Heirs of Empire (The Scourwind Legacy)

Surprisingly boring story, for this author. Beginning drew me in, but it was a bit of a struggle to finish. Usually this authors writing paints a clear picture in the imagination, but I had a hard time understanding all the sail related passages.

Not since the golden compass have I been so entranced by such a visionary work.
Enter an amazing new world where quantum mechanics is a basis for technology, and you owe it to yourself to explore this world where imagination is become a captivating and unprecedented reality, a world that is a mystery in itself as is some of the basic tech, aircraft with quantum sails and rockets, quantum armor in archaic form, the spoiled princess and rogue Prince. And amidst them all cadre gone bad based upon a mystery, betrayal, and then there is the loyal one.
Mira del sol a rogue herself.
"She glanced at him, a haunted look crossing her face. “Don’t ask me for answers you truly do not want to learn, Gaston. Let me just say that this world within which we live is . . . more than it appears.”
"She smiled, which would have almost made her beautiful if it weren’t for the sardonic twist of her lips and the cold gleam in her eye."
"It was a glaring oversight on her part to believe that the loyalists would be . . . loyal."
"Those behind her were barely worth a passing thought, and as to those in front of her? May the universe pass judgment on them with mercy, because she would not."

Evan Corrie has created the first installment in an incredible new epic fantasy with Heirs of Empire. With political intrigue, rebellion and battles using flying ships, trains and super soldiers called the Cadre, this story is a powerful introduction to the Empire, it's people and it's history. While this is the first, I hope there will be more than two books following this one. The way Mr. Currie has set up this world, I can easily envision a much larger series of books detailing significant battles, forays into the past, sky island exploration and many other story arcs. Just keep writing Mr. Currie. This series has legs.

The worldbuilding focuses on military technology, especially armor, weapons, transportation and aviation. In addition to that, Currie describes a world with a glaring hot sun all the time. Shade is provided by floating islands that orbit on a regular schedule. Hints of the history are provided intermittently, which give intriguing clues to the origins of the Empire. There is also a lost race, the Atalans, who created the palace, the Redoubt and the armatis, which are extremely powerful, personal weapons that are almost sentient.

This story is about a rebellion by a Cadre soldier named Corian, (not the countertop) along with factions of the army and the Senate. Emperor Scourwind is the reigning monarch when the rebellion strikes. His twins, Brennan and Lydia flee from the palace into hiding in a remote corner of the Empire. The balance of the book is about the hunt for the twins and the planning and execution of a counter rebellion with members of the nobility, the Cadre and the army.

There are some stand out characters in the story. Mira DelSol is my favorite. She is a Cadre Commander, equivalent in battle to over one hundred soldiers. Talk about a kick butt, take charge type of woman, Mira wipes out armies without breaking a sweat. After the rebellion, she was disgusted with authority in all its forms, so she hijacks a skyship, puts together a crew and turns pirate, and what an amazing pirate she is. Another character who stands out is Corian. He too is Cadre, so he can fight like a demon with his armati. He believes he is doing the right thing by taking over the Empire from Emperor Edvard Scourwind. His frustration with politics and governing are comical and make him almost a sympathetic character. Almost... Kayle is another favorite Cadre, unfortunately he doesn't feature in much of the book. I expect Lydia and Brennan Scourwind

Bottom Line: If you like your epic fantasy with advanced new technology, characters, political intrigue and military battles, then pick up Heirs of Empire. It is a fantastic start to a new series.

Highly Recommended!

I feel like Evan Currie has some really really awesome stories, but he has some rough patches, I won't get into details but some things he leaves in the book don't make sense with the story or are just confusing. Overall great book and I'll be reading book two ASAP.

I am fan of Currie's Odyssey books , including The King of Thieves. I saw this new book, and patiently waited for the audio to come out. In this book, you get a new story with a strong heroine (which I liked), and two "sidekicks" : the young heirs. It is an engaging and interesting new storyline, even if written in the same multi-character view that Evan Currie usually approaches.

Things I found similar to previous books: Currie likes his "uniquely synced weapons (the Archangels in the Odysseus and here "the Armati") I don't really know if that is good or bad but throughout the book, I couldn't shake the impression that I was reading a somehow modified version of the Archangels firefighters each time the "unique link" between the Armati and its Cadreman was mentioned. Also the main heroine is like a female version of Eric Weston when it comes to her out of the ordinary strategic decisions.
Despite that, it's an enjoyable book. I recommend it, and I'll be waiting for the next installment.

A really good read. I enjoyed the action along with allowing female characters to have brains and courage. Thank you so much Mr. Currie for not having the boring wimpy female needing to be rescued. Although I knew it was coming I don't enjoy getting to like a character and having them horribly murdered, it was done well. I think any action futuristic can be said to remind us all of Star Wars, as it was a huge block buster movie series, I do not see that much similarity. I loved the lack of glaring editing issues and am definitely reading the next in the series. Good Job!

