 Blood of Ambrose:
I have a man-crush on Morlock Ambrosius.
 Twelve year-old Lathmar has lived an extremely sheltered life. That is, up until he recently became king. His parents, the former king and queen, died under “questionable circumstances” and his uncle, the Protector of the realm, plans a similar fate for him. Now, Lathmar’s only protection is his many-times-over great-grandmother Ambrosia. Guarding Lathmar’s escape, Ambrosia sends him after the one person who can save them, her infamous brother Morlock.
Mr. Enge has crafted unique and exciting tales that revolve around one of the coolest characters ever in fantasy. In fact, I think I just may have a man-crush on Morlock Ambrosius. (The last time I felt this way was for Joe Abercrombie’s Logen Ninefingers from The First Law.)
Morlock is the greatest magical Maker of this world and he is also a master swordsman. He’s a thaumaturge who has knowledge of all the arcane arts. Known as The Crooked Man — because of the family trait in which one shoulder is higher than the other — and many other names, Morlock is hated and feared throughout the land. His name is used to curse traitors. He talks to crows and wields a magic black sword called Tyrfing. Morlock has wandered this world of Laent for several centuries, an exile and a dry drunk. He’s clever, has a dry wit, and is always more than what he seems.
Blood of Ambrose is such a fun story to read. Enge is one of those rare authors whose style and prose is perfect for a fantasy — he has that ability to create language that sounds archaic but is still understandable and flows like a bard’s tale. The reader is surprised again and again with completely unpredicted plot twists or resolutions. Plus, Enge drops crafty little details of a relation between this story and Arthurian legend, which adds an enticingly rich back-story. As do the appendixes that detail the land of Laent, the deities, and the calendar and astronomy. The world is both strange and familiar to our own.
I can honestly say that I haven’t read anything quite like these tales about Morlock Ambrosius. The series is considered to be a new sword and sorcery tale: a fantasy story that revolves around a character instead of the kingdom-sized conflict of an epic. James Enge has earned himself another fan in this reviewer.
Note: I read the Amazon Kindle edition of Blood of Ambrose and felt I should comment that it’s the best e-book version I’ve read to date. It downloaded complete with the front and back covers, the illustrations, and even the interesting initial that starts each chapter. —Greg Hersom
 Blood of Ambrose
"The King was screaming in the throne room when the Protector's Men arrived" — and with good reason. The King, Lathmar, is about twelve years old when his "Protector," Urdhven, decides to seize the throne. Urdhven captures Lathmar and his many-times-great-grandmother, Ambrosia Viviana (a daughter of Merlin — apparently the Merlin of Arthurian legend — who's therefore exceptionally long-lived), but not before they send word to Ambrosia's brother, the infamous Morlock Ambrosius. Together, Lathmar, Ambrosia, Morlock, and Morlock's dwarven apprentice plot and battle to preserve Lathmar's rule, not only against the Protector, but also the sorcerer behind the Protector, a shadowy figure whose horrific plans reach beyond the realms' government and into the soul of every citizen.
Blood of Ambrose, James Enge's debut novel, seamlessly blends the genres of epic fantasy and sword-and-sorcery. The novel is an epic fantasy to the extent that it chronicles the orphaned Lathmar's struggle to grow from childhood into manhood for the sake of himself and his people. It's sword-and-sorcery in its depiction of the fight of Morlock — an exile and lone wolf who's both a swordsman and sorcerer — against the Protector's patron and minions.
While there are few surprises in either arc on a large scale, Enge has a true gift for small-scale play with the world's magical system, allowing for multiple thought-provoking surprises in the creation of problems for the heroes and, especially, in their solutions. This is no small feat. Like Ambrosia, Morlock is long-lived and experienced. He's a master swordsman (armed with a magical "accursed" sword, Tyrfing), a master maker of magical constructs, and a seer. His blood is flammable when shed, but he himself is inflammable, and he has a treaty with the world's crows, who serve as his messengers and spies. So even though he has the tell-tale crooked shoulders of his family and is known as a killjoy and drunk (who still fights impressively even when under the influence), he'd still be a vastly powerful character in any fantasy roleplaying game, and true challenges for him would be rare. Fortunately, the Protector's patron is ultimately revealed as such a challenge.
It's important to note that, while Blood of Ambrose is Enge's debut as a novelist, it's not Morlock's debut. Morlock's adventures have previously been featured in Black Gate Magazine and other venues (such as The Return of the Sword anthology), and those tales provide background for some elements of the novel (e.g., the treaty with the crows).
