms and the characters even more by the time you finish and you reflect on the full journey.
But now that I’ve skirted around actually talking in-depth about this novel’s climax and resolution, I want to just say that this book affected me more emotionally near and at its end than any other book has, save for Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man, books 4-5 of Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio (which, if you've read those books...well, you know why). Being a solid third place in the emotional department, and I think a first place for a climax and resolution for me in the year, Return to Edan solidly earns a place in my Top 10 books of the year - and fairly high up, as the case may be.
The last 50-60 pages of this book had me in a constant state of misty-eyed, which allowed a tear to shed a few times, including in the last few pages where I finally let it out. Not only was every storyline and character arc satisfied, but they were done so well, that I felt like I was saying goodbye to characters and a world that I'm not entirely ready to be done with yet, and this was only a trilogy.
The actual climactic battle in Chapter 29, and the resolution to come in Chapter 30, were some of the most gripping and engaging reading experiences of my year, and they make for a very melancholic close to 2023 for me. I want to express a heartfelt thank you to Philip for publishing these books, and to thank him personally for sending me my copy of Return to Edan a few weeks before it was available to read for anybody else. I should have tried reading this from the moment I had my copy, but it made a finer wrap to my entire year than I could have hoped for, and I'm grateful for that. My copy has a small scuff on the spine that must have happened in shipping, but that scuff combined with the short message on its signature are more than enough for me to cherish not just this story, but also the bindings in which I read it, forever.
I highly recommend The Edan Trilogy by Philip Chase. And I don't just say this as a new acquaintance of the author; I say this is as a lover of books and of reading. I haven't read much, but this series is near the top regardless.
P.S. Oh, and for those you wondering. Yes. Return to Edan handily receives the proud rating of So Book. In fact, it earns two of them. It's so damn book, that other books are jealous of its bookness.
P.P.S. If you don't get the previous post-script, I'm sorry. It's an inside joke.