Book Review: The Prophet of Edan (The Edan Trilogy, #2) by Philip Chase
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Kyra Gregory
The Prophet of Edan by Philip Chase
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Edan Trilogy (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 610 pages (Paperback edition)
Published: 21st June 2023 by Philip Chase (Self-Published)
For better or worse, The Prophet of Edan is a heavily action-packed sequel to The Way of Edan.
This review is a few weeks late, but better late than never. The Way of Edan was an impressive debut novel by Philip Chase. I read that in early 2023, and in my opinion, it was one of the most memorable fantasy debuts published in the same year. The Prophet of Edan, the second book in the trilogy, has a lot to live up to. And although I still prefer The Way of Edan overall, I think many readers (as proven already) will end up loving The Prophet of Edan more. Starting with the arrival and destruction caused by a dragon, The Prophet of Edan continues from where The Way of Edan ended, and it immediately shows the type of sequel readers are getting in The Edan trilogy. It is safe to say The Prophet of Edan is a different kind of book compared to its predecessor. I cannot emphasize this highly enough. If you prefer a more balanced narrative that juggles the melancholic with the action scenes more equally, this book (most likely) is not for you. However, if you are a reader who tends to love reading a super action-packed fantasy novel filled with many detailed battle scenes, The Prophet of Edan is the book for you.
“Men were the cruelest of animals—especially those with swords at the throats of the helpless—and war had a way of bringing out the worst in them.”
Let’s begin by getting the criticism out of the way first. Honestly speaking, the pacing in The Prophet of Edan took me some time to adjust. Most of The Prophet of Edan are detailed battle scenes. From skirmishes and small battles to big action sequences, the characters in the series moved from one place to another too often and seemingly instantaneously. For example, a character is tasked to go to a place to gather an army. They part ways, with sadness, with Dayraven and the other main characters. After one or two detailed action-packed chapters, the characters on that mission return already. This situation did happen a LOT throughout The Prophet of Edan, and in my opinion, it made the battles and the separation between characters less impactful. But, it is worth noting that the payoff in The Prophet of Edan was superb.
“My grief is there still, as you say, but rather than running before it, I’ve made it my companion. I know it well now, and having made my peace, it helps me on my way.”
I found it odd how The Way of Edan did not seem to contain the spark of Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson, Chase’s favorite series of all time. And The Prophet of Edan has proven me wrong with the convergence in the final battle, which was incredibly well done. I have always preferred Chase’s prose during the contemplation, philosophical, calm moments, and character building. And this is still true to this day. I find his prose more suitable for these sections and storytelling. But the final battle of The Prophet of Edan displayed he is absolutely capable of writing big and tense battle sequences. Without going into spoilers, the duel scene—if you have read it, you will know what it is—that happened at the climax sequence, especially added by the chaotic situations of the scene, was impactful.
“There’s a difference between selfish attachment and love for life. Real love means you’re capable of sacrificing for something or someone… This is the source of your power.”
My criticism isn’t there to say there wasn’t any significant character development, though. Dayraven, our main protagonist, went through a LOT of changes in The Prophet of Edan. I did feel sad that one of my favorite parts of The Way of Edan, the dynamic between Dayraven and Imharr, is mostly missing here. But in return, I received one of the biggest pleasant surprises: The brotherhood between Orvandil and Gnorn. I must say, Orvandil and Gnorn have become my favorite characters in The Edan trilogy. This is something that I did not expect, but in these two characters, I found myself reminiscing about why I treasure the friendship between Legolas and Gimli again. And I am pretty sure they are one of the inspirations behind the character and friendship development between these two, even though Orvandil reminded me of Aragorn more.
“Who is to say why we love or whom we may love? And what’s the end of it all? Some loves seem to end in tragedy, as did mine. But I cannot regret it. I would never have understood half the things I know about life without that wonderful, painful experience.”
Speaking of inspirations, it is clear from the first two books that Lord of the Rings, Beowulf, and Malazan Book of the Fallen are some of the big inspirations behind The Edan trilogy. But as a fan of Norse mythology, I was delighted by more transparent exposure and infusion of them in The Prophet of Edan. For those who don’t know, Laeroth is one of the other names for Yggdrasil, a sacred tree in Norse cosmology, and around this massive tree stems the nine realms. At the bottom of Yggdrasil, there was Nidhogg, the dragon that gnaws at the root of the world tree. These, among many, serve as a basis for the creation behind the world of Eormenlond. I won’t go into all the details, but Laeroth is the world tree in The Edan trilogy, and Hringvolnir is the dragon at the bottom of Laeroth. And obviously, a new character named Surt—one of the most iconic figures in Ragnarok—played a relatively big part in the narrative with Munvil. I highly enjoyed reading these implementations. And I expect better things to come in Return to Edan.
“A warrior’s true quality always emerged when his foes surrounded him, and Munzil knew Surt would lead them to victory. He was as sure of him as he was of the gods.”
The Prophet of Edan was a pivotal middle book in The Edan trilogy. It is filled with many detailed action scenes, and Chase did a great job at using his second book to explore the themes of duty, love, family, and faith. Based on how concluding this volume was, I wonder how Return to Edan will turn out. The Prophet of Edan is a bigger book compared to The Way of Edan, and the last book in the trilogy is bigger than The Prophet of Edan. Will the Return to Edan be the best of the trilogy? I am excited to find out. I failed to follow through with Philip Chase’s rapid three-books-in-a-year publication rate, but I definitely will read and find out how the The Edan trilogy will be concluded in Return to Edan this year. Sooner than later. I am glad I chose The Prophet of Edan as the last book I finished in 2023. It was a great book to send me to the new year.
“We don’t choose the paths fate puts before us. We only pick which one we take. You did your duty, as did he. There’s often sorrow in that, but no shame. No shame in that.”
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