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The Age of Uprising #1
by R. S. Ford
From an unmissable voice in epic fantasy comes a sweeping tale of clashing guilds, magic-fueled machines, and revolution.
The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry, and industry is run by the Guilds. Chief among them are the Hawkspurs, whose responsibility it is to keep the gears of the empire turning. That's exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation.
Conall, the eldest son, is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military. It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution.
Tyreta is a sorceress with the ability to channel the power of pyrestone, the magical resource that fuels the empire's machines. She is sent to the mines to learn more about how pyrsetone is harvested – but instead, she finds the dark horrors of industry that the empire would prefer to keep hidden.
The youngest, Fulren, is a talented artificer and finds himself acting as a guide to a mysterious foreign emissary. Soon after, he is framed for a crime he never committed. A crime that could start a war.
As the Hawkspurs grapple with the many threats that face the nation within and without, they must finally prove themselves worthy–or their empire will fall apart.
"Although some sequences early on feel a bit contrived, once this mammoth novel gains momentum, readers should disregard this minor flaw and find themselves fully immersed in a story that features a virtual toy chest full of fantasy delights, including magic-powered land- and airships, demon lords, sentient goat-headed beasts, war eagles, pirates, and deified wyrms. Epic fantasy fans listen up: This is the good stuff. Highly recommended." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Despite a prologue a bit too reminiscent of the start of A Game of Thrones, Ford succeeds in building a complex fantasy world, complete with warring factions, fearsome creatures, and bloody struggles for power in his Age of Uprising series launch...Fans of R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars Saga will be especially hooked." - Publishers Weekly
"The latest from Ford is the first in a new series that will give fantasy readers exactly what they want: conspiracy, magic, a delectable cast of characters, and an ending that will leave them begging to know what happens next." - Booklist
"An excellent start to a new series: fast-paced and engaging, with a properly epic setting and a cast of characters I look forward to seeing more of." - James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost
"A heady blend of action, arcana, and intrigue." - Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Gutter Prayer
This information about Engines of Empire was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
R. S. Ford is a writer of fantasy from Leeds in the heartland of Yorkshire.
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