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Book Review: “Steel Crow Saga”

Steel Crow Saga

Paul Krueger

Hardcover, 517 pages

Publication Date: September 24, 2019

Publisher: Del Rey

Genre: Fantasy

I have been a fan of fantasy books for almost as long as I can remember. If there is a book in my hand, you can place a good bet on it being fantasy. While I read fantasy regularly, it has been a few months since I picked up a stand-out fantasy novel. Thankfully, that all changed with Paul Krueger’s “Steel Crow Saga.”

While this may not be the case for everyone, I am a fan of all-in fantasy. Think “Lord of the Rings,” “Game of Thrones” or “Eragon.” I enjoy books with multiple nations full of different kinds of people who all observe their own customs, traditions and ways of life. My favorite way “Steel Crow Saga” does this is through the continuous mention of the various languages spoken in the book. Each main character has a native language different from the others, and Krueger carefully keeps the reader aware of which language the characters have decided to speak at a given time. I do not think I have ever read a book which chose to include this detail, but it was one I greatly appreciated.

Not all fantasy will go into detail this much, and even fewer books will do it well. Often, books like this take some getting used to as you begin to recognize all of the names and places thrown at you, but this is, in my opinion, well worth the adjustment period.

“Steel Crow Saga” is structured that way. A world of four nations has been at war for decades, with the formerly dominant Tomoda now defeated. The people Tomoda had conquered are in charge of its fate, and animosity is high. Steel Prince Jimuro is the only surviving member of the Tomodanese royal family, and he has been a prisoner in a foreign land for years. As he is escorted back to his homeland, Jimuro must figure out how to lead a broken nation and negotiate a place with other world powers.

While Jimuro is trying to get home safely, there are others trying to keep him from being crowned. Xiulan, a princess of Shang, has tried her luck by teaming up with a thief named Lee in order to kidnap Jimuro for her own purposes. Jimuro’s bodyguard, Tala, has her hands full with a stubborn prince and a strange enemy stalking them across the country.

Each character’s motives and backgrounds are closely intertwined with the magic flowing through the world. Some people have the ability to “shadepact” with an animal, creating a soul bond between them allowing the animal, strengthened and protected by magic, to fight by their side. Others can control metal, and still others have the ability to call magical energy to their fingertips to use for healing or destruction. Each main character is from a different nation, with different magical abilities and histories of war with the other nations.

The storylines of the four main characters intersect throughout the book as it races toward the conclusion. I found myself having to shield the next page with my arm to keep myself from skipping ahead to find out what happened. While this book is over 500 pages long, it is a standalone, which may be my favorite thing about it. There is a widespread problem in fantasy where authors will have a great idea and stretch it out over three, four, five or more books. Krueger does an excellent job of fitting a full, complete story nicely within a single volume.

The themes central to the plot of “Steel Crow Saga” are not shied away from. Characters must reckon with the blood spilled in the name of their countries and figure out how to move on from years of war, whether through more war or finally seeking peaceful relationships. This is not an easy thing for any of the characters to face, and it is not a problem quickly and easily resolved, to the author’s credit.

In addition to the deeply complex and intriguing worldbuilding, every main character is three-dimensional and develops throughout the book. Typically, fantasy has either good worldbuilding or good characters, but “Steel Crow Saga” has both, to my immense enjoyment. If you are ready to settle in for an engrossing, moving rollercoaster of a story, give Krueger’s book a read. “Steel Crow Saga” will appeal to both fans of fantasy and those less familiar with the genre. I cannot recommend it enough.

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