I’m going to start with the topic that fascinated me throughout this book: The universe in which it’s set. It’s intriguing to say the least. Grim Lions (and, presumably, its sequel, Dark Wolves) is set on an alternative Earth where the Ottoman Empire rose to become the main superpower. The book mentions three empires, but the Ottomans are clearly dominant, at least from a plot perspective. “Europa,” dominated by a big metropolis, is not one of those empires, but rather a kind of introspective, almost decadent second-world power. The continent of North America plays a role, but nothing like the United States at all.
The book never pins down in exactly what year in this alternate history it takes place, so trying to figure that out became one of my favorite games as I read it. There’s mention of “the 1918 war,” so it has to be after that. Bolt action rifles are used, but zero mention of automatic weapons, which probably places it not all that far after 1918. Troops are moved on ships rather than planes, and zeppelins are the main method of air transport, at least in Europa. So my guess is probably in the 20’s or so. But the only real conclusion is that the change in geopolitics changed the way technology advanced. It’s a world in which you might find a broken-down covered wagon and men on motorcycles almost in the same scene.
The series is called the Templar Wars because whatever caused the change in history that brought the Ottoman Empire to prominence also caused the Knights Templar (of medieval fame) to continue into the era of the book, as a secret society. These Templars, and a corporation in Europa, conspire to send a private expeditionary/mercenary force to fight in a war between the Ottoman Empire and the “Qing” dynasty, which is clearly China in this world.
My main criticism of the book is that it’s slow-moving. It takes forever to get to the war. But once it does, the outnumbered and disorganized Templars and their mercenaries become very attractive as characters. Their heroic stand against a terrifying Janissary army pulled me in. I burned through the last 30 percent of the book about ten times faster than it took me to get through the first 70 percent.
What kept me reading through the slow parts was a richly imagined and detailed alternative history that comes alive in this book. If you enjoy world building, definitely read Grim Lions.