Readers accustomed to "typical" medieval fantasies should also note that this is not one. As opposed to using close, third-person-limited viewpoints to unwrap the tale (as, e.g., George R. R. Martin does in A Game of Thrones to create a strong sense of living in the viewpoint character's mind), Enge almost exclusively employs a classic omniscient viewpoint, one marked by constant cleverness, but also with frequent dryness or wryness. (For example, Morlock has created a group of small, sentient, verbal flames; and at one point, there's concern that an argument among them will degenerate into a "flame war.") This isn't to say that the story is emotionless — it's not, and this reviewer found Chapter 24 ("The Dying City") one of the best fantasy chapters he's read in a while — but it may not satisfy those looking to lose themselves in a character's mind or world.
As a final note, newcomers may find it helpful to read the novel's appendices before or in conjunction with the opening chapters, in order to orient themselves with the realm's geography, gods, and calendar.
A promising debut, recommended for fans of sword-and-sorcery and fans of medieval fantasy looking for something a little different. Recommended with slight reservation for fans of highly descriptive or personal heroic fantasy. —Rob Rhodes
 This Crooked Way: A clever, witty, and darkly whimsical series
 Already an exile, Morlock Ambrosius is now also officially an outlaw in This Crooked Way. Winter finds him wandering when his horse, Velox, is stolen. Previous adventures have earned Morlock’s loyalty to the mystical steed and it’s apparent that the horse theft is a tactic to lure Morlock into a series of traps orchestrated by an enemy from his past. So into the dangerous pass called the Kirack Kund — dwarvish for "The River of Skulls" — The Crooked Man goes. This quest will end up lasting several years in which Morlock encounters golems, monsters, rival sorcerers, insectoid tribes, thieves, street gangs, and dragons, and even sort of adopts (or perhaps is adopted by) a misfit family.
This is the second novel Mr. Enge has written about his intriguing character. He has also written short stories about Morlock in Black Gate magazine and in the anthologies The Return of the Sword and Swords and Dark Magic. Morlock Ambrosius is one of the most fascinating and fun heroes in fantasy. Simply said, I’m hooked.
Morlock is a genius. He was fostered by dwarves a couple centuries ago and he learned swordplay from the greatest master of all time. He is very proficient in most all the arcane arts, which only makes sense, because his father is none other than Merlin himself. However, Morlock’s unmatched expertise is in the making of magical things. With his great engineer’s mind, he meets every problem, no matter how deadly, with a cold, calculating thought process, like it’s a mere mathematical riddle to be solved. He can be ruthless; an alcoholic, currently a recovered one, he threatens murder when offered a drink one time too many — a threat he surely would’ve acted on. But he can also be compassionate — showing mercy to treacherous enemies or putting himself in harm’s way for a stranger.
The events that build up to the ending of This Crooked Way read much like a series of continuing short stories in the tradition of sword & sorcery tales.
Many different characters tell of these adventures; some are told by friends of Morlock but more than a few by his foes. The various points of view, influenced by the terrifying stories that all have grown up hearing about The Crooked Man, only deepen the mystery of Morlock Ambrose.
These stories are as clever, witty, and darkly whimsical, as Morlock is himself. I plan to read them all and I’ll also be watching closely for anything else James Enge writes. —Greg Hersom
 This Crooked Way
Morlock Ambrosius has a problem with his father. Most problems are eminently solvable for the seer and master-maker, but because his father is Merlin Ambrosius — yes, that Merlin — this one's a bit trickier. Shortly after helping his sister stabilize a kingdom, as chronicled in James Enge's fine debut novel, Blood of Ambrose, Morlock finds his conflict with Merlin entering a new and deadlier phase. And when two men with such vast powers collide, both bystanders and entire races will be irrevocably impacted.
