Isolate (The Grand Illusion #1)

Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Stars

Book Statistics:
Genre: Adult Fiction, Political Fantasy
Year of Publication: 2021
Pages: 608

Thank you to Tor/Forge for providing me an ARC of 'Isolate' in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to say that 'Isolate' was one of the books that I read and thought of afterwards.

It is a steampunk fantasy set in a world different from our own. It has many modern elements while it is a story in a Victorian setting and that was very pleasant to read about.

The political intrigue was a big part of the book which helped the story progress smoothly.

The characters were not one dimensional and they had great chemistry.

The fantasy elements and the magic system were a bit confusing to me at times.

The writing style was neat and the social commentary exists, sometimes more than others.

My only complain was that the book was a bit long and dragged at times.

But I will definitely pick up the sequel.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of Isolate (Book 1 of the Grand Illusion series), by L.E. Modesitt, Jr., in exchange for an honest review. Politics, economics, greedy conspiracies, empaths, and nulls (isolates). I recommend this book to fans of political thrillers with a fantasy twist.

Steffan Dekkard and Avraal Ysella are the security team for Axel Obreduur, a Craft counselor in Guldor. Steffan and Avraal are proving how good they are as assassins keep coming after Obreduur while the political situation goes downhill. After one too many massacres and scandals erupt, the current government is dismissed by the Imperador, and new elections are called. Will everyone survive the campaign or will the Commerce and Landor parties unite to form a government again? An interesting opening in a new series. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next volume of The Grand Illusion!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!

Isolate is steampunk fantasy set in a world that’s not ours. It’s slightly more modern than the usual Victorian, and has steam operated automobiles and factories, but also guilds and people with special abilities, empaths, and isolates who are immune to them. The country where the events take place is rigidly governed by Imperator and a government that isn’t exactly democratically elected. Nothing about the world is explained, but it’s written well-enough that the differences to our world (bells and sixths etc.) become understood.

We follow Steffan Dekkard, an isolate who works as a bodyguard/clerk to a Craft Minister. Why isolates work as bodyguards isn’t explained, other than that they can’t be killed by a mind attack (though as we learn in the prologue, it’s Dekkard’s empath partner Avraal Ysella who blocks the attack.) Dekkard is a sharp man who has more interest in the everyday politics he gets to witness than a bodyguard should, but the societal norms and behaviour are rigid, and he knows his place.

This is a book that has more promise than it can deliver. Or rather, it doesn’t try to deliver a book that a casual reader might be interested in. We follow Dekkard’s days, day by day, in a rather boring detail that wouldn’t need repetition. The focus is on everyday governing, the behind-the-scenes complaints that the minister has to deal with, whether it is the interior of railroad cars or the status of foreign workers. We get a picture of a country that is managed to suit the rich and few else.

What we don’t get are people. We follow the events with Dekkard, but don’t learn anything about him, not even his age. We learn even less about the people he works with, other than what they wear any given day (uniform, most days). We learn a great deal about the world, but not how people live in it.

Unfortunately, a book that is more interested in squabbles (no matter how great a scope they’ll take) than the people squabbling, is not interesting. I tried to give it a proper chance, to see if it gets going at some point, but it’s just so excruciatingly long that I decided to give up. But if you’re into unique worlds and their politics, give it a try.

Isolate is a really great book, while the language can be a bit wordy the premise is really wonderful and well established. The world building and system is great.

"L. E. Modesitt, Jr., bestselling author of The Mongrel Mage, has a brand new gaslamp political fantasy Isolate.

Industrialization. Social unrest. Underground movements. Government corruption and surveillance.

Something is about to give.

Steffan Dekkard is an isolate, one of the small percentage of people who are immune to the projections of empaths. As an isolate, he has been trained as a security specialist and he and his security partner Avraal Ysella, a highly trained empath are employed by Axel Obreduur, a senior Craft Minister and the de facto political strategist of his party.

