Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: 47North
Published: 2015
Reviewer Rating: 
Book Review by SJ Higbee
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One of the Netgalley arcs I have waiting to be reviewed is An Empire Asunder, the sequel to this one. So given Heirs of Empire was already in my TBR pile as Himself is a solid Currie fan, I decided to read it first. I hasten to add this is not me turning over a new leaf, as I’ll be back to my usual disorganized — let’s-crash-midway-into this series, anyhow — mode in due course…
The Scourwind family legacy brought the empire to the height of its power and prosperity and defended it against all enemies. Now one man’s machinations aim to shift the balance of power–with violent and devastating consequences.
The blurb continues at some length, but frankly that’s all you need to know before starting Heirs of Empire. The story is so fast-paced and punchy, as events stack up in quick succession, I think it would be a shame to go into it with any more information. Currie is good at writing action and letting his unusual world unfold through the story line, although I’m still not quite sure what it is or where it is situated. However, given that this is the first in a series, I’ll run with that. It is an interesting mash-up in that this one reads like a classic epic Fantasy novel, but is clearly science fiction as all the big, scary weaponry run on lost technology, rather than magic.
There are three main protagonists — two are teenagers on the run and one is a former elite soldier turned privateer. I really like Mira Desol, who isn’t on anyone’s side except her own and a sense of obligation to those who have thrown in their lot with her. To say she has a reckless streak is putting it mildly. Currie is good at depicting nuanced characters with edges that make them difficult — both teenagers have a reputation for being a pain. But this book isn’t all about their moody angst — they’re too busy trying to simply stay alive to even begin to come to terms with what has overtaken them.
The other major character is General Corian, who is another elite soldier on a mission to rid the empire of those wrongdoers he believes are allowing too much corruption to fester. If I have any grizzles with this very enjoyable, engrossing adventure it is that I would have liked to have seen him more nuanced. He is continually short-fused and furious, but clearly something drove him to take the drastic steps he does and I would like to have seen at least one scene showing his reasoning, given we are in his viewpoint at intervals throughout the story.
However, this isn’t a deal breaker — Currie has provided an action-packed tale and the climactic ending had me unable to put the book down until it was completed — for starters, I wasn’t sure exactly who was going to survive. I can now see why Himself has got hold of so many books by this author and I look forward to plunging back into this world very soon.
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