Empire Ascendant - Wyrms.de

Published Sept. 30, 2015 by Angry Robot 2015.

ISBN:: 978-0-85766-558-4

(1 review)

Every two thousand years, the dark star Oma appears in the sky, bringing with it a tide of death and destruction. And those who survive must contend with friends and enemies newly imbued with violent powers. The kingdom of Saiduan already lies in ruin, decimated by invaders from another world who share the faces of those they seek to destroy. Now the nation of Dhai is under siege by the same force. Their only hope for survival lies in the hands of an illegitimate ruler and a scullery maid with a powerful--but unpredictable--magic. As the foreign Empire spreads across the world like a disease, one of their former allies takes up her Empress's sword again to unseat them, and two enslaved scholars begin a treacherous journey home with a long-lost secret that they hope is the key to the Empire's undoing. But when the enemy shares your own face, who …

Every two thousand years, the dark star Oma appears in the sky, bringing with it a tide of death and destruction. And those who survive must contend with friends and enemies newly imbued with violent powers. The kingdom of Saiduan already lies in ruin, decimated by invaders from another world who share the faces of those they seek to destroy. Now the nation of Dhai is under siege by the same force. Their only hope for survival lies in the hands of an illegitimate ruler and a scullery maid with a powerful--but unpredictable--magic. As the foreign Empire spreads across the world like a disease, one of their former allies takes up her Empress's sword again to unseat them, and two enslaved scholars begin a treacherous journey home with a long-lost secret that they hope is the key to the Empire's undoing. But when the enemy shares your own face, who can be trusted?

3 editions

Kadomi reviewed Empire Ascendant by Kameron Hurley (Worldbreaker Saga, #2)

Review of 'Empire Ascendant' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Holy shit, that was one of the most grueling fantasy stories I have ever read. If you like PoV characters to be shining heroes, this series is not for you. Every character is drawn in deep shades of grey, and there are few likeable ones around. I probably like Roh best, and he's broken at best.

It's also not a series to get attached to any character. The body count is high, and the deaths and tribulations to characters are gruesome. The amount of lost limbs beats everything I have read before.

My regret about this book is that I did not reread Mirror Empire because I had forgotten just about anything that happened. Kameron Hurley doesn't coddle her readers so there is little to no exposition beyond the glossary in the back.

Aside from all this, I love the scope of the story, the incredible diversity and gender-bending of …

Holy shit, that was one of the most grueling fantasy stories I have ever read. If you like PoV characters to be shining heroes, this series is not for you. Every character is drawn in deep shades of grey, and there are few likeable ones around. I probably like Roh best, and he's broken at best.

It's also not a series to get attached to any character. The body count is high, and the deaths and tribulations to characters are gruesome. The amount of lost limbs beats everything I have read before.

My regret about this book is that I did not reread Mirror Empire because I had forgotten just about anything that happened. Kameron Hurley doesn't coddle her readers so there is little to no exposition beyond the glossary in the back.

Aside from all this, I love the scope of the story, the incredible diversity and gender-bending of tropes. It's not an easy read but it's fantastic when you persist.

Oma has ascended, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.