I would like to thank Hodder and Stoughton Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Those Above is the first installment in Daniel Polansky’s new fantasy series The Empty Throne. 

They enslaved humanity three thousand years ago. Tall, strong, perfect, superhuman and near immortal they rule from their glittering palaces in the eternal city in the centre of the world. They are called Those Above by their subjects. They enforce their will with fire and sword.

Twenty five years ago mankind mustered an army and rose up against them, only to be slaughtered in a terrible battle. Hope died that day, but hatred survived. Whispers of another revolt are beginning to stir in the hearts of the oppressed: a woman, widowed in the war, who has dedicated her life to revenge; the general, the only man to ever defeat one of Those Above in single combat, summoned forth to raise a new legion; and a boy killer who rises from the gutter to lead an uprising in the capital.

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REVIEW

I received this in the post and I can’t tell you how excited I was to get stuck into this. I’m so pleased that I wasn’t disappointed overall.

The writing is magnificent. The descriptions and the world building are so vividly detailed that it isn’t hard to visual that you are actually there.

What surprised me was that there was a lot of different viewpoints. This was great as it really allowed you to see both perspectives of the war between Those Above and the Aeleria. I was able to get a feel of the different situations for different classes. I really enjoyed that about it as I think that it was key to be able to access all these non-identical viewpoints.

Everything about this novel is so thought out and intricate. From the history, to the customs, to the politics of this world. It was refreshing to read something that was so entirely creative. However, it took awhile for me to get into it and understand just who is who, I’m still not positive that I’m a hundred percent sure. There are just so many characters that at times it did get confusing and made it slightly harder to keep up with.

Despite this, I really enjoyed it a lot. I can’t wait to read more from The Empty Throne series. It’s a must read for Game of Thrones fans!

RATING
★★★