Premise
Howard Andrew Jones has brought us plenty of good fantasy, but this is his masterpiece. Here is his elevator pitch;
“When their walls were breached at last, the people of Volanus fought block by block, house by house, until most fell with sword in hand. Less than a thousand survivors were led away in chains.
The city’s treasuries were looted, its temples defiled, and then, to sate their emperor’s thirst for vengeance, the mages of the Dervan Empire cursed Volanus and sowed its fields with salt. They committed only one error: the greatest Volani general yet lived.
Against the might of a vast empire, Hanuvar had only an aging sword arm, a lifetime of wisdom… and the greatest military mind in the world, set upon a single goal. No matter where they’d been sent, from the festering capital to the furthest outpost of the Dervan Empire, Hanuvar would find his people. Every last one of them. And he would set them free.”
That is quite the promise that Jones makes, and even though this is only the first book in a five book series, He keeps it. There is a strong sense of satisfaction in reading Hanuvar’s story. One that I think resonates deeply, not only with lovers of fantasy, pulp, or sword and sorcery, but with anyone who has suffered tremendous loss and is trying to rebuild.
Structure
The cool thing about this book is its structure. Instead of it being one grand narrative, you are treated to a series of short reads. In this regard, it truly is like reading pulp. Each story serves as a self contained adventure, yet every story builds on what came before. This is very much like watching a TV show. This episodic structure ultimately culminates in a grand finale (one which makes me suspicious of any and all mushrooms).
You may think that the pacing suffers as a result of the structure, but honestly, I felt that the pacing benefitted. There is absolutely no filler to be found here. Each story is brisk and keeps you turning the page. This results in a book that is easy to pick up and put down, and each story is appreciable on its own, but even more so when woven into a greater tapestry.
My personal favorite of these stories is the second in the book. Hanuvar, the protagonist, finds himself on a tropical island, having only just escaped danger in the book before. As he hunts, he discovers that he is not alone, as pirates have taken a few tribal young men as captives. Then, He discovers that a young tribal woman had taken it upon herself to rescue them.
I think the reason I loved this story so much is because it tells us so much about Hanuvar with so little. He is a natural leader, a warrior, and yet never tears others down. He is the kind of man we all aspire to be. The kind that brings out the best in others.
If I had any criticism of the structure, its that it has three fictional authors. One to tell the stories, another to clarify the stories, and yet another to help the reader understand the worldbuilding such as descriptions of swords and monsters. In my view, this slowed the pacing down a bit, but then I am only one man and my opinion is to be taken with appropriate portions of salt.
Setting
The setting is really cool, although at first I did not care for it. That is no fault of Jones, I simply gravitate toward a more medieval setting, but by the time I finished the book I was enamored with the world Jones had created. It is a fantasy version of the ancient Mediterranean. As a history buff, I appreciated it. It held stand ins for Rome, Carthage, Greece, and even a bit of the Gaul’s.
But this is fantasy, so there is magic and monsters as well. In true sword and sorcery fashion, the magic is dangerous and mysterious. Nothing that anyone with sense should play with. In like fashion, the monsters also are imaginative and frightening. My personal favorite was an interdimensional skin changer. The hair on my neck stands up even thinking about that thing.
Hanuvar
Let’s discuss our protagonist, Hanuvar. Jones readily admits that Hanuvar is the fantasy version of the historical Hannibal. However, instead of dying at the end of the war, Jones asks what would have happened had Hannibal survived? A very interesting idea. How would losing the war change him? Would he be driven mad? Enraged? Would he want revenge?
The book answers those questions in wonderful ways. You find that Hanuvar is not worried about revenge. He does not treat his enemies with contempt. He certainly does not plot to overthrow the Dervan Empire.
He simply want’s to keep his people safe from further harm. What a refreshing take on the failed hero trope. He concedes his loss, and want’s to move on, but cannot do so unless he knows that the few surviving Volani are safe. There is a nobility to Hanuvar that demands appreciation.
Yet, Hanuvar is also not safe. He readily engages in combat, unleashing fifty something years of experience on unsuspecting villains. Hanuvar often travels in disguise to avoid detection, and much of the trouble he faces comes from Dervan soldier’s who believe Hanuvar to be dead. As a result, they simply have no clue who they are messing with, and that often costs them dearly.
Do I Recommend it?
Absolutely. This is a refreshing take on fantasy, a love letter to the pulps, particularly Robert E Howard and Fritz Leiber. This is a glorious return to form for Sword and Sorcery fiction, and models a new approach for the genre. Essentially, the way forward is by going back. No need to write fourteen volume epic, when you can simply weave stories together to form a mosaic.
Lord of a Shattered Land is among the best fantasy books I have read in a long time. As a sword and sorcery author, I am encouraged and thrilled by its warm reception, and I look forward to reading the sequel, City of Marble and Blood.