It's difficult to provide a more detailed yet spoiler-free review of This Crooked Way. The difficulty stems from the author's deliberate construction of the novel from an eclectic series of loosely connecting vignettes. (Several of these vignettes have previously appeared as short stories in Black Gate magazine.) As a result, the tale itself reflects the crooked way in which Morlock and his companions — most often a family under his protection — encounter one foe or life-threatening puzzle after another, before the final encounter with Merlin. What does this mean for readers? Those who prefer more traditional epic fantasies with increasing tension and a consistent third-person viewpoint may find the looseness of the main plot thread and the switches between first- and third-person narration disconcerting. On the other hand, readers who are game for a different approach, and a main character who's neither a misplaced savior-prince or a sassy huntress of things that go moan in the night, will likely find much to enjoy in the niche Enge has fashioned between traditional sword-and-sorcery and the “New Weird." Whereas old-school S&S heroes battled in maelstroms of "blood and thunder" (or "thud and blunder," in the less-stellar tales), the cerebral, taciturn Morlock — a blend of Solomon Kane, Gandalf, Mr. Spock, and something wholly his own — survives by both "blood and ponder(ing)."
In truth, he also survives by his possessions and sheer power. Besides wit and swordsmanship, his powers include long life; immunity to fire; flammable blood; life-like golem creation; the ability to enter into a state of rapture, in which he can hibernate, manipulate matter, and create illusions; gold creation; magic that stuns with a word; and the ability to tie both shoes at once (really). His possessions include a sword which comes when called; a collection of sentient flames; a sleep-inducing bird in a bottle; a super-lockpick; a rat-summoning pipe; a winged globe-bomb; and a magic bean (a la Jack). It's a testament to Enge's creativity and playfulness that he can repeatedly build situations that actually threaten such a character, and it also raises a question for (one hopes) future examination: how did Morlock become who he is and acquire so many wondrous items? (And another, one touched upon in the book's Appendix B, a short but elaborate piece of non-non-fiction, I think: what's the relationship between Morlock's world and ours, given Merlin's access to both worlds and Morlock's knowledge of Latin?)
Like Blood of Ambrose, This Crooked Way is an intelligent and unique example of modern sword-and-sorcery fiction. It won't appeal to everyone, but fans of sword-and-sorcery or non-stereotypical fantasy should definitely give it a look. Four loquacious flames. —Rob Rhodes
 The Wolf Age
 One of the challenges of having read a fair amount of fantasy is that I find myself comparing the novels I’ve read. I look for similarities between books, characters and storylines. James Enge's The Wolf Age is built around the anti-hero who rebels against the existing order, a well used archetype. Fortunately, Enge still manages to put his story together in such a way that makes for a compelling read.
Morlock Ambrosius is a stranger traveling through lands that are being raided and pillaged by a nation of werewolves. Morlock’s combination of martial prowess and magical skills allow for accomplishments that would be otherwise impossible, and he serves as a catalyst for change. Morlock tries to stay out of trouble, but is swept up by a band of raiding werewolves that throw him in prison. They plan to either have him killed by other prisoners or to use him to kill other prisoners. It's a pretty violent setting, and it's a motif that runs throughout The Wolf Age. Surprisingly, Morlock makes friends in the prison and they escape together. This escape and the threat they become to the political orders of the werewolf nation makes for the bulk of the story.
Morlock's werewolf friends from prison become very important to him. The loyalty that builds between Morlock and his companions was my favorite part of The Wolf Age. Seldom have I found something that I admired quite so much as the way that this bond was integrated into the story. "Blood for Blood" — that sort of morality really appeals to me, and it adds a sense of honor and integrity even in a prison setting that I truly found remarkable.
The magic of Enge’s world also appealed to me. He does not get incredibly detailed, but the terms Enge uses and the ways that magic affects things operated according to an intuitive logic. Enge twists science through arcane skills that allow matter and life to be manipulated in a logical fashion. Very cool stuff, in my opinion.
However, The Wolf Age is not a perfect book. There are storylines that I felt didn't have a place in the book. One of the central premises is an unannounced war amongst the Stranger Gods that I just never got comfortable with. It didn't really detract from the story, but it just felt ill constructed compared to the rest of The Wolf Age. Despite small defects, Enge has created a story that I wanted to finish. I wanted to know how things would turn out, and I enjoyed Enge’s juxtaposition of loyalty with Morlock’s harsh world. The Wolf Age is a very solid book. —John Hulet
The Wolf Age
Morlock Ambrose gets into yet another mess when he defies a band of werewolf slavers raiding a human village in the barren lands of the north. After enduring a long incarceration in a werewolf prison, Morlock incites a riot that allows him and the other werewolf and semi-werewolf convicts to escape. Then he only gets himself mixed up in the brutal politics of the werewolf kingdom called Wuruyaaria. To make matters worse, this could all be the designs of the Strange Gods who are in a struggle for their own survival.
