D.E.M. Emrys' It Began with Ashes was published in November 2012.
Information about the author:
D. E. M. Emrys is the author of the Wroge Elements fantasy series.
Click here to visit his blog.
Information about It Began with Ashes:
Wroge has not seen war for twelve years, not since the Arneuton invasion. The Arneut rule, the Keltir serve, and the Vikir and Narz remain in exile. The blood of four races belongs to the earth of one land.
But what if blood was to run again?
Draven Reinhardt is a man with a nightmare of a past, dreaming of a better future. He paid his dues in blood and coin, settling for a quieter life, a better life. Gone are the knocks at the door from his past. But what happens when the future comes knocking?
Like any boy, Kale wants to follow in his father's footsteps – if only he knew what they were. It's hard enough to find his own feet in the walk of life, without knowing where he came from.
The walk of life is a lonely one for an outsider, Astartes will vouch for that. Raised a tax collector's son, and born of foreign blood, he searches for a friend who will overlook the divide.
Divided, four races stand. United, someone will fall. Will the past shape the future, or can blood be washed clean?
'It Began With Ashes' is the story of how life's greatest struggle is to accept who you are – a tale of broken promises, bitter grudges, and brotherhoods bound in blood.
A REVIEW OF D.E.M. EMRYS' IT BEGAN WITH ASHES
I recently read D.E.M. Emrys' From Man to Man and liked it very much, because it was a good fantasy story, so it was nice to read It Began with Ashes.
It Began with Ashes is the first part of the Wroge Elements fantasy series. It's a much larger and more complex fantasy story than From Man to Man, which was an introduction to the Wroge Elements series. It Began with Ashes can be categorized as heroic and realistic epic fantasy.
I liked It Began with Ashes very much. It's difficult not to like it, because the happenings are interesting and easy to understand, and the author writes well about difficult themes and pays attention to the theme of acceptance. There are some minor flaws in it, because e.g. certain things could have been explained more thoroughly, but on the whole it's an excellent read and offers great escapism for fantasy readers who are looking for an enjoyable and fast-paced story to read.
Here's a bit of information about the world: The events take place in the world of Wroge, which is a fictional fantasy world that reminded me a bit of Britain under Roman rule. Because of the wars, Arneutons rule Wroge. They conquered and colonized Wroge, and the different clans have to live in servitude to them. Bits and pieces of the world are revealed to the reader as the story begins to unfold. I think that more things will be revealed in the sequels, because there are probably several things that haven't been revealed yet.
From Man to Man was a story about Draven, but It Began with Ashes follows the adventures and lives of Draven and Nicolas and their families. Draven, Morganna, Nicolas, Kale and Astartes are well portrayed characters that become more interesting as the story moves forward.
The beginning of It Began with Ashes is instantly addictive and exciting. The story begins with Astartes travelling on the road with his father, Nicolas, towards Hearth. Astartes doesn't see anybody, but he's sure that they're being followed. They're collecting taxes from Keltir clans. He manages to see a glimpse of a figure who has horns... Because this is only the beginning, there's much more to come, but I won't reveal here what happens to the characters.
D.E.M. Emrys keeps the pace brisk and moves the story fast forward, but doesn't hurry too much. He lets readers get to know the characters by writing about them, their lives and their backgrounds as the story progresses. I liked it very much that he wrote about certain happenings through the eyes of Astartes and Kale, because they were young characters and differed from the older characters. Reading about them was interesting.
Draven is an especially interesting character, because he's been a mercenary, but has given up his former life for the sake of his wife (Morganna) and son (Kale). Draven cares for his wife and son, but life isn't always as easy as it should be and he has to make difficult decisions: times are tough and working for the Guild would be more profitable than his current job and he would be able to feed his family. I think it's good that the author has created this kind of a realistic character, because it's interesting to read about his life and problems.
I think it's good to mention that there's a glossary at the end of this book. It's nice that the author has included a glossary, because it may be useful to readers.
Everybody who likes this story will be interested in knowing that there will be a sequel. According to the end of the book it will be called A Stirring of Dead Embers.
In my opinion D.E.M. Emrys has a talent for storytelling, because he writes entertainingly about the happenings. When I read this story, I thought to myself that the author loves writing and clearly intends to write an entertaining fantasy series for adults (the author seems to have lots of potential and that's a good thing). I definitely want to read what he writes next, because I enjoyed this story.
Good and entertaining fantasy for adults!