by Stephen Effedua
Genres: Action, Adventure, Military, War
Format: Kindle

EMPIRE: A Tale of Swords by Stephen Effedua

Synopsis:

After a great mutiny, a once-stable province is left in shambles as different factions fought for power. A band of patriots who were tired of the long depressing chaos took to arms, rallying former soldiers and fighting all the warmongers who were up to no good, but their revolution is met with heavy resistance and eventually destroyed by a sudden coalition of the enemies of progress. With their hope faltering, they make one last decision by recruiting a former hero of the province. This new hero was called Raiden, the Morning Tiger. Raiden rallies men in a desperate attempt to liberate their shattered province and after a costly battle; they came out victorious. Raiden rises to the rank of Emperor in the new Namani Empire. However, the problem that threatened the peace and unity of the former province is far from over. New problems have sprung up, and the Emperor must adopt a Thick Face, but what would his new approach cost him?

Review:

EMPIRE: A Tale of Swords by Stephen Effedua is a tremendous, engaging medieval war drama that is written with a unique expressive style, which holds the reader captive and enthralled throughout the entire story.

The noble and courageous Emperor Raiden was once a young practicing warrior desperately yearning to train up to someday be seasoned enough to go out and seek the revenge his deceased family so painfully deserved. After much battle and bloodshed he goes on to building a significant sized army. Raiden kills every last one of his family’s murderers with a satisfactory sense of emotion, the kind you would have when slaughtering your own sworn enemies.

But despite his success of his family’s grievance, he was still unsatisfied and realizes life is meaningless. No longer will he defend anything ever again. He turns to liquor to numb and temporarily fill the emptiness inside his sad and lonely heart. But one drunken stupor of a night turns into an agreement to join forces with General Barka, a powerful and experienced fighter, changing Raiden’s life, and making it meaningful again. He has many victories, and the turning point is the building of a grand and powerful military force, including passing over the torch to his son Damza, and his reign as Emperor. Connections and alliances are made, along with many battles and wars fought.

From generation to generation this tale empowers all that is a battalion of a vivid anguish. Fierce legions are on the line of compromise, which always kept me on the edge of my seat with every page turn. EMPIRE: A Tale of Swords had a great way of putting the reader in the middle of a commanding scene, giving a sense of being right up front and center of such a tragic and dramatic display of events. I always felt like I was right there for every crazy turn in this grand novel. Each character is important and makes you feel connected to the story, and brings light amidst the cultured theme which is tightly held throughout the book.

I really enjoyed reading EMPIRE: A Tale of Swords and would absolutely suggest it to anyone interested in an accomplished and sophisticated story jam packed with action, adventure and tales of men in combat. The clashing of weapons, and the hostile warfare that dominated and expended upon the lands in waves and seasons, inevitably always returned. Despite the heavy concepts of the plot itself, there were still times in which, author Stephen Effedua gives us a bit of a comic relief. Whether, the characters are intentional or not, I thought the bits of humor were something that was most refreshing, and often left out in this genre, but definitely not the case here. With an impressive historical aesthetic, the reader gets an idea of this vast world which is the story’s large backdrop. I give EMPIRE: A Tale of Swords by Stephen Effedua two thumbs up with a must read recommendation to all readers seeking an all-around amazing book!

Reviewed by Beatrix Bloom for Chick Lit Café

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