Engines of Empires (The Age of Uprising #1)

Richard S. Ford

This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds, magic-fueled machines, intrigue and revolution—and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction.

The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry, and industry is run by the Guilds. Chief among them are the Hawkspurs, and their responsibility is to keep the gears of the empire turning. It’s exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation. 

Conall, the eldest son, is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military. It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution.

Tyreta’s sorcerous connection to the magical resource of pyrstone that fuels the empire’s machines makes her a perfect heir–in theory. While Tyreta hopes that she might shirk her responsibilities during her journey one of Torwyn’s most important pyrestone mines, she instead finds the dark horrors of industry that the empire would prefer to keep hidden. 

The youngest, Fulren, is a talented artificer, and finds himself acting as consort to a foreign emissary. Soon after, he is framed for a crime he never committed. A crime that could start a war. 

As each of the Hawkspurs grapple with the many threats that face the nation within and without, they must finally prove themselves worthy–or their empire will fall apart.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(4 / 5) “This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds, magic-fueled machines, intrigue and revolution— and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction.” (quoted from Goodreads.) I could not put it in better words!

This is masterfully written. There was so much depth to the story but also to the characters. The Hawkspur family are sent to different ends of the nation. As the heirs, their responsibility is great. They each have a mission but they face attacks, brutal killings, an uprising and more all while their home is being overrun. This is where the story started building what would be a tremendous adventure. 

We hear from multiple POV and I was astonished at the simplicity of being able to tell each story apart without any sort of backtracking. With such depth to this story, that is extraordinary. We are taken through jungle and sea, we ride in the air on giant animals, we are taken to exotic places that hit every spectrum of the world. This story is not short on adventure and I loved being able to experience it all. 

The story builds slowly, giving you background stories and in-depth character development before the climax of the story hits and it all comes together. The audio was phenomenal. It is narrated with a full cast that brought life to the story. Each voice matched perfectly with the character just as I imagined each to be. I will be watching for book 2, I cannot wait to hear beyond that conclusion!

General content summary: F words: 20+, death by sword, language, brutal killing, closed door intimacy, infidelity, domestic abuse, many corpses are strung up or nailed up with bite marks or limbs missing, human sacrifice, detailed and bloody killings, a soldier is whipped as discipline and passes out, revolution and bloody deaths during the revolution.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The book releases January 18, 2022.

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