Customer Reviews

Empire's Daughter (The Chronicles of Kydan, Book 1)

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

 

 

I really think that Simon Brown has gotten some bad press or someething. None of his books seem to get a chance.

This book is really pretty good. I have a few problems with the story line and some of the names are pretty close to the same so it can tend to get a little confusing. The basic premise of the story is not really what is on the back cover. Yes that is part of the story but not the main line in my opinion. The main part of the story is the strife between all the family members and the family that resides in the other country.

Don't judge this book by the synopsis since it does not do it justice. This is a above average book and will certainly fill the time as you are waiting for others to be published.

I cannot recommend this book to anyone. Too many characters (a lot of which are completely unlikeable) and a plot that goes nowhere. I finished this and asked myself why did I even bother. A pity since the author's earlier trilogy, (The Keys of Power) was quite good.

I think some reviewers are angry at *SPOILER* a few apparently key characters which are killed off before the end of the book. *END SPOILER* The author does not really build any emotional attachments to any characters- apparently so it is not obvious who will live or die. At least that is what it feels like. Every character seems to be a secondary character which is more often what you find in a 3rd or 4 book of a series, not the first.

That said, the actual plot and pacing is pretty good. The world being built is unique enough to warrant some interest and there are few fantasy books which play with the discovery of a "new world" that gets colonies from the old world. The author seems to be aiming for something quite ambitious explaining the overturning of political orders and the rise of the laboring class in a fantasy setting. IE- 1600-1900 historical "borrowing"

The magical mechanism of Sefid requiring a wielder to sacrifice something they love with the stronger the wielders love and the more intelligent and itself powerful is the sacrifice, the stronger the resulting magic. It seems a solid basis to explore some interesting dynamics of human emotion and diplomacy that the author does not really put to much use.

Overall it is an ambitious start to a series which does not really reach its potential. Having read the 3 books out so far this series is good for a long flight somewhere or to read on a camping trip. Not a waste of time, but not compelling enough to make you reach for the next book when you finish the current one on a work night.

I read this book under its other title "Born of Empire" and was a little confused as to why it seems to have two different titles. I believe "Born of Empire" was the Australian release, but I'm not entirely sure. This IS the first book of the Kydan Chronicles, though, as is "Born of Empire".

I found the paradigm of magic - the Sefid - in this world to be very interesting. Sacrifices are needed to Wield the Sefid, and the dearer the sacrifice is to the Wielder, the more powerful the working of the Sefid can be. To this purpose the Empress and Royal family own large menageries of birds and other animals of which they sacrifice those they love most to work the Sefid. Also, each Kevleren (the ruling class) all have a companion whom they love perhaps more than anyone else in the world - their Beloved. I don't remember much about the situations of this book. There is a New World across the sea that the Empire is trying to settle, and there are natives to battle with and encroach upon. But there is also a neighbouring empire whose ruling class has blood ties to Kydan's own Kevleren ruling class. They can also work the Sefid and have Beloveds... but there is a problem. Their Beloveds have just staged a revolution.

This situation heralds the journey of a Kevleren emissary to this neighbouring land and then the realisation that that the Kevlerens are all completely vulnerable to their Beloveds, and what happened in that country could easily have happened Kydan instead. This leads Empress Leren to take drastic measures to ensure the security of her Empire, and is probably the most climactic scene in the entire book, and thus the one I remember best. I won't spoil it for anyone else, but overall I wasn't terribly impressed with this book. The ending was very interesting, and the events there lead on to the next book, but since I didn't bother picking up the next book after reading this one, I'm not sure it was hook enough for me.

The author sets up an interesting source of conflict: magicians that can exercise their magic only by sacrificing someone they love -- the greater the love, the more powerful the magic they can then wield. Everything else about the book sucks; the characterizations are shallow, none of the characters are particularly likeable, and the plot meanders pointlessly. What a waste of time (and trees).

With the death of Empress Hetha Kevleren, regions of the powerful far flung Empire of Hamilay see an opportunity to use the magical force of the Sefid to secede. However, to be successful at Wielding the magic, sacrifice must occur; the closer the Wielder cherishes the victim, the more powerful the usage of the Sefid. The Kevleren have been the most powerful practitioners, but many believe that the Duchess Yunara is the strongest magician today though her sister Lerena is the new Empress.

General Third Prince Maddyn Kevleren is unable to work the magic of the Sefid as his relatives can especially his former lover and second cousin Yunara. He tries to make up for his inadequacy through military prowess, but knows that in spite of his being the top general in the empire he remains an embarrassment to his friends. As he angers Yunara, Maddyn knows he must flee to protect loved ones from her wrath. He accepts an opportunity to strengthen the empire's stronghold in the New World, knowing that the unknown is less dangerous than the known.

Simon Brown, renowned for his Keys of Power trilogy, provides fantasy fans with a terrific new series with the fabulous Book One of the Chronicles of Kydan. The well written story line moves on two fronts as Maddyn tries to serve the new Empress while keeping his loved ones safe from retaliation; the two royal siblings have troubles starting with a Rivald revolt and massacre aided by magic that seems impossible to have occurred the way it apparently did. Because the key powerful cast seems real, they make magic appear normal so that epic fantasy readers will enjoy Mr. Brown's latest saga.

Harriet Klausner

The story lacks any meaningful characters and no feelings. A good story can express itself to its reader through different feelings. I would also add that the only thing consistant in this story is the fact the author wants to pound into your head that Third Prince Maddyn Kevleren is the greatest general of his land, but the author forgets to actually let the man be the general. Great generals shouldn't second guess and the fact he does on several occasions just shows that the author can't even follow his own story.