The Way Into Chaos

The Great Way #1

by Harry Connolly

From Book 1: BOOK ONE OF THE GREAT The city of Peradain is the heart of an empire built with steel, spears, and a monopoly on magic… until, in a single day, it falls, overthrown by a swarm of supernatural creatures of incredible power and ferocity. Neither soldier nor spell caster can stand against them. The empire's armies are crushed, its people scattered, its king and queen killed. Freed for the first time in generations, city-states scramble to seize neighboring territories and capture imperial spell casters. But as the creatures spread across the land, these formerly conquered peoples discover they are not prepared to face the enemy that destroyed an empire. Can the last Peradaini prince, pursued by the beasts that killed his parents, cross battle-torn lands to retrieve a spell that might—just might—turn the battle against this new enemy?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Epic, Science Fiction Fantasy

Paperback

First published December 18, 2014

Reviews

[James Tivendale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Way Into Chaos for the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off as it was promoted to the final stage by Ventureadlaxre.

The city at the heart of the empire was preparing to host a festival full of song, merriment, and martial contests. As the event is about to get underway a swarm of powerful, nimble, and intelligent bearlike beings unexpectedly invade and annihilate the capital. A handful of interesting, important and sometimes opposing characters are fortunately whisked away on a magical sky cart. The narrative then follows the two point of view perspectives of Tyr Tejhon Treygar the legendary warrior, and Cazia Freewell, a royal hostage who sees enemies everywhere. She is a great friend of the empire's prince, who also escapes the dilemma. This revelation arrives at about 7% through the tale and it felt slightly abrupt yet I did like the way it sets the story up well. Chaos is the word. What happens next is formulating a plan of action to save the empire from the invaders yet with the capital extinguished are the other members of the alliance going to take this as the desired time to act against each other? The fall of this city reminded me of the aftermath of the destruction of Troy in the Aeneid where a few individuals escape and then readers follow the hardships and unpredictable events which happen to them next.

Character development is a very strong quality in The Way Into Chaos, especially for the two main players and also for a few of the secondary members of the ensemble such as the 12-year-old Princess Ivy. To begin with, I did prefer to follow one of the two main protagonists more than the other but approaching the conclusion I would have lapped up whichever viewpoint I was offered. One character becomes very much like their old self and the other becomes completely alien to who they were at the beginning. It's really interesting to follow.

I did struggle with the book for certain chapters. This was down to the pacing and the flow. As mentioned previously, the start seemed rushed however interesting and exciting it was. Some sections dragged but others I raced through and couldn't wait to see what happened next in the scenes. In similar fashion, certain world building and poetical landscape descriptions were of the highest quality so the picturesque images took over my imagination. Other segments had four sentences which covered the same time frame with overt simplicity. Certain sections seemed uneven to me but this is my only real negative story wise. From the last 40% however, the rhythm was found and it all worked swimmingly and I couldn't put the book down. Story and character wise The Way Into Chaos is an 8.5/10, the pacing is a 6 hence my rating meeting somewhere in the middle. There are also a handful of grammatical and slight spelling errors throughout the novel but these didn't throw me out of the story, which has happened to me before, because they were so minor.

The magic system was very well crafted featuring scholars, wizards, and hollows. It features an art known as the Gift which has certain numbered steps (spells) which can produce phenomenal magic. You are not able to overdo the magic though as it turns wielders hollow which was reminiscent of them having the needs and desperations of a heroin addict. Although not as complex, this side of the story will appeal to fans of Sanderson and Islington.

There are quite a lot of cities, alliances, and an interesting military hierarchical structure. This story is best described as epic fantasy and features an original set of monsters that mainly aren't borrowed from what has come beforehand. It's not grimdark as the characters and their ambitions are (mostly) likable but it does have a fair few grim moments with people being burned alive, eaten, having limbs lopped off and being stabbed everywhere!

The Way Into Chaos is not really a standalone novel and is just building up for what happens next in The Great Way series. However, it expertly concludes with two separate cliffhangers and I definitely want to find out what happens next for our protagonists. It is a pretty awesome epic character-focused fantasy story for readers wishing to scratch that Sanderson/ Islington itch. It does have pacing issues but if you can look past that then there is a lot to enjoy here. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the books I read as part of #SPFBO and I am certainly a bit torn on this one. I read the whole thing, and liked about half of it (hence my rating of 2.5*s). I definitely feel like this one was just so mixed for me, at times I found myself sucked in and other times I was just a bit out of the plot and it wasn't grabbing me...but I can't say for sure why...

This is set in a fairly large fantasy world where there's lots of smaller kingdoms and lands spread out. We are following the royals, namely the prince, Lar, and his cousins, soldiers and family. When the story starts he's living a fairly happy life waiting to become King and in training, but quickly a trade goes badly wrong, a portal is opened, and evil beasts called Grunts are unleashed on the world. It's quickly discovered that the royal family (all except Lar) have been killed and Lar and his friends need to flee and try to get help, but once the chaos starts it spreads across the land.

What I liked about this was the relationship between Cazia and Ivy as the story went on. Caz is a young woman who has been held as a hostage all her life but has been learning the magic of this world and she's a keen scholar in the making. She's super loyal to Lar and loves him as a brother, so when the chaos of the beasts starts and events force her to separate from Lar and look out for Ivy (his betrothed) she does just that.
Ivy is a super young character, only 12, and yet she's also very sensible for her age and for the problems which are facing her. I was a little irked by her at first, as she took her time to develop, but when she did she became one of my favourites and seeing her and Caz form a strong trust and bond was a great part of the story for me.

The other plotline follows Lar and Try Trejohn Treygar who is kind of a mentor/soldier/bodyguard to him. I really found I had a disconnect from the character of Lar and Trejohn Treygar, probably the reason why I didn't love about half of this book, and so I just found this plot to be less interesting overall. I do think we get to see a fair bit of the land through their eyes, and we encounter quite a bit of fighting and politics in their story too, and possibly this took over the action and character development a bit to the point where I just didn't have a lot to connect with for these two.

