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The Emperor of Babylon
The Emperor of Babylon opens with Zurga being captured by a mysterious group and whisked away to Babylon. Despite his skills as a Wanderer, his captors appear to be well prepared. The purpose of his capture becomes clear as an old friend demands to be granted the power Zurga is rumored to possess from the well-known war of years past. This rumor is what spurs the plot forward, along with the discovery of a new metal used for weapons, as Zurga and his friends search for a way to keep Nurim Sin from waging war on anyone who has a power he might fear. In the meantime, the village of the Wanderers has been neglecting its duty, leaving them open to the dangers of the world.
Orfeo and Clarice, on their separate, but shared, quest to find Zurga, are both given the opportunity to grow, and the reader is treated to two very different styles of travel through these characters. It gives the narrator a lot of breathing room when it comes to how the story is told, developing each of them into well rounded individuals, rather than a married couple.
I felt that Nurim Sin was not presented as a very dangerous antagonist, and the fear and tension normally derived from that was lacking. Because Zurga and his crew are granted a seemingly easy escape, it diminishes the suspense regarding Nurim Sin’s actions in the future. Much is revealed about Nurim Sin’s plans by him talking to characters like Zurga and Clarice, which removes the concern a reader might have about his secret plans.
The first half of the novel follows the characters as they travel and try to avoid suspicion. There are hints of a threat to the characters, but the anxiety from the danger is rarely felt. The characters were a highlight in this novel. I felt that they were well developed, nuanced and had meaningful interactions. The second half of the book shows the politics of the region as pieces fall into place in preparation for war. The characters play their parts and move the pieces as much as they can. Clarice’s deception of Nurim Sin is entertaining and I wish I was treated to more of it because that’s the kind of action that makes this book shine.
Overall, the novel has many entertaining moments built on slowly developed tension and conflict. The characters are dynamic and intriguing and the author does a good job of establishing new faces in the story. I can’t wait for the third book, but I’ll be begging for more edge of your seat conflict that this series has the potential to deliver.
Pages: 256 | B016SNL510
Courage and Heroism
Author: Neil Jopson
In The Siege of Laronto there are a lot of great courageous characters. What was your inspiration for creating the main characters in this story?
I used a collection of different historical characters as my starting point, and then added my interpretation of them. Mathilda was a mixture of Elizabeth I and Boudica, as well as a couple of strong females whom I know! If I’m honest, I have had a lot more ideas for her character development, which I hope to follow through in the sequels.
The knights and baron were based on a collection of knights who were gallivanting around during the middle ages, particularly influenced by the Crusades. The king of Valecia, as well as the archbishop and merchants were influenced by the age of Spanish exploration and the Conquistadors. I hope that a sense of greed and intrigue came through in those passages. Wirlwin is more of a Marco Polo character, as will become clear in the next book, which follows the events of his next mission.
Juan was probably my favourite character. He took the role of the ordinary person in history, one who is as every bit as courageous as the ‘great’ men and women, but is often forgotten in the retelling of the story. It was a very deliberate decision to make him a member of the original inhabitants of the island.
Why did you want this story to circle around the siege of this one city? How did it play into the development of the characters?
Laronto itself was based on Lanzarote (you can see where the name came from!) in the Canary islands; a volcanic island with a history of eruptions. The sieges of Rhodes and Malta were used as templates for the action. I hoped to create an intense atmosphere, where not only the lives of the protagonists were threatened, but also their entire way of life. Hence the desperate decision to send Wirlwin to Valecia.
The Siege of Laronto, I felt, was about death, honor, and war. What is one thing that you hope readers take away from the story?
In the age of the anti-hero, I would like to think that I have shown to some extent that courage and heroism do not spring fully formed from an individual; but are created by our reaction to events as they occur. There is also an attempt to show how honour is a subject thing, and it can be gained, lost, and regained by individuals.
What authors or stories served as your inspiration in creating The Siege of Laronto?
The most influential author on me for this book was probably Louis de Wohl. He’s somewhat out of fashion at the moment, but his potrayal of action and the idea of ‘chivalry’ did have some influence on the approach I took.
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The mighty Slavodorian army stands ready to wipe the small barony of Laronto from the face of the earth. Baron Trosh and his daughter Mathilda attempt to rally their forces before the invasion, even though they know it to be hopeless. Can Wirlwin bring help through his secret mission to the King of Valecia, or will traitors and jealousy doom Laronto from within before the fighting even starts? Meet knights and Barons, heroic peasants and treacherous servants as they fight to survive in the onslaught of the Storm of the Nations.
LITERARY TITAN 