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LK's Novel Review: Horselords

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
lord_karsus
May 13, 2009 0:26:18 [i]Horselords[/i]
By Dave Cook
Book I, The Empires trilogy

-Horselords is the first book in the Empires trilogy, that features Koja of Khazari and Yamun Khahan. It takes place in a wide variety of places, mainly in the Tuigan Steppes, and Khazari. All in all, the book is fairly straightforward, and doesn't have much in "twists and turns", or in...'flavor prose'. It's a pretty nitty, gritty novel, just like the events that go on within it's pages. My book is even ripped (I accidentally cut a line in the cover with a razor blade when I was opening the box it was in when I moved), to give it more grittiness.

-In terms of the story, Dave Cook does a pretty decent job of taking something right out of our history books (the Mongols, their invasion of Song China, and the subsequent Mongolian Empire) and spinning and twisting it such that it has it's own somewhat unique Faerûnian spin. Yamun Khahan was given the divine mandate by Teylas himself to conquer all, and make himself the Illustrious Emperor of All Peoples. I like how the book began almost "mid-scene", with various nations already having convened to discuss his claim of sovereignty over the entire world, and we learn of it through bits and pieces.

-Yamun, the first time I read the novel, I didn't like too much. Having read it again, he's grown on me a little bit. I envision him a lot like the King of Siam (who doesn't have a name!) from The King and I. Thailand (Siam) was never really influenced by the Mongols, but close enough. The King of Siam and Yamun both have a very similar personality and attitude, though Yamun is certainly a lot more brutal. Koja of Khazari, I liked the first time I read the novel, and my like for the character has increased since. The first time I read it, I liked the character because he was different, being an eastern Lama. This time, I liked him because he provided interesting tidbits of information about eastern Lamas, such as some of his prayers, some mantras; things like that. Old Goyuk, an older Khan, I liked. He was a minor protagonist, but I liked him nonetheless, and was sad when he died.

-Chanar and Beylun, the two antagonists, I didn't like too much. Neither, I felt, really had a compelling reason to do what they did, and plot against Yamun. Beylun wanted him dead because he killed her husband (enabling him to become chief). Chanar wanted him dead because he felt that Yamun, his anda, had disrespected him too much, by allowing Koja into the collective Tuigan family, the Lama having slighted him one too many times (perceived, of course). Especially on Chanars part, I would think it would have taken a bit more to make him go from loving Yamun to wanting to see him dead. I suspect, and it is implied, that Beylun used magic and sex to seduce Chanar, but that's still a pretty big leap, in a small amount of time, in my opinion. But, hey, that's just me.

-Horselords was very good at providing "flavor text", to make the novel generally better. The one thing that was frustrating about some of that, though, was that definitions, or context, wasn't sometimes given. For example, Beylun uses a Hu Hsien to attempt to assassinate Yamun. The book describes it as a animal spirit assassin that can take Human form. In the context of the book, that's all the explanation that is needed, but being the inquisitive type, I guess, I want to know more, and the book doesn't contain more. The same is done with a couple of locations, and a couple of events.

-Overall, I’d give this novel, out of a possible Five Beholders, Three Beholders and a Chicken.

#2
suin_bahhar_02
May 13, 2009 8:08:05 Never seen this one on a shelf. Might pick it up though, I like horses and invading hordes.

Hu Hsien sounds like a shamanistic or incarnum like power.
#3
lord_karsus
May 13, 2009 10:53:47 -Hu Hsien is a spirit that is the "cousin" of the shape shifting Hengeyokai, detailed in Monstrous Compendium: Kara-Tur. They'd be of the Spirit subtype, mentioned in Oriental Adventures and Complete Divine.
#4
Dark_Wizard_02
May 16, 2009 22:42:20 Despite not liking TSR's take and presentation of an oriental setting, I found the novels set in them to be surprisingly good. Like the setting Kara-Tur, the novels borrowed a little too liberally from real world cultures. I think the characters were the strong point of this novel. The two main characters, Yamun Khahan and Koja, are very different but eventually come to a sort of odd friendship. The journey to that friendship is the most interesting part of this book. I found their reactions to their world and their portrayals to be a fun read.