Overall, it's an interesting story of what would happen were a portal to open and dump out crazy monsters into the world, but it left me feeling a little bit disconnected and although I think there's certainly potential and strong writing at times, it just didn't capture my attention like I wanted it to. I gave it a 2.5*s in the end and so for SPFBO it gets a 5/10*s from me.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked The Way Into Chaos by Harry Connolly!

It has quite some tropes and predictable turns, but it has enough unique ideas to still keep my well entertained. It starts of with a feel like "classic" fantasy with a young prince who likes wine and songs and his friends more than actually training and learning.
They all have to flee the city soon - accompanied by a gruff weapons trainer. Not too long after they need to split up, and so we get different POVs traveling to different locations.

I enjoyed how some characters stay true to what I expected of them, while others grew out of their earlier behaviour. While it took me a bit longer to get hooked by some POVs than others by the end of the book I couldn't say what POV I wanted to know more about next!

The world started out pretty straight forward, but expanded over the course of the story. I especially liked to explore a hidden valley with all kinds of beasts and other mysteries to uncover!

The prose was smooth enough - and there is a brilliant audible version available.

I'll definitely pick up book two!

[The Nerd Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me this was more of a 4.5 but it is certainly a book that is meant to be read as part of a series. There isn’t a single thread that is finished up and without reading the next book you don’t have any resolution a all. I do prefer for at least a minor thread or two to be tied off at the end of a novel. The writing and story telling is superb and I was entertained throughout. There is good world building and a solid magic system as well.
It is a 2 character POV book. The first is Tyr(a title like a lord) Tejohn Treygar. He is weapons master and trainer for Lars Italga, the prince of the Peradain Empire. The empire has managed to conquer a vast swath of the continent they are on because they have managed to control the use of magic. This magic is given to them by the mysterious Evening People and gives the empire major advantages, including the abilities to heal, purify water, and break down stone and get iron to name a few. Most other people are still in the Bronze Age.
The 2nd POV is Cazia. She is a 15 year old girl and the daughter of Tyr Freewell who tried to revel against Lars’ father and has been a hostage against his good behavior for most of her life. She is loyal to Lar who also considers her a friend. She is a scholar, what they call magic users, and ends up on quite the journey of her own in the book.
Both POV characters are very well written and very interesting. I also like that this book doesn’t just include the important highborn characters but delves into the pretty terrible lives of servants who are treated very poorly in the empire.
The main conflict is that instead of the Evening People a race of bear-like people come through a portal and they are able to topple the empire very quickly. The Tyrs turn on each other and try to carve out kingdoms of their own instead of fighting to stop the, “grunts” as the bear like people come to be called. I like how the grunts are portrayed but there is something that they do that I’m not entirely sure I care for as part of the story and how Connelly resolves this issue will play a big role in whether at the conclusion of the book I will take this from a 4* to a 5*.
There are plenty of twists and turns and as I said at the start, if this was more of a complete book of its own and not the first part of a larger story, it would be a 5 star book for me. If the series continues as good as this at the conclusion I will go back and give it a 5* then.

[C.E. Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy crap. i'm one of the first people to read Harry Connolly's THE WAY INTO CHAOS, the first of his upcoming epic fantasy trilogy.

that is one hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners, breathtaking holy shit of a book.

the only reason i am not now 5 chapters into book 2 is because book 1 already kept me up well past my bedtime and i have a small child who is going to get up very early *regardless* of how stupid i am about going to bed, and therefore i cannot be TOO stupid.

but holy crap, man. O.O

[Mark Lawrence]

I've not read this book yet, but it's the second finalist in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off 2017.

So there's that!

Review here:
https://ventureadlaxre.com/2017/11/14...


More about the SPFBO here:
http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk...

List of finalists here:
http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk...

[Esme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a current semi finalist for Ventureadlaxre, I’ve read a bunch of books from this grouping and it’s cool to watch the competition stack up and see what kinds of decisions these bloggers are facing. This author is one of the more seasoned authors in the grouping already having many books under his belt and some of them under traditional publishing. .

I audiobooked this and it’s narrated by Michael Kramer, and as always Kramer gave a fantastic performance although a few times in the beginning I wondered why Dalinar was in this book, I’ve listened to Stormlight Archives too many times. I have the ebook and I searched through it refer back to for spelling, but some of these names and places could be wrong.

Characters:

Tyr Tejohn Treygar: Also known as Stoneface, this guy is probably my favorite character because he reminds me so much of Davos Seaworth. He’s loyal past sense even if he doesn’t agree with his King, he’s an “upstart” being a Tyr who was low born initially. He’s older and more mature and that’s one of my favorite kinds of POVs. A Tyr is pretty much the same thing as a Lord, most have lands and titles but Treygar doesn’t. He’s gruff and a good warrior and is a great asset to Lar the new King who’s found himself being invaded by an unknown force.
Cazia Freewell: A young scholar, a hostage to Lars family since her parents were traitors and can’t be trusted. She has a lot of power and knows a ton of spells and it’s fun watching her use a ton of magic later on in the book. She loves being a spy and slinking around hearing things she shouldn’t be privy to, so she’s a fun POV to find out what’s going on with other characters. She has a really awesome character arc at the end when she ignores all the rules of magic.
Col Freewell: Cazia’s brother, a lot of stuff happens with this character but much of it is spoilery.
Lar Italga: Prince turned King after the invasion of the Grunts killed his parents. A drunkard at the start but he has decent growth/reveals and I came around to his character.
Vilavivianna aka Ivy: a young Indregai princess betrothed to Lar, more mature than you’d expect from someone her age, she’s only 12 years old which is nice because more immature and whiny characters tend to get under my skin.
Arla Grimfield: an archer and a scout, I really liked the fact that more than a few characters in this series are older, she’s in her mid 40’s but not to be messed with. She has a nice backstory and I really liked her as a side character. I’m always down for older characters and they are pretty well represented with Arla and Treygar.
Plot:

The book opens with a ceremony for The Evening People who are these beings from another world kind of thing, they appear through these portals and give gifts that change the human society to it’s core. These gifts are magical and create huge leaps in technology for the realm. Gifts in the past have given them healing spells, water purification spells, spells allowing them to make carts fly and work kind of like flying cars.

