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A review by rwatkins
Engines of Chaos by R.S. Ford
3.0
I liked it. Overall: 3/5 (14/25)
A story about a mother waging a war of vengeance while her adult children try to return home. If you like steampunk, political fantasy and grimdark elements all blended together, then give this series a read. I struggle a bit with the characters and writing style, but the plot is serviceable and the setting is interesting.
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 3.5/5
There are a few plotlines to follow. Rosomon is gathering allies to go to war. Her children are each trying to return home. There are some interesting points, twists and turns to the plot that I found to be enjoyable.
But there were also a couple misfires for me. The catch-and-release/spare a hero/villain plot device was used a few times, and I absolutely hate reading it. This is a personal eye roll for me every single time I have to see it. Readers not bothered by this device will find the book much more enjoyable.
The second misfire would be some repetition in storylines. In Book 1, a son is taken west to Malador. In Book 2, a son is taken west to Malador. Both sons suffer similar fates while over there, namely torture, magical change, and demonic whispers. Though done very differently in this book, the similarities are still noticeable.
Those are the only two negatives to the plot. Most of the plotlines I liked. I'm trying to be careful not to spoil things for someone who wants to read this series, so I wont go into everything great, but there is plenty here to like. From an animal companion to shifting alliances, the plot is mostly enjoyable.
Characters: 2/5
I still find characterization to be a weaker element in the writing. I don't feel like I know the mc's well enough to try and predict what they're going to do.
In the first half, there is a lot of passivity in the mcs, reacting to the villains and conflict as they arise instead of actively leading the charge forward. They need saving or releasing at times from side characters or villains, taking away some of their agency at times. Some of this would be okay, but it felt a little heavily used.
There is a lot of "do you know who I am?!" dialogue from one character early on and it quickly grates on the nerves. It doesn't seem believable or warranted given the character or circumstances, either.
There are some villainous outlooks added in, and some gray characters, and this added some complexity to the plot, but I still wasn't feeling for these characters, either. Ansell is okay.
Setting: 4/5
Ford focuses mostly on all new locations in this book, from The Forge, to Wyke and Oakhelm, to new parts of Malador. Every set piece used was distinct, and added so much toward creating a wider world, without losing the setting already established. Each played into the moving plot in a satisfying way.
Arcturius, with new sorcery introduced there offering an entirely new outlook on the established magic systems, was especially imaginative and interesting.
I would have enjoyed some more specific descriptions of The Forge and Wyke, before certain events took place, as a bit of foreshadowing but that's my only criticism. Excellent job.
Style: 1.5/5
The general prose felt more streamlined, more consistent, and less sporadic than EOE. This helped the story feel more coherent.
The pacing was stilted a bit by redundancy in scenes and plotlines. But I did like that I could feel the build up towards the first big battle.
The Big Battle. First, it is the only chapter in the series told through multiple povs. Every other chapter has gotten one pov per chapter. I think I can see what Ford was going for, here: Giving life to the background characters, showing the larger scope of the battle, moving through the battle by bouncing from combatant to combatant. But second, this included numerous new characters, who I didn't know or care about, and new pov's as well. The big battle seemed like the wrong spot to be introducing new characters or pov's when other characters are present and witnessing the same things, just less directly involved. Third, I already mentioned the passive feeling with the mc's and this battle didn't help that. Ultimately, it was an interesting risk but one that didn't payoff for me.
Last gripe about style is the paragraphs with a bunch of questions. Frequently, inner dialogue consisted of numerous questions right in a row - like every mc is crippled with worry and doubt in the exact same way, all the time. The what-ifs and other hypothetical questions distracted me A LOT. It was a heavy-handed way of telling fears, without showing, and handholding the reader into the obvious possible stakes. I know something bad will happen if the heroes fail - I didn't enjoy all the coddling. Especially when some of it is purely speculative and never comes to fruition - making it a waste of time to read or worry about.
The ideas and setting are there - but Ford's characterizations and certain style choices/executions still leave me wanting for some improvement. My issues with the first book were mostly addressed, but I sorta feel like they were just replaced with new problems, hence the decrease in score from EOE.
Themes: 3/5
Another improvement, the themes get a little more complex upon adding gray and villainous character pov's into the mix. That complexity allows for extra twists, betrayals and unexpected allies. It colors the world with a little more depth, especially with Ansell. These added layers go beyond the simplicity of common fantasy books, so the score is improved from EOE.
Ansell's moral dilemma will be the most interesting to watch play out. Religious zealots are tough to get right, but I trust Ford here, seeing that growth in his thematic work and plotting already.
