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Empire of Others Kindle Edition
Step into a world of grandeur and exploitation, where the once-magnificent Twilight Empire is under siege by ruthless merchants from The Isles, who have come to conquer with cannon, saber and sorcery.
Join Lord Abel Trius, an invader wrestling with his own sense of justice, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and moral reckoning while navigating the treacherous waters of power and privilege.
Delve into the heart of a high society amusing itself in the ashes of a foreign nation. Will Abel choose to protect his family's legacy or stand up for what is right, regardless of the cost?
"A rip-roaring story - fantasy on the surface but with plenty of allusions to real colonial history and attitudes." - Amazon reviewer
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJune 1, 2024
- File size1004 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B0D45CH6B6
- Publication date : June 1, 2024
- Language : English
- File size : 1004 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 394 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #318,687 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #377 in Gaslamp Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #683 in Gaslamp Fantasy (Books)
- #1,414 in Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Sam Amin Shah is an author of fantasy, populating his own unique worlds that touch on themes of identity and exploitation. He is of a varied background himself, with British, Hong Kong and Indian roots. His debut novel Empire of Others is the first in a series with a colonial fantasy setting,
Under a pseudonym, he is a published poet, and has won numerous awards for his short stories along with writing several unpublished novels which might not be half-bad. You can find him on TEDx and as a stalwart of Hong Kong's live spoken word scene.
Sam lives in Hong Kong with his wife and good boy, Ernie.
Customer reviews
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Genuinely unique fantasy setting
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024Empire of Others takes place in a fantasy world roughly analogous to the British Raj in India and/or the Dutch East India Company. It's not exactly common fantasy territory, which makes the setting immediately captivating. A soft magic system provides the fantasy element, with various houses that make up the Valiant Company having different arcana, and vastly different powers. The magic takes a backseat to the intrigue, which we are given through the first-person perspective of the scion of house Trius, generally a bumbling man, yearning to return home, and a little too naive to thrive in his surroundings. I found myself not cheering for the main character, while getting the sense that it was intentionally so, given that we are following a prudish, hypocritical, colonizer, whose moral fence-sitting drives the central tension between the factions. Excellent work for a debut novel.
5.0 out of 5 starsEmpire of Others takes place in a fantasy world roughly analogous to the British Raj in India and/or the Dutch East India Company. It's not exactly common fantasy territory, which makes the setting immediately captivating. A soft magic system provides the fantasy element, with various houses that make up the Valiant Company having different arcana, and vastly different powers. The magic takes a backseat to the intrigue, which we are given through the first-person perspective of the scion of house Trius, generally a bumbling man, yearning to return home, and a little too naive to thrive in his surroundings. I found myself not cheering for the main character, while getting the sense that it was intentionally so, given that we are following a prudish, hypocritical, colonizer, whose moral fence-sitting drives the central tension between the factions. Excellent work for a debut novel.Genuinely unique fantasy setting
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2024This book looks at the history of a fictionalized East India Company from the inside. Fantastic wealth, romance and social jousting are all on offer against a background of cultural juxtaposition with a distinctly darker side. The fantasy world draws the reader in and pulls the plot along as the book explodes with revelations in the second half. There is humor, action, and a keenly-observed moral center to the story as Abel grapples with his duties to family, to the Company and to mankind. Through it all, the crackling interaction between Abel and his investigative partner kept me turning pages to the very end.
My only complaint is that there is so much going on in this world and I want to know more!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024If only the story of colonialism was filled with so much intrigue and deceit. Oh wait, it was. Minus the magic.
Empire of Others is much more than a revisionist’s historical recollection and rewriting through a magical lense. It is an infusion of fantasy into the candelabra that holds the light on history, told in a first person voice that put me in the thick of the action.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024The author has been doing well in Hong Kong, his last anthology of poems was great.
This book has a great story and is full of suspense, highly recommended to anyone looking for an epic tale!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024Great story! The characters are very memorable and the plot kept me guessing.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2024This book seemed good from the synapse however, it was on the whole forgettable. I didn't connect with the characters, nor did I enjoy the flow of the story.
It started out on the cusp of a battle which is a good start, when done right, and with a good flow, it shows you decisions made it the heat of the moment, moments of courage, and who is loyal or not. This book just didn't give me any of that. It gave me a very underwhelmed feeling.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024Fast paced and interesting
- Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2024Shah’s debut and creation of a colonial world of “the haves” and “have nots”, where arcane powers of concerted (and competing) governing ‘houses’ fuel profits for a beast/entity (‘The Company’) far bigger than most realize, has you hooked from the very first chapter. A deeply flawed yet loyal protagonist is forced to confront the harsh realities of class/race, love, imperialist expansion, and his prejudices (and his actions perpetuating all of the above), learning that things aren’t always as they first seem.
There were several points where I audibly gasped - “I am a company man.” Shah’s pacing, ability to play with tension (of several varieties), introduction of back stories, and vivid descriptions via “showing” rather than “telling,” make it an extremely enjoyable read. No line/page/chapter is in vain or without furtherance of an ending that sets up an equally gripping sequel (and succession thereafter).
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars A rich, sweltering tale of greed and intrigue
An incredible tale exploring noblesse oblige, greed and intrigue in a rich, blended fantasy setting. History buffs and fantasy romantics will enjoy the parallels drawn to our own world and examined in this book. I simply cannot wait for the next in the series.