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A review by william_gwynne
The Hand of the Sun King: Book One by J.T. Greathouse
5.0
To hear a short pitch of this fantasy debut from J. T. Greathouse himself, to see if this is for you, you can click on a link here - The Brothers Gwynne
“Magic could reshape the world. Its power was undeniable. It needed no argument to bolster it, nor any faith to make it true.”
The Hand of the Sun King is a fantasy debut, the beginning to a series called Pact and Pattern, of which I do not know how many books it will include. After Petrik said that he loved this, I had to buy it. I am glad to say that I also thought it was absolutely fantastic.
One of my favourite aspects was the conflict of identity with our sole perspective. His father is a businessman of the Empire, whilst his mother and her side of the family are part of a nation being oppressed and taken over by this swiftly growing Empire. The conflict of identity and purpose becomes one of the most interesting and important factors in the life of Wen Alder
“If you do nothing - or worse, if you help them - they will win. There is no middle ground in this. You must choose. Either the empire or those who fight them.”
The prose of smooth and effective, creating a vivid world that I am looking forward to learning more about. This also feeds into the growth of character we see from Wen Alder, when he goes from his home to the training school trope we see in fantasy. It is done very well and in a fresh way that makes The Hand of the Un king very different, and when partnered with the conflict of identity there is a lot of heart to this section of the book, as well as the rest.
One of my favourite reads of the year, with everything I wanted in it. Original ideas, complex characters, a nuanced and interesting world. A really expertly crafted story that I am looking forward to continuing when the sequel is released.
5/5 STARS
“Magic could reshape the world. Its power was undeniable. It needed no argument to bolster it, nor any faith to make it true.”
The Hand of the Sun King is a fantasy debut, the beginning to a series called Pact and Pattern, of which I do not know how many books it will include. After Petrik said that he loved this, I had to buy it. I am glad to say that I also thought it was absolutely fantastic.
One of my favourite aspects was the conflict of identity with our sole perspective. His father is a businessman of the Empire, whilst his mother and her side of the family are part of a nation being oppressed and taken over by this swiftly growing Empire. The conflict of identity and purpose becomes one of the most interesting and important factors in the life of Wen Alder
“If you do nothing - or worse, if you help them - they will win. There is no middle ground in this. You must choose. Either the empire or those who fight them.”
The prose of smooth and effective, creating a vivid world that I am looking forward to learning more about. This also feeds into the growth of character we see from Wen Alder, when he goes from his home to the training school trope we see in fantasy. It is done very well and in a fresh way that makes The Hand of the Un king very different, and when partnered with the conflict of identity there is a lot of heart to this section of the book, as well as the rest.
One of my favourite reads of the year, with everything I wanted in it. Original ideas, complex characters, a nuanced and interesting world. A really expertly crafted story that I am looking forward to continuing when the sequel is released.
5/5 STARS