Conn Iggulden is a master storyteller and his historical novels are fantastic. I was very excited to read his first foray into fantasy and despite the 3 star review I did enjoy it.
The city of Darien is a walled city with a medieval feel to it. There are political power plays, battles, plague and sorcery. There are a lot of characters with intriguing back stories introduced in the book and I couldn't wait to find out how, why and when their paths would cross. The most interesting to me is Tellius, an old man that I imagine to be a cross between a Cossack and Fagan from Charles Dickens' Oliver.
The writing is great, the characters interesting and the length of the book is spot on. I'm not one to worry about page count but as a bookseller I know that the epic fantasy series' with books at 500+ pages can be daunting for some of my customers. The Empire of Salt trilogy would be a great entry level read for those new to the fantasy genre.
Thanks to Netgalley for offering me a copy to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author is a great storyteller. Unlike other books of this genre it is not immediately apparent what is going on. I liked the different characters. I found it intriguing to see their stories unfolding and to gradually realise that they were all being drawn like separate threads to the one place. The characters are sufficiently different from those in other fantasy novels to make the story more interesting. The reader is left wanted to know more and thereby anticipating the pleasure of the next book.

Very confident writing. Work of the master, not someone new to the craft. Plus it has all the good ingredients in the mix: large city, intrigues, an ensemble of diverse characters (some with cool magical gifts)... but somehow it was lacking the oomph for me. My mind started to drift, pages started to skip and...I am migrating to something else instead.

I guess this may not be my kind of a book (throwing my towel in the ring to avoid a disappointment). But I totally see how others may enjoy it greatly. Let me know if you did and I may return to this one later on

I am normally a fan of Conn Iggledon but I didn’t really enjoy this book. It appeared to be written using bits of other books, some areas made me think of Oliver Twist, some seemed to mirror game of thrones. This will not stop me from reading more books from this author

Conn Iggulden is well known as a writer of historical fiction, but here he's taking the first steps into the world of fantasy, under the slightly different name of CF Iggulden - and although Darien is only the first book of a trilogy, it certainly bodes well for the stories still to come.
To be honest, apart from the addition of a sprinkling of magic, there's often little difference between fantasy and historical fiction set, as Iggulden's novels are, in the ancient world - the story will generally be set at a time of upheaval, armies will march across the land, battles be fought over thrones, and sometimes there's one special character with a special skill - whether magical or merely the charisma to influence others - around whom the plot turns. Basically it's the stuff of legends, whether set in our own world, or one of the author's imaginings. In outline, I'd say Darien falls pretty much under that synopsis.

Darien itself is a huge city-state, nominally ruled by a king but the real power is held by twelve families, with their own armies to back them if necessary. The King's most experienced and feared general, though, holds the belief that he would be the fittest person to rule - and is about to act on that, with a plan to assassinate the king and seize power in the chaos that follows; caught up in his schemes are Elias Post, a hunter with special Neo/Matrix-like sword-dodging skills, and Vic Deeds, a master of the new martial art of gun-fighting. As the general's forces advance on the city, life is continuing as always - elderly ex-swordsman,Tellius, sends his gang of young pickpockets out into the streets and takes a new one under his wing, while Daw Threefold, always looking out for ways to get rich, finds Nancy, a girl with a special gift which might make him a fortune.
It's a really enjoyable read - not too violent considering the amount of bloodshed of a civil war, and with great array of characters, each with their faults and foibles to make them rounded and more human than some rather 2D fantasy hero. It's especially nice to see among them, in Nancy and Lady Sallet, strong female characters with interests beyond clothes, jewels and men. They're not all necessarily likeable (after all that would be stretching the imagination too far), and you're bound to have favourites among them, those you hope will win through and live happily ever after (though this is book one of three, so don't be too relieved even if your favourite made it to the end of this story). I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

A plot to kill the king, as peace among the twelve noble families collapsed

Elias Post was the hunter. A swordsman’s name was Tellius and a mute boy was Arthur. Daw Threefold gambled to get his fortune. Vic Deeds was a maverick person and Nancy, a sorceress, had talent which led to the chain of events. All of them were summoned to restore peace in Darien.

I did not expect guns in this sort of fantasy like Games of Thrones. Sorcery was used against enemies. ‘Meneer’ (Dutch for mister) was used instead of addressing, “Sir!” to a person. One of the characters was accused of committing a capital offence. Plenty of sword and magic fights alongside blood and violence occurred in the city of Darien.

My mind was confused and tricked by magic in this book, which had a good ending – paving the way for the next location or second novel.

