~Highly controversial Book~
Here if you want to take it for a spin, courtesy of Blargedy:
https://audiobookbay.lu/audio-books/shadow-of-the-conqueror-chronicles-of-everfall-book-1-shad-brooks/OK, so if I had to describe this book, I'd basically describe it as having a very grimdark Cosmere/Sanderson steampunk flavour.
The story is set in the world of Everfall, a world where there is no night and it is constantly day time. The only darkness is from creatures called shades, creatures formed from when people stay too long in the dark and turn to monsters. The Continents and islands are not separated by seas but by air.. the islands are floating.. so separated by air and possibly a long drop. Everfall also is a world with airships which help bridge these gaps and people use to traverse the separate islands.
Everfall, is also a world where the world has finally finished reeling from the tyranny of one, Daylen, once known as the Great Bastard, the Scourge of Nations, Dayless the Conqueror. As the names suggest, he was not the nicest of people.
Daylen rose to prominence fighting the shade and made a name for himself, however, he then used his new found fame to overthrow the aristocracy to rule his nation himself. However, he then began to conquer other nations. His decent to evil was not a sudden thing but slowly being consumed by war and conquest his methods grew harsher and his mercy more fleeting when dealing with people who opposed/defied/disagreed him. He slowly began to strip his subjects of freedoms. Think George Washington, turned Napoleon and then turned Stalin.
Eventually rebellion broke out against him, led by a man whom he had wronged. One who turned out to be as smart, as devious and as cunning as himself. The tide only truly turned against him when A legendary order of knights joined against him. In the climactic battle the world believed him dead.
However he survived, living in hiding for 20 years as the world remade itself he lived a miserable life in squalor. However left to plot his revenge he found himself reflecting on his past deeds and almost seemed to awaken his conscience and then his guilt.
However when he finally, in his old age decided to end it all something unexpected happened in his attempted suicide, he regained his youth and awoke with the same abilities the knights who played such a apart in his downfall possess.
What I really like about this book
Is that it is different. I am so tired of the prophesied farm boy set to deliver us from evil. Even 'Anti-Hero' books where the character is meant to be a bad... or at least baddish guy is in fact not actually an anti-hero but a poor misunderstood pup.
This book is not like that. Daylen was a cruel tyrant who has had time to reflect and is as guilty, if not more so than he is being portrayed. It shows a great deal of character and progression from the normal genre troupes of fantasy.
There is a solid magic system and a diverse cast of characters.
I'd recommend this to grimdark lovers, Sanderson fans who could do with a a little less clean.