A story about a mother waging a war of vengeance while her adult children try to return home. If you like steampunk, political fantasy and grimdark elements all blended together, then give this series a read. I struggle a bit with the characters and writing style, but the plot is serviceable and the setting is interesting.
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 3.5/5
There are a few plotlines to follow. Rosomon is gathering allies to go to war. Her children are each trying to return home. There are some interesting points, twists and turns to the plot that I found to be enjoyable.
But there were also a couple misfires for me. The catch-and-release/spare a hero/villain plot device was used a few times, and I absolutely hate reading it. This is a personal eye roll for me every single time I have to see it. Readers not bothered by this device will find the book much more enjoyable.
The second misfire would be some repetition in storylines. In Book 1, a son is taken west to Malador. In Book 2, a son is taken west to Malador. Both sons suffer similar fates while over there, namely torture, magical change, and demonic whispers. Though done very differently in this book, the similarities are still noticeable.
Those are the only two negatives to the plot. Most of the plotlines I liked. I'm trying to be careful not to spoil things for someone who wants to read this series, so I wont go into everything great, but there is plenty here to like. From an animal companion to shifting alliances, the plot is mostly enjoyable.
Characters: 2/5
I still find characterization to be a weaker element in the writing. I don't feel like I know the mc's well enough to try and predict what they're going to do.
In the first half, there is a lot of passivity in the mcs, reacting to the villains and conflict as they arise instead of actively leading the charge forward. They need saving or releasing at times from side characters or villains, taking away some of their agency at times. Some of this would be okay, but it felt a little heavily used.
There is a lot of "do you know who I am?!" dialogue from one character early on and it quickly grates on the nerves. It doesn't seem believable or warranted given the character or circumstances, either.
There are some villainous outlooks added in, and some gray characters, and this added some complexity to the plot, but I still wasn't feeling for these characters, either. Ansell is okay.
Setting: 4/5
Ford focuses mostly on all new locations in this book, from The Forge, to Wyke and Oakhelm, to new parts of Malador. Every set piece used was distinct, and added so much toward creating a wider world, without losing the setting already established. Each played into the moving plot in a satisfying way.
Arcturius, with new sorcery introduced there offering an entirely new outlook on the established magic systems, was especially imaginative and interesting.
I would have enjoyed some more specific descriptions of The Forge and Wyke, before certain events took place, as a bit of foreshadowing but that's my only criticism. Excellent job.
Style: 1.5/5
The general prose felt more streamlined, more consistent, and less sporadic than EOE. This helped the story feel more coherent.
The pacing was stilted a bit by redundancy in scenes and plotlines. But I did like that I could feel the build up towards the first big battle.
The Big Battle. First, it is the only chapter in the series told through multiple povs. Every other chapter has gotten one pov per chapter. I think I can see what Ford was going for, here: Giving life to the background characters, showing the larger scope of the battle, moving through the battle by bouncing from combatant to combatant. But second, this included numerous new characters, who I didn't know or care about, and new pov's as well. The big battle seemed like the wrong spot to be introducing new characters or pov's when other characters are present and witnessing the same things, just less directly involved. Third, I already mentioned the passive feeling with the mc's and this battle didn't help that. Ultimately, it was an interesting risk but one that didn't payoff for me.
Last gripe about style is the paragraphs with a bunch of questions. Frequently, inner dialogue consisted of numerous questions right in a row - like every mc is crippled with worry and doubt in the exact same way, all the time. The what-ifs and other hypothetical questions distracted me A LOT. It was a heavy-handed way of telling fears, without showing, and handholding the reader into the obvious possible stakes. I know something bad will happen if the heroes fail - I didn't enjoy all the coddling. Especially when some of it is purely speculative and never comes to fruition - making it a waste of time to read or worry about.
The ideas and setting are there - but Ford's characterizations and certain style choices/executions still leave me wanting for some improvement. My issues with the first book were mostly addressed, but I sorta feel like they were just replaced with new problems, hence the decrease in score from EOE.
Themes: 3/5
Another improvement, the themes get a little more complex upon adding gray and villainous character pov's into the mix. That complexity allows for extra twists, betrayals and unexpected allies. It colors the world with a little more depth, especially with Ansell. These added layers go beyond the simplicity of common fantasy books, so the score is improved from EOE.
Ansell's moral dilemma will be the most interesting to watch play out. Religious zealots are tough to get right, but I trust Ford here, seeing that growth in his thematic work and plotting already.