The Fantasy Review’s summary and analysis of the Of Blood and Fire Prologue. Of Blood and Fire is book one in Ryan Cahill’s The Bound and the Broken epic fantasy series.
This is my first time reading Of Blood and Fire, so none of my “analysis” is to be taken as fact as I have no idea what I’m talking about. These are just my thoughts based on the words on the page.
Please do not leave spoilers in the comment section. If you want to discuss spoilers, either do so elsewhere or say SPOILERS at the start of the comment.
Of Blood and Fire Prologue Summary
The prologue in Of Blood and Fire Introduces Kallinvar, “Brother Captain” on a battlefield of corpses. This was a battle that took place in a forest between Knights and Uraks.
These Uraks (orcs?) are all dead and they are described as “monstrosities” by Kallinvar’s inner monologue.
The main “plot” of the prologue is Kallinvar recruiting one of the dying men from the battlefield. The man is young and is sworn to an oath of fealty to “The Warrior” and “bear the Sigil of Achyron”.
The young man hesitates and thinks deeply for accepting the terms of the agreement. The Sigil is pressed over the man’s sternum and the final description we have is of that man screaming.
“All the Sigil Bearers have been found. The Knights have been restored…”
Of Blood and Fire Prologue Analysis
Okay, so this is my first time reading Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill, so fans of the series please forgive my incoming mistakes!
It’s Very Short
One of the smartest decisions for this prologue is the length. I completely disagree with people who say they can skip a prologue and be fine, but those heathens certainly won’t be skipping this!
Prologues can often feel like they just extend a slow opening to an epic fantasy series, but with this one you feel like you’re jumping right in on the action. We’re on a battlefield, surrounded by corpses, and our main character is looking for a suitable recruit for his plans.
Promises, Promises
This prologue achieves several things:
Firstly, it sets the tone. With the inclusion of some kind of old or ancient order of Knights and the monstrous Uraks (which I assume are the orcs of this world), we are introduced to some pretty typical classic fantasy elements. Other elements include Gods and magical items, etc.
There are some hints of future subversion of these tropes, however, which gives the story a modern feel. I might be wrong, but Kallinvar doesn’t seem particularly likeable, and perhaps he’s even antagonistic. This would mean that his views of the Uraks as “monstrosities” will be turned on its head at a later date.
This prologue also promises that this book won’t be a lighthearted romp through a fantasy world. The battlefield is gruesome and the wounds and bodies and destruction depicted are horrific.
That is not to say that this will be grimdark – certainly not. But there are elements of dark fantasy here which I absolutely love.
The second thing that this prologue achieves is exposition without disrupting the story. Most exposition is written in as snippets of dialogue that provide enough information for you to read between the lines.
I believe there are two or three lines of contextual exposition talking about some history that relates to the scene we are witnessing. It was well placed and added to the scene, rather than feeling like something that slowed everything down.
Writing Style
This is certainly not enough text to judge a book by, and this is also the author’s debut novel (I believe), so talking about the writing style at this point will require you to take this with a pinch of salt.
I found the writing style to be similar to Brandon Sanderson or John Gwynne. It isn’t as “plain” as Sanderson’s writing, but it has a similar structure and feel. Like Gwynne, the lines flow quickly into each other while also providing scenic descriptions – there is a focus on character action over their surroundings.
Overall, this was a great prologue that set the tone of the story while giving us plenty of questions about the world we want to be answered. These mysteries will keep me glued to the page, I am sure!
