Stiger's Tigers
Stiger's Tigers
Ratings9
Average rating4
Reviews with the most likes.
Simple but enjoyable
Great little story. Short and very direct with characters who, at best, could be called one dimensional, but despite that it was engaging and satisfying. I'll pick up book two.
When it comes to the world of historical fiction, there are many different styles and flavors to choose from. There are those who follow closely to actual history, focusing on a specific historical event. Then there are those that tend to be in a general time period but follow their own story. On the extreme side, we have alternative history books which ask the question “What if...?” One example would be “What if Hitler and the Axis powers won WWII?” This was asked by Ryan Groudin and her first book Wolf by Wolf, is still one of my favorites. That brings me to Stiger's Tigers by Marc Alan Edelheit. He decides to take one aspect of history (Roman Legions) and then make up the rest with different lands, different rebel barbarians, and even magic. Sadly, he does not do a very good job at telling a good story.
One of the best elements of this book is the military aspects of it. We have a legionary officer, Stiger, who is trying to whip a company into shape amidst the problems of his family's shame and some deeper troubles going on within the military itself. It said in the author's biography that he is a fan of Roman military history and it shows as we see many soldiers setting up camp, drilling, and other activities that put you right in the middle of the military life of a Roman legionnaire.
I also liked the ending. There were many different aspects of the world that felt like there were things to come. We have evil spirits that have taken over different members of the Roman army, rebels who are controlling supply lines, as well as Stiger's family honor is explored. We also get to see this world's version of warrior priests as they battle the forces of darkness.
Sadly, all of this cool stuff happens about the last three chapters or so. The rest of the time, about 80% of the book, is filled with camping, marching, and drilling, as Stiger whips his men into fighting shape. In other words, I don't mind military life described in books. I just want the exciting bits.
Then there's the whole premise of the book. I went in thinking that this was a historical fiction look at a Roman legion battling some barbarians in actual history. I did not realize that this was going to be set in a fictional world with elves, dwarves, and warrior priests (that's what I get for not going beyond the first paragraph). That said, I just don't think it worked for me. The elves and dwarves and magic, in general, do not come into play until the last portions of the novel. All that time we are spent in the seemingly real world, with a Roman company doing military things.
In fact, this made me wonder how another person, say Brian McClellan would have handled a subject like this. McClellan is known for his Powder Mage series, a world where there is magic and gods and whatnot, but the armies fight with Napoleonic-era weapons. Other than the gear and guns, McClellan made the wise choice not to base anyone on actual armies or worlds, giving him the freedom he needs when he needs it. Edelheit, as far as this book is concerned, seems to only use fantasy elements when convenient to the plot, a common pitfall of fantasy writers.
So the slow plot, lackluster fantasy elements, and confusing worldbuilding, all add up to me giving this book a two out of five. I can see that Edelheit has some good points, and I'll be checking out more by him, but overall I think I'll skip this series for now.
P.S. If you love audiobooks, then I would check out the narrator for this. Steven Brand has an excellent voice for fantasy, and I will be checking out other projects he has participated in.
Series
4 primary booksChronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2015 with contributions by Marc Alan Edelheit.