Review: Blade Broken by Niranjan K

Blurb:

A spy lurking in the shadows, a nation on the verge of an invasion, a man desperate to protect his home.

Lucian is the Blade of Castrial, the kingdom's spymaster and first line of defence, lauded for his success in repelling an invasion from Garaner. But the war has left Castrial's economy in shambles, and when the neighbouring kingdom of Sarian musters their armies and sends spies into Castrial, Lucian realises two things: they have a spy in their midst, and they can't afford the cost of fighting off another invasion.

And if that wasn't trouble enough, there is Alaric, the Shield of Castrial and the only man in the Echelon whose power is equal to Lucian's. Returned from banishment like the vengeful spirit of their long-lost relationship, Alaric carries a deep-set grudge against Lucian, a grudge that may well be justified.

Lucian's desire to protect his nation is nearly equal to his wish to reconcile with Alaric, but if he cannot get his act together and convince the Shield to work with him, Castrial will fall.

Blade Broken is a queer, sword-and-sorcery fantasy and the first book in The Echelon Series. If you love flawed characters, betrayals and redemption, and gritty worldbuilding with lots of political machinations, you will love this book.

Review:

A lighter read than my usual books–Blade broken, the first book of the Echelon series–explores the intricacies of human relationships in a fictional medieval setup where magic is common place and the threat of war is ever-present.

The premise of the story is interesting - Alaric was condemned to an exile for five years and has just returned to the capital after their banishment was lifted by the King. As the newly appointed Shield of Castrial, they now have to work closely alongside Lucian, the Blade of Castrial. This complicates matters because, on the one hand, Lucian and Alaric have a romantic history, and on the other, Lucian had a critical role to play in Alaric’s banishment.

The protagonists are likeable, and the author paints a great picture of their worldviews. Their unshakable faith in their country felt a bit too idealistic, but is understandable in the wider context of the world. While Lucian and Alaric are almost mirror images of each other, the other characters help with adding more detail and diversity to the plot. Sylvestor in particular, compliments their personality quite well, and I was glad that his role was not sidelined.

Over the chapters, we see Alaric and Lucian’s feelings for each other evolve, and their complex relationship forms the core theme of the story. It becomes clear early on that their mutual attraction is the author’s primary focus - events that could have been great action sequences in a traditional sword and sorcery adventure are glossed over in one or two paragraphs, while pages after pages of dialogue are devoted to the evolution of their emotional attachment.

The fantasy and magical aspects, while thoroughly incorporated into the ambiance of the world, become substantial contributors to the plot only towards the later part of the book. Nevertheless, the deeply entrenched elements of political intrigue kept me hooked throughout. The large cast of characters took some effort to keep track of initially, but over time they add depth and realism to the story. The players often need to make difficult decisions when faced with a choice between their country and their love interests, and these choices shape the flow of the narrative. 

The presentation is quite approachable, and the plot direction is clear at all points. The narration flows very well, and at no point did I feel puzzled or overwhelmed. While there are some light depictions of violence and some exploration of slavery, nothing in the story is particularly dark or gruesome. The pervasive themes of love and patriotism would appeal to a wide audience. I would have liked some more insights though into the magic system as well as the legal framework, though.

I don’t usually include spoilers in my reviews, but in the case of this book, I’ll make an exception because my biggest disappointment was that dragons are mentioned as a looming threat in the beginning, but they don’t actually make an appearance in the entire book. Perhaps we will see more of them in future books in the series - which I’ll be eagerly looking forward to.