|
Publisher:
Tor (Macmillan UK) |
Release
Date: July 2004 |
ISBN:
033041945501 |
Awards:
|
Format
Reviewed: Paperback |
Buy
it at Amazon US || UK |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Fantasy |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
|
The Briar King
Kingdoms
of Thorn & Bone, No. 1
By Greg Keyes
Two
thousand years ago a group of people slipped through time and space
from Virginia to the kingdom of Crotheny. Their leader was a fierce
warrior woman called Virginia Elizabeth Dare, who caused the humans
to rise up against their demonic masters the Skasloi. Now the Briar
King is stirring, and Armageddon is on the way. Standing against
it are a forester, a princess, and a monk who have plenty of human
foes to fight as well as supernatural ones…
Reading this brought
it home to me that it is rather foolish to always think the best
fantasy (or novel in any genre) is the sort that breaks all the
rules and departs from the norm. This seems to be standard fantasy
on the surface, complete with knights, quests, dire beings, princesses,
and castles but Greg Keyes makes it all jump to attention and rattle
along, making me forget that I wanted something clever and new.
Because truly there is a lot to admire in here, from the fascinating
use of language to the feisty and lovable characters, and from the
helter-skelter adventures to the well-realized world that it is
set in. This is the sort of book that reminds me why I started to
love fantasy so much in the first place; I can’t wait for
the second installment to be out! Highly recommended. |