Rating: 
Summary: Five-star fantasy for fans of Tolkien, Martin, and Jordan
Review: In my estimation this exceeds the quality and readability of Robert Jordan, and nips at the heels of Tolkien and my favorite, George R R Martin. The characters, writing, language/history/culture/magic concepts, and clever (and at times brutal) plot twists are the best features. In some way it lacks the full feel of the "sweep" of other epic fantasies, but the work Keyes does with characters, along with the writing itself, distinguish it as absolutely first-rate.
Rating:
Summary: Give up on Robert Jordan and read this instead!
Review: The new Robert Jordan was such a disappointment that I was tempted to throw in the towel on fantasy for good, but a friend gave me this book last night and told me to read it and damn if this book doesn't kick butt!I've never read Greg Keyes before but I'll soon be rectifying that. The Briar King is just awesome! Unfortunately, it is not a stand alone (come one, publishing world, can't you find one author who can pull a complete idea together in the space of one volume?) but the book is so well-written that I will forgive him. I am rambling... Anyway, this book really rocks. It has those three elements that are so elusive in so many fantasy novels: Originality, Good Writing and Characters That Seem Like Real People. I highly recommend The Briar King!
Rating: 
Summary: A pretty darn good book, I look forward to reading the rest.
Review: Are you still waiting on your favorite author to release his/her new book? Have you been finding very little to read? Then I suggest you read this book, it moves fast, is detailed in the language, races, and history,has hateable villains and fairly likeable characters. Most of all, the plot is still following the good old Tolkien tradition, but twists the way things happen in it, kind of like Robert Stanek. Honestly, with a name like The Briar King, where can you go wrong?
I liked Neil MeqVren the best out of all the characters, his actions were easily understanded. I also liked Aspar White and Stephen Darige, but not half as much as Neil.
Like Stanek and George R.R. Martin, it takes on multiple view points: Princess Anne Dare and her maid Austra, who have been sent away to train as assassin's, due to current court intrigue, Aspar White, the king's holter, who is informed of the awakening of the Briar King, Stephen Darige, a young monk who meets up with him, Neil MeqVren, a knight in service of the queen, and, though he comes in later, Cazio, a roguish swordsman of Vitellio. It occaisonally goes to the king and queen, but these are the main ones. Like all multiple viewpoint books, several things are going on at once, Anne and Austra are sent away to train as assassins while Crotheny is fighting a war with Saltmark, and, maybe even Hansa. Aspar White has been warned by the mysterious Sefry people that the legendary Briar King is awakening, yet he does not believe them, for he thinks them liars. And Cazio, well, he comes in later so I don't want to spoil the surprise. Overall, it's a pretty good book. Buy it.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I've Read This Year!`
Review: An incredibly phenomonal novel. I must confess I was absolutely prepared to be let down given the incredible reviews of this novel and the multiple comparisons to George R.R. Martin; however, if anything I was overly impressed. Read this novel. Without question Greg Keyes is the best thing about fantasy going right now, other than Martin. Goodkind has gotten ridiculous; Brooks same story over and over; and Jordan, who even cares anymore? Do yourself a favor pick this novel up and strap yourself in for an incredible ride. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Thorny "King"
Review: Greg Keyes' "The Briar King" is a mix of good fantasy and thorny mess. While the worldbuilding and background for the first book of his new series is outstanding, his writing doesn't live up to his imagination. It's a flawed but deeply interesting book overall. The Briar King is a remnant of the old pagan beliefs, living on only in little superstitions and children's songs. But after the old holter Aspar rescues a nerdy young priest, they learn of strange things that are stirring in the woods, and human beings are dropping dead or being sacrificed -- and Aspar encounters a greffyn, a mythical monster whose touch and breath can kill. They're all signs that the Briar King is waking. But the Briar King isn't the only source of trouble: the royal Dare family is being quietly turned on its head. Someone is trying to kill the queen, Princess Lesbeth has vanished mysteriously, and idealistic young knight Neil has fallen in love with Princess Fastia (who is married). Worst of all, one of the royals has gone mad, and threatens to destroy his entire family. The only one who may escape is immature Anne, who has been having strange visions. It's virtually impossible to write semi-original fantasies now, but Keyes dodges the typical cliches -- elves, wizards, Dark Lords and demons. The story is engaging and unusual, but it starts stumbling partway through. But it demonstrates that Keyes has a good story worth telling; it ends on a "to be continued" note, of course. Keyes starts off strong with mysterious