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A review by witchkingreads
The Fangs of War by E.J. Doble
3.0
2.5/5
“The cattle may despise the savage…but the savage does not care. Why? Because the savage does not think the cattle have the capacity to suffer in the same way. I’m sorry, truly, that for so long your people have enjoyed being the butcher.”
First, I’d like to thank E.J. Doble for sending me his book to read. With a title like The Fangs of War and an ominous cover that features a striking snake, I knew I’d be in for a brutal ride.
The Fangs of War is a self-published novel by E.J. Doble telling the bloody tale of a brutal war following the death of Provenci’s king. Alvarez, against the wishes of the All-Mother, a God-like being, leads the charge of a new military government hell-bent on taking the fight to the Tarrazi, believed to be responsible for the king’s death. Pride and greed reign over the kingdom, making it hard to tell for Cavara, a general at odds with the war, which side is the right one. Revek, a Commander, will make sure she knows her place. In this multi-perspective grimdark novel, blood is shed, and backs are stabbed, driven to the point of madness, by the figures that move in the shadows.
This is a book that can definitely be categorized in the grimdark genre. There is a healthy amount of brutality and bloodshed, making the plot of an ongoing war that much more prevalent. There is a lot of attention to detail underlining the prejudices and consequences of war. An example being when Savanta, a former military leader in the Provenci army, consistently refers to the enemy as it. I greatly enjoyed this small detail that shined a light on the callousness that lives in those scarred by warfare. The world itself is not one I would care to enter into. There are beasts that burrow into the chests of those who cross their path and tyrants who hold no qualms about murdering men, women, and children alike.
I found some characters to be well rounded while others left me struggling to understand their motivations. The two characters I was most interested in were Savanta and Markus. They start out as old friends serving in the military together, and when catastrophe hits Markus follows Savanta on her path for revenge. The journey of their friendship leads them to the new people they’ve become, and their duo became the most fascinating relationship to read about. What I struggled with were characters like Revek and Alvarez. Their motivations as antagonists fell flat for me. Revek’s constant reminders that he was the one in charge made a lot of his actions feel like he was overcompensating. There were a few times that he had taken up the mantel and gone through with his threats, but I found him to be mostly bark and no bite. There are many villains in this novel, and all have the habit of monologuing their dark deeds to the heroes, giving the reader info through dialogue which didn’t sit very well with me. In some instances the protagonists were told what they needed to know by the very people they’re fighting against instead of finding it out for themselves. However, when threats were followed through… they were followed through.
The first half of this book was interesting and had some great ideas! For example, some chapters were dedicated to nameless soldiers fighting in the war. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first because I kept searching for a name to better connect with the characters. Once I realized these were soldiers, one of hundreds to be forgotten in the coming battles, I appreciated what Doble was trying to accomplish. During these scenes we get a ground look at what the opposite side of the conflict looked like, and I was excited to dive deeper into that. However, this only happened a few times in the beginning of the book, transitioning into the nameless perspectives of random people in the later half to eventually become nonexistent.
This book is beautifully written. There is a wonderful prose etching the horrors of loss, grief, and pain. There is no disputing that this novel was written with a careful and detailed hand, diligent in the craft of storytelling. There are some truly beautiful poetic lines and thought-provoking exchanges. I enjoyed the highly evolved prose, but there were moments where I just wanted to get to the crux of the matter. I would sometimes start a chapter and not know whose point of view I was reading until a page and a half later. Occasionally I would believe I was in one person’s perspective, only to discover a few paragraphs later I was wrong and needed to reread the entire section again. This would be especially frustrating when I was in a chapter with a nameless character. I felt that some of the scenes were repetitive, reminding me of thoughts/feelings/events that I already knew. Descriptions are a major pillar when writing and I love being able to see in detail where I am in a book, but The Fangs of War was too poetic in its prose for me. It was overtly descriptive, where it could’ve been condensed into a few sentences with the same effect.
The ending was a crescendo of unexpected deaths and world-building expansion. I applaud Doble for a job well done on some unforeseen outcomes and emotionally charged confrontations. Ultimately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an audience for it! I am of the firm belief that there is a reader for every book, but not necessarily a book for every reader. Just because I didn’t quite enjoy this book as much as I wished to doesn’t mean you can’t. If you’re in the market for a dark story with elevated prose, unique shifting perspectives, and harrowing circumstances, then this is a good one to pick up. Despite my criticisms this book is very well written! I wish Doble the best of luck with the sequel, which, as I understand is in its final stages of editing for those of you who will want to jump right into the second book!
