The Axe and the Throne (Bounds of Redemption)

The other reviews for this book had me expecting something quite different than what it turned out to be. In short, I would say it's not too bad as the author's first novel, but I do have my issues and frustrations with it and ultimately have to recommend against it. If you're just skimming reviews, however, I will warn you quickly; there is no point buying this if you're not willing to commit to its sequel. More on that at the end of my review.

Firstly I'll just address the comparison to A Game of Thrones that's been made in a lot of reviews. I've seen some comments that the character of Cassen the eunuch is overly similar to A Game of Thrones' Varys. I can wholeheartedly dismiss that - Cassen is a wholly different character, and by far this book's most complex and intriguing denizen. But on the whole I can classify this novel as a kind of "A Game of Thrones Lite" - the same kind of bloody intrigues and family dynamics, but overall not quite so well put together.

Between the author's foreword and many of the reviews here, I was expecting the book to be quite dark and edgy. Having finished it, I'm not sure that all that fuss was necessary. The story does involve some instances of rape, but it's mostly told rather than shown. In terms of what the author was describing on the page, I never felt uncomfortable with what I was reading; sad for the characters involved, certainly, but never quite so uneasy as I expected to given all the warnings about how dark this book was going to be.

The major thing to discuss about this book is that there are just too many point of view characters, and the story skips so erratically between them that the narrative becomes very unfocused and unsatisfying. While I had no problem following all the threads of the story, and certainly appreciate many of the author's characters (some of whom are less complex and interesting that others, but there are certainly a few gems in the cast) there's definitely a problem with the structure here. It's not just that being pulled back and forth between the perspectives of whole cast of (mostly unrelated) characters has the effect of stealing my momentum and snapping me out of it just as soon as I've become invested in a particular thread. The point of view skips also jump around in time (early in the book at least, these shenanigans stop later on), leaving you to try to patch a timeline together. The book starts with an obvious ramp up towards a specific initial dramatic event which just about any reader will see coming from a mile away, but the narrative hops about around it for so long that this early dramatic moment isn't over and done with until halfway through the book. The threads tying all the different characters and arcs together only begin to connect towards the end of the book - for most of it you're just dealing with two core casts of characters whose intrigues have no connection to each other. Furthermore, the opening point of view character, Talos, could just be lifted straight out of the book with virtually no consequence - he appears rarely and has no interaction with anything of importance.

My final criticism, and the reason why I knocked a star off this review, is that the book does not have a proper ending. This is sequel bait. The book builds up its intrigues and works itself towards a climax, but delivers on exactly none of it, ending in the middle of nowhere. Absolutely nothing is resolved - I cannot overstate this. If you want any satisfaction whatsoever, you have to resign yourself to committing to the sequel. I can appreciate an ambitious author who is building towards a long series, but you have to sell me a finished book. Each volume has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You need to resolve SOMETHING so that I feel satisfied having invested the time to finish the book. The author didn't do that in this case. It leaves you hanging in the middle of nowhere, everything you've been anticipating out of your reach, with no closure whatsoever. That is a very bitter pill to swallow, and it ruins an otherwise muddled-but-decent novel.

This is absolute Grimdark Greatness! MD Ireman is a force to be reckoned with. If you love epic fantasy, with plenty of world building, numerous character POVs, viking/barbarian peoples, complex story lines, intricate plotting, then this book is for you! Tor books could only be so lucky to be publishing MD Ireman's epic novel. But in today's publishing market, Ireman may be better off on his own without any constraints.
Fans of Abercrombie, Scull, Erikson, Barclay, Lawrence, Martin, etc. with devour this book. I actually read it in 2 days, because it was impossible to stop. You simply are absorbed into each character's storyline, and beg to know how they will all be connected, in Ireman's complex and careful plotting. You owe to yourself to buy this book. And the audio version read by Matt Cowlrick is absolutely astounding!

I don't normally review much on here but had to put my two cents in on this book. Great dark fantasy. I'm not an avid reader so I really need a good story to get me roped in and this book delivers on every level. The characters are well developed and I can't wait to see where the story goes next. It looks to be part of a trilogy. Once I got past the first 50-75 pages it became really difficult to put the book down and that rarely happens with me. One of the few books I have that I plan to re-read so I can absorb any character nuances I might have missed.

I know some reviews said this book was difficult to follow. I did not find that to be the case at all. The book does jump to a different POV for each chapter but the edition I have includes a little sketch and name of the character at the start of each chapter so there is no guess work. It also includes a little note if it's a flashback (ex. "A few days earlier" or "some years ago"). Its possible a second edition is out now that includes these as I have seen two different covers for the book. I have the version shown here that includes the Nordic warrior on the front.

Again, can't recommend this enough. So many great twists and turns. The second book can't come out soon enough!

