Structured as an epic step-by-step guide to claim and expand an empire, Manifest Destiny blends fantasy, science-fiction, satire, and cheerful violence while still offering rich worldbuilding and an intriguing magic system—and even risking a slow start to the novel with several explanatory prefaces. The satire targets assumptions about who deserves power, both the social and magical kinds, as Norne and Chaos draw on their innate (even “insane and completely unfair”) magical abilities to steamroll their opponents—and occasionally face off against each other. Baynes invites readers to wrestle with the question of whether they support the duo’s efforts even as the story encourages us to cheer for their slowly developing bond.
Of course, the stagnant empires they challenge aren’t sympathetic, either, and with descriptions of rulers who associate their “fair skin” with a “Master Race” Baynes parodies the worst thematic underpinnings of classic fantasy. Scenes run long and chatty, and the prose could benefit from tightening, but fantasy readers interested in the hard work of minion acquisition, keeping the military in line, and the question of whether power games can help the poor and oppressed will find much dark fun here.
Takeaway: A cheerfully bloody comic fantasy concerned with questions of power and powers.
Great for fans of: Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, Piers Anthony’s Bio of a Space Tyrant series.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: B