When a respected Landor Councilor dies of "heart failure" at a social event, because of his political friendship with Obreduur, Dekkard and Ysella find that not only is their employer a target, but so are they, in a covert and deadly struggle for control of the government and economy.

Steffan is about to understand that everything he believed is an illusion."

Gaslamp political, oh yes!

I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the oportunity to read this ahead of publication.
I have decided to not finish this book after I was about a quarter of the way in. It is certainly not a bad book but it just wasn't right for me. Not at the moment at least.
I found the characters to be quite flat, the plot very slow and the conversations extremely unrealistic and uncomfortable. Since that hadn't changes almost 200 pages into the book I decided not to continue this.
I will say though, if you really enjoy political novels and especially the legal side of politics you will have a really good time with this. Not me though, because I'm also currently doing a tay-law degree which is already to much legaleese for me, I don't need it in my free time as well.

Always great to read Modesitt!! Such a world building talented author! This book is great for the world building, but not only, the characters are also very likeable and relatable and the story is fun, just a good ride in a world I want to pass more time in! I recommend reading it

Isolate is the first in a new fantasy series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.. At 608 pages it is one of the author's longer works. There will be at least one more.

Most of the author's fantasies are set in worlds with a combination of magic with steam and gunpowder technology. Isolate is also a steam/gunpowder world and the "magic" is empathy with everyone in the world existing on a range of susceptibility to projected empathy. An Isolate is not vulnerable to projected empathy at all. The ability to project empathy is found largely, but not only, among women and can be used to influence others or even kill them. If this book were marketed differently it would easily fit in the SF of the 60s/70s when there were more books with Psi powers. James Blish's, Jack of Eagles, Alfred Bester's Demolished Man and most of James Schmitz's work comes to mind.

Nearly all of Mr. Modesitt's books are themed around power and responsibility. I am tempted to say they all are but there are a few I do not recall well enough to be certain.

Isolate looks at power and responsibility specifically as it relates to government. In this story the government is a parliamentary monarchy. It is not possible to read this book as an American and not reflect on our current times. I am sure the author intends this but he is very much too good a writer to make easy parallels between current events and his story. The questions raised are questions many of us have and I struggled to divine the real world analogs he was writing about only to come to the conclusion that there were none. There were questions that resonated but there was no moment where I went "oh, he means so and so or such and such a party" I suspect this book can be read by someone anywhere along our political spectrum and they will be entertained and not affronted while getting a lot to think about.

One pair of changes in his writing of this novel was interesting and therefore mildly distracting. In all of his novels food and the description of it plays a part in making the reader aware they are in a different world. The foods described are often slight variations on things we commonly eat but never the common items themselves. Pearapple brandy, pheasant or fowl rather than apple brandy or chicken or turkey. A subtle technique that I hardly notice. In Isolate the foods are Foie gras, ham, empanadas. The other change was word choice. In other books the words are all English albeit with an elevated vocabulary. In Isolate some of his words are spelled differently than in English. Not many but enough to make it clear we are in a different world. Corporacion for Corporation. It was this choice to normalize the food while altering the spelling that caught my attention and took me out of the story while I thought about it. Changing the occasional spelling worked well I am uncertain of using common food names.

As usual when I get to read a great book in advance of publication my one regret is the longer wait until the author's next is available. One can always hope to read the next early but there are never any guarantees!

Isolate by L.E. Modesitt
Modesitt can get wordy and is a social scientist in his writing. His social commentary is often subtle and occasionally less than subtle. In a fictional land government is in need of a change. The major characters are a councilor, one of sixty-six and his two security aides. How they go about making change is the plot.
Avrall, an empath, and Dekkard an isolate are security specialists guarding Obreduur a Craft Councilor. Avrall’s ability to sense others thoughts and Dekkard’s exceptional reflexes do an admirable job of protecting Obreduur.
The three find themselves dealing with assassins, political chicanery and the tedium of politicking.
Once again those who avidly read Modesitt are aware that his books carry a load of societal insights. There is some action.
I really enjoyed the book and I always lament there isn’t more on the last page.