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The Grand Design (Tyrants & Kings) (Paperback)

by John Marco (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 768 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (12 April 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857987810
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857987812
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.2 x 4.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 477,026 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Grand Design is the second in John Marco's "Tyrants and Kings" sequence, following on from The Jackal of Nar in which Marco set up an interesting sorceress empire on the brink of collapse and civil war when its elixir-addicted ruler runs, finally, out of time. In The Grand Design, our attention moves away from Richius, the brilliant young general who came to see the empire he served as a nightmare of injustice, and to the court of Biagio, cleverest and most evil of the dead emperor's chief lieutenants. Biagio's enemies and rivals, not the least Richius, find themselves trapped in the elegant clockwork of his machinations--this is an intelligent book about intrigues and double-dealings which all turn out to have a place in a scheme of breathtaking viciousness.

Marco gets away from some of the more obvious clichés of fantasy here--Biagio is mad and decadent and ruthless, but many of his rivals are equally vicious and considerably more stupid. Captive at Biagio's court, Richius' barbarian wife Dyana learns respect, and even a sort of affection, for the man who wrecked her husband's life. There is a lot of dark comedy here and attractively complex emotions; Marco is learning as the series proceeds to turn fantasy's stock materials to his own bleak ends. --Roz Kaveney



Product Description

The war that is tearing apart Nar threatens to destroy The Jackal's family as Count Biago targets his daughter knowing that the Jackal must try to protect her. This is heroic fantasy of the highest order; it depicts a massive, highly detailed fantasy world thrown into turmoil by a terrible war. John Marco's extensive knowledge of military history gives the whole series a uniquely realistic feel.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Top class fantasy, yet again., 19 Nov 2001
A complete whirl of events that left me wishing people wrote faster. The plot was tight and cleverly put together, the characters were well portrayed and believable, the battles were superb as usual. Everything worked together to produce a devious plan worthy only of Biagio. I couldn't believe how ruthlessly cruel he was, and how sad the book actually was. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because the ending was weak by comparison to the rest of the book. Still, well worth the read, and I'll wait for the next one.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent follow-up to The Jackal of Nar, 14 Jun 2009
As I'm only halfway through Joe Abercrombie's Last Argument of Kings, and not expecting my interview with John Marco to conclude until later this week, I thought just to tide us over I'd post another older review - this one of The Grand Design, the second book in John's Tyrants and Kings trilogy.
John Marco set himself very high standards with the first novel in his Tyrants and Kings trilogy. The Jackal of Nar breathed new life into the genre of Heroic Fantasy, introducing a wealth of well-defined characters and intriguing technology. The problem with this was that he would have to reproduce this same standard of excellence in the second book in the series, The Grand Design.

Marco however has gone one better. Not only has he written a fantastic sequel, he has bettered the first novel in almost every respect. The Grand Design is a very different book from its predecessor. Whereas The Jackal of Nar focused on the effects of war on one man - Richius Vantran - The Grand Design is concerned with the destructive forces of revenge on a variety of people. Richius was undoubtedly the main character of the first book, yet while he features prominently in The Grand Design Marco has shifted the emphasis to include other familiar characters, giving them more significant roles in the story. The result is highly impressive - a novel that revolves around several distinctive figures, all pursuing different goals. The Machiavellian Count Biagio really comes to the forefront of proceedings, with what he calls his Grand Design - his plan to seize back control of Nar from the Archbishop Herrith. This plan expertly reflects Biagio's cunning, intellect and ambition.

Yet nothing is black and white in Marco's world of Nar. While Biagio is no doubt an unscrupulous manipulator, at the same time he is revealed as being helplessly in the throes of the life-sustaining drug that he relies on. More than once his good side temporarily shines through, where he shows he is capable of treating people fairly and with genuine care. Archbishop Herrith, who has now seized control of Nar and is Biagio's mortal enemy is portrayed similarly. Here is a man who orders the death of thousands, yet shows his caring side when he takes pity on the fragile Lorla Lon, a young woman trapped inside a girl's body. In fact it is Lorla Lon who is arguably the most tragic character of the novel; Marco's skill with character development enables the reader to feel the pain of Lorla, as she struggles to understand her role in the proceedings and why she has been trapped in a child's body. Unsurprisingly, Count Biagio has much to do with her pitiful situation.

Many of the other characters are presented as being similar to Biagio and Herrith in that they are multi-faceted. Simon Darquis, sent by Biagio to steal Richius Vantran's child is loyal to his master yet at the same time riddled with guilt, while Prakna, the commander of the Lissen Navy, is an honourable, proud man who at the same time possesses a violent hatred of Narens that often clouds his better judgement. This variety of multi-faceted characters is what makes Marco's novels so successful - few of the novel's characters are purely good or sickeningly evil, with the result that they seem startlingly real. As with The Jackal of Nar, it is impossible not to sympathise and care about most of the characters, even the manipulative Biagio. Readers who enjoyed the violent, bloody battles of the first book will not be disappointed. Whilst the emphasis in The Grand Design is more on subtle political maneuvering and backstabbing, there are still plenty of conflicts - including, for the first time, sea battles.

As ever, Marco proves adept at creating battles, setting the tension at a perfect level. By concentrating on the characters in such situations, he makes each battle seem more personal, therefore carrying greater implications. The Grand Design is more violent, bloody and destructive than its predecessor. Countless people meet their ends - few of them pleasant - and this emphasizes the brutality of the world that Marco has created. Yet we are also introduced to the islands of Liss, which illustrates the subtle beauty of Marco's world, mostly obscured behind the black clouds of war.


The Grand Design is a masterclass in plotting, character development and action sequences. Few novels can match the twists and turns of his plot, his well-developed characters and his fluid writing style. The Grand Design will keep you guessing right until the end, and with the cunning and secrecy of Count Biagio, and the desperate heroics of Richius Vantran, there is never a dull moment.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Pointless second book, 16 Dec 2001
In my opinion this is a poor sequel to The Jackal of Nar, which was such a superb and original fantasy book. The plot in The Grand Design revolves around the feud between the deposed King Richius and the mad would-be emperor Biagio. But the link between the two seemed so flimsy that I just kept wondering why any of the characters would bother. I wish I hadn't bothered to read it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars a change of track
after reading jackal of nar and in particular the first part of it i expected a much grimmer and genre expanding series which to some disappointment did not materialise as the... Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2001 by Woolly

4.0 out of 5 stars An Improvement Upon The Original
In "Grand Design," author John Marco has much improved upon his first book, "The Jackal of Nar. Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A great sequel to The Jackal of Nar
The Grand Design is the second book of the American writer John Marco. This book is the sequel to John Marcos thrilling debut The Jackal of Nar. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2000 by pieter@sjoemel-damon.myweb.nl

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