But, this time, monsters came through the portal instead and start destroying the entire city, most of the Scholars, the King, and Queen and most of the city were wiped out.

The main cast has to flee and gather support to help fight these beasts from beyond the portal and figure out what happened to The Evening People. Nobody knows if they were leading the assault campaign, or were already conquered themselves by these creatures. The monsters that came through are blue/purple ape like monsters that rip people to shreds and work in packs.

Strategies against these monsters take up a lot of time in the book, and there’s a lot of action revolving around these guys wreaking havoc wherever they go.

There’s a lot of politics going on as well, many of the Kings friends are hostage children of traitors who had betrayed his father, there’s lots of Tyrs and children and all that jazz.

“Tyrs” are kind of like “Lords”, and keeping them all in line and under the control of the royal family also takes up a fair bit of page time, so if you’re into politics and Houses I think you’d like that aspect of the book.





Worldbuilding:

The Evening People and the Portals are mostly mysterious, with much of the book only eluding to things that have happened in the past with not a lot going on with them in the present.

The monsters were named Grunts and there’s actually a good backstory about what these creatures can do and why, and fighting them is a big pain in the ass – they’re stronger than people, faster than people, and have a fervor for killing.

The Grunts aren’t the only monsters in this world either, there are giant snakes that live in the Indregai lands, and there are giant eagles that are big enough to drop trees on prey to kill them, people included. There are also bug like people who have monstrous mounts that they ride… the further you get into the book the more fantastical it becomes.

The Gifts are one of the more interesting bits of magic in the world, different gifts allow people to do different things, the gifts can also be modified and invention/innovation is how a lot of the scholars spend their time. The First Gift given was a Healing spell and it’s one of the most complex which can be used to create Healing Stones for people to lay down and go to sleep on and wake up healed. The Fifth Gift can purify water but a cool modification can turn it into a weapon which can turn enemies brains to water. The Sixth and Eleventh gifts can alter rock and stone, the Fourteenth Gift is a light spell etc.

This is another world where magic has a cost, and scholars can be “hallowed out” if they cast too much magic and basically lose their minds. They’re usually locked up after having their hands or fingers cut off (you need to do special hand movements for spells). I’m typically a fan of magic having a cost, I think it offers an interesting challenge and makes things more exciting when you can’t just blast your way through with unlimited magic at no cost to yourself.

Pacing/Prose/Tone:

Instead of cursing this book uses “Great Way” and other in-world curses, so it’ll appeal to people who find that immersive and good world building.

The tone was sort of tense and anxious through the whole thing, there’s an unknown force invading and much of what’s going on is a mystery.

The pacing is okay, the beginning was a bit slower because there are a lot of characters and I wasn’t sure at first who the main character was because so many were being introduced. Once I got to about 30% and got the hang of the characters things started to speed up, and by the end of the book a lot was going on working kind of like a snowball by the end. The end was also sort of a cliffhanger, something brand new happens right at the end of the book so if you’re looking for a clean wrap up at the end or prefer stand alone books this is def part of a series. I’ve marked this one down as one of the series I’ll be revisiting when I’m done with this challenge.



Audience:

* For people who like multi POV
*For people who like medium length books 424 pages
*For people who like lots of magic, world revolves around magic
monsters
*For people who like fights and battle sequences
*For people who like an old school fantasy feel
*For people who like complex world building
*For people who prefer “cleaner” writing you can give to kids or for those who don’t like books with a lot of foul language
*For people who prefer series vs stand alone

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hit pay dirt with this trilogy. I have to thank time and again the Goodreads and Reddit Fantasy communities for their recommendations; I’ve discovered several “under the radar” books which were perfect for my taste, and also considering my ever-growing to read list, the word of experience is invaluable.

I didn’t know what to expect, other than a fast-paced adventure with military fantasy elements. Pacey it is, military not so much, but I don’t think any fan of the genre would be disappointed by one of the protagonists or the tactics and skirmishes of the story.

It’s a thrilling tale with a linear plot and I particularly loved the fact there is a nice balance between descriptions, thoughts, dialogues and action. The worldbuilding is a bit sacrificed, meaning that while what I was shown gripped me, I feel that some aspects could have been explored further, anyway the magic system and the theme of religion are very interesting and well-developed; I’m usually all for worlds with religion/s (in the all-encompassing meaning of the term) as active part of the culture, and this proved no exception. Throw in a short-sighted warrior past his prime, the Empire traitors’ offspring, mysterious Gifts, a nice take about the power of emotions, the insectoid Cho-ja…ehm, Tilkilit, several more races and people, an alien invasion…and a very original start, exciting and unexpected…you get an engaging mix indeed.

Supernatural invasion and saving the world, well, yes, from the blurb I feared this was going to be cliché, but since the introduction of the characters, and what happens to them when tragedy strikes, I was truly surprised and simply found the unfolding events and the central mystery addictive. I couldn't really predict the plot (okay, the clues about the reproductive habits of the grunts are clear but for all the rest, I did not have more information than the characters themselves), either, which doesn’t hurt.

Also Connolly is not shy with his characters. I can’t add more without giving away some hinge elements of the plot, but I truly liked the diversified personalities, the way the scenes are handled (this for the entire trilogy, which I’ve read with glee) and the direction of the plot.

The alternating viewpoints are very fitting and I sympathized with all the protagonists, I also liked when they managed to survive harrowing situations by dint of luck...nothing too contrived to be believable. The writing is flowing and very nice, there is the right raising of tension, and the visual descriptions are very detailed, which is important given all the locations involved. A bit too many sentences like "If a rotted hunk of wood snapped… It didn’t happen." or "the creatures were so packed together there, he thought he couldn’t miss. He didn’t.", but I appreciated the style and narration even so.

And the covers! “Never judge a book by its cover”, but I'm sorry, a cover is the book’s business card and while I never choose solely on a cover basis, the impact is undeniable. I prefer abstract pictures but really, the ones of this series are themed, beautiful and accurate to boot. Love them. The map is very nice too and so is the interior art. Kudos to the people credited in the book! This trilogy was a Kickstarter project (wish I could have backed it!) and it’s very well-finished, only a few editing issues mar an otherwise impeccable production.

The Great Way trilogy is a clever mix of epic/dark/quest/sword&sorcery fantasy, not of the grimdark genre but with the “realism”and flawed characters I expect in a satisfactory fantasy novel. Highly recommended to all fans of character-driven action stories with original twists.

[Betsy Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a *lot* of epic fantasy by now--haven't we all?--and so often I don't get past Book 1, but in this case I've got to find time to go on to the next book, because this first in a trilogy really impressed me. The action is nonstop, so much so that it was hard to find a place to stop when I had to put it down. Killer-beasts from another plane of existence are pouring into the world, and although powerful magic does exist, most of the magicians who can employ it are destroyed in the initial attack. The two main characters are a commoner-become-noble and the daughter of a traitor. They begin the story as virtual enemies, but as the story continues and their paths diverge, each comes into possession of a piece of information that will be vital to saving the world. This only scratches the surface of what goes on in this book; Harry did a great job building an original world and system of magic. Full disclosure--I was his editor on the Child of Fire Twenty Palaces series, but I had no idea he was writing these books or how well he would handle the epic fantasy form. On to Book 2!

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 / 5

Fire and Fury, this book left me with mixed feelings. The Way into Chaos participates in SPFBO 2017 contest and it’s just made it to the finals as the Ventureadlaxre choice. The book was founded through Kickstarter campaign and is part one of already finished epic fantasy trilogy about a supernatural invasion that destroys an empire.

It was marketed as “fantasy adventure without the dull bits” and “non-grimdark”. While I’m not sure about lack of the dull bits, I agree it was a nice relief from unnecessary violent and gritty books that seem to dominate fantasy market these days. This is not to say the book lacks violence; it’s just while that the characters main motivation and driving force is to do good.

The city of Peradain is the heart of an empire until, in a single day, it falls, overthrown by a swarm of supernatural creatures of incredible power and ferocity. Neither soldier nor spell casters can stand against them.

The empire's armies are crushed, its people scattered, its king and queen killed. As the creatures spread across the land, people discover they are not prepared to face the enemy that destroyed an empire.

The story is told from two radically different POV protagonists: Tyr Tejohn Treygar and Cazia Freewell. Tejohn is a short-sighted and grumpy old male soldier skilled in killing, and Cazia is a frustrated young female magician and a political hostage in the royal palace.
The choice of narration is good as it gives us a possibility to experience the action from wildly different perspectives.

World building is done, mostly, well. The societies, religion, and beliefs presented in the book are interesting and varied. In the beginning of the lecture, it may be a problem as we start out with not much in the way of familiar settings or tropes. I felt a bit lost and it took me some time to start feeling immersed in the world. As the book progresses, we learn more about the nature of The Way and magic in general. These revelations are well handled and help to build the tension.

The characters are a bit problematic to me. There’s a bunch of them and I think that author managed to give each of them personality. On the other hand, for most of the book, I didn’t care about POV characters at all. It changed around 80% of the ebook version, rather late if you ask me.
As a result, even though the pacing was fast and stakes were high, I wasn’t fully invested in the story. It is important to notice, there’s nothing wrong with these characters – they are complex and get some interesting growth. It’s just I can’t fully connect with them and that’s my main issue with this book. Having said that, I admit that in the end Cazia becomes interesting and she may transform in engaging heroine in the sequel.

Side-characters are a different matter entirely. Ivy rocks. I would gladly read a book told from this fierce and formidable twelve-year-old perspective. She rocks, guys. And she’s not the only one to shine. Arla Grimfield, a scout in her mid-forties, is not the one to mess with. Also, her backstory was interesting.

While the book doesn’t contain too graphic scenes of violence, the body count is considerable. People die. Blood is spilled. Monsters explode in the fire. Don’t expect this book to be uplifting. When it serves the plot, violent things happen, but I think none of the few brutal scenes pictured in the book is over the top. I appreciate that horror can be shown without overwhelming a reader with hectoliters of blood and viscera. Additionally, there’s no foul language in the book. Characters have their own swear words, for example “Fire and Fury”. I find it cool.

As you see I gave the book 3.5 stars. It means I consider it a good book but not everything worked for me. I must admit that the ending was so engrossing that I wanted to give it four stars. But it would be unfair to other books I judge. Emotions aside and after cold analysis of my updates and level of engagement throughout the story, it’s a fair rating.

Because for most of the story I didn’t really connect with two POV’s I wasn’t really invested in it. The stakes were high and some ideas to torment heroes were great, but without strong emotional bond with characters, it’s hard to fully appreciate plot and twists. The other thing is, it took me close to 43 % of the ebook to start to feel immersed in the world and another 30 % to start to care for protagonist. A bit too long. The last gripe - it’s not meant to be read as a standalone. I think this book should be approached as the beginning of longer epic story that serves as long introduction to the world and characters.

On the other hand, upon finishing the book, I think it’s quite innovative fantasy adventure that features varied characters who try to salvage humanity in the face of crazy odds. If you’ll feel a connection with characters faster than me, you’ll enjoy the ride.

Side note: I planned to listen to this book but, while audiobook is narrated well, I prefer the written word. Therefore I listened to it to about 15% and then switched to ebook.

Edit: There's a fun interview with Harry Connelly on The Nerd Book Review Podbean - check it out

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the SPFBO, this is the first book that I chose to further consider out of my initial 30, trying to whittle them all down to a single title to put forward to the other judges.

This book stands out initially because of the author's backlist of decent books, and also that one of the main characters is older than most main POV characters that we usually see. He's a warrior who has earned the trust of a king and queen, has already buried a wife and has a new family, and is seemingly retired from war - his body old and aching from a hard life (so possibly nearing or into his 50s?) It's a sharp contrast to the spoilt prince and his friends who are really quite childish, despite being teenagers.

They're all shaken to their core when the night of celebration, where they usually receive gifts of magic from another realm, is instead riddled with chaos and bloodshed - monsters come instead of magic, and wipe out the king and queen, and most of the city.

From there it is an exciting and engaging fight to the last page in order to regroup and get their revenge, feuding characters who have to realign their alliances, and all over a good feast of world building with a decent class-system that really gives depth and feeling to this novel.

Overall this is a solid book of quality. There are no grammar or spelling errors that caught my eye, and the formatting is decent. The pace and writing voice are quality also - you can tell that this book has been edited more than once, and fine-tuned to where it doesn't take any effort to read and keep reading - where a few of the other SPFBO books fall over is that they simply haven't had as much time put into them, taking the words and working them again and again to make them better.

It helps that this has an interesting magic and class system - it builds on the genre, doing something a little different that will make those very familiar with the fantasy genre interested to see what happens next. At the same turn, that does make this book a little harder to pick up if a reader were new to the genre.

Overall, this is a strong contender, and recommended if you've been following along in the SPFBO journey.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered what would happen if looked like and invaded , you should try this book.

[Mihir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the review over at Fantasy Book Critic (along with 3 other mini-reviews)

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Way Into Chaos is Harry Connolly’s debut epic fantasy foray and for fantasy fans while Harry Connolly might not be a familiar name. For urban fantasy fans (like myself) Harry Connolly is a talented author whose Twenty Palaces series struck a strong chord. The Way Into Chaos is a an epic fantasy with aspects of portal fantasy (reversed tropes) and a fantasy which does away from excessive gore and swearing.

This aspect I hear was an intentional one, also this book along with the rest of the trilogy was successfully kickstarted by the author. I was a backer for this trilogy and it was one that I truly cherish. I was glad to see The Way Into Chaos make it into the finals, this book has an explosive beginning and I mean it in all expressions of the word. We see a kingdom torn asunder due to the appearance of magic and nightmarish creatures. Our main characters are shown to be strewn apart and this book showcases their journey to their eventual zeniths. With this being an opening volume of the trilogy, we certainly aren’t getting the whole story but the ending is one which leaves the readers satisfied.

With this volume, I enjoyed the action packed and plot pace which kept me turning pages and engaged. But the book’s characters felt a bit flat and the world building wasn’t as complete as I thought it would be. Let me be clear, this book is definitely different than most current grimdark fantasies as even while the main characters are distraught, it never careens towards either grimdark or noblebright spectrum ends. It comfortable finds its own path and is in a way very reminiscent of 90s fantasy wherein epic fantasy wasn’t sullied by the grime and nilhistic seasoning that we find present nowadays. The Way Into Chaos is an interesting thriller read with a gorgeous cover (by Chris McGrath) and works more on those threads. As an epic fantasy, it has its shining moments and some drawbacks which made me enjoy it but not the degree that I thought I would.

[J.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry Connolly doesn't really need me to write a review about his work, given that The Way Into Chaos had a massive and successful Kickstarter campaign and Connolly himself had previously received acclaim for a traditionally published Urban fantasy series.

It's rare that I come across a book that is an absolute no-brainer in terms of whether it should be part of my site. The Way Into Chaos is such a book, and I'll explain why below.

While hardly the first to do it, it's always interesting to see how an author who specialised in one style of fantasy shifts to a completely different one. In the case of Mr. Connolly the answer is 'very well indeed'.

In addition to sporting a wonderful cover and solid editing with few typos, the pace of the work in question really sets it apart from many of the traditionally published contemporaries. Others have likened it to a merging of thriller and fantasy, driving the plot forward and not getting bogged down in descriptions of clothing or excessive world-building.

Lar is royalty, and this likeable rapscallion is the heir to the throne. He is accompanied most of the time by a number of young cohorts who helpfully bounce off his dialogue. The most important of these cohorts is young Cazia, a sorceress who is both headstrong and entertaining.

Speaking of entertaining, the most enjoyable character is the seasoned veteran Tyr Trejohn Treygar, a man sworn into the service of the royal family and by extension, the prince. A stern authority figure who seems to serve as an arms-master of sorts at the beginning of the tale.

To put things politely, things go to hell in a hand basket very quickly. After a great deal of death and destruction, the Tyr finds himself in charge of making sure that the prince survives their journey into discovering just how to get rid of the threat that threatens to destroy them all.

Meanwhile, amidst all the devastation, young Cazia finds herself on her own journey. A journey as much of self-discovery as anything else.

The reason for my being vague about much of the plot is that in order to talk about it in any detail I'd have to spoil it, and that's the sign of a work that twists and turns in a most enjoyable fashion. There's little bloat to be found in this work, and as always the downside to that is that certain themes and world-building lack the expansion they would have been treated to in larger equivalent tomes.

Explosive start aside, things don't really heat up until the first third of the groundwork is laid out in the book, at which point Connolly quite vividly defies my expectations in a most delightful fashion. This turning point sucked me into the novel and made the remaining two thirds fly in.

Despite the high fantasy trappings, Connolly revels in subverting the typical plot armour and moral certitude that is so prevalent in older works. While this is more common in modern fantasy, The Way Into Chaos clearly displays aspects of writing that would be more commonly found in the Urban fantasy/thriller genres.

What's also nice to see is that in spite of the lack of space for typical fleshing out of the world in question, there is a deep exploration into the magic system and certain other aspects of the land that are gradually phased in throughout the plot.

It's by no means perfect, but it's a lot better than most of the fantasy being published lately. That this had to be crowdfunded is an indictment of the modern publication industry.

While it's apparent that this is the first third of a trilogy, an irritation that I've lamented many times, such is the strength of Connolly's prose and pacing that I honestly don't mind. I've docked one star due to the abrupt halt, but I understand entirely why it came about.

