‘Lioness of the Parch’ – Evan Dicken (Black Library)

 

Page Count: 348 Pages

There is nothing quite like starting the week off with some ‘Age of Sigmar’ cover art; it’s almost the equivalent of a strong coffee, just when you need it (and I think I’m going to need that today). Anyway… :o)

Since I’ve been blogging here, I’ve been lucky enough to read a few of Evan Dicken’s ‘Age of Sigmar’ short stories (links at the bottom of the post) and my thought has always been that I’d love to see how Dicken did with a whole novels worth of story to play with. Well, it turns out I blinked and now I’ve got a few to choose from :o) I went for ‘Lioness of the Parch’ as while I have nothing against any of the factions in the setting, I do have a bit of a soft spot for the regular humans just doing their best to make it through, no matter what side they stand on.

And that’s what I read over the weekend :o) Let me tell you about it...

Rogue. Mercenary. Champion. Tahlia Vedra is all these things and more. But overcoming the new threat facing Hammerhal Aqsha will require more than just her battlefield experience.

When Chaos Warlord Mausolus Ebonpyre’s forces annihilate a well-defended citadel, Tahlia is thrown into the bloody arena of Sigmarite politics.

Surrounded by uncertain allies and hidden foes, Tahlia must forge common ground with old rivals, overcome betrayal from within, and learn the arts of diplomacy to face down Ebonpyre, a master schemer and strategist. To save Hammerhal from total war, Tahlia must become more than just a soldier – she must become a leader. She must become the Lioness of the Parch.

For me, ‘Lioness of the Parch’ wasn’t the easiest book to get into but at the same time, it’s definitely one that’s worth sticking with for a plot that is a very good blend of mystery and spectacle.

I didn’t think that to start off with though… The champions of the Mortal Realms are all larger than life (they need to be) so the trick to getting a decent story out of your hero is to set them up against something right outside their comfort zone. They’ll fight, because its in their nature never to back down, but it will be a real fight for them. And that is just what Dicken gives us here, times two… Tahlia Vedra will face any enemy but how will she fare against one that knows her every move before she makes it? And what if her other enemies are the very people that she is sworn to protect? Vedra is very much outside her comfort zone but the problem I found was that so was I… As someone who regularly struggles if a meeting goes on past about half an hour, I found the Conclave meetings (especially the first one) interminable and really heavy going to stick with.

To be fair, that’s kind of the whole point really, you can imagine how a warrior like Vedra finds these affairs, so Dicken does really well to convey this with such feeling. It’s not his fault that he did the job a little too well for me ;o) What I did come away with though was a sense of what might ultimately stop humanity from ever really getting a foothold in the Mortal Realms, its own greed and ambition. And I could definitely see why a warrior like Vedra would have a pretty big with this attitude.

So, a little bit of a slog at the beginning and to be fair, if you enjoy some politicking with your fantasy then you’ll really enjoy what’s on offer here. Like I said though, ‘Lioness of the Parch’ really does reward you if you stick with it. I did and found myself facing a couple of intriguing mysteries that never let up once, both leading to denouements that really hit hard at just the right moments. ‘Lioness of the Parch’ really is a book where both the journey and the destination are both worth the price of entry; all credit to Dicken for making a ‘Conclave showdown’ just as impactful as a conflict goes a long way towards levelling the city of Coronus.

And Tahlia Vedra is just a brilliant character to follow. Dicken does a great job of showing us the challenges facing Vedra but also gives us just the right amount of context to these; we’re never overloaded but the events leading up to the main plot leave us in no doubt as to why Vedra is the person that she is. Vedra isn’t an impulsive person, there’s literally a lifetimes worth of events that have pushed her to this very point, watching her react to this understanding is a real joy.

I think the ‘Age of Sigmar’ books are going from strength to strength and books like ‘Lioness of the Parch’ are the reason why. If you’re following the setting, definitely give ‘Lioness’ a read; I don’t think you’ll regret it.