Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte
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Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte
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"If there were stars for world-building, Irenicon would be a five plus, no question," says SFX. "The book is a fountain of gorgeous detail, festooned with enriching codices and enlightening, subtly subsumed exposition," raved Sci-Fi Now. The river Irenicon is a feat of ancient Concordian engineering. Blasted through the middle of Rasenna in 1347, using Wave technology, it divided the only city strong enough to defeat the Concordian Empire. But no one could have predicted the river would become sentient--and hostile. Sofia Scaligeri, the soon-to-be Contessa of Rasenna, has inherited a city tearing itself apart from the inside. And try as she might, she can see no way of stopping the culture of vendetta that has the city in its grasp. Until a Concordian engineer arrives to build a bridge over the Irenicon, clarifying everything: the feuding factions of Rasenna can either continue to fight each other or they can unite against their shared enemy. And they will surely need to stand together--for Concord is about to unleash the Wave again.
Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte - Amazon Sales Rank: #3995751 in Books
- Brand: Harte, Aidan
- Published on: 2015-03-10
- Released on: 2015-03-10
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.25" h x 1.50" w x 5.50" l, .81 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 496 pages
Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte Review "Add some time-controlling kung fu nuns, a terrible prison of dark waters and lightning, and a young kickass Contessa, and you've got a pretty good time on your hands."―Geek Smash"An excellent piece of world-building by someone with a real feel for renaissance Italy... To sum up, Harte is a brilliant new voice in historical fantasy, and this is quite simply the best piece of fantasy that I have read so far this year."―Lawrence Osborne, Interzone"Harte's use of descriptive language is absolutely haunting. I didn't think anyone could write chapters and chapters about building a bridge and make it sound epic, perilous, and romantic. He can literally make a tree stump sound inviting."―Fanboy Comics"The book is a fountain of gorgeous detail, festooned with enriching codices and enlightening, subtly subsumed exposition. Well written and conceived, we look forward to Harte's future works with relish."―Sci-Fi Now"This leaves me seriously impressed both by the quality of the ideas and the ingenuity with which they are explored in the text.... Irenicon is completely fascinating, leaving us poised on a wholly unexpected note as a new temporary balance in the power structures is achieved."―David Marshall, Thinking About BooksBest Alternate History Novel, BookPlank"Irenicon is a fantastical mash up of traditional fantasy and elements of steampunk and military histories. The story sucks you in immediately, and then hauls you along for the ride while Harte weaves a tale that's engrossing and fulfilling... The world that Harte has created here is full and rich with amazing detail of martial styles and the emergence of the worlds engineers. You can almost feel the world teetering on the precipice between the older hand-to-hand combat styles and the new combat styles devised by the engineers."―Novelnaut"If there were stars for world-building, Irenicon would be a five-plus, no question. Harte brings a level of intelligence to the book that's impressive."―Jon Courtnay Grimwood, SFX
About the Author Aidan Harte was born in Kilkenny, studied sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art, and currently works as a sculptor in Dublin. He has also worked in animation and TV, and in 2006 created the show Skunk Fu, which has appeared on several channels around the world, including the Cartoon Channel.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. "Valerius?"Madonna! Where was he?If the boy got hurt, the Doc would mount her head on a stick next to the Bardini banner. Valerius might be a handful but the little stronzo was their only Contract this year. Besides, a dead Concordian would imperil all Rasenna. Sofia’s dark eyes flashed with anger and she swore again: in her haste she had forgotten her banner. Being unarmed in Rasenna used to be merely careless. These days, it was suicidal.Valerius ran down the sloping streets with his head in the air, pursued by his shadow made strangely large by the blood-washed light. Smashed roof-slates crunched underfoot like leaves in an autumn forest. He followed the trail of