Although I read this book many months ago, and have in that time read many other fantasy books, somehow, this book has still stood out to me. The writing is incredible, especially since this is a self-published book. Not only that, but the characters and great and they are all grey and complex and honestly, they're as well done as the POVs from ASOIAF. The reason why I'm writing this review now is because this book really does deserve more recognition out there. Most of the fantasy books that I have read in the past year have been way less interesting and well done than "The Axe and the Throne" and that is something that I find unfair, considering that those books sold millions of copies and are well renowned when in fact they weren't even that good. If you want to read A Game of Thrones that is in a smaller world (but still very well done world), then this is truly a book for you. It's an enjoyable read that will keep you on the edge of your seat with very well done intrigue that actually makes sense to the plot and isn't just thrown around the book to make it more interesting. I can't wait for the Tides of the Realm to come out to see if this series can reach true glory and in all truth, its first book shows a lot of promise so I see no reason why the second book wouldn't be as good if not better. Buy this book if you're into fantasy. Trust me, it's not as well known as the others but it's still better than many of them.

First the good .
- It is well written . The style is mastered, descriptions are well done, the dialogues are correct .
- It is realistic (understand gritty like a real middle age) in an Abercrombie's style .
- Some characters are believable . Not all, more about that below .
- The world building and the plot are extremely classical . It is in this field that other readers were reminded of a G.Martin light and I agree .

But then the bad .
- The map is ridiculous . A correct map is a must for a fantasy book yet here we have a childish picture with naive icons which doesn't communicate the size, the distances and the richess of the world . The author should have asked a professional to do a map which looks like something .
- What did the good old natural evolution do to all men ? They are all dumb like door knobs . And when an exception, the young Titon, seemed to have a spark of SOME intelligence, the author promptly bashed him on the head to destroy any threat of having an intelligent man . By contrast all women are strong, scheming and smart . Actually this is so manichean that as long as Cassen is shown as eunuch, he is quite smart but as soon as he assumes his male self, he becomes stupid like all men too . I can't fathom what the author is trying to tell us with that.
- The chapters are much too short because the amount of point of view is much too large . This is very detrimental to character development and to the believability of the plot .

All in all this is worth an average . But as 2.5 stars don't exist, I give a bonus to the good writing and rank it 3 .
But please, Mr Ireman, for the next book try to find some intelligent men and flesh out the plot so that we can believe in your story .

The author is a fine wordsmith and the book is action-packed. So why two stars? Well, first, I couldn't finish it (you'll see why). This is a book that will appeal to fans of movies like Saw, Hostel and the Human Centipede. Torture porn. It is full of graphic, (literally) unbelievable savagery and rapes. The author tries to make a legitimately savage period in history even more savage - he forgets that humans are humans in whatever time period. Silly and sickening.

I was duped into buying this book via a pernicious Amazon advertisement seamlessly integrated into a "best of" list at a fantasy website I have frequented and trusted for years.

My biggest regret is that I read 20% of the book before returning to the website and realizing my error. Some of the negative reviews have made it seem like the book is too dark or too violent. Don't misunderstand: dark is good. I love grim and bloody stories in the capable hands of GRRM, Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Glenn Cook, etc. "The Axe and the Throne" doesn't deserve to be on the same shelf as books written by the aforementioned authors. Perhaps it could be stored beneath a wobbly table leg in a restaurant. On second thought that won't do either, lest some unsuspecting soul should look down and feel bad that a book is being mistreated, pick it up and (God forbid) begin reading this aggressively illiterate compilation of words and paragraphs and chapters masquerading as a novel.

Like the stew repeatedly consumed within its pages, this book is a reheated, rehash of reconstituted tropes congealed into an inedible putrescent gloop unfit for the swine trough.

Outstanding book. A little slow in the middle but as the book gets passed that it really amps up the tension. There are a lot of pov's but the chapters are short so you don't get bogged down with one character. Most of the time I had no idea how the story was going to go. The wither surprised me and went in a direction that I enjoyed. This is not YA.

Mister Ireman,

I am writing to tell you how "fecking" incredible your writing is and how much I enjoyed The Axe and The Throne. I normally do not write to anyone; it typically takes me hours due to the fact that a few of my fingers rot somewhere in the dark, dank depths of a Rivervale prison. However, I have decided to fight through the pain to let you know you have a believer, a new "fan", if you will. Please please continue this amazing series! I understand you are not yet able to write full time, and while I'm sure it would be nice to have your passion and talent for writing pay the bills, find solace in the fact that there are people out there who will support your writing endeavors. It normally takes me months to read a single book. I read yours in three days. Three days! My parents had to check on me to make sure I was alive as I did not leave my house for three days while reading this fantastic story! Time well spent! Anyway, keep up the good work, and know that this book and hopefully many more to come is much appreciated!

Respectfully,

Chuck, Cousin of Small Gryn

Flashbacks are ruining scifi and fantasy, no one is capable of telling a story through character development anymore, just jump back in time every other chapter and tell it the easy way. Very frustrating, every time the story gets some tension built its off to a hundred years ago to ruin it. Non-linear storytelling is a disease, maybe together we can all join to find a cure.