Author: Chris Evans
Publisher: Pocket Books
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: July 2008
A Darkness Forged In Fire is the first volume in the Iron Elves trilogy, and the debut of editor turned writer Chris Evans. At first glance it feels like a very traditional fantasy, and it is true that it contains elves, dwarfs, and magic that look and feel very familiar to what you may recognize from Tolkein or even D&D. I don’t think that this is necessarily a negative for the series, and Evans does a good job making the traditional fantasy elements his own by mixing in elements of military fiction, like gunpowder weapons the musket and cannon, the organization, and administration of an army.
In A Darkness Forged In Fire Konowa Swiftdragon is a court-martialed soldier, the former commander of the fabled Iron Elves, and elite group in the Calahrian Empire’s army. After his court-martial, and the disbandment of the Iron Elves he is banished to the forest, and though he despises the forest more than any other place he resigns himself to his fate and simply desires to be left alone. In the other parts of the Calahrian Empire, a falling Red Star, a prophesied sign of the return of magic to the world, creating a mad rush to find the star first, not only from different parties within the Empire but from the Shadow Monarch, an elf-witch of legendary powers. Because of the need to acquire the star first, the Empire recalls Konowa, and reforms the Iron Elves.
It sounds much cornier than it really is, which is a testament to how well constructed Evans world is. Though the name Konowa Swiftdragon irked me from the first instance to the last page. I know there a probably worse names out there for characters, but this one just left a bad taste in my mouth, especially the Swiftdragon surname, it reminded me of terrible elven names used in MMO’s like World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online. Ignoring the name though, and Konowa is an excellent protagonist and one that doesn’t feel hackneyed or stale. He struggles constantly with his lack of the usual affinity with nature that most elves naturally have, most elves would never touch metal, he wields a musket. This is an ongoing theme of the novel, Konowa’s struggle with who he sees himself as, and the conflicting vision of his family and those close to him including his love interest Visyna.
Evans does a great job with the battle and action sequences of the novel. There is a great synergy between the traditional battles fought with early gunpowder weapons, with the magic and fantasy elements that don’t give it a modern feel, but certainly an updated one. This mixing of different elements in fiction reminded me of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, and fans of that series may want to look into the Iron Elves series.
Though Evans does do a good job of mixing the familiar fantasy elements into something new and fresh, the plot is a pretty basic fantasy quest that has the sense of been there done that. There are some good surprises along the way, don’t get me wrong, and some great battle scenes with long thought extinct or mythical creatures, it feels as if you know where its heading. The conclusion to the novel kicks off with a bang (maybe from a cannon) but it slowly whimpers to the end with the last revelation not carrying a whole lot of pop. Evans ties up pretty well the loose ends, but as this is a trilogy, there are loads more questions than answers when you get to the last page.
A Darkness Forged In Fire is a solid fantasy debut, that takes some well worn material and breaths some new life into it. It is not the finest work that I have read in the last year and not the worst. When comparing it to other debuts in recent years, from the likes of Rothfuss, Lynch, and Abercrombie, it doesn’t quite hold up to their standards. But it is not really fair of me to judge it on anything other than what it is. It is an entertaining work, with an unique mixture of fantasy and military fiction, that should appeal to readers looking for something a little different. Those who are burnt out on the dark and “gritty” (hate that word) fantasy’s that seem to dominate the genre at the moment, and want something that seems familiar but fresh at the same time could do worse than A Darkness Forged In Fire. It’s not perfect or particularly ground breaking but I am looking forward to the second book next summer.
