Age of Swords: Compelling novel with strong characters

Age of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

Storm clouds have been gathering since the events of Age of Myth, the first book in Michael J. Sullivan‘s new epic fantasy series, LEGENDS OF THE FIRST EMPIRE. The Fhrey (elves) have been feeling threatened by the Rhunes (humans) ever since the Rhunes shifted from a nomadic lifestyle to a more settled one, with crops and flocks of animals as well as hunting. Their population started exploding, and the Rhunes now outnumber the long-lived Fhrey by a factor of twenty to one (one million Rhunes vs. fifty thousand Fhrey). The killing of two Fhrey by Raithe, a Rhune warrior, provided the final impetus for a Fhrey attack.

As Age of Swords (2017) begins, a few months after the end of Age of Myth, trouble arrives for the inhabitants of Dahl Rhen with a literal bang. A magical lightning storm, mixed with apple-sized chunks of hail, destroys their village and the surrounding forest. As the storm ends, a gang of giants attacks what’s left of the village and its people.

Persephone, the recently-named chieftain of Dahl Rhen, calls on her people to gather all the belongings and supplies they can carry, and travel to Tirre, a Rhune town by the sea. She’s sent runners to all ten other clans to convene a summit there to unite all of the Rhune people to fight against the Fhrey, and to appoint a single “keenig” to lead all of the Rhune. While the chieftains argue over who should be the keenig, Raithe, Persephone’s nominee for the job, refuses, arguing that with the Fhrey’s far-superior bronze swords, not to mention their magical powers, humans don’t stand a chance.

One possible answer lies with the Dherg or, as they call themselves, Belgriclungreians (nevermind, dwarves), whose technological capabilities exceed even those of the Fhrey. Three exiled dwarves propose a deal to Persephone and Arion, the magically gifted Fhrey who has been living with the Rhune and training young Suri in the use of her magical Art. If Arion will help take care of a “giant” problem in the dwarves’ ancient city of Neith, they will help Persephone deal with the dwarves’ to try to get the humans better weapons … even better than bronze! So Persephone, Arion, Roan (an ex-slave who is a mechanical genius) and several other women leave the Rhune summit on their own quest, with no idea of the danger that awaits them in the land of the dwarves.

In his Author’s Note at the beginning of Age of Swords, Sullivan calls this book his “favorite book of this series,” but I thought it was slightly weaker than Age of Myth. The pacing dragged at times, especially in the chapters dealing with Mawyndulë, the immature and selfish son of the Fhrey ruler. Mawyndulë is in the running for the fictional character with the most breathtaking combination of sheer uselessness and an overinflated sense of self-importance, ever.

Readers who like novels with a strong theme of woman empowerment will find much to love in Age of Swords. It was good to see this happen in a relatively primitive society, although it did strike me as unlikely that, in a Neolithic era clan, a group of women would take off on a dangerous trip without taking any men along (other than some dwarves of debatable usefulness).

I also found Roan’s level of inventive genius over the top, not to mention suspiciously convenient at several key plot points. She was particularly busy in this book; her inventions included [HIGHLIGHT TO SHOW SPOILER] the wheel, pockets for clothing, bow and arrow, a pottery wheel, an improved axe, and more [END SPOILER]. Leonardo da Vinci has nothing on Roan! At the same time, Roan is a sympathetic woman, given some depth of character, as she tries to overcome the deep psychological scars inflicted by her old master. Nursing a near-hopeless love for Roan is Gifford, a gifted potter with crippling birth defects, whose outward injuries are a counterpoint to Roan’s inner ones. Through another character’s recollections, Sullivan offers some deeply intriguing comments about Gifford’s future role, shedding some new light on that character.

Overall, Age of Swords is compelling reading. Several characters develop in intriguing ways, rising to the occasion when trouble comes. And it ends very strongly, with a few twists and turns that really increased the reading pleasure. It left me ― and, I think it’s safe to predict, will leave most readers ― anxious for Age of War, the next novel in this series, scheduled for publication in April 2018.