War Cry by Brian McClellan (Novella)
Brian McClellan is among my favourite epic fantasy authors having given us door-stopping tomes like the Powder Mage trilogy and his new one, Wrath of the Empire, second book in the series set in the same world that started off with Sins of the Empire coming out this year as well.
When I got the ARC of his new novella, War Cry - I had no idea it was a novella. I expected it to be a full on, tour de force epic fantasy novel. A epic fantasy based on the World War was indeed pretty intriguing and then Brian had me reading this at one stretch, this whole Saturday wrapping it up early evening. It is that good, damn addictive.
So War Cry introduces us to a world, in the state of a perpetual war, an area called Bava or Bavares high plain, possibly one of largest plateau in the world - through the eyes of this shape-shifter called Teado. He is a Changer ( and I will just let you experience what he really is, through the book without divulging much details!) and he holed up in a small canyon with his platoon, Bavarean soldiers set to do guerrilla warfare on the enemy. All of the members of the platoon have become his friends and a sort of family. As they wait for supplies from the main company, Teado also listens to the radio often tuned into the enemy's stations. Seditious propaganda to induce them to desert camp and move over to the enemy. We are introduced to his friends, Aleta - a sharp shooter who makes dreadful coffee, Rodrigo the die-hard ever cheerful pilot who makes his weekly runs to get supplies and ration to the platoon from the headquarters with his single-seater plane and his sister, Bellara - a sixteen year old sorcerer who maintains the illusions so to keep the platoon hidden from the enemy plane recon missions.
On a daring mission to capture a supplies plane, Teado gets separated from his friends and lands up in no-man's land, scouted and hunted by enemies. How he makes it back from behind enemy lines makes up the rest of the edge-of-the-seat thrilling narrative that takes no prisoners and just spritzes along till the unexpected twist at the end of the story.
It's a slim novella and it's a wonder how Brian has packed in so much world building, magic systems and a thoughtful examination of war and the after-effects of the same. Bellara has a question early on in the book that is the perfect example of how powerful and yet simplistic this process has been - "What is more important? Killing the enemy or creating wonders for the children?"
In fact, Bella's character is one of my favourite in this book. Teado is mostly reactionary, a young man whose fervour and fortitude is unquestionably high, his intentions noble and his actions definitely speak louder than his words. Needless to say, I loved the frenetic action set-pieces (as I have come to expect from Brian) and the edge of the seat tension as it unfolded through to the very climax making me glued to my kindle reader for better part of this day.
And yet the gentler moments between these hair-raising battle sequences and treacherous tight-rope walking amidst grenades and back-stabbing war politics, are what won my heart. Like when Aleta and Teado discuss the taste of coffee, soft doughy bread and the prospects of a never-ending war. Or when Bellara questions Teado about the futility of this war and her intentions to make illusions that would make people happy.
It is a wonderful dissertation on the psychology of war-weary soldiers on the ground. And its also a pulse-pounding adventure featuring some heart-stopping magical action sequences in a world where the war is eternal. A Must Read.
When I got the ARC of his new novella, War Cry - I had no idea it was a novella. I expected it to be a full on, tour de force epic fantasy novel. A epic fantasy based on the World War was indeed pretty intriguing and then Brian had me reading this at one stretch, this whole Saturday wrapping it up early evening. It is that good, damn addictive.
So War Cry introduces us to a world, in the state of a perpetual war, an area called Bava or Bavares high plain, possibly one of largest plateau in the world - through the eyes of this shape-shifter called Teado. He is a Changer ( and I will just let you experience what he really is, through the book without divulging much details!) and he holed up in a small canyon with his platoon, Bavarean soldiers set to do guerrilla warfare on the enemy. All of the members of the platoon have become his friends and a sort of family. As they wait for supplies from the main company, Teado also listens to the radio often tuned into the enemy's stations. Seditious propaganda to induce them to desert camp and move over to the enemy. We are introduced to his friends, Aleta - a sharp shooter who makes dreadful coffee, Rodrigo the die-hard ever cheerful pilot who makes his weekly runs to get supplies and ration to the platoon from the headquarters with his single-seater plane and his sister, Bellara - a sixteen year old sorcerer who maintains the illusions so to keep the platoon hidden from the enemy plane recon missions.
On a daring mission to capture a supplies plane, Teado gets separated from his friends and lands up in no-man's land, scouted and hunted by enemies. How he makes it back from behind enemy lines makes up the rest of the edge-of-the-seat thrilling narrative that takes no prisoners and just spritzes along till the unexpected twist at the end of the story.
It's a slim novella and it's a wonder how Brian has packed in so much world building, magic systems and a thoughtful examination of war and the after-effects of the same. Bellara has a question early on in the book that is the perfect example of how powerful and yet simplistic this process has been - "What is more important? Killing the enemy or creating wonders for the children?"
In fact, Bella's character is one of my favourite in this book. Teado is mostly reactionary, a young man whose fervour and fortitude is unquestionably high, his intentions noble and his actions definitely speak louder than his words. Needless to say, I loved the frenetic action set-pieces (as I have come to expect from Brian) and the edge of the seat tension as it unfolded through to the very climax making me glued to my kindle reader for better part of this day.
And yet the gentler moments between these hair-raising battle sequences and treacherous tight-rope walking amidst grenades and back-stabbing war politics, are what won my heart. Like when Aleta and Teado discuss the taste of coffee, soft doughy bread and the prospects of a never-ending war. Or when Bellara questions Teado about the futility of this war and her intentions to make illusions that would make people happy.
It is a wonderful dissertation on the psychology of war-weary soldiers on the ground. And its also a pulse-pounding adventure featuring some heart-stopping magical action sequences in a world where the war is eternal. A Must Read.
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