King’s Steel by John Morris
Fantasy (2022 – 645 pp.)
John R. Morris’s King’s Steel is a brand new release in the epic high fantasy genre. Morris’s protagonist, Major Kallan Garrik, investigates a rash of soulstealers who threaten his home kingdom, while the mysterious but beautiful Vala and a cadre of loyal soldiers* join him in uncovering a long-held, deep-seated, magical grudge. While King’s Steel doesn’t break new ground, it zips along at a pace rivaling even the pulpiest airport novel, making its considerable length (approximately 154,000 words) more manageable than most books of that length.
A historical division within the fantasy genre is often between sword and sorcery (exactly what it sounds like), typified by series like The Chronicles of Prydain and Conan the Barbarian, and fantasies more contemplative of the social and cultural conditions in which the characters live. In King’s Steel, Morris balances both ends of the spectrum. The book opens with Kallan immediately in swashbuckling mode, which establishes him as a formidable fighter, but also demonstrates the teamwork that will be necessary to overcome the soulstealers (or “hexen”, depending on which character is speaking). Starting at Chapter 28, a semi-major character is a dressmaker. Morris describes the ladies’ dresses** in sufficient detail that if King’s Steel were ever optioned as a movie, limited series or stage production, the costume designer would have plenty to work with. Fans of the more Renaissance Faire style of fantasy will surely enjoy those descriptions, all the way from Chapter 9 onward. Then, of course, there are plenty more battles to be had.
Magic comes with rules. One of the dictates of the fantasy genre is that no matter how much disbelief is suspended, once the rules of the world are in place, the author must obey them. Morris does this almost perfectly. Innate powers (tau) and crystals can heal, but they drain the subject of energy. Kallan suffers grievous injuries that lay him up in hotel rooms (well, it’s fantasy, so a room above an inn) for days at a time. Although Kallan and Vala have a certain amount of plot armor, as one expects in this genre, they never appear invincible, even when they are enchanted. The one exception is the abrupt appearance of the portals, which are crucial to transporting Vala and her compatriots across South Reach*** and Urdan. The first instance of the word “portal” occurs in Chapter 19, and completely threw me for a (hyper)loop.
Morris simultaneously employs and subverts the quest theme. While Kallan’s story arc starts as a seemingly straightforward quest to find out what the hexen are plotting against South Reach, it quickly goes astray based on the shared goals of South Reach and Urdan. Characters like Vala, Relenki and Bartholomew generally support Kallan but insist on having a say in the overall goals of the quest. Magistrate Allistrando of Urdan, by contrast, is extremely wary of exposing Urdan to other kingdoms, acting in Chapter 39 as an isolationist who is initially opposed to outward engagement. He eventually realizes he will need to form an alliance to succeed over the hexen, completing his arc. Characters’ goals in King’s Steel are rarely opposed or orthogonal, instead usually consisting of North versus North-North-East. The primary exception is Andor, who is exposed as an ostracized pariah who manipulates subjects from a distance.
The only scenes I found wholly unrealistic**** were the ring scene leading up to Chapter 45 and the courtroom scene in Chapter 66. In the former, one of the characters requires an engagement ring, so his first idea is to detach the gemstone from his sword’s pommel. This is despite him belonging to a royal family, which presumably owns a number of family heirloom rings that would be perfectly suited to the young man’s upcoming engagement. Morris gives no reason as to why this character does not first inquire about the family’s collection. The courtroom scene is typical fantasy fare, complete with self-represented parties, sloppy court procedure, and general proclamations of characters’ intentions. My qualm here is not with Morris specifically, but rather with a time-honored tradition that needs to perish. No more fantasy trials.
Otherwise, though, Morris makes the world realer than many another fantasy author might have. Magistrate Allistrando’s brother Luggio, for example, reveals in Chapter 40 that he is the owner and proprietor of a restaurant. This is the ultimate illustration of how an at least somewhat democratic country would differ from a top-down autocratic kingdom; in democracies, merchants are prized for their successes, whereas in autocracies they are typically not. One of my favorite characters, meanwhile, is Yantz, who is a magical doctor. As mentioned above, characters’ injuries in King’s Steel are bloody, debilitating, and result in extended infirmary stays. Without Yantz, the whole troupe***** would probably be dead in the first third of the novel.
After unofficially retiring this blog, it is fitting that my lone review of 2022 so far is a Fall 2022 release full of adventure, romance and theme. King’s Steel is quick-reading fantasy fun that should please both the martial and social fans.
Ease of Reading: 10
Educational Content: 1
*There’s a Captain Greenway. The chief editor of the book, who also wrote a foreword, is named William Greenway. I imagine this is 100% pure coincidence with absolutely nothing more to it.
**At one point, there’s a form-fitting lavender wedding dress. Clearly the era of Disney Princesses is behind us, and we’re ready for our fantastical brides to wear more modern designs.
***I kept reading “South Beach” here, but alas, there was no Bam Adebayo sighting.
****Again, by the standards of the world. Healing crystals and soulstealers, I can accept as being pillars of a fantasy world.
*****There are some misspellings of this word as “troop”. Similarly, there are some instances of switching “hanged” and “hung”. While these editorial issues niggle slightly, they are a cup of water in Lake Superior compared to the red pen I would take to the average thriller novel.
