A Darkness Forged in Fire: Book One of the Iron Elves (The Iron Elves) | Chris Evans

A Darkness Forged in Fire: Book One of the Iron Elves (The Iron Elves) | Chris Evans | High-potential novel by a new author

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A Darkness Forged ...

	A Darkness Forged in Fire: Book One of the Iron Elves (The Iron Elves) Chris Evans Pocket, 2008 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

We do not fear the flame, though it burns us,
We do not fear the fire, though it consumes us,
And we do not fear its light,
Though it reveals the darkness of our souls,
For therein lies our power.
-- Blood Oath of the Iron Elves

First in a stunning debut series, A Darkness Forged in Fire introduces an unforgiving world of musket and cannon...bow and arrow...magic, diplomacy, and oaths -- each wielding terrible power in an Empire teetering on the brink of war.

In this world, Konowa Swift Dragon, former commander of the Empire's elite Iron Elves, is looked upon as anything but ordinary. He's murdered a Viceroy, been court-martialed, seen his beloved regiment disbanded, and finally been banished in disgrace to the one place he despises the most -- the forest.

Now, all he wants is to be left alone with his misery...but for Konowa, nothing is ever that simple. The mysterious and alluring Visyna Tekoy, the highborn daughter of an elfkynan governor, seeks him out in the dangerous wild with a royal decree that he resume his commission as an officer in Her Majesty's Imperial Army, effective immediately.

For in the east, a falling Red Star heralds the return of a magic long vanished from the earth. Rebellion grows within the Empire as a frantic race to reach the Star unfolds. It is a chance for Konowa to redeem himself -- even if the entire affair appears doomed to be a suicide mission...

and that the soldiers recruited for the task are not at all what he expects. And worse, his key adversary in the perilous race for the Star is the dreaded Shadow Monarch -- a legendary elf-witch whose machinations for absolute domination spread deeper than Konowa could ever imagine....

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Hard to put down

Book one of the 'Iron Elves' fantasy is a powerful opening act highly recommended for any solid fantasy collection. It introduces a world where a former commander of the Empire's elite Iron Elves has murdered, been court-martialed, and been banished to the forest - but not to peace. A mysterious elf daughter, a dangerous journey, and a new commission with a new army leads Konowa on a dangerous mission. A riveting plot evolves, hard to put down.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

High-potential novel by a new author

For the elves, the highest calling is to become a soldier in the Long Watch. Those warrior-elves serve as eternal guards against the Witch-Elf whose twisted forest digs deep into the earth providing her with horrible power--and who seeks to extend her reach through the entire world. Not all elves are welcome, however--especially those with a touch of darkness. For them, there is no Long Watch. For them, becoming an Iron Elf, working for the Empire, is the best they can hope for. Now, though, the Iron Elves have been disbanded--because their colonel, Konowa, murdered the Empire's viceroy. That the viceroy was a traitor working for the Witch-Elf is not really an issue.

With magic stirring and rebellion causing danger to the Empire, Konowa is called up once again, demoted to major, and made second in command of a newly constituted Iron Elf legion--a legion in which he happens to be the only elf. Nominally commanded by the crown prince of the Empire, the new Iron Elves are the rejects of the rest of the Empire's armies. Yet only they can stand in the way of rebellion--and what it means to the Witch-Elf's plans.

Author Chris Evans creates an intriguing world where battling against evil doesn't necessarily mean fighting on the same side. The tree-based magic system is consistent with the Tolkien tradition of elves, while providing a richness of its own. The Long Watch definitely brings George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice to mind--while having its own magic as well.

I was impressed by Evans' first novel--DARKNESS combines political intrigue, military tactics, magic, various races and histories, and a complex world of politics and conquest into a fascinating whole. I would have liked to see more of a goal from Konowa, the scenes from Alwyn's point of view don't add as much to the story as I would have liked, and I felt that the whole issue of Kritton didn't really come together (setup for a next volume or a new author not sewing up loose ends). Still, for all its minor flaws, DARKNESS is an intriguing and high-potential start for a new author.

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Interesting Character and Start of a Series, but Could Be Better

Konowa is an elf who hasn't been having a good day, much less a good life. We are introduced to him as he's dealing with exile in the hot, muddy wilderness after having killed the Imperial Viceroy (who was an agent of the very evil Shadow Monarch). He had been born tainted (tip of his ear black) and was rejected as a member of the Long Watch (Elves who work against the Shadow Monarch who is restricted to one mountain with her dark metallic trees), so he goes off to join the Calahrian Imperial Army (human Empire who rule rather oppressively over the Elves and the Elfkynan--humans who like Native Americans were mistakenly called Indians, were regarded as less-than-human-elves by the Calahrians), where he is perfectly happy with cities and metal and muskets and swords. He'd worked his way up to leading the illustrious Iron Elves, a regiment composed of other tainted elves like himself. Then he'd killed the viceroy and his regiment was disbanded and the elves sent to distant outposts of the Empire. As the book opens, he's found in the forest by a messenger (who happens to be the attractive Elfkynan witch, Visyna), and is told by his old friend the Duke of Rakestraw that the Iron Elves is to be reformed, only with the dregs of the army (no elves, save one other), and led by the Queen's son, Prince Tykkin, with Konowa as second-in-command. They are to head up to an outpost where the Prince hopes to find a mysterious artifact, the Fallen Red Star, that will aid the Empire.