Koja is an unusual hero in that he is more of an observer than someone who exerts his own will and influence through his actions. We don't often get novels with a main character/narrator that plays a secondary (physical) role to the other characters or a priestly main character either. I think this combination worked in Horselords since he is a more contemplative and peaceful character than usual novel protagonists and his role in the story was that of ambassador, historian, and advisor to Yamun Khahan (as opposed to warrior priest or battlefield medic).

Yamun himself I enjoyed reading. I felt the character was the ideal portrayal of a Lawful Evil character, especially one with such power. His might, charisma, and leadership mixed with arrogance, ruthlessness and human vulnerability made him an interesting character. There was something real about him, something great yet flawed about him. He treaded the border between villain and hero; sometimes you hated him, and sometimes you rooted for him. In this novel, he was both roles, which is why he's so compelling.

The antagonists were passably developed, but they served their purpose. Chanar was petty and ruthless, and there are people like that, people who take the smallest slight and twist it in their minds to fuel their already existing desires and goals. He's not a terribly original, interesting, or well-written character, but he works. Beylun is less straightforward and I felt probably too underdeveloped for the reasons they gave her for her actions.

I liked the use of magic in this novel. The Tuigan were noted for not having the magical might of their neighboring empires and kingdoms, but they made good use of what they had - from those wand-wielding horsemen, to the Tuigan making a camp/tent city in a dead magic zone, to Baylun and the hu hsien, to Koja and the unleashing of the Dragonwall itself. Magic was appropriately flashy when the story needed it to be (only at key points), useful or deadly as the story required and wasn't flaunted for the sake of novel SFX or those "Look at me I'm so cool and magical" characters fantasy is often stocked with.