This was a great start to (hopefully) a series. The character development was superb, the technical knowledge was spot on and the relationships between the characters were believable and inspiring. The only thing keeping this from a 5 star rating is the lack of geographical knowledge. Due to that information being spotty, quite a bit of the story was difficult to place. I understand keeping pieces of it hidden for future books, but we needed more than we were given, imo. That being said, I can't wait to read the next book.

As usual Evan Currie delivers a decent premise for a space opera with above average prose (for the genre) that has at least some rudimentary editing evident. The story could be cleaner/crisper with better editing to excise some of the lingering literary offenses though so minus one star.
The main storyline through the second volume is a fairly straightforward good guys/bad guys conflict with undertones of Jedi-like magic for the Cadre knights. Currie is developing some interesting stellar scale mega engineering in the style of Niven et al to spice things up though so I'm looking forward to how he plays this out.

This is definitely a departure from the Odyssey One series and I like it. If felt slow in the beginning. At first I thought this was just me getting used to the "new world" created by one of my favorite the authors. By the end of the book I realized it was a carefully laid out plot by Mr. Currie. I found myself challenged by the mysteries revealed as the pages went by because they were revealed in ways I did not expect.

I'm not giving this book it's due in this review. I was unaware of what the author was doing with the plot until it was revealed to me. As someone who, after many years of voraciously reading fiction, has always been able to pick out the story well in advance, this book made me think... alot.

Evan has really grabbed my attention with this series. I had just finished the Odyssey series and loved it so much and was so glad I decided to give the Sourwind Legacy series a try. This is another great series with excellent characters and storyline. I can't wait to jump into book two. Also, the audible version really makes this series come to life. Since I am a Kindle Unlimited subscriber the read and listen for free books are the books I gravitate towards. Thanks Evan for making the books available for reading and listening.

This is my first Evan Currie book (and available free from the Kindle Lending Library) and I really enjoyed it. Constant action right from the first page, an interesting world, good characters. My main complaint is this is NOT a stand alone book. The entire story line in the book only gets vaguely resolved (it doesn't end on a cliff hanger, just lots of questions and one major thing that wasn't taken care of). I feel cheated that I read it without any indication that I'll have to wait for future books to get things cleared up. I have a pretty steadfast rule not to read any series that isn't finished. So - if it doesn't bother you to have to wait two years for answers - go for it :)

Great story telling. It has character development, action, intrigue of sorts, mysterious artifacts, elite warriors with some Jedi like powers, and it all exists within a mysterious world which is clearly artificial, and to sci fi readers like you and I, sounds perhaps like the inside of a Dyson Sphere, or a huge colonising ship, or even a huge prison.

I want to see where the author takes this. It could be amazing.

This is a really action packed book and really short so the book really flies by. There's not a lot of character development but I didn't find myself missing it. There's also not a lot of time spent on world building rambling which I REALLY appreciated. Honestly beyond the central story I kept reading because I was so interested in the mysteries of the setting. It was just a great example of telling me enough to get me intrigued and understanding what was happening without adding greatly to the length. The book felt very cinematic to me as I really enjoyed visualizing all of this action as I read. Mira and Corian were the stars of the story in a big way compared to the other characters so I'm curious to see if book 2 will focus more exclusively on them.

First time reading something by Evan Currie. I felt like the writing style was a bit lacking for me. Not a lot of character development and barely any character description. I was confused for a larger portion of the book because I didn't know what kind of world it was set in. Definitely got better as I continued reading, but that was more than halfway through. I did finish it and also bought the second book. I didn't get a lot sense of closure from finishing this book. Wasn't the worst book I've read, definitely wasn't the best. I wouldn't read it again, probably wouldn't recommend it to a friend except for the fact that it was free through prime reading.

Few people really capture the feel of what makes a story like Star Wars so good - it's something that Evan Currie does with each book. We're not talking overly intellectual hard sci fi here; rather, Currie channels all the things that make a story like Star Wars popular, exuberant, and accessible. Always expect several POVs, lots of action, sudden deaths, and likable characters - and don't let some of the cliches trip you up along the way. Though not a part of the Odyssey One universe, still a great read just like all his books.

Story: The empire under the Scourwind family has prospered but one general is about to do the unthinkable - topple the emperor and wrest control himself. In the balance stands the cadre - the elite warrior force who are extremely powerful but badly outnumbered. Only the emperor's children, twins Lydia and Brennan Scourwind, can prevent the empire from completely collapsing. But will there be anything left to save?

I greatly enjoyed Heirs of Empire (listened to the audible version, so please forgive any misspellings). Yes, there are some logic issues; e.g., the general who calls all his people 'idiots' and 'stupid' yet inexplicably has a horde of blindly loyal followers. As well, there are some cliched writing examples in there (e.g., someone bleeding to death described as watching 'his lifeblood flowing away") and the villain, General Corian, is eeeeevil to the point of being a mustachio-twirling, cackling, stereotype. it's still greatly enjoyable bubble gum sci fi. Add in the twins and their suspiciously lucky skillsets (ace pilot and hacker) plus the top warrior finding them and you get a formidable trio if perhaps a not very credible one.

