Series: Oath of Empire
Volume: 4
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 0312865600
Publisher: Tor Books
Price: $27.95
Reader Rating: 4 out of 10
Votes: 1
Volume: 4
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 0312865600
Publisher: Tor Books
Price: $27.95
Reader Rating: 4 out of 10
Votes: 1
Description: The conclusion of Harlan's massive alternate-history fantasy The Oath of Empire isn't quite as successful as its predecessors, The Shadow of Ararat, The Gate of Fire, and The Storm of Heaven. It is wordier than its story can support, and more populous, scene-shifting, and eventful than readers who start the tetralogy with it will be able to process. For veteran series readers, however, the abundant detail just fleshes out the narrative, making the book an outstanding feat of world building, at the very least. Certainly the last stage of the fight against the evil sorcerer Dahak is not without interest. Dahak's minions, the Persians, have captured Constantinople and now are marching on Egypt. If they capture the breadbasket of the empire, Rome is doomed. The aspiring caesar, Maxian, and the ghostly caesar, Gaius Julius, must wield their capabilities, powers, and assorted allies to prevent catastrophe. When it is all over, Maxian isn't promised a trouble-free reign, but Harlan has earned his welcome to the ranks of historical fantasists.
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