Michael J. Sullivan’s Age of War is a fantastic read. He continues to give us incredibly authentic characters that are crafted with a careful attention to consistency and detail. Classic fantasy with some fun twists, the Legends of the First Empire series is becoming one of my favorite epic fantasy series in recent memory.

As the title suggests, the story in this book moves into all out war between the Fhrey and the Rhunes. As the war commences there is a real sense of loss that Sullivan weaves in. Characters experience individual losses, but there is also a sense of a loss of innocence as a community. As a people the Rhunes are becoming something different—perhaps something new—but certainly they are no longer the people they were a short while ago. Sullivan excels at producing this feeling of innocence lost in his descriptions of the preparations for the coming war. It’s an aspect of the novel I thoroughly connected with. In addition to this, the characters continue to be a strength. Sullivan does an excellent job of making them believable and giving each character their time to shine. This is doubly impressive because the novel contains a fairly large cast, and yet one rarely—perhaps never—gets the impression that a characters growth is being short changed as a result. Each character is given an opportunities to take center stage. They each grow in profound ways. I continue to really enjoy Gifford’s arc, and there are hints of more to come for him. Perhaps Sullivan’s greatest achievement, however, is the writing of Mawyndule. Any time you are reading one of his viewpoint chapters it feels like being inside the head of a spoiled adolescent. From that perspective it isn’t exactly enjoyable, but Sullivan has crafted someone who feels amazingly authentic. In addition, I question whether he is meant to be a villain or a sort of tragic character. The author has done a very good job with him. The novel doesn’t only do a tremendous job with characters, however. There is also great action and suspense, plenty of questions to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Unfortunately, one thing that did not quite work for me was the end game. There were two main issues I had. The first was that Suri’s growth, particularly in the final third of the novel, felt like a complete retread of her growth in Age of Swords. In some ways, almost a literal retread. For a character that I think still has a great deal of potential growth, this was disappointing. The other issue was that, during the end game, there are some reveals that felt to me as if they really removed the agency of many of the protagonists. It began to feel like they were just doing what they were told, or dancing to someone else’s tune. There is still a great deal to love in Age of War, but the final third of the book dampened my enthusiasm slightly.

Age of War is another fun, enjoyable entry in Sullivan’s Legends of the First Empire series. If you enjoy classic fantasy with wonderfully crafted characters, this is one for you. I can’t wait to see what these characters, whom I’ve grown to love, are faced with next.

8.5/10

4.25/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing