This is the second book in the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series, and I enjoyed it even more than I had enjoyed the first.  The first book, while very good, took time to completely grab my interest.  I think that was primarily because there were a lot of characters to get to know, and there were a lot of different plot threads that needed time to develop.  It took time for all of these things to be introduced and built up to the point where I was really invested.  With this book, I started out fully invested in the story and the characters.

In addition to continuing the story of several of the characters from the first book, this book also introduced a handful of new characters.  Leoff, the composer, was the only new character who became a frequent point-of-view character and I thought he was a great addition.  We also learned more about characters who were only briefly seen in the first book.  A couple of them turned out to be far more than they had originally appeared to be.  One of them I had suspected, but the other was a pleasant surprise.  The characters in this series are very interesting and fun to read about.  The over-all story is interesting enough but, at least for me, this series is more about the characters.  Finding out what would happen to them next, and learning more about the ones I didn’t know well yet, was what kept me turning the pages even when I had other things to do.

I thought the ending was a little more open-ended than that of the first book.  When the final chapter ended, I felt like the characters were on the brink of accomplishing the goals they’d been working toward, but the brief epilogue made it clear that there’s more trouble to come first.  (Well, there’s also the fact that the series has two more books in it!)  The epilogue also left one of our main characters in a pretty bad position so, at least for that character, there was a bit of a cliff hanger.  I look forward to starting the third book to learn what happens next.

In today’s world of speculative fiction there are several different genres of fantasy. Though I can remember the days when there was only one and we described the novels we read with multiple adjectives rather than high jacking for nouns. Even though there many genres to explore, I lost count of them. I wish there was one called solid. That is one word I would use to describe Greg Keyes The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. Perhaps these four novels would qualify as traditional. I have heard that some are taking to calling certain novels traditional, because they engage in the use of cliches, or just copy Tolkien. Though there are certain aspects of Keyes’s work that could be considered over used, it isn’t traditional, but is solid storytelling.

The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone is made up of four books, The Briar King, The Charnel Prince, The Blood Knight, and The Born Queen. The most traditional aspect of this story is that the world resembles a very western one, with knights and their medieval ethos. There are several characters that the novels follow, making the story wider in scope and more entertaining. There is Anne Dare a young princesses of Crotheny and her best friend and servant Austra. There is Aspar White, a holter protecting the king’s forest. Stephan Darige, a young monk and scholar. Neil MaqVren, a simple knight, but powerful and skilled who serves the queen loyally. There is also Cazio Pachiomadio da Chiovattio, a cunning and witty student of the sword and women. That is just to name a few.

 

Each of these characters end up going on a different quest that ends up being related to the other quests of the other characters. They all grow in power and change as the story progresses. Each of their quests also ends up a little different then what they expected. Most of the time they are all very confused. All the quests center around the Sedos Throne, a seat of magical power. It seems that the lost colony of Roanoke, ended up being transported to this world of Keyes’s creation by a race of demons who enslave humans. The first child born in the Roanoke colony, historically, was Virginia Dare. Well, it seems she becomes a person capable of using the Sedos Throne and uses that power to free the human slaves and set up their own civilization. Events occur that begin to change this world during Anne Dare’s time. Kings’s are murdered, some people become immune to death, religious leaders practice evil magic, war is started and ancient myths come to life. I don’t like spoilers so I won’t give too much information. I will just go over some good and bad points.

 

Many may know Keyes from his work on Star Wars novels. The Kingdoms of Throne and Bone reads very much like those novels. They are fast paced, for Keyes is an action author. He does not spend a lot of time with inner monologues or examining the characters emotions. He does well with fight scenes, especially when it comes to Neil, Cazio, and Aspar. While this keeps the story running smoothly, there is little to no character growth, as far as internalizing the events. You really don’t come to care about these people, you might like them, and cheer for some of them, but never really become emotionally invested in any of them. The pace that Keyes sets is much like an action film, and like an action film, there tends to be some holes in the fabric of the story. That whole thing about the Roanoke colony coming to this world, Keyes never really says that, nor explains it. There is a kingdom in the book called Virgenya, and the people call themselves Virgenyans, but they play little part in the story. Keyes doesn’t explore a lot of his own world. The Briar King is a mythically being in the book and while he gets a fairly detailed write up many of the myths and even the Sedos Throne are never really explained.

 

All this aside, the books are fun. The characters are likable and the action is exciting. You may not get to really know the characters but watching them play out their destiny is entertaining. The love interests are pretty tame, but filled with nice sentiment. Keyes does not handle romance well. The villains are fairly interesting as well, as some can’t die, some are demons, some mad men. However, Keyes does paint a world with shades of grey, there is not black and white, good and evil, which is always appreciated. For all the shades this world possesses this is not a complex place. This is a straight forward, fast, fun read. That is why I called it solid, but now that I think about it, perhaps Action Fantasy would be better. If you are interested in some fantasy novels that don’t tax you, an easy read, to fill in between two more serious novels, try The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone.

Greg Keyes does an amazing job managing multiple storylines and subplots. This book explains a few mysteries from the first and goes on to create more. I'm loving this series so far.

This excellent fantasy series ("Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone") is very
reminiscent of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire - except that
it's actually finished! (There's one more book in the series that I
haven't yet read.) It follows a similar format, structurally, and the
'feel' of the writing is very similar. The story itself, however, is
quite original - at least, more so than many fantasy epics. I mean,
it's still got Dark Forces and Bold Warriors and Beautiful Queens etc,
etc... but we want that, right?

The Charnel Prince continues the story right where the previous book
left off. The titular character is indeed a royal prince - but also a
traitor, afflicted - or empowered - by a backfired curse, and now
undead - and seemingly unstoppable.
His aim is to murder the Princess Anne - who has escaped him with only
her maid, Austra, and is in hiding as a peasant girl, forced to work
to earn money to somehow make her way home. Luckily, she is befriended
by a roguish swordsmaster, Cazio, who helps and defends her.
Unknown to her, the knight Neil has undertaken a quest to find her and
help her, but it is much like seeking a needle in a haystack - and
Anne doesn't even know whether he might be friend or foe.
Meanwhile, Aspar and Stephen have been charged by religious leaders,
including the Praifec Hespero, to find and destroy the Briar King -
but corruption is in the Church, and black magic. Who knows how high
the evil may have spread? Is killing the Briar King truly the right
thing to do?
Hespero is also on a personal crusade, it seems, against the brilliant
musician and composer Leoff Ackenzal, whose innovative pieces buck
against church dogma. Recently called to an appointment at court, the
innocent Leoff finds himself over his head amongst the conniving
courtiers and courtesans at the palace. Soon, he is worried about more
than his position - his very life may be at stake.