“Blood of Ambrose is slick, weaving a dark tale of despair and death as our heroes struggle to save their kingdom and, as the book moves forward, the entire continent as a darker and far more dangerous adversary is revealed. Enge’s style is more show than tell and for Blood of Ambrose this works magically as the Two Cities of the Ontilian Empire seem to breathe life throughout the pages….It seemed too soon when I reached the end, so well had Enge penned this barbaric and epic tale. I fully understand now why the book was recently nominated for Best Fantasy Book of the Year.” —Shiny book Review
Wuruyaaria: city of werewolves, whose raiders range over the dying northlands, capturing human beings for slaves or meat. Wuruyaaria: where a lone immortal maker wages a secret war against the Strange Gods of the Coranians. Wuruyaaria: a democracy where some are more equal than others, and a faction of outcast werewolves is determined to change the balance of power in a long, bloody election year.Their plans are laid; the challenges known; the risks accepted. But all schemes will shatter in the clash between two threats few had foreseen and none had fully understood: a monster from the north on a mission to poison the world, and a stranger from the south named Morlock Ambrosius.
Legends spar in Enge's episodic fantasy, narrated by an ensemble cast in achingly precise prose. Immediately following the events of Blood of Ambrose (2009), the crooked-backed enchanter Morlock departs into exile on his horse, Velox. When a stone beast ambushes the strange pair and Velox disappears, Morlock goes in search of his horse and finds a long-lost figure from his past who desperately needs his aid. So begins Morlock's long, meandering journey, narrated by those he befriends on the way. The supporting characters all initially regard the dispassionate wizard with awe, but as they gradually discover his flaws, they learn some delightfully compelling psychological facts about their own inadequacies. When the ending finally does arrive, its anticlimactic events disappoint, but there's enough strength in the rest of the story to keep readers hoping for a redemptive third book.