I really enjoyed reading this and fully intend to pick up the next two volumes and support Mr. Connolly's future ventures. As far as I'm concerned this man should still be signed to a major deal and I hope that the immensely positive reception of his work will provide him with just that.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic fantasy with no heroic farm boys destined to save the world? Good start.

The pacing owes more to thrillers than epic fantasy. No luxuriously describing big meals, watching the scenery go by as the characters travel cross country, or having characters practice evocatively named weapons styles. Instead you move quickly from plot point to plot point, with lots of action and not a lot of political intrigue (it's there, but he doesn't weigh the story down with it). I didn't keep a strict count, but I think there were only two viewpoint characters, and neither of them was what you'd expect.

Connolly has also updated/thrown out a lot of epic fantasy tropes to bring the story in line with modern views. You meet women who are career soldiers, noted scholars, and organizers of a slave underground. One of the main viewpoint characters is a career soldier in his mid-40s. The other is a spoiled brat noble girl. I'm pretty sure this story is not going to fit the Hero With a Thousand Faces story line.

All that said, this is absolutely an epic fantasy. Pseudo-medieval society? Check. Supernatural monsters? Check. Strange evil force invading and taking over? Check. Magic playing a significant role in the plot? Check. Characters traveling and experiencing strange new places? Check. I think we might even be getting a bit of a coming of age story from one of the characters.

I'd be afraid to recommend this to someone who hasn't read epic fantasy before because if they like it they'll be sorely disappointed by the vast majority of the epic fantasy out there.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lived up to its working title of "Epic Fantasy With No Dull Parts". Excellent worldbuilding, likeable characters doing things that matter, and a refreshing lack of apostrophes in names. Book one doesn't end so much as it stops, so this is the sort of trilogy that's more like one huge book split into readable pieces. Book two, The Way Into Magic releases January 13, 2015, and book three, The Way Into Darkness releases February 3rd, and both are available for pre-order on Amazon now if you weren't fortunate enough to back the kickstarter. Grateful am I that I backed the kickstarter and thus may start book two immediately, after this brief pause to update Goodreads.

Also, I am pleased to say that this is Epic Fantasy with No Rapey Parts. Bad things happen, but not that, and there are women with agency who are not just collectible plot tokens or prizes. And no Chosen One or Pig Boy Destined to Overthrow Great Evil. Basically, everything I dislike in Epic Fantasy is missing from this novel, leaving more room for things I love.

If you liked Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion series or Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet, I would recommend this series to you (and vice versa).

And now three of my favorite quotes:

"She did not smile nor did she look at him. She only stared silently at the floor. For his part, Timu accepted her silence as a kind of distance between them that he did not know how to cross."

"We take every advantage and show no mercy unless mercy itself is an advantage. Our honor comes in the way we die, not in the way fight."

"There is a reason spoiled twelve-year-old girls do not make good diplomats."

[John Bogart · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I recommend this book (and series) to anyone who likes epic fantasy.

I was already a fan of Harry Connolly before reading The Way Into Chaos. I love his Twenty Palaces series and thoroughly enjoyed his short story collection. I got The Way Into Chaos from backing his Kickstarter.

That means that I was very excited to start reading this series, but also a little nervous. Epic fantasy trilogies are a very different genre than Urban Fantasy. In the past I've loved one series but an author but disliked another by the same author.

I was definitely not disappointed.

The book did many things just right. The details about the setting were given out gradually and naturally. There were no awkward expositions, nor was there an outsider who needed everything explained to them (giving an excuse to dump info on the reader). The book also had capable, but flawed characters. Even though one of the main characters is a 15 year old girl, she's smart, capable, and never simpering.

The book also plays with many of the common tropes of the epic fantasy genre. It includes them to good effect, then twists them slightly or sometimes completely.

The magic is also great (no surprise after Twenty Palaces, which is my favorite treatment of magic in any books I've ever read). The very first description of magic worried me a little (it seemed almost like something out of a Dungeons & Dragons game), but it was very quickly expanded into one of the best parts of the book. Magic was interesting, useful, and dangerous. (I loved the idea of"hollowing" and how it is used I'm the book).

I could go on and on. I don't think the book was perfect, but I really enjoyed it. I'm going to start reading book 2 as soon as I finish writing this review.

Which reminds me of another great thing about this series: All three books are already written. As a Kickstarter backer, I already have all three. For others, I believe the release is being staggered a bit, but not much.

Clearly, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Connelly has made an incredible world. The Way into Chaos is named because it has its protagonists surviving in a world that has fallen from order into chaos. The heroes and other characters are complex, each with a range of motivations. There are those like one of the protagonists who think of things like honor, loyalty to the empire he has sworn an oath to, and devotion to a cause. Others may have had such thoughts, but have looked around them and believed that the empire that they were loyal to has fallen. Others were never loyal to the empire, and made choices on what they thought was best as order fell around them, and a new threat entered there land.

The diversity and depth of the characters is what draws you in. In the first chapter, you are introduced to many characters and their backgrounds, only to have most of them gone by the end of the second chapter. As the book goes on, there are several rounds of this, parties form around the protagonists on their missions, only to break up and go their separate ways in the course of events. These are not handpicked heroes chosen for a special mission. These are individuals who made there way out of disaster into a dangerous world, trying to make their way within their limits. And that keeps my attention as I went page after page. I'm looking forward to working through the rest of this trilogy.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap. This was awesome. Connolly has put thought into the setting--iron's rare, steel is a new technology, and bronze is the most common metal. Characters speak different languages. The spells the Peradaini have learned from the Evening People have impacted the empire's economy (for example, the rockbreaking spell means that iron has become more common within the last few generations). Also, as a short-sighted person myself, I was delighted to read a book where one of the main characters is short-sighted. I feel his pain.

It was exciting! And fast paced! And the invading monsters creeped me out so much. I'm going to have to put this next bit behind the spoiler tag. They call themselves The Blessing. The Blessing! Their bite blesses you. By turning you into one of them. They're intelligent, obviously, but at the same time so mindless. It's a virus that hijacks you and turns you into one of them. I'm so curious to find out what exactly their purpose is. Did the Evening People create them and they're called The Blessing because the Evening People think living without magic is a curse? Or that living with emotions is a curse?

