Take a photo of a barcode or cover
This is Miles Cameron's take on "farm boy makes good" fantasy. It takes place in a world just sideways from our own, mostly in that world's version of Constantinople not too terribly long before the Turks take the city. There are swords and there are guns. There is magic too.
Aranthur comes from a mountainous part of what's sort of like France, recommended to the university by the master of his land. On the way back home for winter break, a meeting at an inn proves to be a turning point for the young man. Many important people happen by the inn that night in an inception point that will decide the course of history. Aranthur meets a sword master, an evil duke, a courtesan and mage, a priest and a spy. They all become part of his life as Aranthur just tries to get through his spring semester.
Aranthur ends up with a new sword master, an assignment to translate a very important book of magic, a spy who checks in on him every now and then and asks him to do a thing or two, a room mate who ends up being an east Asian sort of prince. He gets invited to social events that are out of his depth but he ends up knowing people and influencing events. He gets into fights and makes enemies. He kills people and it doesn't bother him too much. People he knows get killed and that bothers him far more.
It's a book about the making of a hero and I very much enjoyed it. Cameron understands what people thought about in the past: physical objects and tools were difficult to make and much valued. A horse or a sword make people make assumptions about you and they each have advantages and drawbacks. When you're a university student, there are never enough hours in the day- I suppose that's true now, too. Everyone shows different facets of themselves to different people.
The end of the book made Aranthur move maybe a little too quickly into being a competent soldier. But I loved immersing myself in this world, seeing Aranthur's adventures, and puzzling out what was really going on. I'll read more in this series and more by this author.
Aranthur comes from a mountainous part of what's sort of like France, recommended to the university by the master of his land. On the way back home for winter break, a meeting at an inn proves to be a turning point for the young man. Many important people happen by the inn that night in an inception point that will decide the course of history. Aranthur meets a sword master, an evil duke, a courtesan and mage, a priest and a spy. They all become part of his life as Aranthur just tries to get through his spring semester.
Aranthur ends up with a new sword master, an assignment to translate a very important book of magic, a spy who checks in on him every now and then and asks him to do a thing or two, a room mate who ends up being an east Asian sort of prince. He gets invited to social events that are out of his depth but he ends up knowing people and influencing events. He gets into fights and makes enemies. He kills people and it doesn't bother him too much. People he knows get killed and that bothers him far more.
It's a book about the making of a hero and I very much enjoyed it. Cameron understands what people thought about in the past: physical objects and tools were difficult to make and much valued. A horse or a sword make people make assumptions about you and they each have advantages and drawbacks. When you're a university student, there are never enough hours in the day- I suppose that's true now, too. Everyone shows different facets of themselves to different people.
The end of the book made Aranthur move maybe a little too quickly into being a competent soldier. But I loved immersing myself in this world, seeing Aranthur's adventures, and puzzling out what was really going on. I'll read more in this series and more by this author.