The Hand of The Sun King by JT Greathouse REVIEW

Started: 04/07/21

Finished: 19/07/21

Spoilers: No

Big thanks to Gollancz and Netgalley for sending me a free copy to review.

This is a very unique read and I have a lot of thoughts. I have a feeling this review will be a very long one.

Characters

Wen Alder is an interesting character. Not necessarily one that I like, but definitely an interesting perspective to read from. He's not the most humble guy ever, has very little humility, and the moment he gets a smidgen of power he becomes an arrogant arsehole with an over-inflated opinion of his own self-worth. But as has been the case with other books, I don't need to like a character in order to enjoy them.

I think the main reason why I clashed a little with Alder at first was due to how rude he could be to people because he considered himself their better. But once he gets over himself he becomes far more tolerable and kind. The problem with Alder is that he never learns. His personality is one step forward, to steps back.

Alder spends so much time hating on the empire for invading countries and stealing their magic to add to its collection. But it's interesting to see how Alder, in his obsession with magic and understanding it, does exactly the same without realising it. He almost becomes the thing that he hates. He's the very embodiment of Empire.

Another problem with Alder is that magic makes him an arsehole. When he succeeds at magic, he deems himself above those who cannot wield it. When he fails at magic, his initial reaction is to reject help from those who cannot wield it because he deems himself above them. Basically, he just lives in a near-perpetual state of thinking himself better than everyone else. And though this should just present him as flawed and only human, really it just makes him an arsehole.

He's reasonable enough to regret the unkind things he says to people, but that never stops him from saying them, every single time. In this regard, there's no growth to his character. He never learns to just bite his tongue and not say hurtful things to the people who show him kindness, patience, and sympathy.

I don't mind a character being insufferable in the beginning so long as they grow and become a likeable character by the end. There needs to be an internal journey, and though Alder does have one, it affects his growth very little. Even at the end, after everything that's happened, he still thinks too highly of himself. In fact, many characters even tell him he thinks too much of himself but he just doesn't seem to grow from it.

Now, all this being said, the best of Alder is right at a very, very end. It wasn't until the final chapter that I was finally like yes, Alder, fucking yes. Finally! At last he did something that excited me. Until this part, I was on the fence about continuing the series, but now I definitely have to read the next one cause I finally see the potential for character growth.

Plot

This is a very quiet novel, not particularly high concept, nor big and flashy, but excellently well written and delivered. I don't normally go for these biographical 'let me tell you everything that's ever happened to me' type stories, but this is by far the most interesting and unique that I've read.

From the very first page to the last, I was fascinated by this world and its concept of magic. With the Sienese Empire invading other countries in order to steal their magic. I've never read an idea like this before and found it a very interesting take on colonisation.

And quite brutal at times. There were definitely moments that caught me off guard, reminding me that not all was peaches and roses, the hero can't always win, and sometimes that loss is devastating. This book isn't afraid to go to some really dark places.

I feel like throughout the story mini twists or information is revealed, but Alder never reacts to it which left me wondering if he already knew and I somehow missed it, or if Alder is just completely empty inside. It was weird.

Overall, this is a slow story, but by no means boring. However, by the 60% mark, I did start to wonder where the story was going and hoped it wouldn't just end up being a new The Name of the Wind. It stagnates a little around this part, lacking deeply in tension, action, and stakes. I don't need break-neck action on every page but I need something to keep me invested in the character's goals. It started to pick up and get interesting again at the 70% mark but then slows down again by about 80%. By the time the story's climax came around I just felt too frustrated with Alder to care much about what he did next.

Don't get me wrong, the plot itself is fantastic and fascinating, but Alder is such a terrible protagonist, for reasons I mentioned above, that it almost overshadows how good a story this is. There's so much I love about this book, but I'm struggling to fully embrace it but I just don't like Alder all that much.

Now, all this being said, the best of Alder is right at the very, very end. It wasn't until and final chapter that I was finally like yes, Alder, fucking yes. Finally! At last he did something that excited me. Until this part, I was on the fence about continuing the series, but now I definitely have to read the next one.

Setting

From page one we're thrown into a world of mystery. The world is immediately atmospheric and expertly laced with intricate little world-building details that intrigue.

Although this world is clearly inspired by Chinese culture, the main word here is inspired . It draws a lot from the culture whilst not leaning too heavily into it like a crutch. Every so often little details would be thrown in that challenged my perception of the world, reminding me that this isn't just fantasy China, but entirely its own world with its own culture and history. I thought it clever the way the author had laid clear foundational inspiration whilst building something wholly new and original on top of it.

The world feels very sure of itself. It knows what it is and is very well realised. If the world was a character, it would portray itself as confident, knowledgeable, and extremely well developed. In other books, I can sometimes feel the world-building holding back a little, hesitating before taking the final step to a fully realised world. But the world in this book boldly embraces it's own design, stepping into the shoes created for it and filling them very nicely without overwhelming the plot.

I know this all probably sounds really pretentious, but I don't know how else to describe it. The world here just feels really unafraid to explore itself.

Writing Style

I loved how small, seemingly unimportant details were called back on in a later chapter and actually turned out to be vital to the plot progression. Details so insignificant at the time that they would be easily overlooked, but when recalled, they made me stop and admire how clever and thoughtful the writing was. Aha moments of oh yeah, that happened. And it happened for a reason.

This novel is superbly written, I have no doubt about that. JT Greathouse certainly has a way with words. They flow smoothly the way I imagine the magic system in this book flows. It's fluid and effortless.

Final Impression

A very interesting book that I definitely enjoyed, though I did swing wildly between loving it and feeling frustrated with Alder. That being said, I'm still interested to see where it goes next, and I can only hope that Alder is a more likeable person in the next one.