1.75

I liked it and perhaps I'll end up giving it 4 stars. For now, it's 3.5/5. Longer review to come.

“If the choice is between understanding some deeper truth or fighting for a chance to make good on all the harm I have done, then I choose to fight.”

9/10 - The Hand of the Sun King is an outstanding debut filled with everything I love about fantasy: ancient magic, warring gods exploiting human ambition for their own goals, vibrant and imaginative cultures and characters faced with the terrifying reality and pain brought about by their own actions.

In The Hand of the Sun King, we follow Wen Alder or Foolish Cur, as he grows up with divided loyalties. One to the Sienese Empire and his Father's ancestry and the other, more forbidden, to rebellion and his mother's family. But Alder desires a different path, one of power and limitless magic which is not bound by the decisions and expectations of those around him. The characterisation of Alder is a masterclass as we follow his coming of age and the rifts his own ambition creates between himself and his friends and family. Not only this, but the first-person narrative allows us a front seat to the warring within Alder, who I have to warn you is sometimes frustrating as Alder isn't flawless and his arrogance and expectations of success mean he constantly has to 'learn the hard way' when he does not succeed.

Overall, I highly recommend The Hand of the Sun King for people who love asian inspired fast-paced fantasy, coming of age and divided loyalties. Also some appreciation for this outstanding cover art by Patrick Knowles.

"Regret gnawed at me, and again my mind and heart did battle, but tomorrow had come and our day had ended."

Rating: 4/5

The Hand Of The Sun King is the first book in the Pact And Pattern Trilogy by JT Greathouse. This was another book that I have seen a lot of praise for and at the same time knew very little about before reading.

The Hand Of The Sun King is a coming-of-age fantasy written from the first person perspective of Wen Alder (also named Foolish Cur), a young man torn between his divided family loyalties: his father’s side loyal to the Sienese Emperor and his mother’s family who seek to rebel against the Empire. We follow Alder as he seeks to reconcile these differences and pursues magic and power. I think Greathouse strikes an excellent balance of fast-paced action and slower moments to build character and the world throughout this novel.

I loved Greathouse’s characterisation in this novel: the character development of Alder is excellent and we see how flawed and arrogant he can be as he grows. Alder’s relationships with his family, mentors and friends are also really well-realised.

The world-building in this book is incredible - the different settings we explore throughout the novel are vividly described and the various magics of the Pattern and the different Pacts and Gods are intriguing. I truly can’t wait to learn more of this world in the next book.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this book before I started reading it and before I was even half-way through I was enjoying it so much I had already ordered the sequel, The Gardens Of Empire, which I cannot wait to start. The Hand Of The Sun King is a great fantasy novel (made even more incredible by the fact that this is Greathouse’s debut novel) and I would thoroughly recommend this book to any fan of fantasy.

Przeszłam za połowie i dosłownie zero, nic, null zainteresowania kimkolwiek, czymkolwiek, gdziekolwiek ...

Główny zarzut jaki mam wobec tej książki, to to, że wiało nudą. Świat spoko zbudowany, dużo płot twistow, ale żebym była ciekawa co dalej - niekoniecznie.