The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse
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My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.
All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.
I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path . . . a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by Empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.
But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves . . .
The Hand of the Sun King follows Wen Alder as he grows up in an almost coming of age style story. It has an introspective first person narrative, like an autobiography or journal of sorts. Despite this very singular focus on the character of Foolish Cur, he’s not always a likeable character and it displays his flaws and wrongdoings, making sure we note him as a fairly reliable narrator.
Wen must make the decision between the history of the two sides of his family. That of name and prestige on his father’s side within the Empire, or the side of magic and resistance on his mothers. The theme of his nature being that of both half of his family is strong, and that how he is nurtured by his father and grandmother affect how he thinks about the world. We also see how he deliberates over the choices in his life, changing the course of his life for better and for worse.
The Hand of the Sun King contains a complex magic system that is developed over the course of the book as Wen learns more. There’s the sacred magic that Wen’s grandmother teaches him as a child, and then the more strict and restricted magic used by the empire’s higher ranking people. I loved seeing how Wen has to learn new magic and how he expands his knowledge, especially in the latter half of the book.
One issue I had was that the book was so focused on Wen that the secondary characters in his life didn’t get much development. Between his family and the people he meets along his way, there’s very little focus on them which is unfortunate as there’s some characters who would be so interesting. From Wen’s uncle who is part of the resistance who doesn’t interact with him as much, to characters like Atar who influences Wen a lot – there’s a lot of intrigue in this world.
The book is definitely a high fantasy series, with a touch of grimdark elements with all the bad things that end up happening. There’s a strong emphasis on the colonisation by the empire and the politics surrounding the people of the empire, the resistance, and those in the middle who are just trying to get by.
The world building around the politics, but also the asian inspired cultures of the different lands we visit is amazing. There’s clearly a lot of history and depth to each of the lands, and I loved reading about An-Zabat and how different it is to where Wen grew up. Seeing the world through his eyes helps develop a sense of wonder and knowledge seeking which was lovely to read.
Positives of The Hand of the Sun King
- Magic system easily digestable and learnable throughout the story
- Wen Alder grows and develops as he learns more about the world he lives in
Negatives of The Hand of the Sun King
- Lack of character/relationship development outside of main character
I received The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse from the publisher. This is an unbiased and honest review
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