On the other side of that, Alder’s Sienese father has high hopes that his only son will succeed in the Imperial Examinations and place their family higher in society, and through this Alder sees a way to learn the Emperor’s magic, which might bring him closer to that first feeling he experienced. When Alder reaches for magic, he feels its infinite power and the flow of the universe, but his grandmother gives him his witch marks, confining his magic and cutting off that awareness. From then on, he sneaks out every night to learn of the culture, language, fighting techniques and, finally, magic of his mother’s people. Alder’s story begins the night his grandmother takes him to the old Temple of the Flame and gives him a naming mark, divining his Nayeni name: Foolish Cur. In many ways, this book is a coming of age, and the narrative structure reminded me very much of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind, with Alder telling the story of his life, from the first time he sees his Nayeni grandmother perform witch magic and his desire to attain that power pushes him onwards to his magical education and travels through the Empire. To serve one would be to betray the other.’

‘The two competing branches of my family – to which, I felt, I owed an equal duty – could not be reconciled. The world building draws a lot from the Eastern cultures of our world, particularly Chinese elements when it comes to the Sienese empire, and I appreciated the way the familiar and the fantastical blended together to create this compelling story of colonies, free choice, and those caught between it all. Wen Alder, son of a Sienese merchant and a Nayeni woman, has been preparing his entire life to take the Imperial Exams, for the chance to rank highly and learn the canon of magic. The Hand of the Sun King is set in a fantasy world in which the great Sienese Empire is slowly conquering its neighbours, and the eternal Emperor takes the magic of the conquered lands and incorporates it into his canon, which he allows his Hands and Voices -trained mages- to tap into. Thank you to NetGalley and Gollancz for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves.

a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.

I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance. My name is Foolish Cur.Īll my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor.

The hand of the sun king