Review: Conspiracy (Emperor’s Edge book 4), by Lindsay Buroker

I’ve got two series on the go at the moment, and one of them is the Emperor’s Edge, by Lindsay Buroker. It’s a slightly different setting than my usual medieval/high fantasy, being more steampunk in nature, and follows the eponymous gang of criminals/heroes (a sort of steampunk A-Team) as they try and do good and foil evildoers.

I really like Buroker’s writing style, which makes reading relaxing and effortless, and I often ended up reading more in a single sitting than I’d intended. By this stage, the characters have all been fleshed out significantly, from the leader Amaranthe Lokdon, formerly a cop, to ladies’ man Maldynado, magical teen punk Akstyr, Books the academic, Basilard the mute foreigner, and Sicarius the ruthless assassin.

This time, Amaranthe and company are seeking to rescue the emperor himself, who is effectively under the control of the mysterious Forge conspirators (the series’ antagonists). We see at least one returning face, and a few more seemingly significant characters enter the stage.

I won’t spoil the plot, though it’s interesting that this book is a bit less of an isolated episode than some previous entries in the series. Every book tends to slightly shift the focus, so while Amaranthe is the core of the group the others do get their time for development, and this time Akstyr gets his slice of the action (in a way that fits perfectly with the story).

There’s some nice banter, twists and turns, though I admit one or two of Amaranthe’s decisions did make me raise an eyebrow. But, on the whole, I found the book to be very engaging and will definitely be getting book 5 at some point.

Thaddeus