The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding

A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man’s journey to find his destiny.

Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He’s never questioned it; that’s just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend Cade are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free.

But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him, or his people, but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not.

The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up . . . but it’s locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land. All they have to do now is steal it. . .

The Krodan Empire has occupied Ossia for decades. The native people have been forced to accept the outsider’s rule, or suffer swift and often violent retribution. There are few, however, who refuse to believe that their country is lost. They seek a symbol that will act as a rallying call to all of Ossia. Can a legendary sword, the Ember Blade, be used to free a nation from its captors?

Aren and Cade live in the small coastal town of Shoal Point. They have never known anything other than Krodan regime. Aren is the son of a merchant, well-educated and, for an Ossian, quite well off. Cade is a carpenter’s son. Though opposites, the two have been firm friends from a young age. Aren is the thinker while Cade is more demonstrative. Aren makes plans and is prone to introspection, while Cade is impulsive and outgoing. They complement one another perfectly.

When Aren suffers a family tragedy, the two young friends are forced to leave their old lives behind. They are drawn into a desperate plan that will decide not only the fate of nations, but of humanity as a whole.

Aren and Cade meet a whole host of characters on their journey. The Ember Blade is a true ensemble piece. When it came to the characterisation, I was reminded of vintage David Eddings. There is a gruff warrior who is about as secretive as you can get, a straight-laced honour-bound knight, a mystical (and often enigmatic) druid, a talented bard and a highly skilled ranger. All pretty standard fantasy fare, but Wooding executes each character flawlessly. I was able to picture each of them easily thanks to the evocative writing. My personal favourite was a self-absorbed, heavily tattooed thief called Grub. Crude and totally lacking anything close to subtly, it is quite clear that in his own mind Grub is the hero of the adventure. Makes sense, he comes from a culture where mighty deeds denote standing. The more ink he has, the more heroic feats he has accomplished. Grub’s character could easily have been two dimensional, but Wooding makes him far more intriguing than that. Grub is a little bit sleazy and wonderfully ill-mannered. He also talks about himself constantly in the third person, a clear sign of an over inflated ego. Needless to say, I warmed to him immediately. The author has real skill when it comes to making his characters memorable.

The Ember Blade is epic fantasy with capital E. The story explores the politics of occupation at ground level. Aren and Cade are thrust into a plot that is bubbling over with revolution and insurrection. Ossia has been under the yoke of its tyrannical neighbour for too long. The country is a powder keg that just needs one single act of defiance to awake a sleeping giant*.   It makes The Ember Blade quite the immersive experience. I got so caught up in the relentless action, the writing even managed me to make me exclaim out loud “Oh no!” after reading one of the more dramatic scenes. I should stress that very rarely happens. I think the author deserves additional credit for this achievement. If you like your fantasy on a grand scale, then I can guarantee The Ember Blade is the novel for you.

One thing, there is no getting around the fact that The Ember Blade is an enormous book. Goodreads tells me it clocks in at approximately eight hundred pages long.  There are one hundred and eight chapters for goodness sake! I’m fortunate, I was lucky enough to read an electronic copy. Those not wishing to suffer a potential wrist injury may wish to pursue this option if possible. I’m sorry that the rest of you are going to end up with forearms like Popeye.

My soundtrack recommendation to accompany The Ember Blade is Morrowind by Jeremy Soule. Its suitably stirring fantasy fare that compliments a suitably stirring fantasy novel. Simple really.

The Ember Blade is published on 20^th September by Gollancz. I’m looking forward to book two in The Darkwater Legacy already. Book one was an absolute blinder. Highly recommended.

*Not a literal giant, a metaphorical one. Just wanted to clarify, it is a fantasy novel after all. Who knows, perhaps there will be actual giants in book two?