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Irons in the Fire (Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution Trilogy)

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It isn't easy being a citizen of Lescar. Money only flows one way: Into the duke's coffers. If you can't pay up you might find yourself housing a platoon of the duke's troops, or drafted into the army yourself, to fight alongside other poor sods conscripted for similar reasons. Some intrepid Lescaran exiles are sick of this status quo and set out to change it, but it's going to take a concentrated effort from a lot of different people... and some might not be up to it.

THE GOOD: Lescaran society only exists to serve the rich, and McKenna describes it well. Wars flare up and die down with appalling regularity, the poor work and die (or immigrate for the uncertain life of an exile), the dukes sit in their castles and plot against their neighboring dukes, and in the end nothing really changes, except perhaps the number of bodies in the graveyard. You might wonder why the people don't simply rebel, but as McKenna shows us, it's not that easy. For instance the farmers don't like being drafted into the army because they have to leave their crops (which are sometimes trampled by the same army), but if they refuse the risk their dukes wrath. And even the common folk aren't immune from the prejudices their dukes inflict on them, as Tathrin, a Carluse native, finds out when he travels the country. Both Tathrin and his fellow conspirators have very good (and different) reasons for wanting to overthrow the system, and when they occasionally butt heads it produces some interesting point/ counterpoint discussions. Like: doesn't waging war for the sake of peace just lead to more war? McKenna's world just seems more realistic and fleshed out then most, and I like her portrayal of mercenaries as a bloody and distasteful business that many people do simply because it's the only thing they're good at.

THE BAD: I'm not a big fan of infodumps, so the nine page "political almanac" at the beginning of the book kind of vexed me, though without it I would have been lost. Even with it it's not always easy to differentiate the dukes and the areas they claim to rule (Triolle being an exception, as the scenes with Litasse and Hamare are set in Duke Iruvain's own castle). There's too much time given over to traveling and logistics, to the detriment of anything more exciting, and the battle at the end feels anti-climactic due to McKenna not showing us the most important events ("By the way, a dozen nobles have been hung. By the way, the city has fallen"). With a cast so large and unwieldy some are bound to slip through the cracks, because the conspirators, while all of different backgrounds, tend to remain static and unchanging and thus are not as interesting as they first appear. I found the exceptions to this to be Tathrin (whose idealism comes under fire both figuratively and sometimes literally), and Failla (a duke's former whore who can't escape her past). They manage to shine regardless of who they have to share space with, and there's a potential for character growth there that drives their stories forward.

THE UGLY: Without giving anything away, some parts of this book made little sense. Is this the first time aetheric magic has been used in this way?

THE VERDICT: Irons in the Fire is slow and modest... in other words, it's the first book in a series. At times its workmanlike pace does it a disservice as it never really gets out of second gear. But the world-building is there, and the philosophical points deserve to be addressed, especially given the sense that the characters will soon have to choose what it more important: the revolution or their own goals. I imagine book two will go a ways towards upping the stakes and bloodying the luster of this "revolution".

I liked this book. There were some things that stood out. The cover was intriguing enough for me to flip it over and read the back material. I like politically motivated matter so this became a reason to acquire it.

I started to read it nearly after I bought it, and I have quite a backlog of other books to read. So that was intriguing. It begins with an analysis travelogue of the area of McKenna's world and this is almost irrelevant to the story you do read. You do need some background material, but our main characters do seem to cover all of it as we start reading the story.

What is wrong with this book is three things. Too many repetitions of which Duke does what to whom and why, all the politics of this divided realm kept straight by McKenna but I found that I did not need to do so to enjoy it. The sense of time is the next, where letters travel faster then people. Rumors reach the spymasters all across the world so quickly that they need not use letters. And that things that are completely secret are not when the spymaster needs to know a thing.

That part is just wrong. A secret known by two is something that can't be found out by your extraneous spy who should be focusing on bigger issues. I can imagine a spy telling their boss that they had enough time to pursue a little piece of information, or the spymasters (There are 2) that they have so much time in their day that they can get the littlest piece of information from who knows what source and it turns out to be pivotal.

The last is the Aetheric magic system, which is find except for one thing. They need to bring in extra practitioners so they can communicate, but then they have one connection where they don't. The first is just able to happen. If that is the case then they don't need anyone else and a whole subplot makes no sense. Which a whole subplot makes no sense. Never explained well, overused a great deal.

Aside from those issues this would be a better read. Even to being a reread, depending on how the series finishes up.