“The cattle may despise the savage…but the savage does not care. Why? Because the savage does not think the cattle have the capacity to suffer in the same way. I’m sorry, truly, that for so long your people have enjoyed being the butcher.”
First, I’d like to thank E.J. Doble for sending me his book to read. With a title like The Fangs of War and an ominous cover that features a striking snake, I knew I’d be in for a brutal ride.
The Fangs of War is a self-published novel by E.J. Doble telling the bloody tale of a brutal war following the death of Provenci’s king. Alvarez, against the wishes of the All-Mother, a God-like being, leads the charge of a new military government hell-bent on taking the fight to the Tarrazi, believed to be responsible for the king’s death. Pride and greed reign over the kingdom, making it hard to tell for Cavara, a general at odds with the war, which side is the right one. Revek, a Commander, will make sure she knows her place. In this multi-perspective grimdark novel, blood is shed, and backs are stabbed, driven to the point of madness, by the figures that move in the shadows.
This is a book that can definitely be categorized in the grimdark genre. There is a healthy amount of brutality and bloodshed, making the plot of an ongoing war that much more prevalent. There is a lot of attention to detail underlining the prejudices and consequences of war. An example being when Savanta, a former military leader in the Provenci army, consistently refers to the enemy as it. I greatly enjoyed this small detail that shined a light on the callousness that lives in those scarred by warfare. The world itself is not one I would care to enter into. There are beasts that burrow into the chests of those who cross their path and tyrants who hold no qualms about murdering men, women, and children alike.
I found some characters to be well rounded while others left me struggling to understand their motivations. The two characters I was most interested in were Savanta and Markus. They start out as old friends serving in the military together, and when catastrophe hits Markus follows Savanta on her path for revenge. The journey of their friendship leads them to the new people they’ve become, and their duo became the most fascinating relationship to read about. What I struggled with were characters like Revek and Alvarez. Their motivations as antagonists fell flat for me. Revek’s constant reminders that he was the one in charge made a lot of his actions feel like he was overcompensating. There were a few times that he had taken up the mantel and gone through with his threats, but I found him to be mostly bark and no bite. There are many villains in this novel, and all have the habit of monologuing their dark deeds to the heroes, giving the reader info through dialogue which didn’t sit very well with me. In some instances the protagonists were told what they needed to know by the very people they’re fighting against instead of finding it out for themselves. However, when threats were followed through… they were followed through.
The first half of this book was interesting and had some great ideas! For example, some chapters were dedicated to nameless soldiers fighting in the war. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first because I kept searching for a name to better connect with the characters. Once I realized these were soldiers, one of hundreds to be forgotten in the coming battles, I appreciated what Doble was trying to accomplish. During these scenes we get a ground look at what the opposite side of the conflict looked like, and I was excited to dive deeper into that. However, this only happened a few times in the beginning of the book, transitioning into the nameless perspectives of random people in the later half to eventually become nonexistent.
This book is beautifully written. There is a wonderful prose etching the horrors of loss, grief, and pain. There is no disputing that this novel was written with a careful and detailed hand, diligent in the craft of storytelling. There are some truly beautiful poetic lines and thought-provoking exchanges. I enjoyed the highly evolved prose, but there were moments where I just wanted to get to the crux of the matter. I would sometimes start a chapter and not know whose point of view I was reading until a page and a half later. Occasionally I would believe I was in one person’s perspective, only to discover a few paragraphs later I was wrong and needed to reread the entire section again. This would be especially frustrating when I was in a chapter with a nameless character. I felt that some of the scenes were repetitive, reminding me of thoughts/feelings/events that I already knew. Descriptions are a major pillar when writing and I love being able to see in detail where I am in a book, but The Fangs of War was too poetic in its prose for me. It was overtly descriptive, where it could’ve been condensed into a few sentences with the same effect.
The ending was a crescendo of unexpected deaths and world-building expansion. I applaud Doble for a job well done on some unforeseen outcomes and emotionally charged confrontations. Ultimately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an audience for it! I am of the firm belief that there is a reader for every book, but not necessarily a book for every reader. Just because I didn’t quite enjoy this book as much as I wished to doesn’t mean you can’t. If you’re in the market for a dark story with elevated prose, unique shifting perspectives, and harrowing circumstances, then this is a good one to pick up. Despite my criticisms this book is very well written! I wish Doble the best of luck with the sequel, which, as I understand is in its final stages of editing for those of you who will want to jump right into the second book!