the topside battle as it moved downhill towards the river, focused on the jagged red slash of evening where the towers leaned towards each other across the emptiness.The Concordian had the pale blond curls, soft skin and, when he tried, the disarming innocence of a cherub. Now, scowling, he resembled something fallen and impious. Sofia, only five years older than Valerius, watched him like his mother. He had endured this ordeal since his arrival last Assumption, but to return to Concord unblooded? Ridiculous.The hunt was practically the whole point of a year in Rasenna – that was what his father had paid for, not endless drills and lectures on banner technique. So when this chance came to sneak out, Valerius took it, vowing to get the General’s money’s worth. Two households in combat: what a story! This was Rasenna’s real meat: raids and rogue bandieratori. He wasn’t in real danger; this was still Bardini territory. Sofia wouldn’t be far away.He couldn’t see the individuals leaping between rooftops, just the banners they wielded. Bardini black outnumbered Morello gold four to six, and the Morello were retreating – noisily. These boys weren’t bandieratori, they were like him, just bored students looking for fun. So it was an unofficial raid, then; the gonfaloniere would never sanction such a pointless attack.Valerius followed through one backstreet after another, concerned only with keeping up. A black flag vanished behind a corner. He turned it himself and saw nothing but swallows listlessly drifting on air rising from the empty streets.No Morello, thankfully. No Bardini either. Valerius stopped to listen. The wall he leaned against was builtaround the ghost of an Etruscan arch, the gaps between its massive blocks stuffed with crude clay bricks, bulging like an old man’s teeth.He could hear the river now, but not the battle. He had been in Rasenna long enough to know that most raids ended "wet". How could so many raiders disperse so swiftly? It began to dawn on him that Bardini flags need not be wielded by Bardini.How could Sofia be so irresponsible? He was the Bardini Contract, the Bardini’s only Concordian student, and that made him an obvious target for the Morellos; he should be protected at all times. The General would hear of this."Keep calm, Concordian," he rebuked himself, just as the General would have. He knew northern streets pretty well after a year, didn’t he? Not like a Rasenneisi, not as lice know the cracks, but well enough. He looked for clues to his location. That ceramic Madonna, perched in a streetcorner niche and drenched in blue-white glaze, that would orientate a Rasenneisi. The ghastly things all looked the same. The superstitions of Rasenna were not the answer; he would rely on Concordian logic. The raiders had led him down and south. If he followed the slope up he would eventually reach the shadow of Tower Bardini and safety.He turned around. Now he had a plan it was easier to fight the urge to run for it. Yes: he was impressed with his courage, even if he did keep glancing overhead. If only his footsteps wouldn’t echo so.At last, something familiar: the unmistakable drunkentilt of Tower Ghiberti – the Bardini workshop was close after all. Valerius’ relieved laughter trailed off when a rooftop shadow moved. Another silhouette emerged on the neighbouring row. And another. Lining the tower tops, above and ahead of him. He counted seven, eight, nine – a decina – but forced himself to keeping walking. Whoever they were, they were interested in him alone. It was not a flattering sort of attention.Behind him someone landed on the ground and he was torn between two bad choices, to turn defiantly, or to run."Walk.""Sofia! What are you doing?""Exceeding my brief. Doc said babysit. He didn’t mention stopping you getting yourself killed.""I wouldn’t be in danger if—""I said keep walking!"He whipped his head round to continue the argument, but went suddenly mute. Anger enhanced the Contessa’s beauty. Her dark eyes were wide and bright, her olive skin glowed like fire about to burn. She looked fabulous just before a fight."What do we do?" Valerius asked, his confidence returning.Her wide-shouldered jacket was a bold red, in contrast with the earthy colours favoured by most bandieratori. She was not tall, but she held her head proudly. Below her large brow and sharp Scaligeri nose were the smiling lips that graced statues of cruel old Etruscans.But she was not smiling now and her pointed chin jutted forward. "You’ll do as I say. I’m going to help these gentlemen get home. Give me your banner.""I don’t have it," Valerius whispered, losing hope again."Madonna. This is going to be embarrassing. I’m not exactly in