Knights of the Alliance - Book Review

Knights of the Alliance is a young adult fantasy by Stephanie Chu. It is an unusual blending of medieval culture, battles with swords and mystic magic, high technological advances like long-distance conversations, and rocks that glow like flashlights. This novel combines the best of contemporary imagination. Add in each character’s unique psychic ability, whether to harness the wind, create water and ice or throw fireballs, and the action never stops. An appendix, map, and list of symbols are included to guide readers in this unique world.

The plot is plausible yet unpredictable. Hero Fangbane’s goal is to unite three distinctive but adjoining empires into assisting one another through cooperation instead of fighting for dominance. To this end, he is trying to recruit the best warriors from each territory. On his private island, in his personal castle, Fangbane brings together warriors selected for strength, fighting ability, psychic powers, and strength of character for personal training. 

Characters are complex and distinctive. They are physically and emotionally strong with dominant personalities. For example, Chu writes, “The stranger had ‘legs like tree trunks, a body like a beer barrel… arms as strong as floor joists…fists like anvils.’  He cleaned his nails with the point of a dagger.” The resulting inner conflicts between and among characters provide mini-plots, intriguing backstories, and twisted triangles.

As the protagonist, Fangbane works to train his Knights from the different empires,  he must deal with their personality conflicts and animosities. He struggles to teach each Knight to trust himself and to trust each other whether they like their teammates or not.

Rare and dazzling... Stephanie Chu takes you on a magical journey in her fantastical adventure story. Knights of the Alliance transports you into another world where Fangbane, seeks to bring peace to the diverse citizens of the various empires. It is a noble quest, but can he prevail?

The novel is a rich blend of compelling adventure, heartfelt longing, savage darkness, and wild surrealism, with stunning prose throughout. 

Knights of the Alliance is book one of the Alliance Trilogy.