In the millenary world of Taenand, the continent of Empiria is oppressed by a fifty year lasting military dictatorship perpetrated by the Army of the Harpy, the leader of which is the young General of aristocratic descent Ludwig Maximilian Eckhale who inherited the throne and became the second Emperor of his Era.
In these challenging times, Valerius Raleigh, a young noble as the Emperor himself, takes on the mission to inspire his country to break its chains and free itself from the ever more raging tyranny, first becoming a symbol and a messenger of freedom, then building an army whose purpose is to take down the reign of terror and injustice which threatens to spread all over Taenand due to the ruthless ruler’s strategic mindset and powerful alliances.
The Harbinger of Freedom is the first act of the Falling Feathers Series, a crazy mix of blood, sex, drugs, hacking, cybernetic augmentations, shamanism, fantasy creatures, artificial life and an overall retrofuturistic and cyberpunkish aesthetic. In this vast, complex world, liberty and self-determination play a pivotal role in the search for balance and justice for all, while the diverse characters are pawns in a gritty game of power, intrigues and violence in which there is no place for surrender or subjugation.
The Harbinger of Freedom
Freddie A. Clark
Published: 30th August 2021
Goodreads
Rep: bi mc, gay li, achillean & sapphic side characters, nonbinary side characters
CWs: gore, violence, implied child sexual abuse, past child abuse (for more detail, see author’s website)
The Harbinger of Freedom is a sprawling science fiction novel, set within an oppressive regime and headed by a young, idealistic teacher, who finds himself kidnapped by space pirates (for want of a better phrase), and must work his way into a position where he can save his own life and later effect change.
As I said, the world in this is immense in scope, and it comes to life on the page. A lot of thought has clearly gone into its conception, from the politics to the philosophies of the characters, it is a fully realised world. It’s also one that you will want to read more of even after you’ve left it, because there’s so much more that you might possibly explore in it. In the first book, all you really see is one society, with hints of others interacting, and there’s so much potential to expand the world even further.
On top of this, you have a slowly unfolding plot, which combines political intrigue with a rebellion to overthrow a tyranny. It’s not a direct plot, however. It meanders through a number of events, some of which are clearly linked to the overarching plot, some of which may not seem to be immediately, and all of which let you grow more into the world and characters of the book. I think this really worked well here, to have a slower plot, but one that let you experience more of the world.
And then, obviously, there are the characters. It’s a vast cast, in truth, with a myriad different characters (although not all of them get a POV, so if you’re worried about following that, worry no more). Obviously, there are the characters who drive the story, who the plot revolves around, but the background cast is just as vibrant. They’re the kind of characters you want to see more of, really, not just as side characters, but as protagonists in their own right.
So, if you’re looking for an epic science fiction novel, one that transports you to another place, I would definitely suggest you try this one.
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