A great grimdark fantasy with Roman undercurrents, what more could a man want?
Seven Deaths of an Empire is not a quick read, though the plot does have a fair amount of pace for a chunky book. The world is well drawn out, I could picture it without having to refer to the map at the front. The characters too are well rounded, the two POV's have their flaws and drawbacks, one being the limitation of age, the other the inexperience of youth.
The plot itself is simple enough to follow: the emperor has died in the far north on campaign, in the company of the soldiers charged with bringing his body home is a young magician, Kyron. In the city at the heart of the empire to the south is the General Bordan, and whilst the magician must battle the wild northern tribes and fight to stay alive, Bordan must weave the honeycomb alleys of imperial politics, and hope he doesn't reach a dead end.
There are many other side characters, each bringing their own personality to the party. The magic system is described well, and the ending brings a brilliant little twist a lot of readers won't see coming.
All in all, a fantastic read. I shall look forward to book two!
(I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
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