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Book Review
Fall of the Imperium: The Impending Storm
Book Review - Clifford B. Bowyer's The Impending Storm
Review by: Bookwire Book Reviews
Silver Leaf Books, Holliston, MA, $27.95 US, hardcover with dust jacket, (463p)
ISBN: 0974435449
Once the Seven Kingdoms were populated by many races that banded together against a common enemy. But after their victory, humans turned on their allies. Having driven out the other races, the human kingdoms formed the Imperium under the leadership of the Emperor.
Now cracks are forming in the once-stable empire. The Emperor is dead, and his good-intentioned but inexperienced daughter, Karleena, sits on the throne. Old enemies are reuniting under a new leader, and peasants throughout the Imperium are rioting. Most disturbing of all are whispered rumors that the powerful tyrant Zoldex is preparing to strike.
In this first novel of his fantasy trilogy Fall of the Imperium, Clifford Bowyer builds a complex foundation for the wars and race conflicts that threaten to destroy the Imperium. The separate struggles of three characters−Karleena, Braksis, and Kai−are woven neatly together to form the backbone of the story.
During these turbulent times, the elf Kai is sent by her people in search of the Chosen One, a young girl prophesied to save them. The girl's name is Kyria, and Kai shows up just in time to rescue her from a village on the edge of revolt. As the two adventure together, Kai teaches Kyria how to unlock her hidden powers and fully become the Chosen One. Once Kyria begins using her awesome magical skills, the two are pursued by a group of Mages with hidden, and possibly nefarious, goals.
Karleena struggles to salvage the empire by giving more power to the people, but many of the Imperium's kings are resistant. She also seeks to bring the races together once again to defeat Zoldex.
Karleena's defender, the Warlord Braksis, travels from battle to battle, fighting and clawing his way through ranks of adversaries in a desperate attempt to hold the Imperium together. As Karleena, Braksis, and Kai's paths cross, they combine their wit, strength, and pure willpower to overcome the evil rolling across the Seven Kingdoms.
In its concept and execution, The Impending Storm is a classically written fantasy novel. With echoes of other fantasy epics−those of Mercedes Lackey come to mind−The Impending Storm has much to offer those who love swords and sorcery. The novel can be a bit jarring, particularly dialog that at times uses archaic forms and at other times sounds like modern American slang, depending upon the race. And the sheer number of races can be difficult to keep track of. These are relatively minor quibbles, however, especially compared with the imagination on display here.
Clifford Bowyer is the author of the Fall of the Imperium saga, as well as The Adventures of Kyria, a series of fantasy books for younger readers set in the Imperium universe. Bowyer lives in Massachusetts.