After inadvertently causing her father's death using her magic, Lady Renna avoids the political fight among the Half-Elven over who's ruler. She spends her days weaving and managing her lands. But this fragile peace frays...
Renna’s neighbor, Lord Gorsfeld, has plans for the retiring young woman. As the richest man in the Marches, but one without magic, he plots to replace the ruler by wooing Renna to gain control of her magic and lands. He sets up a campaign of petty vandalism to set himself up as her protector. However his plot goes awry when Black Tail, Renna's pet pig, dumps him in the mud.
Gorsfeld intensifies his vandalism, hoping to scare Renna into his arms. Renna must fight her neighbor without angering the ruler. But she is forced to use forbidden elf-fire to protect her people. Renna must fight for her life.
Author M.K. Theodoratus offers a stunning and captivating fantasy novel that will have readers on the edge of their seats. This compelling book is unique in its beautifully-crafted world, fascinating characters, and a fast-paced story line. “The Pig Wars” is an absolute must-read that fantasy lovers won’t want to miss!
After inadvertently causing her father's death using her magic, Lady Renna avoids the political fight among the Half-Elven over who's ruler. She spends her days weaving and managing her lands. But this fragile peace frays...
Renna’s neighbor, Lord Gorsfeld, has plans for the retiring young woman. As the richest man in the Marches, but one without magic, he plots to replace the ruler by wooing Renna to gain control of her magic and lands. He sets up a campaign of petty vandalism to set himself up as her protector. However his plot goes awry when Black Tail, Renna's pet pig, dumps him in the mud.
Gorsfeld intensifies his vandalism, hoping to scare Renna into his arms. Renna must fight her neighbor without angering the ruler. But she is forced to use forbidden elf-fire to protect her people. Renna must fight for her life.
Author M.K. Theodoratus offers a stunning and captivating fantasy novel that will have readers on the edge of their seats. This compelling book is unique in its beautifully-crafted world, fascinating characters, and a fast-paced story line. “The Pig Wars” is an absolute must-read that fantasy lovers won’t want to miss!
Lord Gorsfeld stared down at his new, expanded breakwater gleaming in the morning sun, empty, no traders in sight. Above, the fluffy morning clouds promised a bright spring day. The gulls flew inland, searching for an easy meal. But no boats bobbed in the water at the riverine docks with no one ready to pay their fees and fatten his purse.
Gorsfeld frowned. Surely there must be boats on the river coming to trade.
Then, he saw two coracles, the skin boats used by most hills-folk, coming around the bend in the River Soleis. Gorsfeld rubbed his ringed hands together. The coin the docks brought in would bring his political ambitions closer to reality. If he successfully moved his pieces on his mental chess board effectively, he would soon become not just the richest man in the Marches but the ruler of the Half-Elven, even though he lacked even a flick of magic. His thumbs slid into his sash as his chest puffed out.
From the bluff, Gorsfeld watched the two free hills-men maneuver to the docks to trade at the market or perchance, with one of the sea captains who docked on the ocean side of Soleismouth. Their jerkins looked more like animal pelts than tooled leather.
The owner of the port breathed deeply with pride and satisfaction. He collected a small fee from each boat that brought goods to his market as soon as they docked. My father aped the ways of their former Suthron masters, but I'm smarter. I use their ideas to increase the wealth my father left me. Gorsfeld spread his feet wider. Now if I can find a magic worker to partner, I will have done something no one else in my family ever has.
"A fair sight, my lord," said Colberg, the captain of his homeguard and a trusted servant. "With the two docks, we won't have so many delays."
The tallyman in a red-patched Feldsman jerkin pushed a two-wheeled hand cart down the dock and stopped, ready to collect the two silver tennirs tariff. Gorsfeld looked on, interested in the peasants' reaction to the increased fee. An argument broke out below, giving him his answer. One of the boatmen, dressed in patched braies that ended below his knees, a homespun shirt, and jerkin, waved his arms at the two small baskets in his boat. The hills-man's voice carried to the bench above the river.
"What do you mean two tennirs for two baskets? It was only one last month for a complete boat load, you blasted arse-licking flunky."
Colberg stuck his thumbs in his belt, chuckling. "We have our answer, my lord."
"What do I care what he likes. I improved the docks." Gorsfeld's eyes narrowed as the man complain while his companion pulled his boat closer to the first. "I'll have my fee increase."
"The other is quiet. Mayhap he'll accept the tariff." The warrior smiled revealing the gap where an upper incisor was missing. "If the tallyman can get a word in."
A second tallyman appeared on the dock. "Your tennirs, trader."
The second boatman just glared.
The second tallyman motioned with his hand. "Be quick about it. I don't have all day."
The wiry hills-man did not throw a line to the waiting tallyman on the dock. Instead, he pulled a three-pronged hook from his boat and secured his boat to the other coracle. Balancing himself, he lifted his three baskets to the other boat. "Quiet down, Doran."