Caesar13

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This was a great fantasy story by C F Iggulden one of my favourite genres and more than met my expectations. This is a story of magic and betrayal. Lots of action in what seems to be a medieval setting. Great characters and a compelling story line. I enjoyed the conclusion which was sad in parts but felt like an ending with possibilities.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is obviously a bit reminiscent of similar fantasy novels, so I liked that it was that little bit different. I was expecting the multiple points of view to be from the twelve "ruling families", so it was nice to find out there are actually not twelve different points of view - and they're all from different classes of character as well.

There's some really interesting touches in this book - like the magic system and the little golem boy. Really I just think it could have been longer.

You may not (at first) recognise the author’s name: but readers of Historical Fiction may know of Conn Iggulden, author of nearly 20 fiction books, including the Emperor series set in Ancient Rome, and more recently his War of the Roses series. As if this wasn’t enough, he has also published non-fiction such as The Dangerous Book for Boys (2006).

Darien: Empire of Salt uses his considerable writing skills and historical knowledge to venture into a genre he has always considered a personal favourite: Fantasy.

Darien is clearly meant to be the first in a series and not a stand-alone. What this means is that the book introduces the reader to people and places that are going to develop over more than one book. The plan at present is for a trilogy.

Whilst Conn’s homage to his hero David Gemmell is clear throughout, this is not a typical medieval-esque Fantasy. Admittedly Darien is a city in a world with a long and rich history, some of which we read of here, and many of the residents of the city live a harsh peasant-like existence, it is a world more akin to the global Empire building of the Mercantile Era, c16-18th century, than most traditional Fantasy novels. This is also shown by presence of guns in this world, something more akin to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere worlds or even Gemmell’s Jon Shannow than, say, Game of Thrones. It is a violent and treacherous place filled with warriors, spies, magicians and mercenaries.

In terms of the characters, it is clear that the author is not lacking in ambition in the scale of this book, although the book mainly concerns itself with six main characters. Elias Post is a hunter with a secret who encounters and reluctantly allies with Vic Deeds, a young mercenary killer for hire. Tellius is an old swordsman and rather Fagin-like character who meets Arthur, a boy brought to Tellius’ notice that has an special skill that will be central to the story. Thirdly, Daw Threefold is a chancer and gambler rather down on his luck, who meets Nancy, a girl whose talent might be the undoing of them all.

Conn wisely sticks to the majority of the book centred around these three groups of characters, although there are others who weave in and out of the narrative, and will no doubt become more or less important at various points of the series. This creates the feeling that we’re in for a long and immersive plot here, of which Darien is merely the introduction to other events. The slight disadvantage of this is that much of the first part of the book is about meeting new characters and setting up their individual backstories and reasons for being in the plot, but it is worth persevering through the first half to the latter section.

It is in the second part of the book where the pace steps up a gear as these characters begin to connect together and affect each other. In the city of Darien, the perspective widens so that the politics of the Empire becomes paramount. The geopolitical situation is that there are twelve families ruling under a King, creating a complex political environment which though briefly glimpsed, seems reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth’s court or the Borgias. The King himself is a weak one, placed there by the leading Family for presentation purposes rather than actual leadership, which means that the lesser Families are manoeuvring for new positions of power. As a result, a plot is hatched which leads to an assassination attempt on King Johannes and events that usher in an impressively fast and rather violent last part of the book.

In short, Darien is a solidly old-school Fantasy novel, strong on character, in which readers can immerse themselves. As you might expect from an experienced author, it is well-done. It is not as broad and as complex, as say, Game of Thrones, but it brings enough new ideas to the table to ensure that the novel the maintains a reader’s interest, with enough characters to keep a genre fan happy and enough action to make the initial lengthy exposition bearable. Most readers will want to continue to read more in this series.

I love fantasy books, they are completely in my wheelhouse.

This has a lot of world building and character building which some people might find a bit boring, but it is really necessary to set things up for later.

It is quite complicated to explain but briefly there is a city called Empire, it is controlled by a monarch, however he is essentially a figurehead, because the city is really controlled by 12 aristocratic families. Someone is hired to assassinate the king and the 12 families have to come together to prevent it happening and keep order and peace in the city. The story is told from 6 different character arcs, Elias, Vic, Daw, Nancy, and Arthur. The story is then split into 3 parts with Elias and Vic, Daw and Nancy and Arthur and Tellius respectively.

There is intrigue, murder, mystery, light magic, dark sorcery, hunting, assassination attempts, duelling, battles, politics, class division, and i really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the author for an arc.

Readable and enjoyable thriller in a dystopian world. Main themes are a journey through danger to find treasure - which isn't the gold that was expected but power which enables the heroine to exact revenge on the cruel rulers of the city. Unexpectedly good read.

