Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Things go from bad, to good, to very bad, 25 Jul 2006
One of the most anxiously awaited books this year (by me, anyway) was The Blood Knight, by Greg Keyes. The third book in the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series, this book is once again phenomenal. It avoids the one pitfall The Charnel Prince had (namely, one huge coincidence that almost broke my suspension of disbelief) and doesn't add any others to the mix. I'd say it's even better than the first book, The Briar King. This is yet another part of one of the best fantasy series I've read in a long time.
Unrest settles over the kingdom of Crotheny. Princess Anne, who escaped assassination at the Coven of St. Cer where she was sent for training, has been apparently captured, but the book opens with her waking up to discover herself lying next to a man who has been brutally killed. She's been having visions of some otherworldly entity, some demon in female form that may be helping her, or at least preventing others from harming her. Her uncle, Robert, has returned from the dead and deposed her mother, Muriele, from the throne. With a steadily growing entourage, Anne must march on the capital and wrest back control of the kingdom, though other events around the world may make this all pointless anyway. The Briar King is back, a force of nature that seems to think that all men must die for what has been done to the forests in the land, but even he may not be the force everybody believes he is. What does all this have to do with ancient history, and the exploits of Anne's distant ancestor, Virgenya Dare and how she freed humanity from the Skasloi? Old secrets come to the forefront again, the laws of Death have been breached, and who knows what will happen even if Anne is successful?
This summary is extremely narrow, as it leaves out a number of different plotlines that all have to do with the overarching story. The Blood Knight is definitely a complicated book, but Keyes makes it all look effortless. Keyes' writing is vivid, whether he's writing a battle scene or a tender scene between two people in a budding romance. His turn of phrase is wonderful, with interesting descriptions and an excellent use of language. Best of all, though, is the style of the book. Each chapter centers on one character or group of characters, leading to a bit of a cliffhanger or sudden twist, before moving on to another one. Thus, while all the different situations are related to each other, they're all clearly defined. This sets a kind of leisurely pace that makes the book a pleasant read despite some of the cruelties or destruction contained therein. However, as the book rushes to a climax, this rule is thrown out the window. Scenes flash by in quick succession, points of view change and many of the sections are quite short. This adds an intensity to the ending that, while it may not have been needed, definitely made the book hard to put down as the ending approached.
Once again, the characterization is almost flawless. The female characters are all strong (some stronger than others, of course) but not needlessly rough. Anne has some serious doubts about her ability to lead the march on the castle because of her aloof childhood, but she marshals her strength as well as incorporating some of the magical abilities that she has discovered. Stephen, the bookish monk who comes into his own near the end as he discovers that he is more than just a sidekick, is masterfully handled. His transition is logical and helped along by outside forces as they require him to see more to himself than he ever thought possible. One slight issue with the female characterization is that most of them (pretty much all but Anne) are partially defined through their relationships with the men. What saves Keyes in this case, however, is the fact that most are strong despite that, not because of it. Their relationships are only part of their characters, not the only aspect that gives them depth. Austra is the only one who really suffers here, but since she's Anne's servant and childhood friend, she's more defined by her relationships to everybody, not just the man she loves. Even Austra, however, has some really good moments where she comes into her own.
I also can't say enough about the plot of the book (and this series). It's truly an epic story, covering religion, mystical forces, and the usual politics. Keyes gives some nice twists to the old "the kingdom is in danger from outside forces who want to take control" theme, and while it's unclear exactly what the relationship is between the political and the more mystical aspects of the series, it's clear that there is one. For those who are really confused, Keyes provides a very thorough explanation (pretty much an infodump, but told in a way that wasn't completely boring) near the end of the book.
Speaking of the ending, keep in mind that there is a fourth (and final) book coming. Keyes seems to like 4-book series (see his Age of Unreason books). It was strange, because everything seemed to be building toward a climax, but as the end neared, there was clearly too much to resolve by the end of The Blood Knight. Keyes produces a couple of massive twists that move things off in a new direction, which should make for a cracking finale.