"They're trying to rob us," Doran shouted, waving his arms. "The tariff has always been a tennir a boat in all the turns I've traded here."
The tallyman leaned over the first hills-man. "The new fee for the expanded dock is two silver tennirs for each boat at the dock. Do I have to call the guard?"
"Hei, Dorun, get on with it." said the second hills-man.
When Dorun glared at him, the other boatman raised a silver coin and tossed it. "Give the man your money, and let's get the load sold."
The coracle shifted when quiet hills-man transferred the baskets onto the first barrow, and then jumped onto the dock next to it. "Come on, give the tallyman his money. I've got things to do at the farm."
Before Gorsfeld protested, Colberg said, "Four more boats coming in. All heavily laden wooden boats."
"Who could that be?" asked Gorsfeld peering up the river, tapping his fingers against his thighs.
"An unusual sight for the spring, my lord. Most of the hill-folk send an elvish to transfer in to buy for the village needs at this time of turn."
Gorsfeld squinted. The lead boat was still too far out on the river to determine the holdings of the traders. The headlands where he stood created the eddy in the river's flow into which the boats steered. Lord and captain, the two watched as the boats moved closer to the shore where the current slowed.
The broad-bottomed river boats, each sporting a row of boxes between the two rowers, rode low in the water. Gorsfeld began to think perchance he'd made a mistake to charge the folk upriver a flat fee to come trade. These traders needed a horse-drawn cart, mayhap two, to haul the loads up the embankment into town.
Mayhap I should put in a weighing station and collect tariffs by weight or have one fee for skin-covered boats and another for wood. Gorsfeld's mind skipped over the possibilities, envisioning more arguments in the future. Best to not make too many changes too fast.
As the lead boat drew closer, Gorsfeld recognized the lead steersman of the lead boat. Her unusual light hair glinted in the sun. Lady Renna of Ren Creek. She leads her holding's traders herself? Why doesn't her steward do the chore? It's his duty.
His breath hitched. Renna was lovely, her gimpy leg hidden as she knelt in the boat. He had forgotten how captivating and exquisite she was if you searched beneath the ranger drab she habitually wore. She appeared so dainty he felt the urge to cosset her, but Renna used the rear oar with the skill of a born river-man as she guided the boat to an empty spot on the dock. The other three boats followed her like ducks.
As she docked, the sunlight flashed gold in the strands of hair escaping from the warrior's braid hiding her pointed ears. If they showed, the ears would be a warning people that she controlled elf magic. Gorsfeld remembered the delicate points of her ears sticking though her short, wavy hair when she had run with the childer who later became the ruling Triad of the Marches: Mariah, Linden, and Ashton.
Not that he could have joined Renna and her friends in their games. The Felds, his people, were pure human, lacking any hint of the magical skills to mindspeak or transfer from one place to another with a thought. His whole family lacked magic in spite of their ability to attract wealth.
Perchance that's our magical power.
In spite of her high status, Renna displayed no honor belt to let people know of her power. People would confuse her with a peasant, a prosperous peasant perchance, but a peasant nonetheless. Renna even dressed like a man in ranger's trews and plain tunic without a hint of embroidery at neck and sleeves, not even a jerkin.
One would never guess she's one of the three most important land holders of the Soleis. Taking a deep breath, Gorsfeld lost himself contemplating her delicate beauty. She's as small and fragile as a mountain flower even though she administers a large estate. Thinking of the spring flowers blooming over her extensive lands, he rubbed his hands. Together, we'd be the largest holding in the Marches.
Gorsfeld remembered his surprise when seeing her at the conclave on that last night before the Marches gained its freedom from the Suthrons ten turns ago. His father had taken him to join the leaders' conference the night before the last battle of the Rebellion against the Suthron Regent, who had set his sheriffs upon the Half-Elven and their families to kill magic workers. The beast was sending his troops up the eastern coast in hopes of taking the port of Soleis away from the Felds.
Father and I shouldn't've been in jeopardy from them. We were human, but the Suthron's lusted for our port. Still do.
The Half-Elven were losing the eastern battle. Lord Kagan had begged for reinforcements, and the western commanders sent them a squadron. Only it was led by Mariah, the instigator of the Rebellion, and the two sons of the missing elf prince who had the power to stop the Suthron slaughter of magic workers in an eye blink. Gorsfeld had thought his father would foam at the mouth in his anger. The commanders of the West had sent the silly Triad of Mariah, Linden, and his brother, Ashton, to save them from a Suthron army of thousands with nine cannon.
Mariah should have stayed on this side of the mountains; her father's holding and that of the Elf Prince were on a tributary of the Soleis, but she and The Brothers ran off to fight with the western Renna's anger still burned. And she had dragged me away into the battles with her. We needed all the magic workers we could muster here at home. Lord Kagan's lands had been ravaged by burning, looting, and rape. Very few of our people command the magical skills of Mariah and The Brothers, and we were defenseless.
