Engines Of Empire by R. S. Ford

 

This is the beginning of a trilogy about the kingdom of Torwyn which is based on industry and run by the Guilds.  The story of one family, the Hawkspurs,  is followed.  Rosomon is the sister of the emperor and her guild is one of the largest and most powerful.  She is not married as her husband was killed in a duel while she was pregnant with her youngest child.

Rosomon has three children and through them the story is told.  Conall is the oldest, the presumptive heir of Hawkspur.  He is making his way and name through the military.  Tyreta is the middle child, the only daughter.  She is a sorceress who goes into the jungle and makes allies of the tribes that live there.  The youngest son is Fulren is a talented artificer or engineer.  He constructs the engines that keep the empire running but is falsely accused of killing an envoy from another country.  

R.S. Ford is a British author who writes in the fantasy genre.  This is a more militant fantasy, not dependent on creatures like fairies and giants.  Instead the power comes from the engines of the artificers and the power of the pyrsetones, crystals that are mined and that only those with magical powers can use to provide power and strength.  Ford is a master at worldbuilding and I fell into this country and its intrigues.  I listened to this novel and there were multiple narrators who all did a magnificent job.  As soon as I finished this novel, I started the next in the trilogy, unable to pull away from the land I had so recently discovered.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers .