“You are the catalyst, Rothgar, and this has always been your purpose. The fate of the world shifts in accordance with your actions, all hanging on the outcome of a single sword stroke.”
After three exceptional novels full of conflict, action, tragedy, and emotion, Tim Hardie finally brings his sweeping Brotherhood of the Eagle series to a glorious and satisfying close in Broken Brotherhood. Filled with equal parts triumph and tragedy, this was not the finale I was expecting, but it turned out to be exactly the finale this epic series deserved.
Now, we all know that endings are never easy, both on a craft level and on an emotional level. And I will admit, I was slightly nervous to go into Broken Brotherhood, not only because I didn’t know if I was ready to say goodbye to this world and these characters, but also because I wasn’t entirely sure how Hardie was going to pull off his ambition vision for this series. What started out as a very intimate family/clan drama in Hall of Bones has evolved into an epic conflict with lots of moving pieces and world-ending stakes over the course of Sundered Souls and Lost Gods, and I was very curious to see if and how all the open conflicts and loose story threads would be resolved and woven together into a satisfying conclusion.
However, from reading the first three novels in this series, I should have known I should never have doubted and worried. Hardie is an absolute master at his craft, and I thought it was extremely exciting to see his unconventional yet utterly fulfilling structural approach to closing out this series. We get not one, not two, but three big climaxes in Broken Brotherhood, with the most anticipated one for me happening at the halfway mark already, which resulted in a uniquely pulse-pounding level of tension and looming dread that kept me glued to the page from beginning to end.
One of my favourite aspects of this series has always been how Hardie uses the intriguingly mystical Sight magic to provide such a nuanced look into all the complicated conflicts that these characters find themselves wrapped up in, and I think that storytelling technique is exactly what made this finale so satisfying. While this is absolutely Rothgar’s story (who just continues to be the universe’s punching bag, but thank all that is holy he has Jolinn), I feel like some of the best and most impactful moments of the story were with some of the people who we have gotten to know intimately through his Sight wanderings. Especially Djuri Turncloak, Nuna, and Jade the dragon had some of the best character arcs in the entire series for me, and I thought this finale absolutely did their stories justice.
As you can expect from the conclusion to an epic fantasy story full of war, political strife, interpersonal drama, dark magic, and supernatural adversaries, Broken Brotherhood features a whole lot of death, tragedy, and warfare. As someone who isn’t the most action-driven reader, I thought there was just a bit too much fighting in this finale, and I personally preferred the balance between the quiet character moments and the bombastic action sequences in the previous instalments. Some of the emotional beats didn’t hit as hard for me despite Hardie’s emotionally evocative and soul-stirring prose, simply because I felt slightly overwhelmed and exhausted by all the battles.
However, those are extremely minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things, and I was truly all in my feels over the fates of all my favourite characters. Amidst all the action, there are still some extremely heartwarming, gut wrenching or beautifully bittersweet reunions and conversations that pulled on my heartstrings in all the most unexpected ways, and I loved how Broken Brotherhood ended with such a beautiful sequence of falling action that gives every single character closure while also planting some seeds for potential future adventures in the rich world of Amuran; I mean, whether it’s a prequel series diving into all the incredibly intriguing and mystifying history and lore or a spin-off series about Jade, Aerindiss, Finn & Frokn, or Leif (just to name a few options), I would be first in line to read any and all of them!
The Brotherhood of the Eagle series is gritty Norse-flavoured political fantasy at its bloody best; it satisfied the cravings for those epic character-driven fantasy stories like Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings and John Gwynne’s Banished Lands saga, while also leaving me with a whole new void that I doubt can ever be filled. This is a journey I won’t soon forget, and I highly recommend this epic adventure to anyone who just wants some transportively magical yet beautifully human storytelling.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Broken Brotherhood is scheduled for release on 22 November, 2024.
