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Xihirli
2020-04-11, 11:32 PM
I read only the final book of a series and want to catch up with the whole thing, but do not have the copy of the book I did read. Does anyone know what I am describing?

The book I read opens up with a man who captained a really important ship (a dreadnought) for a fleet but quit when a very evil guy took over the navy (or so I gather). He is approached by the Emperor, who used to take the same drug as the evil admiral and has lost enough of his power that he cannot stop the war he started with a similarly evil empire or rein in his Admiral, who he hires the captain to effectively assassinate. In the course of that war, a rebellion sparked on the Emperor's home island (which I think was called Cholsis though searching for that turns up nothing) against him and he angered a group of people leading tribal lives who ride war moose. He is on a quest to get the rebels to help him assassinate the admiral and form the navy of one ship (because the other evil empire this formerly-evil emperor whose military is not under his control has historically never had a navy despite its capital bordering water). Basically he's an emperor who has fallen out of power due to his lack of being evil who needs to build an army out of all the people he's gotten to hate him over his career of evil-ness and he's also still suffering withdrawal from the evil drug that turned his eyes blue.

Anyone read it? Remember it?

Cikomyr2
2020-04-12, 07:29 AM
Are you sure about the drug turning eyes blue? Because this makes all searches pop up Dune

Anything specific you can remember? The drug's name? The kingdom? The emperor's name?

Xihirli
2020-04-12, 11:03 AM
It’s not Dune. The drug and the blue eyes were certainly linked, though.

Wraith
2020-04-12, 02:51 PM
Referencing the protagonist working for an 'Emperor' and a 'Navy' with addiction to a weird drug brought up "The Helmsman Saga" by Bill Baldwin. The drug in that is called Timeweed - I don't know if it does anything to eyes, but the rest of it sounds similar, from the synopsis.

Though I'll be amazed if its not one of the Dune series, to be honest. Everything fits perfectly, but you say it's not that so... *shrug* :smalltongue:

Xihirli
2020-04-12, 03:05 PM
It's a fantasy not-in-space setting. I'll look over Dune again but isn't "dune" in the titles of all of those?

Caledonian
2020-04-12, 03:36 PM
It can't be anything from Dune; withdrawal from melange is fatal.

Cheesegear
2020-04-12, 04:43 PM
I want to say Dune: The Battle of Corrin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune:_The_Battle_of_Corrin).

Everything matches up, including being the third in the series.
The only thing I don't remember is War Moose. :smallconfused:

Xihirli
2020-04-12, 11:07 PM
Well they’re very important and the other evil empire they’re fighting isn’t made up of machines.

Rynjin
2020-04-12, 11:47 PM
I have very vague memories of In Conquest Born, which might fit?

jackmaa
2020-04-13, 04:02 AM
Found it! Last World War by Dayton Ward.

Xihirli
2020-04-13, 07:54 AM
Thank you so much for both of your suggestions but there are no aliens; I don’t think anyone would confuse it for science fiction.

Dire_Flumph
2020-04-13, 05:46 PM
I was curious so did some digging as well, and found nothing that ticked all your boxes. You might post on the fantasy literature subreddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/

They are usually really good about tracking down obscure fantasy series. Closest I got was that you might possibly have been reading a WarCraft novel. The setting has all the elements you describe (even the moose riding natives!), but I don't know enough about the fiction to say if a book had that plot. If you remember, please post it, I'm curious myself now.

Cikomyr2
2020-04-15, 10:06 AM
I know you have no reason to take the time to answer, but I would also like to know what you found if the reddit above helps you out. I am genuinely curious, and I'll be happy to learn if you manage to find your answer!!

Xihirli
2020-04-16, 10:54 PM
No, I haven't. I do not have a reddit account and I would rather spend the rest of my life wondering than make one. That is the hill I will die on.

Cikomyr2
2020-04-16, 10:55 PM
No, I haven't. I do not have a reddit account and I would rather spend the rest of my life wondering than make one. That is the hill I will die on.

*sigh* you big baby. I will post for you tomorrow and you will be able to look at the replies.

Xihirli
2020-04-22, 08:21 PM
I got it!
The book was Saints of the Sword by John Marco.

Dire_Flumph
2020-04-22, 08:53 PM
Glad you found it! Hadn't heard of this series, but I put Jackal of Nar on my (unfortunately too long...) reading list, I'm kind of curious now.

Xihirli
2020-04-22, 09:09 PM
I like the finale enough. Now I'm reading Jackal of Nar.