I am a lover of fantasy and was really looking forward to reading this book. However I didn’t feel it lived up to my expectations. The story was okay and it was written well but it didn’t flow as well as I wanted it too. This is only my opinion of course and others will get far more out of it than I did.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I'm aware the the author's usual genre is historical but this is a sound start to a fantasy series.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of but plot essentially revolves around 5 or 6, Elias, Tillius, Arthur, Deeds, Nancy and Lady Sallet. These characters all provide separate threads to the story but to say the threads converge would risk spoilers so I'll leave it there.
If you want a grown up fantasy with likeable characters then this ticks the boxes.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy.

I do like bit of well-written fantasy and Iggulden is certainly quite talented at spinning a fantastical tale. Darien is the first in the Empire of Salt series.

Although the magic plays a pivotal role it doesn’t overpower the individual stories. Each of those stories and characters are interesting enough to hold their own in a standalone novel, but bringing them together in this book makes the idea all the more intriguing.

Their lives and stories do eventually come together at a certain point in time during great conflict. This collision sets them all on completely different paths.

Elias has always used his gift to help himself and others. Selfless acts of magic to help everyone survive another day. When he accidentally reveals his gift to someone ruthless he falls into a trap that puts his family at risk. Having to use his magic for evil instead of good goes against every grain in his body. It’s the beginning of the end.

Daw and Nancy come together under less than auspicious circumstances. He wants to use her null potential to steal, however the two of them end up finding more than they bargained for. Nancy ends up becoming a strategic player in an unexpected coup.

Then there is the old swordsman Tellius, who happens to stumble upon Arthur, a young orphan. It doesn’t take Tellius long to discover that he has found a magic being older than time itself. His kind hasn’t been seen or heard of for centuries. Unfortunately that also makes the being very desirable to a lot of people. What follows is a intrigue laden battle for power in the midst of a coup, and the possible assassination of a king.

It has all the ingredients for a great read, and it certainly lives up to the hype and Iggulden’s reputation. It’s as if the magic draws all of them together for the greater cause, and yet none of them can see the individual threads. I am eager to see where this tale goes from here. I have to admit that Arthur and his story might have made me aww a little. It reminded me of the little boy in AI (Spielberg). It tugs on the heartstrings a little.

It’s a really good read.

Conn Iggulden's first foray into Fantasy, Darien tells the tale of a great city, the last remnant of the great Empire of Salt, ruled by a puppet king whose strings are pulled by twelve powerful families.  Darien's downfall begins with a deadly plague, that in turn sets in motion an ambitious plot that will change the lives of six strangers.

What I liked most was the subtle workings of the magic in Darien. The city seems to be caught somewhere between the magical and the mundane, with its magic coming in the form of leftover 'knacks' and artifacts, residual echos of the great power that flowed through the Empire of Salt. You might come across someone with a knack to glimpse a minute or two into the future, or a knife that can cut through literally anything, but any real power is practically a myth, as far as the inhabitants are concerned. This made for a nice change to the usually complex magic systems found in Fantasy.

It took me a while to warm up to the lead characters, as none of the six really interested me that much, but I did enjoy the interactions between Daw and Nancy as they went on, while Arthur and his mysterious origins kept me reading once he showed up. Deeds grated on me quite a lot, and I would have skimmed his parts if he hadn't been paired with Elias through most of the novel. I wasn't a fan of the 'jumping around from character to character part way through chapters' writing style either,  but I will say that might have been because of the formatting of the arc, which squished everything together, and it might look less confusing on print.

Iggulden's experience at creating past societies for his Historical Fiction has served him well, as the world of Darien has been crafted brilliantly. While we learn only specific details about the old Empire, the city, and it's  twelve families, the information doesn't feel sketchy or thin. Darien and its history felt pretty solid to me, even though I'm not aware of it all. I found out what I need to know, without being bogged down with superfluous details. Iggulden doesn't need to spill every bean for me to know he's done his homework.

The pacing was interesting... The first half moves along at a steady, slow pace, culminating rather quickly in an excellent, climactic showdown, at about 60% of the novel, and then slows right back down again, moving towards a conclusion that feels more like a whimper than a bang. I kept waiting for a big 'something' or other to come along, but nothing really did, which felt strange. I can't say I didn't like it, though. By placing his 'finale worthy' moments somewhere in the middle, Iggulden has the opportunity to play out the fallout, and tie up loose ends whilst simultaneously setting up the next installment. It gave me a certain closure I don't usually get with series.

Fantasy lovers will find Darien an entertaining read, and fans of Iggulden's Historical Fiction work will also enjoy it too. The conclusion is strong enough to stand alone, if a series commitment isn't for you, but I will be looking forward to seeing what the next installment will bring.

Was looking forward to this book as its a nee genre fir this author. I was very disappointed in the end not even finishing it. You can clearly see elements from other books for example Game of Thrones etc. Which came as a huge disappointment. . Can only give this book 2 stars at best.

