The Great Hearts Book Blurb
Imperator. A word synonymous with fear, pain, loathing and, for a chosen few, the sharp end of a blade. The voice of the Emperor, an Imperator is the perfect weapon, skilled in combat, politics and strategy and moulded by years of punishing training. They are the hidden assassins, the enforcers of the Emperor’s will.
They are the hunters of the unknown.
Calidan Darkheart is an Imperator, a self-professed killer and an adept hunter of the creatures that most citizens of the Empire do not realise exist. Together with his hulking companion Cassius, he hunts the beast that slaughtered their home village.
Pity those who find themselves in their path.
Overall Analysis of The Great Hearts
I discovered The Great Hearts while perusing a book review site, and the initial draw was the cover. I’m a sucker for dark fantasy, and the cover art and the tagline were enough of an indicator as to the content. Despite the delivery of the cover page, I wasn’t prepared for just how gnarly and gruesome it would be right off the bat.
The story is split into two timelines: One featuring present-day Calidan and his large companion, Cassius, in their Imperator roles, and the other covering the duo in their younger years, beginning in a small hamlet on the outskirts of the empire. The latter is the main focus of the story, providing some much needed context for the present-day characters.
First impressions indicate this would be a persistently grim tale, but I soon found that the tone shifts throughout the story, especially during Calidan’s moments of growth. While there are scenes that will make your skin crawl, all in all, most readers would be able to handle the heavy subject matter. Though, I recommend you read the author’s trigger warnings before diving in.
Praise certainly goes to David Oliver for his ability to choreograph great action sequences. You can follow every movement of the combatants and feel the wind of the whiffed sword strike and the force of the gut punches.
However, one thing that didn’t quite strike my fancy was the exposition dumps. Yet, I can’t really fault the author; he built an incredibly complex world, and being spoon fed morsels of information over the length of the book might have either ruined the reveal or caused confusion. Some might not interpret this as a flaw, and I certainly do not believe it detracted from the story in any way.
Final Thoughts
Ditch any preconceived notions you have about the contents of this book. No matter the prep, you’re in for a wild ride. While some of the scenes can be unapologetically brutal and grim (including rape), the author approaches the themes pragmatically. He doesn’t shy away from depicting the worst of humanity.
Bear in mind, this is the first of a series of novels, and while it does a great job at worldbuilding and character development, there remain some unanswered questions. However, what I liked most about this story is never anticipating the direction it was going. I appreciated the clues dropped by the author along the way that kept me guessing. I eventually had an inkling of what was going on about three-quarters through the book, but I was really only hazarding a guess at that point. Nevertheless, I never grasped the true scale of things until the final chapters.
I definitely recommend this book to lovers of fantasy who yearn for a fresh twist on the genre. David Oliver swung for the fences, and frankly, I think he nailed it.