Gold and Glory by Brian Libby

NOTE: Gold and Glory was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Brian Libby.


Last year, one of my best surprises was Storm Approaching, Brian Libby’s fantasy debut that introduced the world to Andiriel, orphan school-girl who becomes a government agent and a mercenary leader in a pre-gunpowder fantasy environment full of historical touches. Hot on the heels of that release is the second volume of the saga, Gold and Glory.

Following from the events of Storm Approaching, Gold and Glory picks up after a winter of training for the Pelicans mercenary regiment. Andiriel, along with her ever present sand fox, continues on as an atypical and very effective leader, joining an army of mercenaries led by General Demantius. After a couple of battles that Andiriel takes in stride, a unique offer from an odd source presents itself. Sarenia, enemy of the Empire, wants to hire the Pelicans, along with an army of other mercenaries, to fight in the Sarenian Succession War currently taking place. Andiriel accepts, and sets off on a whirlwind adventure in a strange, foreign environment.

Once again, Libby has presented us with a very fun adventure, although this one is in a very different vein than Storm Approaching. While Storm Approaching was a sort of coming-of-age story, Gold and Glory is the action epic, the heroic fantasy saga of the series so far. Filled with battles, Gold and Glory never lacks for action and adventure. Libby works very well at creating characters that are very memorable, both major and minor. The action is very exciting, and feels very real, yet also retains an interesting strategic aspect sadly absent from most action fantasies of the day, which follow the hack-and-slash method instead (not that that is bad, but the variety and uniqueness is nice).

The only thing that I felt detracted from the story at all was the fact that I never felt the Pelicans were in any real danger. Andiriel seemed to always be on top, and it seemed a little too easy or convenient at times. While that can be an issue, I never felt that bothered by it, as the crux of the story, despite all of the action, never was the action itself, but Andiriel and the other characters, and how they grow and develop. What Libby is writing feels different than most modern fantasy (and not just because of the lack of certain tropes), and it is a welcome and refreshing addition to any fantasy reader’s library. If you enjoy fantasy, action, history, or a good story with characters you can become deeply attached to, give Libby a try.

9/10

Storm Approaching by Brian Libby

Luke Reviews is obviously going through some changes. The new site is up and running, with the old one being nothing but a place to dump old reviews, making them convenient to link to. This new expansion gives a lot more opportunities for growth, and to allow the Luke Reviews community to interact even more. However, all this shouldn’t overpower the most important part of Luke Reviews: the books! We are beginning a string of fantasy books. Storm Approaching by Brian Libby is starting things off, and we will follow it up with a special surprise related to Kell’s Legend, the book that spawned this action/adventure fantasy streak, then reviews of The Fighters: Master of Chains by Jess Lebow, Beyond the Black River by Robert E. Howard, and Reiksguard by Richard Williams.

Brian Libby’s first fantasy novel, Storm Approaching, follows Andiriel, an orphan who seeks more than her tame village life offers. Andiriel manages to bump into Sir Branlor, a very important knight, and plays an important, if small, role in securing the future of the Empire. After her successful work, Branlor takes her back to the Capital, where she becomes a member of the Sovereign Order, a group that works to protect the Empire and its Emperor. Her first mission takes her far from home, to the island of Calman, as she goes undercover, searching for a man who disappeared while doing work for the government. However, that is just the beginning for Andiriel, who is about to go on a life changing journey after a falling out and a run in with some mercenaries.

Libby’s novel is not the average popular fantasy, with very little in the way of the fantastic (other than the occasional wizard-figure who does unexplained magic, and a fox that has a very special, if unexplained, bond to Andiriel), and this give it much of the texture that fills this tale. There are no dues ex machina magical save-alls, making this a far more real tale where death means forever. However, despite that dark allegory, it is a very upbeat, happy tale, with a spunky tomboy protagonist, and a host of very well-realized and full developed characters.

Storm Approaching has the occasional section where things get a little too slow (mostly the very few chapters in which Andiriel doesn’t have a part, as they seem far less involved in the immediate storyline), but for the most part the pace of the plot is spot on. While this book is very much able to stand alone, there are a number of occasions (particularly in the slower chapters I just mentioned) that you can tell that, despite the slowing down, Libby has definite plans for the future of this series. Beyond the first book, he apparently has the next three novels in the Mercenaries series written out, their publishing to occur only if the first book does well. After reading Storm Approaching, I truly hope that sales are excellent, because I cannot wait to find out what happens next to Andriel and company.

9/10