Review: Conqueror's Blood by Zamil Akhtar
Blurb:
Game of Thrones meets Arabian Nights in this blood-soaked sequel to the bestselling epic fantasy Gunmetal Gods.
The Kingdom of Alanya is home to mystic warriors and mischievous djinns, vulgar poets and vain philosophers, soaring simurghs and scheming shahs.
Little do the people know that a power struggle between an ancient sorceress and an upstart sultana threatens to bathe the sands in bile and bones. A bloody cauldron boils, and primeval gods laugh whilst they stir it.
As warhorses charge, arrows shower, and cannon shots brighten the night, all must choose a side.
Review:
Gunmetal Gods had one of the most unique voices in fantasy that I’ve read. Not only that, the dual POV storytelling, building upon the narrative with equally powerful and justified plots opposing each other created a compelling reading experience. With such huge expectations to tackle, does Conqueror’s Blood live up to its predecessor?
Keep reading to find out!
What I liked:
Right off the bat, I just want to say I love how Zamil Akhtar plays each side with equal care and cruelty, giving each POV equal footing. Like Gunmetal Gods, he continues to build on his Middle-East-inspired world through the eyes of fascinating characters locked in opposing missions, the looming threat of a cosmic war burgeoning in the background.
Like Steven Erikson in Malazan, Akhtar steers clear of continuing the narrative from Gunmetal Gods, taking us to Alanya instead with an almost entirely new cast of characters. We’ve heard of them in the previous instalment, but not enough for them to feel familiar. Sort of like that family of distant cousins you’ve heard about but never really met. Not only did this pivot serve to expand the world, but it also felt very rewarding. The narrative re-introduced many of my favorites from book 1, alluding to its events in ways that felt relevant and impactful to the ones transpiring here. Connecting the dots and identifying easter eggs, while a secondary enjoyment in the novel, did serve to enhance my overall experience.
Conqueror’s Blood follows Cyra and Zedra, two women of the court of Alanya. Cyra is a political hostage while Zedra is a concubine, mother to the future Shah. Where Gunmetal Gods saw its protagonists fighting on the battlefield, Conqueror’s Blood has its heroes navigate politics and sorcery. Yes, you read that right. Conqueror’s Blood featured a lot more magic than Gunmetal Gods, shedding more light on the arcane of this world. The djinns and eldritch gods now have soulshifting, bloodwriting and starwriting to complicate their battlefield. Honestly, this exploration of the magic system and its connections to the cosmic war was the most intriguing part of this novel. “Fantastic” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what Akhtar has crafted here.
The plot itself is as straightforward as Gunmetal Gods. Zedra and Cyra are active participants in this conflict, driving the narrative forward with their zeal and desperation. It’s a literal life-death situation for both, which somehow extends to the fate of the entire cosmos. The threat is real, and feels like a constant presence. The horror elements only added to the discomfort of an already harsh environment. Add to the mix a near-breakneck pacing and you have in your hands a stellar sequel to the mind-blowing Gunmetal Gods.
As the narrative threads start converging near the end, a lot gets revealed that complicates matters.
What I didn’t like:
Unlike Gunmetal Gods, it took me a few chapters to really get into Cyra and Zedra’s voices. They didn’t stand out to me as much as Kevah and Micah. I also took a while to differentiate between their voices, which further made the start a little slower than it was. While the two do get their own individuality and voice over time, I had a hard time really rooting for either. The truth is that both of them have pretty compelling arcs, reasonable motivations, and enough of a personality to hold an epic like this together. Yet, they don’t outshine the characters of the previous entry. Maybe because I expected too much after reading the Kevah-Micah arcs, or maybe because I personally wasn’t able to connect to Cyra-Zedra.
Another aspect that I found off-putting was the ‘x hours earlier’ part in some of the central chapters. That sort of muddled the timeline for me, and I had to take a step back to really make sure I was following the events in the correct order. I get why Akhtar used that device, but avoiding it might have kept the narrative easier to follow. Also, I did notice some pacing issues, but that could be owing to my personal distaste for flashbacks like this one.
Lastly—and this is me nitpicking—I did not like one major aspect of the ending. SPOILER ALERT: Lat dies. Lat… the supposed god of all things… makes an appearance in the climax only to get killed by Cyra’s starwriting. Maybe I missed something. Maybe this is by design and will get addressed in future instalments. Either way, I found this one event to be quite an odd choice. I’ll just have to wait and see what the implications of this event will be.
Conclusion:
Conqueror’s Blood is a worthy sequel to Gunmetal Gods. Despite a few differences in treatment and pacing, the fantastical elements with cosmic threats will awe you as much as they will terrify you for the future that Akhtar is building for this series.
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: Magic system, opposing POVs, world-building, cosmic horror elements
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Couldn’t connect with the characters as much, some pacing issues