Overall, the novel surprised me. I expected the blandness of the Kara-Tur setting sourcebooks. While some of that overused real world pattern is present, the other factors kept it from being bad. The book kept moving at a good pace, even if it was a straightforward plot. The characters were interesting. Horselords offered some things we rarely get to see in fantasy novels, let along FR novels.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 lord_karsus May 13, 2009 0:26:18	[i]Horselords[/i] By Dave Cook Book I, The Empires trilogy -Horselords is the first book in the Empires trilogy, that features Koja of Khazari and Yamun Khahan. It takes place in a wide variety of places, mainly in the Tuigan Steppes, and Khazari. All in all, the book is fairly straightforward, and doesn't have much in "twists and turns", or in...'flavor prose'. It's a pretty nitty, gritty novel, just like the events that go on within it's pages. My book is even ripped (I accidentally cut a line in the cover with a razor blade when I was opening the box it was in when I moved), to give it more grittiness. -In terms of the story, Dave Cook does a pretty decent job of taking something right out of our history books (the Mongols, their invasion of Song China, and the subsequent Mongolian Empire) and spinning and twisting it such that it has it's own somewhat unique Faerûnian spin. Yamun Khahan was given the divine mandate by Teylas himself to conquer all, and make himself the Illustrious Emperor of All Peoples. I like how the book began almost "mid-scene", with various nations already having convened to discuss his claim of sovereignty over the entire world, and we learn of it through bits and pieces. -Yamun, the first time I read the novel, I didn't like too much. Having read it again, he's grown on me a little bit. I envision him a lot like the King of Siam (who doesn't have a name!) from The King and I. Thailand (Siam) was never really influenced by the Mongols, but close enough. The King of Siam and Yamun both have a very similar personality and attitude, though Yamun is certainly a lot more brutal. Koja of Khazari, I liked the first time I read the novel, and my like for the character has increased since. The first time I read it, I liked the character because he was different, being an eastern Lama. This time, I liked him because he provided interesting tidbits of information about eastern Lamas, such as some of his prayers, some mantras; things like that. Old Goyuk, an older Khan, I liked. He was a minor protagonist, but I liked him nonetheless, and was sad when he died. -Chanar and Beylun, the two antagonists, I didn't like too much. Neither, I felt, really had a compelling reason to do what they did, and plot against Yamun. Beylun wanted him dead because he killed her husband (enabling him to become chief). Chanar wanted him dead because he felt that Yamun, his anda, had disrespected him too much, by allowing Koja into the collective Tuigan family, the Lama having slighted him one too many times (perceived, of course). Especially on Chanars part, I would think it would have taken a bit more to make him go from loving Yamun to wanting to see him dead. I suspect, and it is implied, that Beylun used magic and sex to seduce Chanar, but that's still a pretty big leap, in a small amount of time, in my opinion. But, hey, that's just me. -Horselords was very good at providing "flavor text", to make the novel generally better. The one thing that was frustrating about some of that, though, was that definitions, or context, wasn't sometimes given. For example, Beylun uses a Hu Hsien to attempt to assassinate Yamun. The book describes it as a animal spirit assassin that can take Human form. In the context of the book, that's all the explanation that is needed, but being the inquisitive type, I guess, I want to know more, and the book doesn't contain more. The same is done with a couple of locations, and a couple of events. -Overall, I’d give this novel, out of a possible Five Beholders, Three Beholders and a Chicken.
#2 suin_bahhar_02 May 13, 2009 8:08:05	Never seen this one on a shelf. Might pick it up though, I like horses and invading hordes. Hu Hsien sounds like a shamanistic or incarnum like power.
#3 lord_karsus May 13, 2009 10:53:47	-Hu Hsien is a spirit that is the "cousin" of the shape shifting Hengeyokai, detailed in Monstrous Compendium: Kara-Tur. They'd be of the Spirit subtype, mentioned in Oriental Adventures and Complete Divine.
#4 Dark_Wizard_02 May 16, 2009 22:42:20	Despite not liking TSR's take and presentation of an oriental setting, I found the novels set in them to be surprisingly good. Like the setting Kara-Tur, the novels borrowed a little too liberally from real world cultures. I think the characters were the strong point of this novel. The two main characters, Yamun Khahan and Koja, are very different but eventually come to a sort of odd friendship. The journey to that friendship is the most interesting part of this book. I found their reactions to their world and their portrayals to be a fun read. Koja is an unusual hero in that he is more of an observer than someone who exerts his own will and influence through his actions. We don't often get novels with a main character/narrator that plays a secondary (physical) role to the other characters or a priestly main character either. I think this combination worked in Horselords since he is a more contemplative and peaceful character than usual novel protagonists and his role in the story was that of ambassador, historian, and advisor to Yamun Khahan (as opposed to warrior priest or battlefield medic). Yamun himself I enjoyed reading. I felt the character was the ideal portrayal of a Lawful Evil character, especially one with such power. His might, charisma, and leadership mixed with arrogance, ruthlessness and human vulnerability made him an interesting character. There was something real about him, something great yet flawed about him. He treaded the border between villain and hero; sometimes you hated him, and sometimes you rooted for him. In this novel, he was both roles, which is why he's so compelling. The antagonists were passably developed, but they served their purpose. Chanar was petty and ruthless, and there are people like that, people who take the smallest slight and twist it in their minds to fuel their already existing desires and goals. He's not a terribly original, interesting, or well-written character, but he works. Beylun is less straightforward and I felt probably too underdeveloped for the reasons they gave her for her actions. I liked the use of magic in this novel. The Tuigan were noted for not having the magical might of their neighboring empires and kingdoms, but they made good use of what they had - from those wand-wielding horsemen, to the Tuigan making a camp/tent city in a dead magic zone, to Baylun and the hu hsien, to Koja and the unleashing of the Dragonwall itself. Magic was appropriately flashy when the story needed it to be (only at key points), useful or deadly as the story required and wasn't flaunted for the sake of novel SFX or those "Look at me I'm so cool and magical" characters fantasy is often stocked with. Overall, the novel surprised me. I expected the blandness of the Kara-Tur setting sourcebooks. While some of that overused real world pattern is present, the other factors kept it from being bad. The book kept moving at a good pace, even if it was a straightforward plot. The characters were interesting. Horselords offered some things we rarely get to see in fantasy novels, let along FR novels.