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Greg Keyes - The Briar King - Review

Discussion in 'Booktalk' started by Chandos the Red, Aug 16, 2005.

  1. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    The Briar King by Greg Keyes **** 1/2
    First volume of The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone
    Rating: Excellent - 4 1/2 out of 5.

    The opening of The Briar King resembles at least a dozen other novels of the same genre, weaving a typical formula we have all read before. There are the battle hardened warriors, crouched in their holes, laying siege to the dark stronghold, held by the evil lords who wish to control the destiny of mankind. Enter the warrior Queen who leads the charge, casting spells at a frantic pace and throwing herself into the bloody fray. A great victory – mankind is saved from the evil overlords and a new order is established – The Age known as Everon. Yeah, how many times have we read this storyline before? Yet don’t despair, for although the opening of the Briar King is a bit trite and awkward, there are the makings of a very good story behind the covers of Greg Keyes’ first installment of the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone.

    Fast forward 2000 years, long after the final siege and the victorious reign of Queen Dare. In this setting, the heirs of the Dare lineage are weak and incompetent; the splendid Court, which has thrived for two thousand years, is falling into disarray; there are rumors of war, with the rival warlords exerting their political and military powers at the borders of the Kingdom; King William Dare is weak and indecisive. Worse yet, there is an ancient prophecy that predicts the downfall of the House of Dare and the destruction of the Kingdom of Crotheny; the result of a powerful curse, placed upon it by the ancient overlords.

    The story of the Briar King has five main character threads. Much like Steven Erikson’s Mallazan books, it’s difficult to discern a main character. But the story opens with Aspar, the King’s Holter and Ranger, who safeguards his forest. It may be the King’s forest in name, but it is “damn well” Aspar’s forest. There have been strange happenings in Aspar’s forest: murders and ritualistic sacrifices; strange beasts prowling its darkest reaches, squatters fleeing its depths. And there is an obscure legend that speaks of how these strange occurrences are related to the awakening of the dreaded Briar King in his forest lair.

    In addition, the legend of the Briar King unfolds nicely around the character of Stephen, the young novice priest, who has a genius for reading and translating the ancient texts. Newly arrived at the monastery he pursues, at first, the legend through the scripts of the old library, and then sets out into the forest to discover if the legends are true. This is by far the richest part of the story – the mythology of Keyes’ world is deeply developed, completely absorbing and intelligent, never lapsing into the clichés that seem to pervade the Fantasy genre.

    The other main threads are related to the Kingdom, which is in decline and on the verge of a strange war with its ancient enemy, Hansa. The court is distinctly Arthurian, and is a dazzling tapestry of royalty, knights, courtly love and political intrigue. The other characters of this thread include, the Princess Anne, youngest daughter of King William, and Sir Neil, a newly arrived and talented knight who finds himself thrust immediately into the middle of the turmoil of William Dare’s Court. Neil may be new to the Court but he has a good sword-arm and the good wits to go with his fighting prowess. Ann is the proud heir, in both name and spirit, to the great Queen Dare herself, warrior and Founder of the Age of Everon – The Age of Men. She is independent, headstrong, immature and somewhat haughty, but nevertheless, a very likable character, despite her faults.

    The last character thread is not quite as well carried off as the others. Very abruptly, about mid-story, the setting shifts to a country in the South. The character of Cazio appears out of nowhere, and although the plotlines and characters converge, the entire thread feels a little out of place in the story. Cazio is a likable enough character, but he seems like a hold-over from Don Juan., or a character straight out of an Alexander Dumas novel. If the rest of the story has a distinctly medieval and Arthurian feel to it, be prepared to be suddenly thrust into what seems very much like 17th century Spain, or perhaps Southern France in about the same time frame.

    The plot is well done, with enough twists and turns to keep the page turning going. But the real strength of this story is its depth, both in the crafting of the world and its character development. You will like these characters and care about what happens to them. And this is still epic fantasy, if not on the same scale as Martin or Erikson, it is nevertheless “epic” story telling in the real sense of the word. The Briar King is highly recommended.
     
  2. joacqin

    joacqin Confused Jerk Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I liked this book but for me it get sorted under "decent fantasy I will follow but not worship like Erikson/Martin/Hobb" ie, it didnt blow me away.

    Above the generic trite but nothing exceptional, main reason being that it didnt quite manage to capture my interest completely. Nothing that really really intrigued me.
     
  3. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    Joac - Actually, your description of the Briar King is similiar to my feelings about Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. After reading a Game of Thrones, which I thought was OK, I started the next one, A Clash of Kings; read about half of it, and did not pick it up again. It's not that I remember it being terrible, just something I could not get into. But I have read nothing by Hobb.
     
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