Customer Reviews

Blood of Ambrose

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Twelve year-old Lathmar has lived an extremely sheltered life. That is, up until he recently became king. His parents, the former king and queen, died under "questionable circumstances" and his uncle, the Protector of the realm, plans a similar fate for him. Now, Lathmar's only protection is his many-times-over great-grandmother Ambrosia. Guarding Lathmar's escape, Ambrosia sends him after the one person who can save them, her infamous brother Morlock.

Mr. Enge has crafted unique and exciting tales that revolve around one of the coolest characters ever in fantasy. In fact, I think I just may have a man-crush on Morlock Ambrosius. (The last time I felt this way was for Joe Abercrombie's Logen Ninefingers from The First Law.)

Morlock is the greatest magical Maker of this world and he is also a master swordsman. He's a thaumaturge who has knowledge of all the arcane arts. Known as The Crooked Man -- because of the family trait in which one shoulder is higher than the other -- and many other names, Morlock is hated and feared throughout the land. His name is used to curse traitors. He talks to crows and wields a magic black sword called Tyrfing. Morlock has wandered this world of Laent for several centuries, an exile and a dry drunk. He's clever, has a dry wit, and is always more than what he seems.

Blood of Ambrose is such a fun story to read. Enge is one of those rare authors whose style and prose is perfect for a fantasy -- he has that ability to create language that sounds archaic but is still understandable and flows like a bard's tale. The reader is surprised again and again with completely unpredicted plot twists or resolutions. Plus, Enge drops crafty little details of a relation between this story and Arthurian legend, which adds an enticingly rich back-story. As do the appendixes that detail the land of Laent, the deities, and the calendar and astronomy. The world is both strange and familiar to our own.

I can honestly say that I haven't read anything quite like these tales about Morlock Ambrosius. The series is considered to be a new sword and sorcery tale: a fantasy story that revolves around a character instead of the kingdom-sized conflict of an epic. James Enge has earned himself another fan in this reviewer.

Note:I felt I should comment that this was the best Kindle version I've read to date. It downloaded complete with the front and back covers, the illustrations, and even the interesting initial that starts each chapter.

Having already read through all the other reviews of BLOOD OF AMBROSE, I think it's been covered already: this is an amazing book. I'm not a fantasy reader, but read it because a friend wanted my opinion, and really enjoyed it. Seriously. I started reading it in the morning, and didn't put it down except to use the bathroom; finished it in 1.3 days.

I was about to do a detailed review, but it appears that many people have already done that so I'll leave it at this: Enge is a brilliant writer who manages to insert humor into an otherwise edge-of-your-seat - sometimes horrifying - ride. This book is about real people, with real flaws, who happen to exist in an extraordinary world.

Not your typical fantasy book; it's much more than that.

First of all, I love the Morlock character. I have read the short stories featuring him in Black Gate magazine and different sources online, and they are very well done. James Enge is a gifted writer, who can easily switch between perspectives in different stories. He weaves humor and action together very well, and seems to strive to cut as much superfluous background descriptions as possible. If it doesn't help the characters fight or work or move, he doesn't write it. He leaves the reader to supply much of the physical details. The book moves at breakneck pace, and is a very quick read.

However, I feel this works better in the short story format than in the novel form. The character development seemed light in many places, even with the principal characters. I would have liked more dialogue establishing motives and background, and more descriptions, even if it slowed things down a bit. If there was an underlying message or moral to the plot, I missed it.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book and I look forward to a sequel. I would definitely recommend it and the short stories.

This is a great fantasy. I'd not read any of the author's work in short form when I got this but had heard great things about where he sold his shorts. When i did read it, I was surprised to like something that while not horror, is certainly dark and dangerouns. Morlock is a Master Maker, some say the best in the world and is a known drunk. His apprentice is a dwarf with a mouth that might still be too big if he were eight feet tall. His sister is the King's many-times-great Grandmother, and he is called to help save Lathmar's kingdom from a usurper. Like any good writing things are not exactly as they seem and when the characters discover that the mystery of who is doing what and how is both deep and wrought with strokes Morlock himself would envy.

Great book, I can't wait for more.

If you're in any way a fan of the sort of witty, pulpy fantasy that was all the rage before the era of the 600 page, muti-volume epic fantasy doorstopper, you're going to love this book. It's strongly reminiscent of Fritz Lieber's best work, with an undercurrent of weird horror and occasional bursts of laugh-out-loud humor. You'll love it.

James Enge's BLOOD OF AMBROSE tells of Ambrosia, accused of witchcraft and put to trial by combat where she's forced to call on her brother for help - a magic swordsman and drunk. Change and adventure mark a fantasy hard to put down.

I'll keep this short. This book is better than many which are considered fantasy canon. If you like solid writing with a good mix of action and character development, this book is for you. Some of my favorite contemporary authors are Bujold, Kay, and Bakker, and I happily add Enge to this list.