Forgive me if this review sounds like a gush, but I truly loved this novel, and I think any fan of high fantasy would too. The entire series is worth reading, and the wait for the final book will be excruciating. Whenever you do so, you have to read this series.
David Roy
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Next please, 11 May 2007
I'm not sure what to make of this instalment. I'll start with the criticism:
First, I was a little bit peeved to see that it was the first in the series to come out as a hardback (which I refused to buy) then peeved even more when the long-awaited map (which featured in the hardback) was not included in the paperback. Secondly I was under the impression this was a trilogy until about 20 pages from the end of this book. Of course I'm happy that there's another book, but Aristotle might have had a point about drama and three acts. Third point of criticism I take from my review of the Charnel Prince - the characters know more about the setting than the reader which can be confusing if you're balancing lots of fantasy novels, even though it makes for good dramatic effect (especially since he deftly avoids dei ex machinis).
However, these are all minor points and don't seriously detract from the quality of the novel. Anyone who likes the GRR Martin approach to individual chapters for individual characters will feel at home with the approach Keyes takes here. Moreover, he seems to have lifted an element of his own background and grafted it in detail on to some of the characters making each of them very believable. This really comes through, with the fencer, the musician, the scholarly monk all being very individual in their behaviour and language.
Because I thought it was a trilogy I anticipated all the plot threads being tied up as the book progressed, but this is certainly not the case as they diverge and twist and turn. I'm not even sure who's on who's side or where they'll be heading next - which makes it rather difficult to guess how the next book will shape up. I'd still love to know more about the Roanoke connection... but presumably that's something he'll drop in right at the end.
Roll on book 4.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Still good, but definitely declining in quality as the series progresses., 30 Aug 2008
The third and penultimate book in The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series, The Blood Knight resumes the story where we left off in The Charnel Prince. Robert Dare, the late king's brother, has usurped the throne of Crotheny. He has imprisoned his brother's wife, Muriele, but has been unsuccessful in capturing or killing her lackwit son or youngest daughter, Anne. Meanwhile, Anne has overcome numerous obstacles and returned to southern Crotheny, which she begins the difficult task of winning some of the noble lords to her cause and raising an army. The monk Stephen's path leads him into the east to find knowledge that will aid in combatting the rising evil in the land, whilst the former royal holter, Aspar, will likewise find his destiny taking him into the wilds to a final confrontation with the mystical Briar King.
From the start, The Blood Knight feels a little uneven. The story takes a while to speed up again as we are, at length, reintroduced to characters from the previous books and what they are up to. This takes some considerable time. Once the plot gets going again, things get more interesting, paticularly as we get to the biggest battles in the series so far (although these are mere skirmishes rather than large set-piece engagements, which I suspect will be held back for the final volume). However, the writing feels a little less confident than in the first two volumes. Things are not as tight and sloppy, whilst the inexplicable need to end every chapter on a cliffhanger gives the book a juddering pace which makes reading it at times mildly frustrating. Also, the extreme passivity of characters such as Aspar and Stephen becomes grating. They are both carried along by events outside their control, constantly second-guessing themselves and the people they need to trust. The moment when Anne, who was going the same way, breaks free and starts making her own decisions rather than blindly following some ancient prophecy, is extremely carthartic for that reason. One disappointment is that Leoff, given his importance to the second book, is extremely inert for this volume and doesn't accomplish much, whilst Muriele is pretty much absent, although given her conditions that is perhaps not surprising.
The Blood Knight is the weakest of the three books so far. The decline in quality of the series across its length was something I'd been pre-warned about, but is still regrettable. That said, even at this stage the core storyline remains interesting, the characters mostly sympathetic and, most importantly, the story remains intriguing enough to make you want to read on into the final volume, The Born Queen.
The Blood Knight (***½) is available from Tor in the UK and Del Rey in the USA.
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