Every so often something comes along that makes you pause, ponder and perhaps alter your understanding of what you previously took for granted. Ben Stoddard’s latest Kings of War novel ‘Pride of a King’ certainly falls into that category. This review has been delayed by illness, busy schedule and childcare but no distraction has served to dull the impact of the story. I’m not going to trespass into spoiler territory here but believe me I’m struggling to hold back on the froth.
Making the most of the format
My biggest complaint with Kings of War novels so far is a matter of format rather than content. There is a lot of text to the page and that initial chapter can prove daunting. Mid-book I often need to pause and step away from the impenetrable wall of letters before me.
Ben has addressed this issue with cunning and panache. By opening chapters with story relevant quotes from the world of Pannithor there are regular oases of breathing space. Some of these quotes derive from texts within the story and serve to weave a narrative within the narrative. We gain a wider sense of the world in which the characters operate from the expanded perspective on the history and culture of their people; without once stepping outside the narrative flow of the novel. It’s a brilliant idea and makes the reading experience much smoother.
Everyone knows Dwarves
Dwarves live in mountains, they dig, they like ale and they hold grudges. Anything else is some variation of that. Right? Well. I certainly hadn’t thought too much about the Dwarves of Pannithor. Sure there are the Free Dwarves who were pushed out of the Halpi mountains after that whole rift thing. Also the Imperial Dwarves who are much better at logistics and infrastructure. Other than that they weren’t that interesting. Oh was I wrong.
There’s a beautiful tension running through the book between a displaced and idealistic Free Dwarven people looking to regain their homeland and an Imperial system focused on stability and conservatism. Oaths, ambitions and caution clash in often frustrating ways to create all too believable dilemmas for all involved. It takes people all too often presented as caricatures and makes them into characters we can love, hate and yell at through the page. Intrigue isn’t something I’d ever expected to see in a story about wargame Dwarves.
Twists and turns
I mentioned intrigue. We also had mysteries and an ending that leaves you with a sense of whiplash. It was there and like the proverbial pie to the face you could see it coming a mile off. Yet that moment of impact where you learn just what’s inside the pie and marvel at the resulting mess was quite the moment. There’ll be wiping that off clothes and faces for years to come. You’ll also want to punch Golloch in the face even more than you already did, which is par for the course with any mention of the guy but here doubly so.
The use of chapter quotes really pays off with the way the story winds along. The insight offered rounding out what we experience and serving to kick us whilst we’re down. Queen Roshyn will leave her mark on your heart through snippets across the book and the gap left by her passing from the world. This builds upon the information drip fed to us in the story to lead into our dramatic ending.
Home, hearth and Motherhood
Despite ostensibly being a story of war, politics and conflict the novel delivers a strong theme of the home and the importance of motherhood to the Dwarven cultural identity. We gain insight into religion through the Priests and their reference to Dianek, mother of the Dwarves. Insight into the significance of Motherhood to Roshyn through her memoirs. We even learn lessons on the hearth and family through song in a mash up of Tolkien meets musical theatre. Well, in the style of Tolkien at least.
Be they looking to return to their own home, enrich their clan or protect their own hearth the Dwarves are highly motivated by a sense of the domestic. It’s clear war is not something that comes naturally to the characters as one might expect in a story about a battle game. Ben Stoddard does an excellent job capturing a longing for the security of home in our heroes and contrasting this with a disdain for such matters in our villains. Honestly I just want to hug them all and let them watch Bluey on the sofa whilst I prepare sandwiches for lunch.
Don’t get me wrong. Kings of War remains an immature and emotionally simplistic setting. It has strong patriarchal leanings that severely limit the ability to develop truly unique and interesting cultures. That’s not a new issue in fantasy settings but given these criticisms were being rightly applied to Lord of the Rings in 1954; it’s disappointing Mantic hasn’t better empowered their novelists to address this. Kudos to Ben for what he has achieved despite these shortcomings of the world.
In conclusion
I want to state here and now that I received a review copy and my recommendation that you go read this book isn’t influenced by that bribe. Read it for the story that draws you into a mix of believable cultures you’ll end up investing in. Read it to learn more about the lives of those torn between oath and need. Read it because this is the kind of depth that takes lifeless plastic and makes it a living narrative. Mostly, read it for the way it will leave you wanting to carry on following the fate of the Dwarven people in Pannithor as the ‘War of Stone’ continues.
You can purchase a digital copy of the book here.
You can read a free sample of the book here.