Morlock is the greatest of all makers and is an almost unbeatable fighter. His father is the legendary Merlin and he was fostered by dwarves. In Morlock’s centuries of life, he’s been a fabled guardian, a feared outlaw, and his very name is considered by most to be a curse. He can even converse with crows. Simply put, Morlock Ambrose is the ultimate “man-for-all-seasons.” I can’t help but think of him as a fantasy version of the spokesman for Dos Equis beer. So you can tell I’ve got quite a thing for the “Crooked Man.” When it comes to current sword & sorcery tales, the only author who creates characters anywhere near as cool as Mr. Enge’s Morlock Ambrose is Joe Abercrombie.
That being said, of all the Morlock stories I’ve read — The Blood of Ambrose, This Crooked Way, the short stories in the anthology Swords and Dark Magic, and the recently released and currently free e-book, The Travelers' Rest — The Wolf Age is my least favorite.
Enge’s writing style can be rather complex — he does teach Latin and Greek after all. So he has a tendency to use obscure words. That’s one of the elements that makes his writing unique. (The dictionary function in my Amazon Kindle gets a workout when I read Morlock Ambrose e-books.) Also, while Enge’s weird world-building is very detailed in the appendix, by design it’s left somewhat vague in the story itself.
But for this book, combining that style with a bizarre werewolf society that has its own crazy languages is just a little too much. The werewolf names and words are unpronounceable, at least for me, and even kind of look the same at first glance. Reading them over and over wore me out, and sometimes even confused the story. There is an appendix, but due to the warning of spoilers I was reluctant to use it and when I did, it just proved distracting. However, to be fair, hard to pronounce, made-up words and names are a personal pet-peeve. So other fantasy fans may not have the same issues that I did.
Still, when Morlock is at his best, which is when he is doling out vengeance on his enemies, protecting the weak, loyally standing up for his own, or puzzling out the answer to a mystery, this tale is as much fun as his other dark adventures. While The Wolf Age may be my least favorite Morlock Ambrose book, Morlock is still one of my favorites. —Greg Hersom
Travelers’ Rest: Morlock came, he saw, and he kicked some ass!
 Travelers’ Rest is short and sweet. (Much like myself except the sweetness of Travelers’ Rest is Morlock Ambrose’s dispersion of justice, and the sweetness of me is, well I’m just freakin’ adorable). Also, Travelers’ Rest is a free e-book from Pyr in honor of The Wolf Age, the latest MORLOCK AMBROSE novel, being their 100th book. Just in time for Christmas too. So a sincere thank you to Pyr is in order. They are already my favorite publisher, so they really didn’t have to, but it’s nice they did. (Click here for Kindle or here for ePub).
The many that follow my reviews — well, the few… OK, OK, the one poor FanLit reviewer who draws the short straw and gets stuck editing my reviews — already knows how much I’m into Mr. Enge’s infamous maker and swordsman, Morlock Ambrose. So I won’t go on and on about him again. Morlock couldn't care less to hear it anyway and would only respond with his typical reply of “Eh” and that would only be if he’s feeling talkative.
Travelers’ Rest takes place before the events in Blood of Ambrose, and Morlock fans will be happy to see that his dwarf apprentice, Wyrth, accompanies “the Crooked Man” in this story. I know I’ve missed the little guy.
In their wandering they come across a sleepy little town. Wyrth wants to move on, but Morlock insists they spend the night at the inn, aptly named “Travelers’ Rest.” A rather bulky looking thug intrudes upon Morlock’s and Wyrth’s dinner to take the innkeeper’s daughter, who is also their waitress. So Morlock, in his normal fashion, defends the girl and we learn that the townspeople had made a pact with a sorcerer many years before. As payment for services rendered, the sorcerer has his occasional pick of villagers or, better yet, visitors when available. Even though the innkeeper and his family believe Morlock to be an evil entity that drags damned souls to hell — of course they don’t realize its Morlock himself that has visited their establishment — he can never stand idle while the weak are being preyed on. Well, at least not when he’s sober. So Morlock proceeds to do what he does best. Simply put; he came, he saw, he kicks some ass.
This short story is the “Crooked Man” at his most superb which is why Travelers’ Rest is the perfect introduction for any newcomers to James Enge’s MORLOCK AMBROSE and a quick thrill for established fans. —Greg Hersom |
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