Blood of Ambrose [Paperback]

James Enge (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 21, 2009

Behind the king's life stands the menacing Protector, and beyond him lies the Protector's Shadow... Centuries after the death of Uthar the Great, the throne of the Ontilian Empire lies vacant. The late emperor's brother-in-law and murderer, Lord Urdhven, appoints himself Protector to his nephew, young King Lathmar VII and sets out to kill anyone who stands between himself and mastery of the empire, including (if he can manage it) the king himself and his ancient but still formidable ancestress, Ambrosia Viviana. When Ambrosia is accused of witchcraft and put to trial by combat, she is forced to play her trump card and call on her brother, Morlock Ambrosius—stateless person, master of all magical makers, deadly swordsman, and hopeless drunk. As ministers of the king, they carry on the battle, magical and mundane, against the Protector and his shadowy patron. But all their struggles will be wasted unless the young king finds the strength to rule in his own right and his own name.James Enge’s fiction has appeared in Black Gate, Flashing Swords, and everydayfiction.com. He is an instructor of classical languages at a Midwestern university.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Enge competently blends a compelling plot and unrelentingly grim prose in this somber stand-alone fantasy debut. The heir to the Empire of Ontil is twelve-year-old Lathmar, a terrified child recently orphaned by his own Protector and uncle, Lord Urdhven. His ancient and powerful relatives, controlling Ambrosia and morosely forbidding Morlock, offer their magical aid to reclaim his throne and defeat the Protector. Slowly growing to manhood, Lathmar struggles to assert himself as the Emperor-to-be while craving his guardians' parental approval and longing to become more of a participant than an observer. Though the characters are more fascinating than lovable, Enge's precise and elegant language and some darkly harrowing scenes are sure to tug on readers' heartstrings. Legends frequently have predictable conclusions, but even with an unsurprising destination, this coming-of-age narrative makes for an engaging journey.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

A powerful obsessive dynastic fantasy with clever shades of Arthurian mythos. I particularly like the drawing of Morlock and his dwarven artificer apprentice. Compelling reading.--Dave Freer, co-author of the Heirs of Alexandria series

James Enge writes with great intelligence and wit. His stories take twisty paths to unexpected places you absolutely want to go. This isn't the same old thing; this is delightful fantasy written for smart readers." --Greg Keyes, New York Times bestselling author of The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series

James Enge's work is like Conan as written by Raymond Chandler: rich, witty, aware of its genre's traditions but not bound by them, with a new surprise of plot or turn of phrase every moment." --Paul Cornell, Hugo nominated writer of Doctor Who and Marvel comics

Product Details

• Paperback: 401 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (April 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591027365
• ISBN-13: 978-1591027362
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Enge lives with his children in northwest Ohio, where he teaches classics at a medium-sized public university. His short fiction has appeared in Swords and Dark Magic (Eos, 2010), in the magazine Black Gate, and elsewhere. His previous novels are Blood of Ambrose (Pyr, 2009), which was listed on Locus magazine's Recommended Reading for 2009, and This Crooked Way (Pyr, 2009).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Debut Novel June 30, 2009

By Jonathan A. Clark

Format:Paperback

PROS: "Blood of Ambrose" does a good job telling the tale of an "epic fantasy" without being 7+ books long. You learn the back story through the dialog and flashback. Also, Enge doesn't waste pages explaining how the magic works. The reader is dropped right into the plot. Enge does a great job characterizing and making the reader feel in touch with the characters, as strange as they are. The story is fairly common; one surviving heir as the protagonist and an antagonist trying to claim the throne for himself. The quirkiness of the heir's "grandmother," her brother and his apprentice is what makes this a 4 star novel.

CONS: Enge wasted a lot of time creating the astrology of his fantasy planet. He even went as far to create an appendix discussing the phases of the moons. The problem with all this work is that only 3 or 4 moon phases are mentioned in the book and they are not crucial to the story. A map would also have been helpful. Enge wrote up an appendix describing the continent, making it possible to create your own map, but the author's drawing would have been better.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read April 15, 2009

By Rene

Format:Paperback

Blood of Ambrose follows Lathmar VII's securing of and ascent to his throne, aided by his ancestress Ambrosia Viviana and her brother, Morlock Ambrosius. Five books comprise the novel, separated by periods of time of varying lengths, some encompassing weeks, some years. Much of the conflict (and the overarching plot) arises from Lathmar trying to reclaim his throne from the Lord Protector, Urdhven; more problems arise when it becomes apparent that there are inimical forces behind and beyond Urdhven. Several characters from Ambrosia and Morlock's past appear to help and/or complicate the situation.

It's written in omniscient, with the deepest dip into a character's point of view going to Lathmar. Many other characters get scenes from their PsOV, but their emotions are mostly left for the reader to infer from their actions, which accomplishes (at least) two things: the older, more powerful characters at first feel enigmatic, as they must to Lathmar, and Lathmar himself seems younger (which he is: twelve at the beginning of the book) since his emotions are more on display. The omniscient POV is a change of pace from the more prevalent tight third person, and requires a little more work from the reader, but it's well worth it.

There's quite a bit to admire about Enge's writing. Many parts of the world are referenced that I hope Morlock visits in future books, so I get to see them. Enge has a wonderfully inventive mind, as evidenced by the magic system and the world building. The writing is crisp and stylistically unusual, with a number of parenthetical asides that will be familiar to readers of the short stories. The dialogue is enjoyably witty. The last chapter had me both laughing and choking up. I'm very much looking forward to the second book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Dark Magic, Evil Usurper, Flying Horses and Mechanical Spiders.... September 19, 2009

By A. Lee

Format:Paperback

The city of Ontil and the entire Empire is in turmoil. The King is a child and Lord Urdhven has named himself Protector and he's willing to kill anyone who gets in his way in order to gain and hold power. The young King does have two protectors. He is of the blood of Ambrose and two powerful, seemingly immortal ancestors still survive: Ambrosia Viviana is one. She is determined to look after the Empire she helped to found. Morlock Ambrosius, her brother, is the other, a man with a dark and almost legendary past. As he fights for his life, the child King will need both of them, and he will need to grow up quickly and also learn to rely on himself.

The King, Lathmar, is truly a child, with all the fear, uncertainty and confusion that entails. As the main character, he is the most sympathetic. The other characters are all very strange and very human and very flawed. Ambrosia is an old virago, a tough woman who has been a power in the kingdom for countless years and is determined to keep her watch and her say in the running of the Empire. Morlock is a taciturn, brusk man, and occasionally a sad drunk. Lathmar fears his relatives almost as much as nasty Urdhven, whom he is sure has killed his parents, and given Morlock and Ambrosia's unsympathetic personalities, it's understandable. Watching Lathmar gradually learn to deal with that and many other things is the main pleasure in this book. That and the quirky oddness of a few details--the screaming flying horse, the mechanical spider conveyance, the murders of crows.

Otherwise, things are grim and violent and the characters sometimes noble but most often not. It is a dark fantasy, with strange, obscure magic systems and references to societies that are never well-explained or revealed. There was, however, just enough action and adventure and sympathy to keep me reading.