Review by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Sara Omer’s debut fantasy novel The Gryphon King lands with the force of a descending pegasus–a sweeping historical epic bolstered by some of the finest worldbuilding since Curtis Craddock’s Risen
Kingdoms series (reviewed here). Inspired by Omer’s own Turkic and Kurdish heritage and her self-proclaimed obsession with the Ottoman Empire, this is a fantasy world that will excite readers who’ve seen every Western European trope trod into tired ground. The novel is just out from Titan Books, available here at Amazon and in bookstores everywhere.
The action unfolds in two alternating narratives, enemy combatants in a clash of empires. Bataar of the Red Steppe, the Gryphon King of the title, is an undefeated warlord intent on conquering the known world. Driven by the devastation he witnessed in his tribal lands as a child, he wages war against poverty and sickness. But he hides a haunting secret: Bataar sees the souls of the dead as they depart and are devoured by the Preeminent Spirit, a hungry and merciless god.
Bataar’s terrifying reputation comes in part from his boyhood feat of defeating a gryphon that attacked him and his young friends on a hunting expedition, and has only grown as he collects soldiers, weapons, and victories from his conquered lands. Bataar’s army marches on the ancient kingdom of Dumakra, which is defended by a celebrated honor guard of the Zultam’s bloodthirsty daughters. Nohra and her Harpy Knight sisters ride pegasuses into battle, wielding weapons with fearsome names and even fiercer reputations. The bitterness of her mother’s death has left Nohra single-minded in her devotion to protecting her younger brother, the heir to the Zultam’s throne. But a devastating betrayal from within sees everything Nohra loves destroyed and lands her under Bataar’s rule—a yoke she’s unwilling to accept.
As Bataar balances the reconstruction of his conquered lands with the relentless onslaught of his empire, Nohra plots revenge. Bataar emerges as the more sympathetic of the main characters, aware of the damage his path causes and keen to mitigate it when he can. Nohra, by contrast, becomes increasingly unpredictable, alienating even her closest friends and blind to their own struggles.
The Gryphon King, first in Omer’s Chaos Constellation series, definitely reads as the opening salvo in a longer epic, more than a complete installment that stands on its own. The action—battle, aftermath, battle, aftermath—keeps the same pace throughout and lacks a ticking-clock urgency or sense of plotlines coming to a final clash. Despite this, the rich worldbuilding and strong supporting cast carry the reader through on the dazzling ride. And a couple diabolical surprises await, thanks to breadcrumbs masterfully scattered throughout.
Highly recommended for fans of epic and historical fantasy, The Gryphon King is out now from Titan Books, available here at Amazon.
