The City of Marble and Blood (2) (Chronicles of Hanuvar)
The Chronicles of Hanuvar Continue—Sword and Sorcery Heroics Abound!
Gladiators, legionaries, scheming sorcerers, and dark gods had battered Hanuvar but not stopped him. The great Volani general now returns to the land of his enemies!
Hanuvar had pledged to find the remnants of his people, scattered into slavery across the whole of the peninsula. This time he had no army to help him. His would be a stealthy war of liberation, buying the freedom of some and arranging for the escape of others, aided only by a young playwright, the daughter of a hated political rival, the tattered remnants of his old spy network, and the unlikeliest ally of all, the general who had once defeated him.
Arrayed against them were the mighty legions, the sorcerous Revenants, and the wily Metellus of the Praetorian guard, ever alert to seize advantage. To add to their troubles, someone was drawing unwanted attention to the helpless Volani slaves by murdering influential Dervans and leaving the sign of the sacred Eltyr corps beside their bodies. Someone who might well be Hanuvar’s lost daughter, who’d fought her way from captivity and was even now being hunted through the countryside.
Worst of all, a magical attack had left Hanuvar with a lingering curse that might change him forever . . . or lead him to an early grave.
Gladiators, legionaries, scheming sorcerers, and dark gods had battered Hanuvar but not stopped him. The great Volani general now returns to the land of his enemies!
Hanuvar had pledged to find the remnants of his people, scattered into slavery across the whole of the peninsula. This time he had no army to help him. His would be a stealthy war of liberation, buying the freedom of some and arranging for the escape of others, aided only by a young playwright, the daughter of a hated political rival, the tattered remnants of his old spy network, and the unlikeliest ally of all, the general who had once defeated him.
Arrayed against them were the mighty legions, the sorcerous Revenants, and the wily Metellus of the Praetorian guard, ever alert to seize advantage. To add to their troubles, someone was drawing unwanted attention to the helpless Volani slaves by murdering influential Dervans and leaving the sign of the sacred Eltyr corps beside their bodies. Someone who might well be Hanuvar’s lost daughter, who’d fought her way from captivity and was even now being hunted through the countryside.
Worst of all, a magical attack had left Hanuvar with a lingering curse that might change him forever . . . or lead him to an early grave.
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Community Reviews
While I did receive a beautiful copy of this book from the author, it was sent with no obligation to review.
THE CITY OF MARBLE AND BLOOD is a magnificent addition to Howard Andrew Jones' legendary sword and sorcery series, The Chronicles of Hanuvar.
The thing I remember most about the first book in the series, LORD OF A SHATTERED LAND, was how much the character of Hanuvar Cabera inspired me. This solitary man took upon his shoulders a vow to free every single one of his people that were sold into slavery after the Dervans conquered the great city of Volanus.
What began as one man's mission has now grown to include a few other trusted allies in THE CITY OF MARBLE AND BLOOD. This small band risks their lives to continue to liberate Volani slaves. (Turns out I wasn't the only one inspired by the character of Hanuvar!)
What I loved most about THE CITY OF MARBLE AND BLOOD is once again seeing how Hanuvar would use tactics and strategy he once employed on the battlefield as a war general to orchestrate the freedom of his people. The idea of this campaign was to avoid notice of the Dervan Empire - the last thing the survivors of Volanus needed was to be seen as a threat. Hanuvar comes up with various schemes that would result in trades, purchases, favors and my favorite - trickery - for the release of the Volani.
The chosen narrative style is suited perfectly for these various schemes. Howard Andrew Jones presents The Chronicles of Hanuvar using sequential storytelling, which is a format that combines different stories into a single unit. So, it's kind of like a short story collection where the stories are connected and move the main plot forward - just different settings, protagonists and conflicts.
There was an extra layer of urgency added to this particular batch of adventures because of a magical curse placed on Hanuvar that has life altering consequences...he's just not sure which.
Jones surpasses expectations in regards to character development. I'm at a loss on how to get more detailed without giving away spoilers for a few of the stories. I'll settle for saying that I feel the character relationships were deeper, more impactful - on the character of Hanuvar himself, his impact on others and all this impacts the reader. It's just one big cycle of character growth that is immensely satisfying to read and enjoy - especially if you're a character driven reader.
Whether you're a fantasy fan, or a sword and sorcery fan in particular - this series is one that I think you will delight in. I also think fans of turn based video games, D&D or the quest trope would appreciate it as well.
As someone who started reading fantasy back in the early 90s, I'm a huge fan of that classic style of book covers and the gorgeous covers on the books in this series feels very reminiscent of that style. Baen Books nailed it, in my opinion!
A little birdie told me the third book in this series will be available in October 2024 - so if you catch this review quickly, there's plenty of time to read the first two and join me for the third!
If you prefer watching video reviews, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
THE CITY OF MARBLE AND BLOOD is a magnificent addition to Howard Andrew Jones' legendary sword and sorcery series, The Chronicles of Hanuvar.
The thing I remember most about the first book in the series, LORD OF A SHATTERED LAND, was how much the character of Hanuvar Cabera inspired me. This solitary man took upon his shoulders a vow to free every single one of his people that were sold into slavery after the Dervans conquered the great city of Volanus.
What began as one man's mission has now grown to include a few other trusted allies in THE CITY OF MARBLE AND BLOOD. This small band risks their lives to continue to liberate Volani slaves. (Turns out I wasn't the only one inspired by the character of Hanuvar!)
What I loved most about THE CITY OF MARBLE AND BLOOD is once again seeing how Hanuvar would use tactics and strategy he once employed on the battlefield as a war general to orchestrate the freedom of his people. The idea of this campaign was to avoid notice of the Dervan Empire - the last thing the survivors of Volanus needed was to be seen as a threat. Hanuvar comes up with various schemes that would result in trades, purchases, favors and my favorite - trickery - for the release of the Volani.
The chosen narrative style is suited perfectly for these various schemes. Howard Andrew Jones presents The Chronicles of Hanuvar using sequential storytelling, which is a format that combines different stories into a single unit. So, it's kind of like a short story collection where the stories are connected and move the main plot forward - just different settings, protagonists and conflicts.
There was an extra layer of urgency added to this particular batch of adventures because of a magical curse placed on Hanuvar that has life altering consequences...he's just not sure which.
Jones surpasses expectations in regards to character development. I'm at a loss on how to get more detailed without giving away spoilers for a few of the stories. I'll settle for saying that I feel the character relationships were deeper, more impactful - on the character of Hanuvar himself, his impact on others and all this impacts the reader. It's just one big cycle of character growth that is immensely satisfying to read and enjoy - especially if you're a character driven reader.
Whether you're a fantasy fan, or a sword and sorcery fan in particular - this series is one that I think you will delight in. I also think fans of turn based video games, D&D or the quest trope would appreciate it as well.
As someone who started reading fantasy back in the early 90s, I'm a huge fan of that classic style of book covers and the gorgeous covers on the books in this series feels very reminiscent of that style. Baen Books nailed it, in my opinion!
A little birdie told me the third book in this series will be available in October 2024 - so if you catch this review quickly, there's plenty of time to read the first two and join me for the third!
If you prefer watching video reviews, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
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