James Enge

Morlock Ambrosius — (2009) Publisher: Behind the King's life stands the menacing Protector, and beyond him lies the Protector's Shadow... Centuries after the death of Uthar the Great, the throne of the Ontilian Empire lies vacant. The late Emperor's brother-in-law and murderer, Lord Urdhven, appoints himself Protector to his nephew, young King Lathmar VII and sets out to kill anyone who stands between himself and mastery of the Empire, including (if he can manage it) the King himself and his ancient but still formidable ancestress, Ambrosia Viviana. When Ambrosia is accused of witchcraft and put to trial by combat, she is forced to play her trump card and call on her brother, Morlock Ambrosius — stateless person, master of all magical makers, deadly swordsman, and hopeless drunk. As ministers of the king, they carry on the battle, magical and mundane, against the Protector and his shadowy patron. But all their struggles will be wasted unless the young king finds the strength to rule in his own right and his own name.

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 R.   Comments

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 R.   Comments