peak condition."Valerius looked down at the sling on her arm. Without a single banner, against a decina, even Sofia …"What do we do?""When I say run, run – Run!"Sofia led the way through the maze of narrow alleys, not looking back or up. She knew by fleeting shadows overhead and loosened slates smashing around them how closely they were pursued. She skidded to a stop when they reached Piazzetta Fontana. The alley leading north was blocked by five young men. And now Valerius saw what Sofia already knew: they were not students. They were bandieratori. Their ruckus had been part of the deception.Sofia pushed Valerius into an alley on the right – it was barely a crack between two towers, but it led north."Run. Don’t look back."He didn’t argue.She boldly stepped forward. "You bambini must be lost in the woods. You’re on the wrong side of the river."There was consternation as the southsiders saw who they had been chasing. "What do we do?" asked one."Her flag’s black. That makes her Bardini," said the tallest boy with assurance."I don’t know – if Gaetano—""Show some salt! There’s one of her and lots of us. Haven’t you heard who broke her arm?" The tall boy continued talking even as he approached her. "She’s hasn’t even got a flag—"Way too casual. Sofia was ready. She dodged his lunging banner and snatched it away in one movement and his jaw had no time to drop before she floored him with a neat parietal-tap. By the time she looked up the others had vanished, gone to get Valerius before she got them. Sofia returned to the narrow alley and vaulted left-right-left up between the walls.Etrurians said that Rasenna’s towers were different heights because not even the local masons could agree. But they made good climbing, and bandieratori jumped between towers as easily as civilians climbed stairways. The upper storeys were peppered with shallow brick-holes, invisible from the ground, which had originally supported scaffolding but which now allowed the fighters to scale what they couldn’t jump.With only one working arm, Sofia knew her climbing was awkward and inefficient. Even so, when she made topside she took a moment to catch her breath and scan the endless red roofs, feeling no need to hurry despite their head-start. This was her territory, and she knew every roof, every crumbling wall. They did not, and in the wan light of dusk they’d have to be cautious.In the heat of the chase the boys let one of their number fall behind, and it wasn’t long before Sofia caught up. His falling scream was cut off by the crash of broken slates.Two down, out-classed on strange rooftops. Normally in this situation it would be each raider for themselves, but these three knew that their only hope of ever getting home was to regroup and turn and fight together. They were waiting on the next tower Sofia leapt for, and gave her no time to recover her balance. Two of them launched a noisy attack to make her retreat, while the third slipped behind. As Sofia dodged flags she was struck in the back of her knee."Ahh!" she cried as she landed on her back, sliding a little before halting herself. She had no time to rise before she felt a flag-stick prodding against her neck. She lay still before the pressure crushed her larynx."Beg your pardon, Contessa."Sofia ignored their giggling. She still had the advantage. She knew every tower bottom to top, their flags, the fastest routes, how old they were. She kicked her heel and a slate came loose, then several fell in its wake and the tower shed its skin with a shudder that drowned out the boys’ shouts as they all slid and tumbled together. Sofia went over the side with the rest of them, but she reached out and grabbed the unseen flagpole. She didn’t look down. No need.She heard them land with the slates, breaking all together.Sofia hauled herself onto the flayed rooftop, then climbed back down. She found Valerius waiting streetside with an amused expression on his face which, like his clothes, was splashed with blood. The boys’ bodies lay where they’d fallen, perfectly arranged in a semi-circle around him as if hunting him even in death."Where’s the rest?" she asked, more to herself than Valerius. She had been occupied, yet the others hadn’t gone for the Concordian. Wasn’t he the prize?Valerius ignored her, more interested in rolling the corpses to see their last expressions."Show some respect!" she snapped. "The dead are forgiven.""Sorry!""Come here," she said, pulling Valerius towards her."Oh Sofia, I was frightened too!"She pushed his embrace aside roughly. "I’m checking for wounds, cretino!"But no, none of the blood was his. Doc’s charge was intact, the Contract secure. "You got blooded, Valerius. Satisfied?"
