This book got me right out of a bit of a reading slump, the tone, the world and the characters making me sit up and enjoy a book for the first time in months. Add to this my delight at old Edinburgh place names and pubs being littered throughout the book and I was smitten from about the second chapter.
The book tells the story of the king's envoy, Aranok, a magic-wielder, sent with members of the council to escort the foreign queen to her rightful place on her throne but the soon meet strange and unpleasant creatures as the country seems to be in the midst of demon attacks, a zombie plague and various other things of nasty-not-niceness. A chance detour to check Aranok's family in Mournside ("wait, that's like Morningside, hang on" I said out loud) sets cogs turning as it appears someone is spreading misinformation and trying to keep the truth away from various parties. This takes the crew, plus two people they meet along the way, into an investigation and meeting almost certain death numerous times.
We gradually learn of the world and the magical abilities which are treated with suspicion by the population, as well as the religion and politics and history of this fantasy version of Edinburgh. The debates of science vs magic vs religion across the campfire add a nice modern day touch to this as well.
There is plenty of jeopardy with surprise events, character deaths and epic plot twists that keep the reader second-guessing everything, especially once an unusual element of someone's magic skills start to emerge and shape the background.
It is safe to say i absolutely loved this book for so many reasons - the pace, the action, the dialogue, the plot twists, the characters and their limitations and the similarity to the real world (I went down so many rabbit holes trying to work out where the less obvious place names represented - Davidson's Mains, Duddingston, etc, it was a genuine pleasure to solve these little easter eggs).
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I'm just sorry it took so long to make it to the top of my pile!

Justin Lee Anderson’s The Lost War is a fast-paced, action-packed start to a new fantasy series. The story follows Aranok, the King’s Envoy. While the war might be over and peace might be settling over the Eidyn, the problems are just beginning. There’s a plague spreading across the land, mercenaries attack anyone in their path and demons continue to ravage the farmlands and destroy food supplies. When Aranok is tasked by the King to go and find an exiled foreign queen and return her to her throne, he has no choice but to start out on this dangerous quest alongside a group of allies. As the group travels further across the land they come across a new threat and a conspiracy darker than they could have imagined.

This book had me hooked. The Lost War is a rollercoaster ride of a book, full of action and adventure. It’s an absolutely brilliant opener to a fantasy series and does a terrific job of building this complex and fascinating world. There are plenty of dark, action-filled moments and Anderson’s vivid writing style had the monsters practically leaping off the page. The Lost War is definitely a book I found hard to put down and I’m so intrigued to see where the story will go in the next book in the series.

The story is exceptionally well crafted. There are a few twists that I didn’t see coming and an ending I absolutely did not expect. I loved that the world was inspired by Edinburgh and adored seeing all the place names come up in the story. The magic was really intriguing and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the magic in The Bitter Crown.

Anderson has created some really complex, realistic characters in The Lost War. I grew really attached to them all and I am praying they survive the rest of their adventures. Aranok in particular is fascinating – he’s the King’s Envoy but he’s spent so much time being shunned for his abilities. I similarly really liked Allandria – she kicks ass and she’s not afraid to say how she really feels. The story features a whole host of compelling characters and Anderson does a terrific job of making them come to life.

The Lost War is an epic, addictive story – one you won’t want to look away from. If you’re looking for a new fantasy series that will keep you hooked long into the night, definitely don’t miss the Eidyn Saga.

Twists and Turns. Believe Nothing. Everything is a mirage.

Imagine Time and Memory were but a distant memory. Where you weren't able to recall your own life, and you now live in the shadows of murky distances and half-truths. The truth itself is a powerful tool, but the lie is greater. The lie is the very object of what is a human's fantasy. A lie deceives and deceives someone. It deceives us all. The title of the novel itself illustrates exactly what a paradoxical tale the Lost War is. It is a war of time and memory. A war of elegant histories and magic, of showing prejudice and the horrors of it. Of curses and such.

