TBR/TBL Pile Review: Emperor of Ruin, by Django Wexler

Blurb

Two siblings divided by magic and revolution must finally join forces and rally the people to take down the Twilight Order once and for all in the final book of this brilliantly imagined epic fantasy trilogy.
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The last surviving Chosen, Ashok has finally risen up and taken control of The Twilight Order. He promises equality and prosperity, but Gyre and Maya know the truth. Only death follows in Ashok’s wake. To take him down, Gyre will have to unite old allies from all across The Splinter Kingdoms and the depths of Deepfire. And Maya will have to seek out a legendary weapon hidden in the mountains that could turn the tide in their battle for freedom. 

Audiobook narrated by Imogen Church

My Review

Oh, my! I have multiple editions of this book. I listened to the audiobook for some of it and I read the Head of Zeus paperback edition.

I have hardback and paperback copies in Head of Zeus and trade paperback in Orbit editions. The Orbit edition were published at the same time as the Head of Zeus hardback, but the Head of Zeus paperback was published in November. Different publishers for different markets. Trade paperbacks are the awkward size of a hardback with the floppiness of a paperback, really awkward things. I have multiple editions, because, as long-time readers know, I like to collect different formats and covers for books I enjoy. Now, consider that I have audio, hardback, and paperback x 2 for every book in this series. What does this tell you?

What it should tell you is that I have a serious collecting problem. But it should also tell you how much I enjoyed these books in the past for me to decide to repeat the expensive venture for a third time.

I really did. A week of on-and-off listening, followed by an evening in my new reading armchair (it goes up and down, massages and is heated – Dad gave it to me for free) to read the final half of the book. I read the Head of Zeus edition paperback because it’s a standard size paperback and I can hold it easily while drinking tea. My other editions haven’t had their spines cracked, but who knows, one day…

The devastating events of Blood of the Chosen left the siblings, Maya and Gyre at a cliff-hanger. They escape after learning that Ashok is not what Maya believed him to be. The injured and unconscious Maya has released the monster from his prison, and now they have to destroy him. The siblings and their friends have to learn to trust each other, repair the damage Maya’s lies caused and destroy Ashok, before he destroys them.

What follows is an adventure across the continent, as Ashok becomes Emperor and the Order falls to him. In the process, Maya becomes privy to the true history of the Empire and the Republic, the origins of the plaguespawn, how the Chosen, humans and ghouls all originated, and takes control of a spaceship hidden on plain sight.

Turns out, Ashok started it.

It’s a bit deus ex machina, but I loved the dream sequences where Maya sees the memories of Zeph, Ashok’s human partner before the plague war. It’s a great way to bring the story of the origins of the plague, the plaguespawn and the ghouls into the story.

I enjoyed reading/listening to the ensemble cast rebuilding trust, developing new friendships with each other, and escaping by the skin of their teeth several times. The two adversarial groups become one singular whole even as they got about their separated adventures across the continent, always returning to Deepfire to regroup. The presence of Kit’s many construct bodies helped with the communication issue, certainly.

I also loved Zelen. As a person who also tends to miss the forest for the trees when deep in a research rabbit hole, I very much identified with her. Also, the theory heavy tangents. I loved the way Zelen, Beq, Kit and Sarah all ended up working together to complete major technical projects, bringing their practical and theoretical skills and knowledge to bear while everyone else was off playing soldiers.

Kit makes me laugh every time. And the way Imogen Church voices her on the audiobook is hilarious. You really get a sense of her sarcastic wit and filthy mind. Her arrival at the battle is epic. And the surprise Gyre, Elariel and the ghouls give her at the end of the book is fabulous.

The battle between the people of Deepfire and the forces of the Emperor was incredibly well described and thought out. It was detailed but not gratuitous. This detail and precise plotting, building a sense of tension, extends to the final fight between Maya and Gyre, and Ashok in his lab under Deepfire. It was marvellous fun.

The return of characters from the previous books to help fight the war drew together multiple threads from the narrative and gave a sense of satisfying completion.

This was a fun science fantasy adventure. Definitely worth the time. Whether you read the books or listen to the audiobook, I highly recommend it.