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Amazon.co.uk Review
Be honest--do you find the legion of new fantasy epics a tad daunting? Even the most devoted voyager into strange and exotic fantasy universes has to choose carefully these days, such is the multiplicity of sagas on offer. So it is highly refreshing to encounter a tale as good as Tower of the King's Daughter, the first book in Chaz Brenchley's Outremer sequence. This is fantasy exactly as it should be: ambitious, highly coloured and supremely confident in its grip on the reader's attention. The Kingdom of Outremer is settling down from its bloody inauguration some 40 years ago, with sinister enemies making those on the borders nervous. The Kingdom's conscience (and most loyal defender) is The Society of Ransom, and the Ransomer's remote border stronghold of Roq de Rancon is a place of ancient magic. Marron has recently entered the brotherhood and sworn allegiance, while Julianne, daughter of the King's Shadow, is en route to her wedding in Elessi along with Elisande, her mysterious companion. All three will play a significant role in the cataclysmic events about to overtake Outremer.
From its first confident chapter through amazing set pieces such as a confrontation with a monstrous presence in a cave, Brenchley's grasp of his colourful narrative never falters, and his descriptive powers are exemplary:
She pushed her hand slowly into the liquid light, without causing the least eddy in its run. The tingling feeling moved up to her elbow as gold washed over it, she lost sight of her hand altogether, and still her fingers clutched at nothing--until something clutched at them. Julianne screamed. Not a hand that held hers, nothing so human: more like a rope it felt, a hot rope. Or a snake, or a tendril of some grasping plant. Something flexible that wrapped itself tightly around her hand and wrist.--Barry Forshaw
Review
'The prose is beautifully crafted and a joy to read' - Northern Review 'Be honest--do you find the legion of new fantasy epics a tad daunting? Even the most devoted voyager into strange and exotic fantasy universes has to choose carefully these days, such is the multiplicity of sagas on offer. So it is highly refreshing to encounter a tale as good as Tower of the King's Daughter, the first book in Chaz Brenchley's Outremer sequence. This is fantasy exactly as it should be: ambitious, highly coloured and supremely confident in its grip on the reader's attention. The Kingdom of Outremer is settling down from its bloody inauguration some 40 years ago, with sinister enemies making those on the borders nervous. The Kingdom's conscience (and most loyal defender) is The Society of Ransom, and the Ransomer's remote border stronghold of Roq de Rancon is a place of ancient magic. Marron has recently entered the brotherhood and sworn allegiance, while Julianne, daughter of the King's Shadow, is en route to her wedding in Elessi along with Elisande, her mysterious companion. All three will play a significant role in the cataclysmic events about to overtake Outremer. From its first confident chapter through amazing set pieces such as a confrontation with a monstrous presence in a cave, Brenchley's grasp of his colourful narrative never falters, and his descriptive powers are exemplary: She pushed her hand slowly into the liquid light, without causing the least eddy in its run. The tingling feeling moved up to her elbow as gold washed over it, she lost sight of her hand altogether, and still her fingers clutched at nothing--until something clutched at them. Julianne screamed. Not a hand that held hers, nothing so human: more like a rope it felt, a hot rope. Or a snake, or a tendril of some grasping plant. Something flexible that wrapped itself tightly around her hand and wrist.' - Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk 'The atmosphere is so well described you can almost taste it' - Starburst
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An unusual, and well-written fantasy epic.,
By rayjholt@hotmail.com (Leeds, United Kingdom. On Earth.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Tower of the King's Daughter (Outremer) (Paperback)
As Chaz Brenchley has gravitated gradually from horror, into horror-fantasy, it seems natural for him to turn his hands to a full fantasy epic. And the result is outstanding.The world he paints is rich, and engaging. There are no Elves, Dwarves or Dragons, here - just a gritty land of harsh and deadly beauty, filled with Djinn, warring natives, and fanatical crusaders, seeking to carve a nation from the desert. But what makes this novel really stand out is the quality of the characters, and the prose - exactly what set Chaz Brenchley's crime novels head and shoulders above the competition. The writing is at once lyrical and captivating, It conjures beauty and tension in equal measure. You just have to keep reading a little more... The characters are all distinctive, and believable. They all have their own secrets, and fears, and in no time you find yourself caring about them, and what happens to them. Chaz Brenchley is a strong enough author to make even a bog-standard fantasy quest seem unique and interesting - and this is book is neither bog-standard nor formulaic. The very plot is subtly different from anything I've seen before. The fantastic touches are the icing on the cake - the Djinn, Mazing, and, of course, the King's Daughter. Read this book, and see what can happen when Fantasy steps beyond the bounds of Tolkien.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very promising start to a new fantasy trilogy,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tower of the King's Daughter (Outremer) (Paperback)
This book came as a breath of fresh air. I just hope he develops his ideas in the second and third parts as well as he introduces them in the first instalment. Some of these ideas are as good as anything I've come across in fantasy for ages, such as Stephen Donaldson's sandgorgons or Robin Hobb's liveships. If you've read Chaz Brenchley's more recent horror works you'll be familiar with the man's odd and engaging use of English. Transfer that use of language into the fantasy genre and it becomes very effective - what can be sometimes a bit over the top coming out of "real" people's mouths is dead right in the world he's devised for Outremer. Which is not to imply it's yet another trash fantasy with people speaking in garbled olde worlde style and going on pointless quests for obscure reasons, because it's not. Read and enjoy.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshing change from the norm,
This review is from: The Tower of the King's Daughter (Outremer) (Paperback)
I enjoyed reading this book. It seemed to me to be refreshingly different to the normal fantasy epic, more in common to the Moorcock style.The reason I didn't give the book four stars is due to the amount of time spent on background description, it made to story a little too sparse. Still, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone.
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