Darien is Conn Iggulden's foray into the fantasy genre with magic, intrigue and a city where great families struggle for power. It's a little clichéd in parts and quite similar to Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora but as the story progresses Iggulden's gift for describing battle, and maintaining tension come to the fore. A good read but not Iggulden's best, nor is it the best in this genre.

I loved Conn Iggulden's Emperor series, so I was excited to have a chance to read his first foray into fantasy. I really enjoyed this - the world building was well done, the characters were well fleshed out, and I liked the premise. Definitely worth the read.

A land of magic, mystery, noble families and beggars. Darien is on unstable ground, and ready to explode.

I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This has all the makings of a good fantasy story. So much so, that it felt like it was working hard to tick the boxes.
You have the hunter. A man happy with the simple life, training his only son in the art of 'reaching', unaware of his full potential.
You have the gun-slinger. The man that never misses, and keeps you guessing where his loyalties lie.
You have the General and his army. A man from a lesser-noble-family, with big ambitions, and no morals to stop him.
You have the ex-fighter. The man with the mysterious past, who cares for the orphaned lads of Darien.
You have the peacekeeper. A man who is happy to play his part in keeping Darien safe, but is concerned with his own future and fortune.
You have Arthur. A mysterious young boy who can't talk, but mimics skills.
And you have the King. A feeble man who is constantly paranoid, since the murder of his father.

Yay for all the women. But that's a different matter. (Nancy and Lady what's-er-name both have their part to play, but... yeah.)

That's a lot of characters, and the book follows them almost equally.
It's it just me, or has Game of Thrones set the precedent that epic fantasy stories have to have lots of different pieces in play, like a chess set?
Unfortunately, this had all the emotion and intrigue as chess.

The story is well-written. It doesn't surprise me that Iggulden comes from a historical-writing background. There is a lot of detail, and facts are presented for each individual, and how they live their lives. It feels very real and well-supported.

But I was bored. The narrative is spread over too many people, all of whom have the same voice, and are hard to distinguish between.
Because there's jumping between characters, I only half-remember, it was hard to feel any connection or sympathy to them.
The story is solely driven by the plot, to get the chess pieces in the correct position.
None of our main characters is in the thick of it because of their own design. They have either been bullied, blackmailed, or stumbled onto the scene.
The hunter has agreed to do something for the General, to earn the safety of his family. The gun-slinger has to accompany him, to make sure he carries it out (pointless, I didn't see why the hunter was needed).
The ex-fighter was following his own selfish need to nurse an old insult, which brought Arthur to everyone's attention.
The peacekeeper was trying to find treasure, and ended up having to help Nancy, as she sought revenge.
And the king? We see next to nothing of him. It's just a given that he's a weak fool.
Rook to Knight 4.

The Nancy that I've mentioned isn't one of the many main narrators, but it one of the main characters from the peacekeeper's point of view. She has an inborn ability that makes her priceless (she nullifies any magic, or magical object in her presence). It's something she does unconsciously, and wasn't even aware she was doing it - which I think is perfect for the tone of this book.
She agrees to help the peacekeeper, for a price, and expresses how she wants to get her revenge on an important city official. But she wants someone else to carry it out for her. She goes from blinkered, to blubbering mess; and despite how amazing her ability becomes, she's a tool for everyone else.
She started out as a promising character, but quickly became a cog in the machine.

It's well-written, and I think a lot of this will come down to personal taste.
This book isn't for me, and I won't be continuing with the series.

The Empire of Salt trilogy is Conn Iggulden's first sojourn into the realm of fantasy, although a departure from his usual haunt of historical fiction, he draws heavily on this genre. Conn has a fantastic writing style, he comes alive when describing the big picture and battle scenes but still manages to flesh out all the characters and revel in the detail.

Darien feels like a whopper of a book, in actuality it's only 341 pages but we cover a lot of ground. It's told from various points of view Elias, a village hunter who has the 'knack' of knowing just where to be at any given time; Tellius, an old warrior far from his homeland; Arthur, a young lad who can mimic any movement, but doesn't speak; Daw Threefold, a bit of a shyster; Deeds a soldier with questionable morals and Nancy who's 'knack' is, well, let's just say, it's a real doozy. These characters are the backbone to the plot and their stories play out as part of the overall package to form an entertaining and highly addictive novel.

Think of Darien like a bicycle wheel with each of the spokes being a main character and the town of Darien being the centre where they are all gravitating. We have, an ineffectual and inexperienced monarch who prefers partying to ruling, twelve families where the real power lies, a fighting military who's funding has been cut and unhappy masses. A powder keg awaiting a spark.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review- I thoroughly enjoyed this first instalment and am really looking forward to The Empire of Salt #2.