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The Forging of the Twelve by Nathanael Bazzell is the exciting new book in The Chronicles of the Orphan King series. I’ll start off by saying I reviewed the first book in The Chronicles of the Orphan King over half a year ago, but naturally the details have faded somewhat in my memory since then. So, I went into this book in large part with the perspective of a reader new to the series. Nonetheless, stepping back into Nathanael Bazzell’s world with The Forging of the Twelve reminded me immediately why I enjoyed the first book. This is epic fantasy on a large scale, the kind that makes me both intimidated by the size of what the author has imagined and eager to find out more.
The story picks up after the events of the first book, with Fife leading the prophesied Twelve across a war-torn realm in search of the Orphan King, apparently the only figure who can save the Three Lands before darkness consumes them. The novel opens with the group travelling through muddy terrain on a quest to find the Orphan King after a battle, exhausted despite moments of banter and good humour. Meanwhile, in parallel chapters, we meet Lorcan, an ancient Builder now awakened into a diminished, chaotic age. Lorcan believes the only way to prevent catastrophe is to seize power and become emperor, even if that means unleashing the very evils he once helped imprison. As the Twelve move through contested territories and refugee-choked cities, they encounter signs that something profoundly wrong is unfolding, and it looks like it will be up to them to save the day.
The writing of the book is generally very strong, balancing detail with momentum in a way that keeps the plot driving forward without sacrificing atmosphere. Bazzell’s prose has a timeless quality. It feels like a classic fantasy that could very well have been written in the seventies or yesterday, and you wouldn’t be able to tell. There’s a restraint to the language that avoids purple prose while still being immersive. At 758 pages, this is the kind of fantasy brick that expects readers to devote significant time to it, which is either a good or bad thing depending on your personal preferences. Personally, I love massive fantasy books like this, so for me it’s a plus.
The world-building itself is immense and textured, full of ancient histories and invented terms that make the worldbuilding feel more real. Bazzell has clearly put enormous thought into the structure of his world, namely the different races, their cultures, their histories of conflict and cooperation. But the author doesn’t stop the story to explain everything, which I appreciated even as it occasionally left me slightly struggling to catch up and comprehend everything. I would say this book is therefore probably more for experienced fantasy readers.
The highlight of the book is watching the Twelve interact. They come from vastly different backgrounds, such as men’ar, delv’ar, alv’ar, Gad’riyel, princes, healers and warriors and their clashing personalities and cultural assumptions create friction and camaraderie alike. Fife emerges as the closest thing to a main character, and he’s compelling largely because he resists heroism, being written like a real person with realistic feelings and thoughts, “It dawned on Fife that everyone was in a good mood. Surprisingly enough, he found that he was too. The constant undertone of worries haunting the back of his mind had subsided like a tide rolling away from the beach.” Baine brings blunt humour and practicality to the group, while Liana, an exiled alv’ar princess, adds emotional depth and compassion.
The other members of the heroes are all likeable in different ways, which is essential in an ensemble cast this large, and Bazzell does an admirable job giving each of them distinct voices and arcs. That said, I won’t pretend this is always an easy book to follow. There are a lot of characters, and without POV titles at the start of chapters or a glossary to reference (or a map, but apparently these are available on the website), it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of who’s who. I might have got something wrong already due to the complexity. Certain terms and references like “loquii” or the Battle of Redheapton slightly went over my head. The book rotates fairly rapidly between several POV characters, and while some appear far more frequently than others, the shifts can be disorienting without clear POV markers.
Reading the first book is thus more or less essential, and even then, some recap or grounding might have helped. I found myself wishing for a brief refresher on what exactly the Twelve are meant to accomplish. But of course, that’s again largely a matter of preference. If you enjoy losing yourself in complex fantasy that doesn’t hold your hand, this is perfect for you. Bazzell trusts his readers to keep up without constant recaps. While that can be demanding, it also respects one’s intelligence and rewards close attention. There are terms and concepts aplenty like “shaping,” the “Age of the Builders,” the “Venatores,” the “Pit” that are explained organically through dialogue rather than exposition dumps.
The Forging of the Twelve strikes a good balance between action set pieces and quieter moments of character introspection. There are fights, narrow escapes, and moments where you don’t know if the characters will make it, but the novel’s strength lies in its atmosphere and making you care about the characters before putting them in danger. Nathanael Bazzell uses extended conversations to build character, then punctuates that groundwork with bursts of action that feel earned and impactful. Tension often emerges through dialogue first, as unease spreads among the group before any blow is struck, “Something feels wrong… it feels like someone was here… like something had been through here and had ripped away little bits of creation.”
The book ends not with a complete resolution, but with a satisfying enough ending that hints at the sequel (or threequel, to be precise). To sum up, For a self-published work, this novel is ambitious, gripping and overall really impressive. The editing, formatting, and writing quality are top-notch, and despite its slightly elaborate plot and glut of made-up terms it is still largely accessible. There is little in the way of obvious errors, the prose flows cleanly, and the book itself (if you read it in print) is well-designed. This feels like a traditionally published novel in every respect except the imprint, and I hope it and the series manage to find its audience.
Final verdict: If you’re a fan of sprawling, layered epic fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien or Robert Jordan, and you don’t mind working a bit to keep the threads straight, The Forging of the Twelve is well worth your time. It’s a slow-burn novel that prioritizes atmosphere and character over spectacle, but becomes all the more satisfying because of that. What it lacks in immediate action, it more than makes up for in immersion and long-term payoff. For fans of Brandon Sanderson, this could be your next stay-up-far-too-late, can’t-stop-reading fantasy addiction.
You can get your copy of “The Forging of the Twelve” here!
