Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones

The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch and selling survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one.

Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He travels the length of the Dervan Empire to find what remains of his people and free them.

Against the might of a vast empire, he had only an aging sword arm, a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, and the greatest military mind in the world. No matter what what man or monster stands in his way, from the empire’s capital to its furthest outposts, Hanuvar would find his people and set them free.

I have a real weakness for this sort of sword-and-sorcery tale. I don't love them indiscriminately. Conan the Barbarian isn't my style. But there is a way to tell these stories that adds a bit of humor, a touch of irony, a soupçon of larger themes than merely adventure and magic. Fellow fans will know what I mean when I mention Lord Dunsany's stories and Fritz Leiber whose Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories are so much fun.

I've long been a fan of Howard Andrew Jones for his wonderful book The Desert of Souls. Here's my review. I lost track of Jones after his Asim and Dabir stories ended. So I was really interested when I saw that Jeff Miller (always trustworthy in pointing to new books) was had given five stars to the first two books in the series. I agree — this first book is really good. 

Lord of a Shattered Land is a series of short stories that can stand alone but which make up one tale by the end. There is no purple prose here, just good modern storytelling set in a hostile land filled with magic, quests, and monsters — both Lovecraftian and human. As Hanuvar travels he picks up a complimentary companion and encounters others who may become allies in later books. 

This world is loosely based on the Carthaginians and Romans.  In that scenario, Hanuvar is Hannibal. The difference, of course, is that this is the author's world and it is filled with interesting characters, compelling storytelling, and a quest that we want to see fulfilled. I liked seeing new facets to Hanuvar with each new adventure. I also appreciated that Jones doesn't give an info dump on the world we're in. He reveals it as needed for the story, bit by bit. Each story adds a little to what we know. This is really well written. No purple prose here!