The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams
Publishing Information: Kindle
Publisher: Night Shade Books; 1 December 2011
ISBN: 1597803847
ASIN: B006QO1A30
Series: Tower and Knife Trilogy #1
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson
Amazon
Synopsis: "There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that attacks young and old, rich and poor alike. Geometric patterns spread across the skin, until you die in agony, or become a Carrier, doing the bidding of an evil intelligence, the Pattern Master. Anyone showing the tell-tale marks is put to death; that is Emperor Beyon's law...but now the pattern is running over the Emperor's own arms. His body servants have been executed, he ignores his wives, but he is doomed, for soon the pattern will reach his face. While Beyon's agents scour the land for a cure, Sarmin, the Emperor's only surviving brother, awaits his bride, Mesema, a windreader from the northern plains. Unused to the Imperial Court's stifling protocols and deadly intrigues, Mesema has no one to turn to but an aging imperial assassin, the Emperor's Knife.
As long-planned conspiracies boil over into open violence, the invincible Pattern Master appears from the deep desert. Only three people stand in his way: a lost prince, a world-weary killer, and a young girl from the steppes who once saw a path in a pattern — a path that might save them all."
The Emperor's Knife has been on my Kindle for far too long and I finally got tired of looking at the cover and decided to dive right in and check it out.
When the Emperor of the Cerani is found to be a plague carrier, his last surviving brother is finally being groomed to take over the throne. Seems simple enough as a plot, but it only gets more complicated from there.
First off, the plague is interesting. A carrier develops a pattern on their skin. I liked this idea, it was original. Add to the fact that once you develop the skin patterns it soon overwhelms you and then you can be controlled by "The Pattern Master," not the most creative of names. Howerever, regardless of his nom de plume, the character is quite sinister.
Then there is the Emperor Beyon and his brother Sarmin, Beyon was chosen at birth to become the Emperor and while his family history is rather brutal, he shows a lot of love for his subjects and especially, his brother Sarmin. The younger brother is also intriguing as he is part of a bigger picture and it is not just because he is the successor to the throne. He shows an aptitude for magic. His affinity for the mystical arts is growing and it is not yet understood as to why.
Mesema is a strong female character and while she was brought in to marry Sarmin, Beyon's link to her is still in question. Eyul is the royal assassin, or Emperor's Knife, he is loyal to the empire and while he will do the Emperor's bidding, he is starting to doubt his usefulness and his role in the big picture. There are several more characters, but these are the main ones, without giving things away.
The world-building is ambitious, we have a vast empire that has some Asian influences as well as an Middle Eastern feel to it. Women are definitely second-class citizens as the Emperor has a harem. Although that is not to say we do not have strong female characters. Mesema is very strong-willed and the Emperor's mother is also powerful in her own right. However, overall the world does not seem to have women on an equal footing.
There is also the magic system, which is confusing to say the least. Magic is seen as patterns and while the patterns are described quite well, there is no explanation as to how the magic and the patterns interact. Admittedly, by the end of the book, I still had no idea just how the magic system worked. The fact that it plays a vital role in the story seems to me that it should have been explained. It wasn't. So I hope that it will be explained completely in the next novel, Knife Sworn.
The Emperor's Knife is by no means a perfect book, but as far as debuts go, it is ambitious. There is a lot of political upheaval in the book and quite a few people jockeying for position in the empire and in the world itself. Tons of threats coming from inside the empire as well as from outside. The book is ambitious. But confusing as well. By the end of the novel I was not quite sure whether I wanted to continue with the series, or not. Even as I write this review, I am still on the fence as to whether or not to keep going. The Emperor's Knife has a lot of things going for it, but its lack of explanation has me hesitant to continue the series.
Plot 7/10
Characters 8/10
Style 6.5/10
Overall 6.5/10
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