Customer Reviews

The Gate of Fire (Oath of Empire, Book 2)

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

 

 

Having read "Shadow of Ararat" and not contributed any comment, I definitely have to say something about "Gate of Fire." This is a stunning, almost overwhelming sequel to "Shadow." Considering the size of the tapestry and the many threads we were given in "Shadow," "The Gate of Fire" somehow manages to weave these ever more intricately, preserving threads we had thought cut, and adding new ones to boot.

In "Gate" we are introduced to a new character in the form of Nicholas, who wields his sword Brunhilde in his service as an agent of the Empire. He soon gains a sidekick who has, shall we say, a lycanthropic aspect. Other favorite characters we had thought lost are re-introduced. Necromancy abounds-I wonder if any character we love will really stay dead for long (although one of my favorites does appear to suffer a rather permanent demise). We learn that Mohammed (one of my favorite "Shadow" characters) may really be THE Mohammed of this world (although some small details insure that he can't really be the exact analog to our world's prophet of Islam). And so the threads of Jihad are now added to the weave...

There are battles a-plenty, on land and sea, both great and small. Thomas Harlan can put you in the middle of a pitched combat like no other author I know of. Each scene is captured in slow-motion detail that creates poetry from the chaos of the melee.

What about rest of the cast? Maxian still seeks to save Rome, but a great tragedy of timing and misunderstanding leads to one of the more ambitious climaxes and cliffhangers I've read. The survivors of Palmyra seek vengeance. More of Thyatis' history is revealed, and she is given a mission that may be the last of her career. In Persia, dark forces stir as Dahak's purposes are further revealed. The list goes on and on.

Other characters are coming into their own as well-Dyrwin proves a skilled and apt pyromancer, Shirin discovers talents of her own, Krista is torn between love and loyalty. And the goals of resurrected legends become clearer...

All I can say in conclusion is this: Thomas, hurry up and finish "Storm of Heaven!"

Gate of Fire is pretty terrific. The action is even better than in 'Shadow' and other than the slightly - well, silly - lesbian love scene with the tinkling of ankle bracelet bells on the beach (!), Gate of Fire has all the things you look for in a sequel - explosions! death! insanity! bands breaking up! betrayal! The author continues to mature as a writer, there are still an abundance of smarty-pants italicized words to keep the dead language mavens all giggly and happy, and the story grows more compelling with each page. New favorite character: Mohammed. Read it and you are likely to love him best too.

Right now, there are perhaps three series that are as rich, complex, and well written: George Martin's Song of Fire and Ice; Jordan's Wheel of Time; and Mary Gentle's Secret History of Ashe.

Harlan's writing is extremely skillful in that it never gets in the way, yet paints extremely complex portraits of characters and situations. He does not depend on devices such as deus ex to help him out, as he never paints himself into a corner--his plots are tight and well thought out and his characters are understandable and empathetic. They do not agree with eachother, they do not always get along, and life is not wonderful. This is a sophisticated work, with one of the main personalities gradually subverting to evil, although his intentions are the purest.

Gate of Fire is the second in the series, and it is as good as the first. Do yourself a favor. Read it.

I waited with bated breath for Book 2 of the Oath of Empire to be published. I wasn't disappointed! Once again Thomas Harlan has written a deliciously intriguing novel with most of the characters we've loved and hated from The Shadow of Ararat. Handsome and powerful Prince Maxian continues to use his magic to shape the world. Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great feel like old friends and add wit and humor to the story. Sorcerer Dahak returns, growing ever more powerful, continuing to manipulate and control an ever growing service of men. Loveable and needy Dyrin is back, abandoned once again to his own devices. And Mohammed rises up and leads readers through a spiritual experience that at times feels personel.

Once again we're led through the development and execution of a war between Persia and Rome, between evil and good, between man and monster. A detailed history of those ancient days weaves throughout the story, enhancing and bringing the story to real life. Thomas Harlan has blended the best of all people through the humor, joy, sorrows and tragedy of his characters. The last 100 pages build to a climax that can only be reached when his third novel appears. As I checked and re-checked for the release of The Gate of Fire, so will I wait for the ongoing saga and full blown war sure to be found as the Oath of Empire continues!

Second book in a four book series continues the very dynamic and large story of a fictional alternative history novel that take place in ancient Rome and Persia. Gate of Fire picks up where Shadow of Ararat left off, but the author really needed to include a refresher on what happened in the previous novel. Why? Well, there are so many characters and plot lines it is easy to get confused on who is who and what they are doing and trying to achieve.

Some of the characters are mainstays and become much more developed, however, new aspects were introduced to them that some may think seem trite. One of the characters realizes that she is a lesbian, while two other characters share an intimate homosexual experience. Why the author felt that these needed to be included are beyond me for they do nothing to advance the story. There are some comedic situations that are amusing, while other events are down right evil and chilling. The sorcerer Dahak is the epitome of evil and though this book seems to solidify him early on as a major player, and event takes place near the end that puts him back into the second tier. Needless to say I was confused then on his build up unless something happens in the 3rd or 4th books.

As in the first novel, Thomas Harlan continues a fabulous job in description of the political climate, the physical layout of the land, and is very rich in detail. Almost too much detail. There are a few battle scenes that are very exciting and filled with adrenaline. The climatic battle with Prince Maxian was a real page turner and was very stepped in magic and the supernatural. Almost read like a good Star Wars battle. On the downside though, a few characters that were dead or thought to be dead, re-appear in this installment.

