The Hand of the Sun King
Pact and Pattern, Book 1
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The Hand of the Sun King
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Narrated by:
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Jeremy Ang Jones
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By:
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J.T. Greathouse
About this listen
My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.
All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: my father's, whose family trace their roots back to the right hand of the emperor. My mother's, whose family want to bring the Empire to its knees.
I can choose between them - between the safety of empire or the freedom of rebellion - or I can seek out a better path...one filled with magic and secrets, unbound by suffocating legacy, but one that could shake my world to its very foundation.
For my quest will bring me face-to-face with the gods themselves. And they have been watching. Waiting to make their move....
The first book in the Pact and Pattern series. Fans of Robin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War will love the magic running through every chapter.
©2021 J.T. Greathouse (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group LimitedCritic Reviews
"A great coming of age story about a foolish boy who seeks to unravel the secrets of magic and maybe do something good in the process. I absolutely loved it." (Nick Martell)
"An original fantasy filled with magic and culture, the story of a character torn between two names, two loyalties and two definitions of good and evil." (Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times best-selling author)
"Hands down the best debut of the year. Scratch that; this is one of the best debuts I've ever read." (Novel Notions)
"Sublime prose and pin-sharp characterisation combine to produce a captivating epic of conflicted loyalties and dangerous ambition." (Anthony Ryan, New York Times best-selling author)
"Brilliantly told and immediately engrossing, filled with magic, mistakes, and their merciless consequences." (Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter)
"An exciting new voice in epic fantasy." (SFX)
What listeners say about The Hand of the Sun King
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- OratorSF
- 29-08-2021
Absolutely Amazing First Entry into the Series
Wow, just wow. Honestly this is one of the best first novels I have ever read. I'm not even sure where to start, it was all so good.
The story is told from the sole perspective of a male youth named Wen Alder who strives to make his own way in the world. One that is between the authoritarian Empire and the rebels that oppose it. The story follows Alder on this journey from being a son to a wealthy merchant to working for the Empire and more. It was certainly a captivating ride. Alder's story is a more solemn one, and while there are other characters, the story is more personal. I wont say more than this on the plot but one thing I will say is that the story is definitely unpredictable, the plot was always changing course in ways I couldnt predict (well with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions) without getting convoluted or confusing.
Personally I really love realistic (to a degree of course) and relatable MCs and boy was this MC that and more. I haven't connected with a protagonist in long time in this way since characters like Valyn from both the Raven's Shadow (first book at least) and Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne series as well as Kvothe from Kingkiller.
The MC has some great character flaws. He's prideful, highly ambitious (something I really love in a character), driven and arrogant (though not all the time and mostly not to the point of annoyance). This mixes in greatly with the themes of tragedy, loss and striving hard.
The MC is also no OP Mary Sue type character. He's talented but also has limitations which impact his efforts.
The worldbuilding is also quite good. You get to take a deeper look at the goings on in the territories of the Empire. There's definitely a lot to build on with solid foundations like these.
All in all its an easy 10/10. The only thing some people might take issue with is that the narrator isn't the best at doing multiple voices, the MCs voice is very good though. Personally I'm not too picky with this sort of thing and I think the quality of the story easily overrules this but that's just my opinion.
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