The Dead Man's Empire (The Holy Mountain #2), by W.P. Wiles
The Book
Synopsis:
An innovative grimdark fantasy, with expansive world-building, powerful female characters and political intrigue, for fans of Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch. The follow up to the award winning The Last Blade Priest.
Growing tensions between the Mirolene Empire and the League threaten the stability of the world, spreading fear and mistrust across the land. Their rivalries threaten the religion that worships Craithe, the God Mountain, and the resurgence of the fabled, and utterly insane, elven race, it’s not a good time to be a reluctant bride about to be married off to seal an alliance between ancient rivals.
Princess Syzenne’s attitude is famed across the kingdom, but she’s hiding a secret. She’s a Scourge - a powerful being armed with terrifying abilities at her fingertips. And as political tensions come to a head, it turns out she may not be the only one with the potential to change the world…
The Dead Man’s Empire revisits the characters and the trials of The Last Blade Priest, adding powerful new characters and plot twists into the growing crisis that is sweeping the world.
My Review
The Dead Man's Empire is the second book in the grimdark series The Holy Mountain, written by W.P. Wiles and published by Angry Robot. While this is a sequel to The Last Blade Priest, set after its events, it is a story that can be enjoyed as a standalone, with several refreshing new characters in the center of the action, while it continues expanding the world and building over the consequences of the previous book.
In this case, we will be following four women who must navigate an unstable world, especially as the tensions between the League and the Mirolene Empire grow. Princess Syzenne is sent to a decadent empire, trying to secure an alliance to what was once a powerful empire; a moldering court full of vipers trying to get their own influence over the throne, and that's without taking into account Syzenne's secret.
Readers of the previous instalment will recognize Duna and enjoy more of her becoming the weapon as she comes into her powers; meanwhile, in the mountain, Anzola, is seeing how her win is turning into ashes, circled by the Elfs and threatened by dangers they didn't even thought about. And finally, we have Elecy, a fanatical priest who is willing to burn the world to save her faith. Four stories that will be slowly interwoven, creating an engaging plot.
Balancing all those characters was definitely a challenge, but Wiles uses it as a way to paint a more complete picture of what's happening in the world. While I found Syzenne to be a rather interesting character to start, I found Anzola's chapters to be the most interesting ones, especially as we have a rather complex character having to deal with how her win is becoming a death trap; I'm sure each reader might find a different character to be their fave.
The pacing is pretty much on the spot, especially as the action picks rather quickly, keeping us in a constant tension while learning more about the rich worldbuilding that has been a characteristic of this series. Be warned, it is a bleak world, and the author is not afraid of reflecting it.
The Dead Man's Empire is a really enjoyable novel, a worthy sequel to The Last Blade Priest (but can be read as a standalone), perfect if you are looking for a grim but rich worldbuilding and a story full of action and tension while being really original!
The Author/s
W.P. Wiles
W.P. Wiles was born in 1978 and is the author of three previous novels as Will Wiles, all published by Fourth Estate: The Way Inn, Care of Wooden Floors, and Plume. He is also a freelance journalist and has written on architecture and design for a wide variety of magazines and publications.