The second novel in Andy Clark’s Imperial Knights series, Knightsblade follows on from the excellent Kingsblade, picking up events several years later. Luk Kar Chimaeros, now known as the Knight of Ashes, hunts his stepmother Alicia Kar Manticos from system to system alongside a small band of fellow exiles. Danial Tan Draconis, meanwhile, rules Adrastapol as High King, working to bring the three remaining noble Houses together and help his world to flourish. When he learns of a great danger threatening Adrastapol, Luk puts his quest aside and risks much to return home and fight alongside his former comrades.
It feels like a natural progression after Kingsblade, in terms of the plot and the character arcs but also with the confidence of Clark’s writing. Characters who were still essentially children in Kingsblade have now grown into their roles, acting and reacting in ways that feel nicely natural, giving this a connection to its predecessor without feeling like a slavish recreation. Where Kingsblade saw the Knights of Adrastapol take on the Word Bearers and traitors in their own ranks, this time around the taint of Chaos still lingers but the clear and present danger is from orks instead. The plot, or at least the part of it taking place on Adrastapol, develops into essentially a siege, with orkish technology providing the distinctly un-chivalrous equivalent of the siege engines and trickery that you might find in a fantasy siege story.
Remember, these are Knights we’re talking about, despite the high level of tech, and Clark once again plays on elements of non-sci-fi stories to maintain the tone. As such there are plenty of opportunities for great Knightly action scenes, especially when they sally forth to take the fight to the orks, but variety is maintained by dismounted action too, both in the main arc and an important subplot. It’s testament to Clark’s grasp of these characters that such scenes don’t feel diminished for the absence of the big stompy steeds. In fact, having got most of the explanations of the Knightly tech and chivalrous code out of the way in book one, there’s more room this time for developed narratives and an exploration of different aspects to the characters and Adrastapol.
It’s all very much characteristic of Clark’s writing style, with the emphasis on a fun, enjoyable plot; typical Knightly themes of honour and loyalty abound, but they don’t overwhelm the story. There’s a satisfying balance throughout, with multiple arcs happening alongside the main siege that keep the plot moving but also provide depth to characters like Luk, Danial, and his sister Jennika. For the most part it’s paced very well, but the final quarter or so does feel a touch rushed as events come to a head and certain characters change direction rather conveniently. Despite that, it’s a hugely entertaining book that stands on its own as a strong story, while clearly setting up a few interesting threads for the next instalment. It’s an evolution of the Imperial Knights story, and of Clark’s writing, and is well worth investigating.