occurrances and plenty of creepiness. He puts a lot of effort and description into his worldbuilding, such as the Dare family, the pseudo-Christian religion and well-crafted myths. But about halfway through "Briar King," Keyes starts to lose control of the story. There are too many subplots that only seem to be marginally tied together (what is up with that love potion subplot?), and it loses the creepy quality. Keyes' writing is pedestrian most of the time, although it blossoms whenever something really freaky is happening. The description of Aspar encountering the Briar King is brief, but strikingly ominous. And once you get past the typical lead characters (spirited princess, priest with a lot to learn, cocky swordsman), there are plenty of unique supporting roles (like the dead old woman in the caves). "The Briar King" is an unsteady but promising start to Greg Keyes new series. It dodges most cliches and sticks to an unusual storyline, but the execution needs some work before the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series can be counted as a good fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty darn good
Review: When I saw this book compared to George R.R. Martin's series I was really excited, even a pale shadow of that should be good. Then I saw some of the author's other credits included a lot of Star Wars "fan fiction" and was a bit worried. The first few chapters seemed to confirm my fears that the story would be shallow and full of cliches. But I kept on, and was quite pleasently surprized. Once the story got momentum the book was very hard to put down. I'm eagerly awaiting the second book in the series. This is definatly a good read for anybody who likes fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: AN INTERESTING BUT UNEVEN START FOR A NEW AUTHOR
Review: Understand that this author is new to fantasy and this is his first stab at writing in such a genre. So, while this was compared to George R.R. Martin's SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series, understand it doesn't come close. That said, this is an honest start with solid promise in the future. GOOD POINTS (1) Lots of time spent on a believable History;
(2) good cast of character;
(3) it moves;
(4) author is good at creating emotional affects; especially fear and curiousity BAD POINTS (1) dialogue needs work. While it doesn't suck it lacks complexity and nuances that we expect in dialogue;
(2) Some of the characters, like the dialogue, needs development. Lots of archetypes for those who like it;
(3) a few plot holes. This novel will be helpful in assisting me with my writing as I can use it to George R.R. Martin to compare pieces. Sometimes you learn more from a novel, that needs some improvement, than something as flawless as George R.R. Martin.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I hoped
Review: I saw all the great user reviews on this and thought I'd try it. However, it just didn't work for me. Every chapter was predictable and the characters seemed trite and shallow. It is rare that I start a series and have no desire to finish it - but this is one series that I won't bother with.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT NEW EPIC FANTASY SAGA BEGINS
Review: THIS BRILLIANT BOOK RECALLS THE VERY BEST OF GEORGE R.R. MARTIN AND TERRY GOODKIND. KEYES HAS CRAFTED A REAL GEM HERE. THE BRIAR KING IS A MASTERWORK OF WORLD-BUILDING AND WORD-SMITHING! THE CHARACTERS ARE THREE DIMENSIONAL, AND I REALLY ENJOYED HOW HE DOES NOT FOLLOW THE TIRED OLD PATTERNS OF FANTASY BUT THROWS OUT CURVE BALLS THAT YOU TRULY WILL NOT EXPECT. THE MAGIC IS INTERESTING, AND THE SNIPPETS OF HISTORY REVEALED ARE TRULY FASCINATING. I CAN'T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WORLD, AND THE PEOPLE IN IT. THE ONE CRITICISM I HAVE IS THAT AN APPENDIX WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL, BUT NOT REALLY NEEDFUL. KEYES DOES A GREAT JOB OF EXPLAINING THINGS, AND A LITTLE MYSTERY HAS ONLY WHETTED MY APPETITE! I'VE FOLLOWED THIS AUTHOR'S WORK FOR YEARS NOW, AND THIS IS THE BEST THING HE HAS WRITTEN YET, AND THAT IS TRULY SAYING SOMETHING! PICK THIS BOOK UP AND START TURNING PAGES, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!
Rating:
Summary: Recommended for George R.R. Martin Fans
Review: Maybe fantasy authors are finally starting to understand it. Interesting, real characters are just as important to a fantasy story as swords and magic. Akin to George R.R. Martin's magnificent A Song of Ice and Fire series, Keyes has created excellent characters that are likeable and real and has created a story full of political intrigue and a looming supernatural threat (the ent-like Briar King) that most seem oblivious to Keyes also does a wonderful job of creating the kingdoms and lands of his world, imbuing it with a fascinating history full of events only hinted at (I can't wait to learn more about the reign of the Black Jester), and well-crafted languages to top it all off. Keyes magic is also well-done. Not over-the-top but still apparent through the magical sedos and the evil Greffyn. I can't wait to read the next installment in The Kingdoms of Thorne and Bone, The Charnal Prince. I hope it doesn't suffer the "second-volume syndrome" that is so common in fantasy these days.
| 
