Hope Never Dies
Empire of the East
By Fred Saberhagen
9 Jul, 2023
Because My Tears Are Delicious To You
1979’s Empire of the East is an omnibus edition of Fred Saberhagen’s Empire of the East trilogy1. The individual novels included are The Broken Lands (1968), The Black Mountains (1971), and Ardneh’s World2 (1973).
As was the custom in those days, the 1979 omnibus has glowing introductions from two luminaries of the field, Larry Niven and Roger Zelazny. Niven liked Empire of the East more than Lord of the Rings, although he admits it’s a matter of taste. Zelazny is more detailed in his praise, singling out details of Saberhagen’s writing as particularly worthy of praise.
Thousands of years after the Old World’s fall, the malevolent Empire of the East invades and conquers the West. Only a remnant of free men remains. Is hope dead?