Hard to believe this book was written by the author of Tales of Einarinn! Well, I guess all fantasy writers sometimes lose their touch - it even happened to Jacquelline Carey when she wrote that awful Paradise Lost style novel. Anyway, this book is just unreadable. The politics are complex, populated with unlikeable people. It's hard to follow, and skips around a lot - not ever leaving you enough time to get attached to anyone. It's a bit too gritty honestly.

I did like the disabled character - unusual for fantasy! And I was interested to see how that developed but the rest of the book was just intolerable. Part of it was my disappointment, because I liked her other series so much. Also, I hate to quit a book before I finished, but after getting 75% of the way through this, I realized that the many attempts I was taking to finish it meant it wasn't worth it.

I hate to write a review like this since I imagine authors don't like to see this sort of thing, but I feel a duty to other readers to let them know to avoid this book.

Irons in the Fire (2009) is the first Fantasy novel in the Lescari Revolution series. It is set in the same universe as the Einarinn and Aldabreshin Compass series, but on the main continent.

Lescar had been a province of the old Tormalin Empire. When the Empire withdrew from its western lands, Lescar continued to be ruled by its former governors. For centuries, the six Dukes had each strove to become the King of Lescar. Militia and mercenary troops annually ravaged the countryside during the dry months.

In this novel, Tathrin Sayron is a scholar living in Vanam. Before he graduated from the University, he had been the servant and student of Lord Aremil. Now he works for Master Wyess, a fur merchant. Tathrin is from the Duchy of Carluse in Lescar.

Gruit is a wine merchant in Vanam. He is from the Duchy of Matlier in Lescar.

Aremil is a scholar in Vanam, but he is not a graduate of the university. He is the elder son of the Duke of Draximal in Lescar and has received private tutoring.

Derenna is a minor noblewoman from the Duchy of Sherlac in Lescar. She and her husband are alchemists.

Reniack is a writer of inflammatory broadsheets. Originally from the Duchy of Parnilesse in Lescar, Reniack had been run out of the Duchy for his infuriating writings.

Litasse is the Duchess of Triolle in Lescar. She is the consort of Duke Iruvain.

Hamare is the spymaster for the Duke of Triolle. He sometimes disagrees with the priorities of Duke Iruvain.

Karn is an agent for Hamare. He spends much of his time wandering around Lescar and elsewhere.

In this story, Master Wyess takes Tathrin to a meeting at the Furriers' Guildhall. On the way, Tathrin has a flashback to his experiences within Losand during the Sharlac invasion. He remembers the hordes of mercenaries butchering townspeople and hanging those who resisted.

At the guildhall, several Lescari exiles discuss their home country. A furrier from elsewhere disparages Lescar and Gruit defends his homeland. After a final remark from the outsider, Wyess hits him so hard that he is lifted off the floor.

Tathrin is impressed with Gruit's arguments and takes him to meet Aremil. When Aremil suggests that the exiles in Ensaimin refrain from sending monies home for their kin to pay taxes, Gruit claims that such actions would not stop the violence. Tathrin gets angry several times as Gruit disagrees with his mentor.

Later, Gruit takes Tathrin into town to meet Derenna. She is rather careless in her dress and has scars on her forearm. She tells him why her husband cannot leave Sharlac.

Afterwards, Gruit explains that he introduced Derenna to show that some nobles are not enemies of the Lescari people. Then Gruit takes Tathrin to meet the commoner Reniack. Tathrin is not sure about the worthiness of either the noble lady or the angry commoner.

Meanwhile, Harn watches from Draximal as the bridge over the River Drae is captured by a mercenary band. They start charging tolls for everyone crossing the bridge. While Harn is observing the bridge, a carriage gets into the mercenary camp with only a kiss by a lady's maid. Later, he realized that the carriage belonged to Lady Derenna.

Hamare receives a message from Harn about the barricaded bridge. He discusses the matter with Duchess Litasse. The news doesn't interest Duke Iruvain.

This tale describes the formation of a conspiracy against the Dukes of Lescar. The group is based in Vanam, but Tathrin soon leaves to meet with the mercenaries holding the Emirle Bridge. He has an offer for the leaders of the band.

This novel begins the insurrection against the Dukes of Lescar. Tathrin's meeting with the mercenaries changes the approach of the conspiracy. And hopefully improves the chances of the revolution succeeding.

Tathrin finds himself being the emissary of the Vanam group. In the next volume -- Blood in the Water -- he continues these travels. Read and enjoy!

Recommended for McKenna fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of armed conflict, various magics, and political intrigue.

-Arthur W. Jordin