I did have a lot of Star Wars moments and this books very much like an homage or love of sci fi for all ages. From the twins feeling very Luke and Leia since one is a pilot and the other statesman (minus the "I'm your father." thing) to a showdown between the emperor and the general that had dialogue so much like the Obi Wan/Darth battle in Episode IV. Add in some mysterious weapons (read: lightsabers) that only the elite can use and a mystery behind where they came from and you get the idea. Let's not forget descriptive names like "scourwind" and "Delsol" and the characters being a part of a rebellion against an emperor. It may sound like a bad thing, or derivative, but it really isn't. Currie's works are familiar yet also surprisingly unique.

Those wondering if this is a series: it ends a solid story arc but does leave room for sequels down the line.

So yes, a fun book with space battles, a fallen empire, very engaging characters, and several POVs. It's greatly surprising none of his books have been made into a movie yet - they certainly are cinematic and with such broad appeal. This book made for an especially fun car trip with the audible version and the family listening in (teens).

The story pretty much starts with the Empire being overthrown and the surviving heirs fleeing. The author weaves in how this effects the heirs, their guards, the military and everyday citizens. I did not understand a lot of the descriptions of how their air ships worked, but if you know anything about sailboat rigging you probably would. Overall I'm looking forward to the next book in the series to discover some of the answers to mysteries hinted at.

This was a fast moving, exciting adventure that left me wanting more...lots more. There are so many aspects of this strange world that are left open to question and could be explored in more detail with followup book(s). In fact this facet of the book was the best part...even above the rather fast moving adventure itself. For instance, the Armati are crazy-powerful weapons and more about how they came into existence and what they really are would be an interesting story. And what exactly is this world anyway?

I mostly listened to the audiobook, downloaded along with the Kindle Book thanks to Kindle Unlimited, but I was totally swept away by the epic world building of this book. The characters were very interesting and I found myself totally enthralled as the story progressed. Can't wait to read the second book!

I wish more concrete hints were given about whether the Empire is in danger from within and outside, but either way Mira is definitely someone you'd want on your side. She is a bold and intelligent heroine that was loyal to an Empire that betrayed her. Still smarting from that betrayal she maintains honor in her own way.

As a practice, I do not write reviews for anything, literary or otherwise; however, for Heirs of Empire, I had to make an exception. I have been an avid Science Fiction fan for better than 50 years and I've read, with pleasure, most of Evan Currie's Kindle works. Heirs of Empire is by far his best work to date! In my opinion, this work compares to the best of Classic Science Fiction, on par with Heinlein, Clark, Asimov, and Dick. For the sheer power of storytelling, it is on par with Frank Herbert's masterpiece, Dune.

I will leave the detailed plot reviews to better qualified critics. But for those looking for an incredibly FUN read, I recommend adding this book to your reading list.

Very impressed with the new worlds, people, armies and empires created for this book. I was concerned seeing the cover that this would be Swords and Sorcery but Evan has written so many good books I had to give it a try. I reckon this is a new genre I have named 'Quantum-Punk' a brilliant mixture of Ultra-Tech, Mediaeval Empires and secret cults. Characters particularly good and I just loved the descriptions of action in the Sailing Sky Ships. Very highly recommended, can't wait for book two.

Evan Currie does another outstanding job with Heirs of Empire. Although I generally am not a fan of science fantasy, this book hooked me from beginning to end. The story is a feast of great writing that is highly descriptive and brings the reader into a high-tech futuristic world. The characters are amazing, especially Scourwind heirs Lydia and Brennan.

Elements of mystery, science fiction, epic battles, personal vendetta's, and many questions. I can't wait to read the next book! Very well written. It kept me wanting to learn more and wishing I could go off and explore the world on my own. Highly recommended.

This book was average for me. Not overwhelmingly great, but not bad either. The world is very intriguing and the author has built a creative setting for the story. The plot is somewhat predictable but I appreciated the centering of it around the leading lady Mira Delsol. There are a lot of bits and pieces in the story that would benefit from more backstory but it is not so gaping that the reader can't follow. I would recommend it as a casual read.

The author lays a lot of groundwork in this intense tale. Allusions to an ancient race, wars fought before known history, and the unknown lands beyond the walls of their world. My eyes glaze over during some of the battle scenes but they are an Integral part of the story. Good characters, waiting to grow.

This is definitely a good read and an interesting beginning to potentially a very large world. That said, its not on the same level as some of the author's previous writing. Still good but not as awesome is his other two series. That said, this is just my opinion and may be due to a change in genre.

A good book to read. Gave me an interesting perspective on an alternative history. This story does set up well the next novel. Does help if you know about sailing and flying to understand certain concepts.

Want a story with superb and truly different heroes and setting? A science fiction future that almost feels like an ancient civilization? This book has all that and an action packed storyline to carry the whole thing to a very good ending. The story has some loose ends but is a fine read and a good lead in for the series.