SO creepy.

[Tasula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Twenty Palaces series by Connolly (starting with Child of Fire), so I had to read his fantasy kickoff. And it was properly titled "...Into Chaos" because it sure ended that way. There are two main points of view. The first is a 47 year old soldier/royal weapons master loyal to the Peradain empire, and the second is a 15 year old daughter of a traitor to the empire, held hostage at the court. Disaster strikes suddenly and devastatingly during a Festival, and everyone makes desperate and often futile efforts to fight back and survive. It's a great story, and I really need to get the next book in the trilogy to find out what happens next. Highly recommended IMO, as are the Twenty Palaces books.

[Chip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review of full series: eh, at best. Unoriginal, superficial, lazy and shallow. Understandable that it had to be Kickstarter-funded. I'd vaguely remembered enjoying some of his Twenty Palaces novels, but based on this series I'm unlikely to bother with future works from him.

[Rike Random · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uff... Ich muss ehrlich sagen, ich habe so meine Probleme mit High Fantasy. Es gibt einige wenige Bücher bzw. Reihen, die mir ausgesprochen gut gefallen und ich versuche mich immer wieder sehr gerne an neuen Fundstücken, aber die meiste Zeit weigert sich der Funke einfach überzuspringen. So leider auch hier.

Harry Connollys "Die Pforte der Schatten" fängt ganz vielversprechend an, die Ausgangssituation hat etwas faszinierendes: Das Reich Peredain verdankt quasi alles den Geschenken und der Großzügigkeit des Abendvolks. Alle 23 Jahre gibt es ein Fest als Dank und eine neue Gabe. Doch dann kommen eines Tages statt der Gesandten des Abendvolks riesige Bestien durch das Portal und das Reich Peredain wird überrannt.

Erzählt wird der Roman aus zwei verschiedenen Perspektiven und bereits auf den ersten Seiten geht das Gemetzel los. Und was für ein Gemetzel es ist! Irgendwie scheint keiner der Charaktere so richtig kompetent zu sein, sie stolpern alle mehr schlecht als recht durch ihre diversen Abenteuer - wobei auch ständig Leute rund um die beiden Protagonisten draufgegangen sind. Dummerweise waren fast alle dieser Eintagsfliegen in meinen Augen sympathischer als die beiden zentralen Charaktere.

Und dazu kam dann noch das Tempo des Romans. Denn der war einfach nur unglaublich langsam und langgezogen. Dass das bei High Fantasy Auftakten nicht gerade selten ist, weiß ich auch, aber normalerweise bekommt man dabei wenigstens ein Gefühl für die Welt und Charaktere. Das hat hier irgendwie nicht so richtig hingehauen, trotz diverser Beschreibungen ist mir die Welt ein relativ großes Rätsel gewesen - wobei das Magiesystem wirklich gut war.

Alles in allem war Harry Connollys "Die Pforte der Schatten" weder der beste noch der schlechteste High Fantasy Serienauftakt, den ich je gelesen habe. Die Ideen hinter der Geschichte haben mir eigentlich sehr gut gefallen, die Umsetzung hingegen war nicht so meins, aber Potential ist definitiv da und wer weiß, vielleicht lese ich ja sogar den nächsten Teil.

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Woops, late review.
The fact that I only like two characters in this book and one of them turns into a monser pretty soon,
didnt't make this any easier. What a pity. Maybe the sequel will be better.

[Christopher Valin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was disappointed when Harry Connolly’s Twenty Palaces series was discontinued, and I was shocked to find out that he couldn’t find a publisher for his new epic fantasy trilogy, The Great Way. He’s such an engaging writer and receives such glowing reviews, it was hard to believe they weren’t all competing for it. So Connolly turned to Kickstarter to self-publish the series, and it became one of the top projects ever in its category–so much so, that he was able to offer several extra incentives beyond the original ones.

First off, let me say that this does not look like any self-published book I’ve ever seen. The covers are done by the same artist who did his Twenty Palaces novels, and they are kick-ass. It also has a gorgeous map and some really nice drawings for the chapter headings to distinguish which of the two main characters’ point of view that chapter is from. In fact, the only thing I noticed at all that set it apart from a book released from a publisher was that there were a few more typos than usual, but it wasn’t to the point of distraction or even close to what most of the self-published books I’ve read contain.

What you’ll read in almost every review of these books is that Connolly promised an epic fantasy “without the boring bits.” And, man, did he deliver. It’s a fantastic blend of thriller-paced writing with epic fantasy world building that’s right up my alley. As someone who has spend the past decade and a half reading and writing more screenplays then novels, my attention span has dwindled, and I have to admit I have little patience for descriptions of every morsel of food served at a banquet or every blade of grass growing from the ground. When I tried to read The Hobbit to my kids, I couldn’t believe how little I remembered about one of my favorite books, and how bored I started to get at the excessive descriptions of everything. Unfortunately, Connolly has been dinged in some reviews I’ve seen from people who revel in that type of storytelling, but I have a feeling most modern readers can appreciate that, with all of the films, TV shows, and video games we’ve consumed, it’s no longer necessary for an author to paint a detailed picture of every single thing with words.

As for the story itself, I found it riveting, and I had difficulty putting it down. In fact, I fell asleep reading it late at night many times, which is not as negative as it sounds. It wasn’t for lack of excitement in the book, but the fact that I was so tired and yet still tried to pry my eyes open until my body just wouldn’t allow it any more. I’m not big on spoiling any aspects of a story, but I will say that this is an engaging tale of the fall of a great empire from the point of view of a middle-aged soldier and a teenage magician-scholar.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

[Shecky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I copyedited the series. As a result, many would assume that I'd be biased, that I'd try to promote something I was directly involved with so that I might have future work, or something to that effect. Combine that with my publicly avowed fandom for Harry's Twenty Palaces stories, those people would likely see that assumption as "proven." And those people would be wrong.