So many emotions occurred when I was reading this novel. It has a great set up of characters, and Aranok and Allanandria are the two stars of the novel. I really liked their chemistry. I must say that the use of time and travel itself is a very nicely elaborated concept within the novel itself. The writing is solid, and the worldbuilding feels unique enough though it may contain traces of the typical medieval world. I would, however, compare this novel to Matthew Ward's The Legacy trilogy. Very comparable in terms of worldbuilding, prose, and carrying similar elements. Also, the Sword Undefiant is very similar to this as well.

All in all, this is a great novel that you will definitely enjoy. I am enjoying the worldbuilding so much that I just find it amazing. Justin, you've done a fantastic job. A 9/10 from me!

I think there's a new generation of fantasy writer that delivers somehow dark, well plotted and complex story featuring morally grey characters and talks about the life of the average people in their world.
This is an excellent story I loved. I know I'm late to the party but it was a great and gripping story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson

The war is over but peace can be hell. Demons continue to burn farmlands, violent mercenaries roam the wilds and a plague is spreading. The country of Eidyn is on its knees.

In a society that fears and shuns him, Aranok is the first mage to be named king's envoy. The band of allies he assembles each have their own unique skills. But they are strangers and at every step, a new threat emerges. Somehow, Aranok must uncover the conspiracy that threatens the kingdom - before war returns to the realms again.

So I will start by saying I loved this book, it has a quest, magic and a rag tag group of characters. Were there a couple of issues? Sure. But I think that most of them could be because of what this book is setting up. Now I will admit that that is strange as usually that’s the classic second book issue but once the ending came in I think we are all set up and ready to go for a rip-roaring sequel!

I really liked the relationships or pseudo-relationships between the main group of characters and how they built throughout the book. I also liked that the most powerful kick-ass one was a female knight.

If you like D&D and zombies then I think this is a great choice of book for you.

I can’t give too much away for fear of giving spoilers, so if you want to join a quest with great world-building, distrustful friends and the odd zombie attack then this could be or you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I had to dnf this one, despite being really excited for it. I just couldn’t get into it after a few chapters.

This is my first Anderson book and it is so good! Tye story and the characters are enjoyable! Looking froward to the sequel!

I was not expecting this book to have ace rep, but hey, I'm all for it. And it's very clear rep too, which I love to see.

So OBVIOUSLY, Samily is my favourite character, my little bean, she's so precious. I loooove her and I'd definitely read the sequel for her, and to find out more about her mysterious powers.

I didn't connect with the other characters quite on the same level, but they were fun to read about.

The magic system was interesting, and, I'm just now realising, based on D&D? The whole book is, which makes a lot of sense. So I feel like knowing that when going into the book might help you understand it a little better.

The plot is where The Lost War lost me a bit, it was jumpy and there didn't seem much point to it until the very end. Combine that with a slow pace and I can't give it more than three stars.

But I'm still glad I read it, and I'm looking forward to the next book, I'm sure it'll be much better.

P. S. Look at the cover!! So green!! So pretty!!

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Lost War starts off as a typical fantasy novel. The main character, Aranok; the King’s Envoy, is charged with the task of returning an exiled queen to her throne. Then things take a turn.

Firstly, I love the world Anderson has created. You often read novels about the seizure of power but I always love reading novels about what happens after the war and how people survive in a world that has been ravaged by war. It’s a dark and dangerous world where everything is trying to kill the characters.

Secondly, the magic system is very well done. Those who have magic are viewed with suspicion and that leads to a lot of tension between the main characters and the people they encounter. I also like the magic has limits. The characters can’t just go around using magic willy-nilly, it takes a toll on the characters and they have to recover from using it. It puts the characters in interesting positions when they are weakened.

Thirdly, I really enjoyed the characters. I loved Aranok and Allandria. Samily has an air of mystery around her that I found very interesting to read.

What elevates The Lost War, however, is the twist near the end of the novel. It’s just moving along nicely, telling one story and then something happens that flips everything that you know about the story on its head. It is masterfully done.

The only thing I don’t really like is the cover. It’s a bit much.

The Lost War is an interesting novel that has an amazing twist and, hopefully, that twist will mean the next books in the series are just as good. I want to know what happens now that everything I knew about the story has changed.