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. good opener into trilogy but book two is a step backwards By B. Capossere Aidan Harte’s debut novel Irenicon is a mostly impressive beginning to his WAVE trilogy, its richly detailed world, tense plot, and subtle mix of science and magic offsetting some issues of pace, structure, and character sufficiently enough so that I plan on continuing right on with its sequel The Warring States, which just arrived last week.Irenicon is set in a somewhat off kilter Renaissance Italy, where centuries earlier Herod’s slaughter of children actually worked, killing Jesus Christ as an infant and leaving Mary to become the focal point of a still pervasive but not quite as dominant religion. In this world, Concord, not Rome, rose as the foremost city of a large Empire, and the almost-Catholic Church was supplanted by natural philosophy in a kind of alternate Reformation, led by Girolamo Bernoulli, and his Engineers Guild, who became the dominant force of the Empire. The Guild’s technological advancements keep Concord in power, and in particularly, one horrible weapon called The Wave. A few decades ago (1347) the Wave was used to subdue a powerful rival city, Rasenna, by blasting the river Irenicon to smash through the center of the city, devastating its core and splitting the city in two.Even before the deployment of the Wave, Rasenna’s citizens were known for their prickly, violent factionalism, and the bifurcation of the city by the river only made things worse. Now, the only crossings between North and South (difficult to do as there are no bridges spanning the river and the river is inhabited by “buio”, deadly water spirits) are for raiding purposes, to kill other family factions or burn out their towers, even as the non-aristocrats — the “Small People” — suffer.At the center of the Rasenna fighting are two major families. One, the Bardini, is headed by an old street fighter named Doc, one-time friend to the old Count and now warden of the Count’s granddaughter Sofia Scaligeri, who in a few months time will turn 17 and become the city’s Contessa (if there is a city to inherit). In opposition to the Bardini family are the Morellos, headed by their patriarch Quintus and his two sons Valentino and Gaetano. The former has just returned from his time as ambassador in Concord with a newfound hatred for the Empire, while the latter is a childhood friend of Sofia’s, though their two families place them on opposite sides of the Rasenna rift. Into this mix arrives Giovanni, an Engineer sent by Concord to build a permanent bridge over the Irenicon, and both his person and his task will serve as catalyst for great change and furious violence.As mentioned, the world building is probably the strongest facet of Irenicon. The city of Rasenna, with its tall tower, old guard families, struggling merchant class, Machiavellian politics, banners as weapons, ineffective leadership council, bitter memories of faded glory, and long-standing hatred of Concord feels fully existent — familiar enough to historical Italy to fascinate in how it is just a little skewed, but original enough in its science and magic (the aforementioned buios, a kind of “water magic” employed by a handful of characters) to be entertainingly original. Most of this comes out organically in small bits and pieces through the course of dialogue and action, meaning readers will have to be patient. The other way we learn about the setting is a bit more cumbersome: short chapters of a fictional History of the Etrurian Peninsula that are interspersed throughout the novel and mostly focus on the rise of Bernoulli and the Engineers Guild. I think this was more an issue of execution than technique, with the chapters being a bit too short and further complicated by frequent footnoting.Sofia is a strong central character caught between a slew of competing stresses: her love for and obligation to Doc, who has kept her alive until she comes into her age, and her growing realization of just what it took to do so; between the traditional, ingrained violence of vendetta that has been the lifeblood of Rasenna and the possibility of change; between old feelings for Gaetano, new feelings for Giovanni, and their respective roles (btw — to be clear, this is not, I repeat, not, one of those love triangle-driven stories). Her youth plays well into the tension, as a more experienced (or cynical) reader will pick up on the fact that the waters within which she is moving are more murky than she credits.Doc as well is a nicely complex character, one whom the reader is never quite surefooted with in terms of motivations and means. I actually would have liked to have spent more time in his head. Other side characters have less page time but are still well drawn, such as a pair of merchants, a young intelligent boy named Pedro, an old nun, a few mercenaries. Giovanni, unfortunately for a major player, is more than a little bland, and though he gets a more interesting story at the very end, that doesn’t do anything for the dullness of his character through the first three-quarters or more of the novel.Some of the craftsmanship reveals a debut novelist at work: transitions between scenes are sometimes abrupt or disorienting, dialogue can be hit or miss, the story definitely lags in several spots (I’d argue the nearly 500-page length is a good 50-100 pages too long), there’s an oddly almost-total absence of non-Sofia/non-nun women, and the ending feels more than a little rushed.So Irenicon has its definite flaws, but many are the sort that usually improve with writerly experience. Right now, the novel, which ends with some resolution but also lots of questions, is an intriguing if not compelling introduction, and I’ll happily continue on to The Warring States in hopes the craft issues smooth out.