The Emperor's Harvest by R. A. Denny ~ a Review

by MK French

Chapter 1 -
The water lapped gently against the reeds as I waited for my casting net to fill with fish. A duck skimmed across the river for a smooth landing. As I watched the duck, my mind drifted. Ducks are the most perfect creatures because they can swim, walk, and fly. Webbies like me love to swim because of our webbed feet, but I've heard that most unwebbed humans are not even comfortable in the water. I smiled to myself. Baskrod had told me stories of people who built their homes in tall trees and flew through the air. Baskrod always told the best stories.

The Emperor had essentially gone mad with power and wants to keep it for himself. There has been a prophecy heralded by the arrival of a new star, and he believes his brother will rise from the dead to take back his throne. As a result, he has begun to "harvest" people from the various tribes and races of the world. The people of mud, rock, and trees are all affected by the Emperor, and now one of each race is on a journey to the distant capital of Tzoladia.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

October 2018; ebook (547 pages)
young adult, fantasy

The Emperor's Harvest is actually a combination books 1 (Refugees - read my review) and 2 (Seekers) of R. A. Denny's series. (Refugees was previously reviewed at ) The three teens that the story focuses on have their usual teen problems, as well as being Prophesied Heroes in epic fantasy. The original book 1 is the first forty chapters of this novel, and book 2 begins at chapter 41. Because the two books are fused together, there is no longer the abrupt ending that I had been concerned about with Refugees. Instead, it's now a sprawling novel that feels more like three separate ones interwoven into one long one.

Amanki is a Webby and is sent on a mission to Tzoladia with one of the three sacred seals. He faces a lot of loss from the start, as well as discovering the truth of who he is along the way. Moshoi and his brother break tradition to head to the capital, and encounter dangers from other Armored folk that they weren't prepared for. Brina is part of a group of Gliders moving to establish a new village in the forest, which is complicated by one of the cat people and his lion with them, as well as attacks by lormonkeys along the way. All three of these teens were tested, in that their simple journeys are complicated with dangers from those they would have thought were allies. There is an incredible amount of detail for each of the journeys, which accounts for the length of this book. They approach Tsoladia, but the book ends at that point. The next one should hopefully continue with their mission.

Buy The Emperor's Harvest at Amazon
(if you hurry, the ebook still might be free)

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever.

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