He remembered being startled when he saw his neighbor standing beside the bitch Mariah. Shy, lovely, and retiring Renna showed no signs of being a fighter. He had thought her brave when Renna had quickly abandoned her friends for her father's side where she clung to him as soon as they had entered the smoke-filled cavern.
The cold, misty morning had seen him deep within the Half-Elven army facing the Suthrons. Against his father's order, Gorsfeld had hidden himself in the ranks of the hills-folk who had floated down the river in boats to the battle during the night. While his father stood close to Lord Kagan, the commander of the eastern Half-Elven, he was tucked away, out of sight from the Feld troops.
Gorsfeld had felt brave until the cannon roared, and he wet himself as the hills-folk, men and women, fell around him. But I kept my position. Shooting my bow with the best of them. Spattering blood soon covered up his disgrace of peeing himself, blood that still gave him nightmares.
When all had seemed lost, Mariah and The Brothers revealed just how terrible their power was. They threw blue elf-fire at the Suthrons until the cannons were melted and the Suthron soldiers were ash. Afterwards, he had been surprised to see the two on their knees, puking.
Only later, while he helped to bind the wounds of his fellow fighters, did he see Renna again. She had offered him water.
Renna squinted at him. "Gorsfeld?"
"You don't need to stare at me," he growled. "Don't draw attention to me."
"Why? You aren't doing anything despicable."
"My father doesn't know I'm here. He ordered me back to Soleismouth."
Renna chuckled. "Are you afraid your father will yell at you for fighting?"
Gorsfeld snarled back, thinking she thought he was too weak to stand up to his father. "I'll worry about him when the time comes."
But he hadn't had to explain things to his father. Renna later brought him clean clothes from he knew not where. It was just one of the elf tricks that the powerful Half-Elven worked, powers so beyond human ken that it was called magic. His father had never known he had disobeyed his orders not to fight, thanks to Renna.
Now her fellow boatman threw a line to the free tallyman. She was ten turns older but still inspired admiration in him. Everything worked smoothly until the Feldsman requested the two tennir tariff for her boat.
"What?" Her irate squawk soared above the embankment. "It's always been one."
"We improved the docking," the tallyman replied. "You are free to take your goods elsewhere."
Renna glared at the official, her face turning all hard and cold as only an elf-git's did.
Gorsfeld scrambled away up the path to his market town before she noticed him watching the scene, wishing there was some way to make her notice him...favorably. At the top of the bluff, Gorsfeld paused to catch his breath.
Yes, it's time I chose a wife to carry on my dynasty, and Renna would be the one I'd choose. Only I must think of a way to convince her to ally with me. To make her seek the safety of my arms. Her lands would make me the premier lord of the Marches, magic or no magic.
Gorsfeld smiled. Renna's lands will be under my control, and she in my bed...one way or another before the Dark Solstice.
The Pig Wars by MK Theodoratus has a lot of things going for it, especially for a fantasy lover. The tension between humans and Half-Elven and the magical powers are two of the fantasy elements that stood out to me. The author also uses older style language which adds to the whole feel of the world.
The worldbuilding itself was extremely detailed, making the world of The Pig Wars a very realistic place. In my opinion though, in an attempt to strengthen worldbuilding, there were some parts which were a bit over-explained and info dumpy, especially when we got into the necessary historical details of the land and the previous war.
Of all the characters, I ended up sympathizing most with our villain Lord Gorsfeld. The reason is that I didn’t think he was a simple evil villain - the author fleshed him out in an interesting manner, showing someone who actually built success for himself with the resources inherited from his father. I find at some parts of Gorsfeld’s POV I was actually rooting for him IF ONLY he would change his mindset that Lady Renna is weak and needs protecting.
The main character Lady Renna with her limp (reminds me of Kaz Brekker) is a memorable character. Her skill in weaving is also greatly appreciated - skilled women leaders are cool. However, there are indications of a swashbuckling handsome amazing hero coming who is going to help save her from her troubles (as caused by Lord Gorsfeld). And although I am excited to see how that relationship goes, I really really hope Renna ends up saving her own self, her community, and - hey why not - throw in her saving the swashbuckling pirate also. That would be a fun thing to see in the sequel, instead of a hero-saves-damsel usual fantasy plot. Lady Renna seems like a perfectly capable heroine to me!
A big part of this book, as the title suggests, is pigs. As someone who lives next to a farm, I understand very well how the leader’s thoughts and concerns can revolve constantly around the piggies. In this regard, I think the author did very well, making the political struggles very grounded. Indeed, The Pig Wars has all the beginnings of an epic fantasy set up, and it will be very interesting to see where the author takes it in the next installments.