Konowa, whose life was pretty much the military (he always hated the forest), signs up even under those conditions. He needs to get the regiment in shape and nurse-maid the Prince. It also seems that the Shadow Monarch is threatening things even in Elfkyna as nasty creatures that were thought legendary or extinct centuries ago are beginning to reappear. The regiment needs to battle through eerie jungle-forests and vines and predatory critters along the way. There is also a rebel Elfkynan army and more officials being corrupted by the Shadow Monarch. Everyone seems to be hunting for the Star.

Konowa is the most interesting character, mostly for his background. Sadly, he seems to studiously ignore that and wants to focus only on his immediate job--of making sure the new Iron Elves becomes a regiment to be proud of, and able to survive the leadership of the Prince and the greater threats that appear along the way. Possibly interesting characters such as his mage father pop up along the way, but Konowa takes it in stride. He also tries to ignore his feelings for Visyna, which he does rather too successfully. It's good, in that case, that the military aspects are written quite well, since it's a major part of the tale.

There are several interesting characters we follow among the Iron Elves, a tough, talkative dwarf and a hapless young recruit who has realized too late that life in the army is not for him. The Prince remains a stereotypical royal twit of a clueless leader. The Shadow Monarch is mostly off-stage--a distant evil with some hints of personality but no obvious goal (aside from taking over and causing havoc). The other bad-guy is also rather two-dimensional, but he isn't playing a huge role anyway. Rallie, the reporter, obviously has hidden depths, and is mildly intriguing.

So there are some interesting characters, a fair amount of good military bits to do with the Regiment and their battles, and some social conflicts in the world (Empire vs Elfkyna and uncertain relationship with the Elves of Hynterland), and the growing power of the Shadow Monarch. Lots creepy evil creatures and dark forests. And the curious history of the Iron Elves--and their strange current incarnations (having only one or two elves among them).

The novel is "Book One of the Iron Elves"-- so the plot is not completely resolved at the end, even though it does seem to end at a likely place, after a climactic battle. It was an easy and interesting read, despite a few flaws (such as some of the flat characters and lack of better development in others). I was not as caught up by Konawa's plight as I'd hoped I would be, but I am mildly curious about what happens next, so I may go on to read the next books when they are available.

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Good, but could have been better

A Darkness Forged in Fire is an above average fantasy debut by Chris Evans, a writer with a lively style. The novel is about Konowa, an outcast elf who must command green soldiers against an evil elf witch and her minions. Konowa is a complex, conflicted character who is torn between serving the empire, his soldiers, and his race. The novel shines when Konowa leads his regiment into battle. These graphic action scenes bring to mind Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. I am also intrigued by the setting's racial and class politics and wish that Evans had focused more on them.

In this world, humans coexist with other races uneasily. Humans are the predominant race and seek to civilize the wilds populated by elves and elfkynan. The elves oppose this imperialism as it endangers the natural order. Many fantasies include tree-hugging elves, but I think that this book describes them and their stance better than others. Evans avoids generalizations. For example, not every elf is a nature lover, and the way one elf reveres nature may be different than another elf. He also hints at class differences: Visyna, an elfkynan aristocrat, looks down at the elfkynan fisher folk even though they respect nature as much as (or even more so) than she does. He also touches on religion, exemplified by the character of Inkermon, a religious fanatic. These nuances enrich the novel and make Konowa an interesting character, since he prefers steel and gunpowder over trees and magic.

Ultimately, I cannot praise A Darkness Forged in Fire too highly because I think Evans makes a glaring mistake: The novel's background is more provocative than the storyline. At the start, Konowa is exiled in the forest after being court-martialed as a traitor for murdering his superior. Am I the only reader who thinks that this past plot is more interesting than the current plot? In my opinion, Evans should have started the novel in the beginning, with Konowa's decision to join the Iron Elves. I want to know what happened in detail to make him turn his back on the elves. I want to know when and why he chose to kill the Viceroy. Furthermore, I want to know how and why the Viceroy betrayed the empire. To me, this is a more engaging storyline.

The novel contains two other missteps. First, I think that the villains are underutilized. The Shadow Witch seems to have a fascinating history and possibly justification for her actions, but Evans only suggests it. In addition, the Viceroy's subplot is too simple; I think that Evans should have explored his character arc more fully. Also, the Viceroy and the Prince are too one-dimensional as opponents. Evans should have fleshed them out more. Second, Evans glosses over the regiment's growth from a gang of misfits to a corps of soldiers. The Iron Elves become dependable too quickly. I think that Konowa should have had to address more conflict within the ranks. If they are the worst of the worst in the military, where are the deserters, rapists, and cowards?

I recommend A Darkness Forged in Fire with the reservation that it could have been better.

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It won't rock your world

I think the reviews referring to the book as a lovechild of Tolkein are too exaggerated. To put it simply, the book is a readable and decent start to a fantasy series. We follow Konowa, a disgraced elf who is recalled to the army to retrieve a star of magical powers. I shall say no more about the plot. If you like
Harry Potter: This book will buzz past you gently but you won't mind the sound
Lord of the rings: You will not notice this book for its lack of detail
Robin Hobb's books: You will be disappointed by the limited amount of politics, character strength and literary character.

Now the book:
1- Characters: They seem to have been created suddenly and there is no element of phasing them into the book. So you won't exactly be thrilled by any of them. The hero, Konowa is not too bad though.
2- Plot: Decent paced and not too rich in details. The kind you recall easily when the book is left unread for eight days... which is always good.
3- Narrative: I would have to say average. There are far too many unnecessary new words thrown at the reader. They have no impact and at times are difficult to remember.

Overall, it's an okay sort of book which you won't mind reading. It does not wear on your senses because it has a very narrow storyline which you won't be struggling to remember even if you don't like the book (We all hate that feeling).

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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