Metaphorosis Reviews
Written on Dec 21, 2023
Summary
The Emperor is dead, and his two sons are at risk. One, the heir, is isolated, studying arcane principles with monks who set him seemingly pointless tasks. The other is nearing the end of his training with a group of elite, brutal fighters, with violence and death at every turn, while it seems a carefully planned coup is underway - perhaps involving an ancient, inhuman foe.
Review
I’ve not encountered Brian Staveley before, and frankly don’t recall how I ran across this book, other than that it was free. Going in blind, I had a vague expectation of stock fantasy tropes and little else. Partly, that was correct; partly not.
There are a lot of standard items here, and a fairly unpolished attempt to stick them all together. One brother is trained by monks who set him pointless tasks in order to learn hazy lessons. The other brother is trained by warriors with pointless violence. Neither approach seems like it would have any hope of working in real life, and they very definitely feel like clumsy mimicry or assimilation of countless much more subtle and effective forebears. It’s not realistic, but you know where it’s trying to go, so you cut it some slack – it’s like a copy of Brueghel you wish had taken more care with the brushstrokes. The outlines of the plot and the broad elements of the story, other words, are familiar; there are zero surprises.
On the plus side – and there is a plus side – the characters are genuinely engaging, if familiar. The details of the plot and worldbuilding are interesting and intriguing, and there’s promise of more arcane mystery to come. Despite recognizing the bulk of what I saw, I had fun watching it all play out, and curious enough about the mysteries to consider reading more.
There’s nothing wrong with writing that draws heavily on its predecessors, and Staveley does make a genuine effort to bring something new to it all. I wish that the book had had several more editorial passes to plane down the somewhat misaligned joints and make for a smoother, more presentable structure, but overall it was harmless fun and possibly worth going on with.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