The biggest problem I had with this book and the last is its complexity. Mr. Harlan truly is writing an Epic here, and unless you are skilled to keep track of dozens of characters and plotlines you may want to think twice about undertaking this. Now two books into (theoretically 1/2 way), I am still having a problem seeing what the main goal of the story is. It is basically Persia vs. Rome, and roughly three to four factions fighting for supremacy. Would have liked to see a bit more magic in this novel.

In the end, the premise is good, the characters and detail rich. Has a lot of potential, just hope the 3rd one is a bit easier to read and starts tying things together.

Gate of Fire is vol. 2 of Harlan's Oath of Empire series of fantasy alternate history. The plot line is given above. He makes no concession if you haven't read vol. 1 (Shadow of Ararat). Then again do you want to? I'm not sure why I've continued. His writing style is thorough but most unexciting, a bit of a drag. And so much incident of doubtful relevance (or, to what?). Where was his editor? I think I keep going on the basis of his detailed descriptions and situations of a realistically described Roman Empire of the 7th century A.D., but one where magic works. Harlan has done a great amount of historical and geographic research on the background of Rome in the Near East. I find his examination of the rise of Mohammed one of the most fascinating, and timely, aspects of the saga.

This volume 2 is a transitional work. Following the war against Persia (vol. 1), people are now milling around in preparation for confrontations yet to appear. While this volume omits the long travel passages 'under the blazing sun' of the first book, it also doesn't have the climactic battles that marked a conclusion of sorts. The main characters and their companions continue but break up and shift. (Some of their backgrounds also seem to be altered.) Harlan is now developing six parallel stories, with the narrative rotating among them as among as many separate novellas, so the overall pace is slow and the pages accumulate. One new featured character is introduced (a warrior barbarian), but his place in the overall saga remains to be discovered, and is merely a distraction here. For the first time several of the main characters and story lines do begin to intersect and interact, near the end of the book. Again there are ferociously graphic scenes of hacked limbs, burning skin, and bursting eyeballs as blood-sucking black powers and gods incarnate occasionally meet our heroes in malignant conflict. It includes scenes of Vesuvius right out of eyewitness Pliny the Younger. The only light touch is Julius Caesar, now brilliantly reincarnated as a comic figure! Clearly the author has something larger in mind, but we get only glimpses of what that might be, of which theme will emerge dominant. Note: the paperback has a squashed feeling compared to the generous hardback; the maps are barely legible.

I have finished the first three of the Oath of Empire books. I appreciate Harlan's style and realism. The characters are distinct and undergo believable growth and change. Dahak is a superb "bad guy" his strategies and actions are intelligent and chillingly effective. He is not without weakness but he recognizes that and adjusts accordingly. Nothing is more fun than a bad guy you respect. Overall a pleasurable and intelligent read. I got a little tired of Zoe's whining though...

I have trouble seeing how you can honestly rate the second book in a series, if you haven't read the first. Because with the feeling in your words, or lack of more to say, if you had read the first book then you'd have never picked up the second had you not liked Mr. Harlan's writing style or alternate-history choice, and there would be a bad review from you listed on his first book, not the second. And, if you truly understood a little bit more about roman culture from the time period of the Empire, you would understand a little better how constricting a space that the author has to work with as far as dialouge at certain status levels of characters. The Roman Empire was built on the blood of warriors by the swords of warriors, not on the books of scholars from the thoughts of scholars.

To Everyone Else - I thoroughly enjoyed it, for many reasons both historic and fantasy.

The second book of Oath of Empire is really enjoyable to some... in particular for those who may think the failures of Rome have important lessons for today. It helps to be able to read tomes very quickly. I am curious about where the author is headed as I start the 3rd book - in particular omitting Jesus and emphasizing Mohammed is hopefully going to be an interesting speculation and food for thought. This is the 4th book I've read by the author... all suffer a bit from weak editing, silly covers, excessive length, and minor inconsistencies. The stories are still good, tho!

Second book in a four book series continues the very dynamic and large story of a fictional alternative history novel that take place in ancient Rome and Persia. Gate of Fire picks up where Shadow of Ararat left off, but the author really needed a include a refresher on what happened in the previous novel. Why? Well, there are so many characters and plot lines it is easy to get confused on who is who and what they are doing and trying to achieve.

Some of the characters are mainstays and become much more developed, however, new aspects were introduced to them that some may think seem trite. One of the characters realizes that she is a lesbian, while two other characters share an intimate homosexual experience. Why the author felt that these needed to be included are beyond me for they do nothing to advance the story. There are some comedic situations that are amusing, while other events are down right evil and chilling.

As in the first novel, Thomas Harlan continues a fabulous job in description of the political climate, the physical layout of the land, and is very rich in detail. Almost too much detail. There are a few battle scenes that are very exciting and filled with adrenaline. The climatic battle with Prince Maxian was a real page turner and was very stepped in magic and the supernatural. Almost read like a good Star Wars battle. On the downside though, a few characters that were dead or thought to be dead, re-appear in this installment.

The biggest problem I had with this book and the last is its complexity. Mr. Harlan truly is writing an Epic here, and unless you are skilled to keep track of dozens of characters and plotlines you may want to think twice about undertaking this. Now two books into (theoretically 1/2 way), I am still having a problem seeing what the main goal of the story is. It is basically Persia vs. Rome, and roughly three to four factions fighting for supremacy. Would have liked to see a bit more magic in this novel.

In the end, the premise is good, the characters and detail rich. Has a lot of potential, just hope the 3rd one is a bit easier to read and starts tying things together.