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SUMMARY
Winning the decades long war against demon ruled Traag almost destroyed the Solarian Empire. Now the nation hangs by a thread. Worse, they didn’t get all the demons.
Tia traveled to bucolic Copiah House, stronghold of the once great Bestia Family, on what was supposed to be a simple business trip. Instead, she finds herself embroiled in a web of intrigue, wartime secrets, and black magic. Unraveling this mystery will take all of her skills – and more…
REVIEW
Traag has been defeated and the demons are weakened but not outright gone. Tia, Sir Peter Cortez, Kyle and Rebecca all travel on business but when they are attacked in the road by a group of bandits and thieves, they find themselves without proper transportation and stuck in Copiah House. It seems safe enough but there the group will meet old foes and new enemies and allies. The political and business efforts of Tia become even more difficult as she tries to navigate her way with nobles while facing money trouble. Peter gets a glimpse of what his future life might be and he finds it to be more complicated than expected. Meanwhile, Kyle is in the one place he dreads most and realizes there may be a major threat to the people he cares about most.
Empire: Estate continues to tell the story of the Empire saga, full of fantasy, magic, lore, family connections and what happens to a world recently recovering from a major war. It’s a unique blend of horror and fantasy along with a good dose of politics which keeps the reader turning pages. Each main character has a distinctive personality and this has only solidified since the first volume. As with all of the books by Tim Goff thus far, there are major surprises and plenty of action to be found. The world feels grounded in reality for the most part as the characters not only have to deal with people who delve into dark magic but also with the day to day troubles of not being cheated out of money when they need a vehicle repaired.
The most interesting part of the story still remains the fact that this takes place after a major war where opportunists can take advantage of the situation and even those who were heroes on the battlefield find they need to figure out a way to make a living outside of war.
If a mix between The Wheel of Time series and nightmares out of cosmic and supernatural horror intrigue you, Empire: Estate is well worth reading. This is the third in the series so it’s best to start with the first book but they have all been good reads thus far and I look forward to more in the series.
