The Hand of the Sun King

Pact and Pattern, Book 1

By: J.T. Greathouse

Narrated by: Jeremy Ang Jones

Wen Alder was born into two worlds.

On his father’s side, a legacy of proud loyalty and service to the god-like Sienese Emperor spanning generations. And it is expected that Alder, too, will follow this tradition by passing the imperial exams, learning the accepted ways of magic and, if he serves with honor, enhancing his family's prominence by rising to take a most powerful position in Sien - the Hand of the Emperor.

But from his mother he has inherited defiance from the Empire, a history of wild gods and magic unlike anything the Imperial sorcerers could yet control. It began when his spirited, rebellious grandmother took Alder into the woods and introduced him to her ways - ways he has never been able to forget.

Now, on the verge of taking the steps that will forge the path of his life, Alder discovers that the conflict between the Empire and the resistance is only the beginning of a war that will engulf both heaven and Earth, gods and man - and he may be the key to final victory for whichever side can claim him as their own....

©2021 J.T. Greathouse (P)2021 Podium Audio

Critic reviews

“An original fantasy filled with magic and culture, the story of a character torn between two names, two loyalties, and two definitions of good and evil.” (Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of Spine of the Dragon)

Beautiful prose in fantasy?!

While it does happen (Rothfuss, Tolkien, Le Guin), fantasy generally veers from prose for the sake of pace. This is especially so in a slow, vast world-building story like this one. Out of a fear that the audience will lose interest, authors tend towards more brisk and terse narration to hasten the laying of the groundwork.

Greathouse does not. Nor does narrator Jeremy Ang Jones try to amend this by omitting pacing or long pauses when they would be appropriate. In this case, it all works together beautifully.

Regarding the actual story, Greathouse averts fantasy cliche’s masterfully, while still keeping the reader invested. His first person view from the eyes of an imperfect main character forces the reader to argue with each choice made; the payoff is well worth the time taken. This is a great read!

A really good start!

As an aspiring writer myself, I think this is a great first book. It was well written, narrowly focused (in a good way), and didn’t stray too far from its purpose. The introduction to the world through subtle cues and solid wording in his descriptions and exposition make for excellently clean prose. His setting felt very purposeful, in a Three Kingdoms style but with just one kingdom remaining.

Tropes were implemented, but with slight twists to keep you familiar while not doing the exact things you expect.

It was a great book that I heard talked about by Marie Brennan during a recent convention talk about non-genetic Magic systems. I don’t regret it in the slightest. Well worth the read/listen.

amazing story

I thoroughly enjoyed this unique story. I've read enough books that I can often guess how they end, but this one kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat.

Good book. Would read a sequel.

I liked the intelligence, learning and growth of the main character.

I didn’t like how he acted like a fool all the time. And how a few of the plot points sounded like baloney.

I’d recommend this book to people around a middle- or high-school level.

Beautiful story

Beautiful story. I loved every second of it. I can not wait to read the next book in this series