Blood of Ambrose

Great Debut Novel

PROS: "Blood of Ambrose" does a good job telling the tale of an "epic fantasy" without being 7+ books long. You learn the back story through the dialog and flashback. Also, Enge doesn't waste pages explaining how the magic works. The reader is dropped right into the plot. Enge does a great job characterizing and making the reader feel in touch with the characters, as strange as they are. The story is fairly common; one surviving heir as the protagonist and an antagonist trying to claim the throne for himself. The quirkiness of the heir's "grandmother," her brother and his apprentice is what makes this a 4 star novel.

CONS: Enge wasted a lot of time creating the astrology of his fantasy planet. He even went as far to create an appendix discussing the phases of the moons. The problem with all this work is that only 3 or 4 moon phases are mentioned in the book and they are not crucial to the story. A map would also have been helpful. Enge wrote up an appendix describing the continent, making it possible to create your own map, but the author's drawing would have been better.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent start, holding breath for more

Echos of David Eddings style, excellent charactors made real with personalities both good and bad. This is a page turner, you hate to put down. King Lathmar VII is much to young to have to shoulder the burdens he is given. But fortunately he has a cadre of magic users and fighters to help him struggle along. I rarely write LONG book reports, I just want you to know. buy this book, you will really enjoy it. More to come I hope.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

great potential

I myself was a bit dissapointed in this book, still giving it 4 stars because the potential in the land,character's and the story idea pull's you through until the end. But I am dissapointed in the lack of the magical (system) such as where the power these "biengs" have comes from, other than a bloodline, its limits where just too shaded for me I felt disconected from this read but enjoyed moments but did not get pulled in.
Mysterious figures are at the least exciting and you want to know more about them (part of the mystique) but in this book needed more than the brief and shaded view you get from a powerful (family) that this book centers on. authors are getting more engaged with their characters more it seems lately, in my opinion and books I have read. But I do not give this a bad review and hope it dosn't seem that way,and this might be from going from one book to another author that you felt pulled into , then anything other than that world you might find lacking. this might be the case in my opinion of this book. I was really hoping to be dragged away in this world but it just did not happen, felt strange trying to explore this world. I was definetly just reading this book, but it was a good story but I felt it had much more potential than what I was given. It has been awhile since I read this book, might have been a different review right after finish, but I set this down a few times I remember, but still 4 stars mostly for what it could have been.

BLOOD OF AMBROSE is a strong coming of age fantasy

His uncle Lord Urdhven killed his parents leaving the twelve year old heir to the throne of the Empire of Ontil, Lathmar, under his blood-soaked relative's protection. The frightened pre-teen feels alone, expecting his ambitious Protector to kill him one day if he objects to any decisions. Dismayed and depressed Lathmar has no hope as he knows he is just an expendable puppet.------------

Everything changes when two of his ancient magical kin arrive at Ontil to raise Lathmar and help him one day regain the throne and depose his odious usurper. Ambrosia is calculating but reachable while her irritable companion Morlock is sinister and frighteningly unreachable. As Lathmar becomes a young man ready to claim his throne from his Protector, Urdhven revises his gory plans for his nephew; as the lad is becoming increasingly rebellious. Lathmar constantly tries to please his beloved relatives who have raised him as if he was their child; which in their mind he is.------------

BLOOD OF AMBROSE is a strong coming of age fantasy as the key four players in this waltz seem genuine. Urdhven comes across as a combination Lord and Lady Macbeth merged with Hamlet's uncle while his nephew grows in confidence with maturity and nurturing from his ancient relatives. Although typical of the sub-genre, this excellent tale is worth reading as it's the lad's journey that makes for a superb fantasy.--------

Harriet Klausner

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