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Fresh and unexpected fantasy By ChrisB As someone who very rarely reads fiction, I approached Irenicon (a brick of a tome at 600 pages) with a certain amount of trepidation, but the promise of multi-storey kung fu fighting with flags was enough for me to allay my misgivings.The world of Irenicon is lovingly and attentively crafted. Here Herod was successful in murdering Christ as a child, and the subsequent parallel world that we find ourselves in is a fascinatingly skewed one - plausible enough to allow us to suspend our disbelief, colourful enough to let its characters breathe.Speaking of which, the inhabitants of Irenicon's world are generally well faceted - as complex as they need to be, and likeable. A couple of the secondary characters are compelling enough that they would probably hold their own as leading protagonists if the story had been told from their perspective.I suspect that one of the strengths of the book is that it is layered and fantastical enough to appeal to beards of all lengths. It's an Italian-flavoured Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the action is dynamic and gutsy as hell, but when the dust settles, we're still in a complex and lovingly sculpted world, following intelligent, often funny, and multi-dimensional characters through a twisting, surprising story that stands on its own two feet, whilst promising a whole lot for the next book of the trilogy.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Politics, strategizing, and water based zombies. Quite an enjoyable read. By TenaciousReader I love when a book that wasn't on my radar comes my way and takes me by surprise. This is exactly what happened with Irenicon by Aidan Harte. I had heard of the book, recognized the cover, but honestly didn't know much about it. When I took a closer look and realized that the main protagonist was actually female and the storyline sounded exactly like something I would normally enjoy, I had to give it a chance.This book reminds me a bit of K. J. Parker in the level of politics and strategizing that is going on behind the scenes. It has a younger feel to it than I got when reading The Folding Knife, and much more in the way of fantastical elements, but I appreciate the world building, the inter-feuding and strategizing that Harte set up.A river of unnatural water that was unleashed upon Rasenna by rivals divides the city. The river rules the city and keeps the residents in fear because beneath the surface lies unnatural creatures that will carry anyone who ventures too close to their death. And just to keep the residents on their toes, keep them from feeling too safe away from the water, occasionally, one breaks free of the river and will walk the streets. They are kind like a water based zombie, drowning anyone who happens to cross its path.The people here are raised to fight. They fight Concord, they fight each other (north side versus south side). The city has two predominant families that are in a constant power struggle. Enter out protagonist, Sofia. She is the last living heir to what has been the most powerful family in Rasenna. When she comes of age in the not so distant future, she is will become Contessa of Rasenna. A powerful position, and Sofia has a powerful personality to go with it. She is a very independent, strong willed character that will fight to find a way to accomplish what needs to be done, and do it. She's not going to wait around to be saved, she is not going to hide behind a title, she'll get her own hands dirty and take on problems herself. That's the kind of female character I like to see and to see her as the central character? Even better. Ideally, I wouldn't even mention gender, but really, there are not that many epic fantasies that have female characters like this. They exist for sure, but whenever I try to come up with examples, I am always a bit surprised to not find more.The book is not without its faults. There are moments where amazing feats seem to be accomplished with too little effort/price (not everything is this way, but there are a couple of instances). But the faults pale in comparison to the strengths. There was also an unexpected twist at the end that I loved. I felt like I should have seen it coming, but I just didn't, which was great. I definitely recommend this one, a real unexpected find for me that I really enjoyed. My main question at the end is when will the next book get a US release? Hopefully that is being planned and this won't be another series where the US has to wait years to get the next one.
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Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte
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Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte
Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte
Irenicon: Book 1 of the Wave Trilogy (The Wave Trilogy #1), by Aidan Harte