I'll admit that I love my work, that I enjoy pretty much everything I work on (primarily fantasy and science fiction), and that that informs a lot of my thoughts about the books I copyedit. That being said, this series was something special. The defining aspect comes in the way I do my work: slowly, methodically, focusing on all the little particles instead of letting myself get pulled along with the story (and if there are errors, they're mine). For this series, it was an entire order of magnitude more difficult to keep that from happening, to keep my focus on the microscopic instead of the macroscopic so that I *could* do my job as well as possible. It was the story itself, not my liking for Harry's writing in general nor my enjoyment of my work, that made that intellectual distance that much harder to maintain. Harry's thoughtful skirting of the standard tropes (i.e., acknowledging and using them but not letting the story be bound by them and their classic uses) kept my interest piqued just about continuously, and it's a rare book that accomplishes that for me...and he did it over the course of three straight books.

If you like epic fantasy but are open to a fresh-thinking take on it, this series is what you want.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I was recently in a discussion sparked by a Guardian article on how epic fantasy needs to break out from its dependence on meganovels - thousand page volumes, often several of them, that at least partly are about being a tourist in the fantasy world. Well, if there's a book to point the way out of that, this is is that book.

It starts with a bang (hi, your festival has just been invaded....) and doesn't let up. We follow the characters from the moment of invasion on and there's simply no letup in moving the story forward. Things keep happening, character make choices then act on those choices and it's not always pretty. At no point is there some large 50 page info dump.... if it serves the story it's here, if not, it's somewhere in the trash, I suppose.

Far from hurting world building, this approach serves it. We get a real idea of the world in which things are happening, but none of our characters are omniscient so neither are we. There are lands beyond where the action takes place and we get brief descriptions of them, but that's all, because that's all the story at that point supports. The result of this is a well constructed, well written novel that drops us into a world right as something terrible happens and then follows authentic characters who each try to do their best by their own lights. This is a tight, well done fantasy novel that kept me up until 1am which is when my iPad battery died. I finished it this morning and bought the next book in the trilogy.

Do note that this is the first book of a completed trilogy. It does end on a cliffhanger but the rest of the series is out so you can keep reading.

[Christine Rains · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyr Tejohn Treygar has sworn his life in service to the King and Queen of Peradain. The great empire was built on war and a monopoly on magic. On the night of a grand festival, the capital city is invaded by ferocious beasts none had ever seen before. The King and Queen are lost, but Tejohn protects the prince and his cousins, whisking them away to safety. The monsters that flooded the city aren't the only ones terrorizing people across the land. Armies are decimated and the tyrs turn against one another. Tejohn vows to aid the prince in finding a way to be rid of the monsters, but can they survive to save the kingdom?

A well written dark epic fantasy. It is told from the point of view of Tyr Treygar who is an experienced and older warrior, and the prince's teenage friend, Cazia who is a scholar (a wizard). I had a bit of trouble getting hooked at first, but when the action started building, I could not put the book down. The characterization is great, especially with the large cast of characters. I grew to really like Cazia and the little princess she travels with.

The world building is incredible. It has all the elements of a traditional fantasy world, but twisted in just the right ways to make it something new and more than a bit frightening. The magic system is fascinating and surrounded by some mystery. The monsters are chilling. I will never look at an eagle the same way again!

Recommended for those who like dark fantasy. I also highly recommend Harry Connolly's Twenty Palaces books.

[Blair MacGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could order up an epic fantasy to exactly fit my tastes, The Way Into Chaos would be about as close as anyone could come. Epic fantasy adventures should move, and this story does--sometimes at a breakneck speed that ends with a turn so abrupt and unexpected, it made me flinch. Its central characters are well-drawn, engaging, and smart (if not always correct). I love how well Connolly balances the characters' inner fears, doubts, and, er, impolite thoughts against their outer attempts to act with loyalty, courage, and determination.

Here's the coolest thing: I didn't skim.

Surely I can't be the only long-time epic fantasy reader who knows (and to some degree accepts) that there will always be paragraphs or pages of the long, long story I'll skim in order to get back to the good stuff. But Connolly paced this one wonderfully. What I needed to know to understand the world and its circumstances and its rules and its politics -- everything -- was part of the moving story.

So let me say again -- I didn't skim over any part of this book. And when I finished it, I was relieved to know I had the second and the third installments at hand. (Yay, Kickstarter!)

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Connolly promoted this as "epic fantasy without the boring parts" and he was not kidding.

If this were merely an exercise into how vivid and original a world a skilled writer can build when he omits all the infodumps and instead lets history, character, and wonder be revealed through action, then that alone would be worthwhile. Instead, it's all that and a compelling story as well. It's not just "Western Europe plus a wizard or two" - it's an original world that's been built around fantastic creatures and concepts. And we only get a brief glimpse of it before Connolly starts tearing it apart.

I don't know if Connolly would market this as "dark fantasy", but THE WAY INTO CHAOS felt grimmer than any of THE SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, except perhaps the earliest and sharpest novels in Martin's series. Perhaps that's because there are fewer characters for us to worry about, and we're more invested in their success. Regardless, I found myself twisting into knots with each new chapter in a way that I hadn't with Martin in a long time.

[M Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is pretty much what a Heroic Fantasy should be. I mean if you wanted to introduce somebody to the genre, you could hand them this.

It's gripping, fast paced and very well written, with a vividly drawn world (but none of those rambling six paragraph descriptions that bedevil the genre), and escapist. It takes you to an exotic setting and makes it feel real with grit and sweat and tragedy.... and heroism to transcend all that.

It's not exactly a feel good book, but nor is it an "OMG I'll slit my throat now I am ashamed of being a man and having the urge to solve conflict through violence" book. It doesn't remotely follow the plot of Gladiator, but one of the two protagonists carries with him the vibe of Maximus.

Meanwhile it's recognisably Fantasy, but with an original take on the tropes. There's heaps of onscreen magic - the genre often balks at that - but the magic has a nasty disquieting side; no free lunches in this story world!