Rating: 
Summary: Martin and Jordan, watch your back!
Review: Impossible to put down. Action, myth, and sympathetic characters are seldom weaved together so seamlessly. As the farflung storylines of the various main characters slowly come together, the tension of the book escalates. Some characters hold the pieces to the mystery that others desperately need in order to survive. And, as with Martin's books, I knew that Keyes wouldn't hesitate to kill off a main character.
Keyes' knowledge of the importance of myth within culture is what gives his story its flexible backbone--and sets it apart from the millions of fantasy sagas that rely merely on a prophecy to set the stage for the actors to do their thing.
Can't wait for book two.
Rating:
Summary: Breath of fresh air
Review: This book was a joy to read. It is not original and characters are quite archetypal, but Mr. Keyes provides each of these memorable people with a uniqueness that helps set this book apart from the traditional fair. I think it was Eddings who said that Archetypal characters are like heroin and he is right. I'm a sucker for them. I did have a problem with Neil MacVren (?sp) who seemed somewhat flat and uninteresting. The holter and Stephen Darige are very fun, especially their interaction with one another. The romance between the holter and Winna seemed contrived, however.
The writing is brisk and the pacing is very good. However, I do not like cliffhangers and every chapter seems to end in one. I would have preferred longer stretches than a single chapter with the various characters. That is a very minor nit, though.
I think one of the major triumphs of this novel is the sense of mystery that is in place throughout the entire book. We learn much of the world, but we learn in pieces, rather than long infodumps. The "hidden" world, that of prophecy, is also teased out, one small parcel at a time. I appreciate that; it is a difficult manner in which to write, but for the reader, more satisfying. I don't know which roles each archetypal character is to play yet in the story, but I don't mind. Really, fantasy novels in a series, are often just chapters in a longer book. See Tolkien or Jordan (on the other don't see or read Jordan).
One very unique aspect that hasn't been commented upon is the use of Virginia Dare. The name nibbled at my memory and it turns out she was the first white woman known to have been born in North America. She was a member of the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke, off the coast of North Carolina and was said to have gone missing when she was about 2 years old. I like those historical touches.
Rating:
Summary: A Master of Mythology
Review: The Briar King is the first novel in the Kingdom of Thorn and Bone series. In the olden times, humans were transported from their own world to be enslaved by the Skasloi. When the humans rose up and destroyed their masters using the sedos magic, their leader, Genia Dare, proclaimed the new age of Eberon Vhasris Slanon. But their Skasloi captive, Qexqaneh, told them that the use of the sedos would cause this new age to be cursed and destroyed.Two millennia later, something deadly is stirring in the King's Forest. Aspar White, the King's Holter, finds a greffyn poisoning the woods and killing people with its very breath. Steven Darige, a novice traveling to the monastery at d'Ef, is rescued by Aspar from bandits and escorted to the monastery, where he discovers something is awry. William, the Emperor of Crotheny, is told of more warlike maneuvering by the Hansa empire and appoints his brother, Robert, as prime minister to uncover the Hansa plans. Neil MeqVren of Liery travels to Eslen to be presented to the Emperor, saves Queen Muriele from an assassin, is knighted by the Emperor, and is named the Captain of the Lier Guard, the Queen's Own. The Emperor's youngest daughter, Anne, has a vision of a masked lady voicing portents and advice. This story shows that Keyes is strongly influenced by Tolkien's methodology, carefully building a consistent world rich in mythos and language. Where Tolkien used British mythology, however, with German and French influences, Keyes bases his world and characters on an extended mythology that also incorporates Celtic and Slavic influences. This novel resembles Martin's Game of Thrones, in ambiance and treatment. Both books set the groundwork for a period of bloody war and intrigue. As such, both books are rather depressing; the bad guys get away with too much. The next volume in this series is entitled The Charnel King and is followed by two others; it may be a long wait before the final victory for our heroes and heroines. Recommended for Keyes fans and anyone who enjoyed Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire series.
Rating:
Summary: The Fantasy Epic is Back!
Review: I admit of late I have been ignoring epic fantasy because of the stuff really is leaning on the ... side, but low and behold I read this book and I really very happily surprised at how wonderful it is. For once the king is fighting to put his daughters on the throne, the female characters are just as intelligent and spiffy as the male characters, the royal family actually comes off as a family, one with as familiar problems to the rest of us and more, the plot has plenty of twists that you didn't see coming by chapter 2, a great fast pace, great dialogue, and a great balance of drama and some great humor. And you actually like the like the good guys. I really recommend reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Keyes' crowning acheivement--and the series has just begun!
Review: There are a lot of fantasy novels out there that are good, there are a smaller amount that are excellent. Only once in a while, once every couple of years, at best, does a writer create a fantasy novel that is Superb, that is Special, that many others, both before it's coming and after it's coming will immediately be compared against. With _The Briar King_, Greg Keyes has done just that. This opening novel in his Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone saga is a novel other novels will be measured against in the years to come. While Keyes is not exactly new to the fantasy genre, having published, as J. Gregory Keyes, the very well-received _Age of Unreason_ saga and his initial duology, _The Chosen of the Changeling_, as well as great work in the Star Wars universe, _The Briar King_ will likely stand as his crowning achievement. It is everything that High/Epic Fantasy can be, it has all the ingredients that readers are looking for: a richly imagined world, believable characters, and a story that simply works and drives the reader to turn the page unrelentingly. Within the first few chapters, Keyes lays out the main players of this volume, The Holter, Aspar White (the equivalent of a Ranger or Royal Woodsman); The Squire, Neil MeqVren; The Novice, Stephen Darige; The Princess, the aforementioned Anne; and The King, William; as well as two staple locales of Fantasy literature; a tavern and a mountain. While the characters are definitely archetypes of Fantasy literature, Keyes introduces them with such vitality and life, it is as if you are reading not only about these particular characters, but these types of characters for the first time. Keyes not so much deconstructs them but rather re-imagines them with care and a sense of vitality and life that set them apart from their archetypes. This characterization is something that Keyes handles expertly in _The Briar King_. While the cast is large, the personalities of the cast do not suffer. Even the minor characters and supporting players have a sense of genuine life about them. One character that impressed me was Festia, Princess Anne's older sister. For the most part, Festia acts as Anne's guardian, she basically makes sure that Anne is behaving and not embarrassing herself or the royal family. On the surface Festia simply could have been the typical doting older sister of Princess Anne. While her character is an important one, the character is not as major a player as either Aspar White or Stephen Darige. However, the occasions when her character was part of the story, she was remarkably alive and elicited much more substantial depth than a "typical doting older sister." This is only one example of the many little things that place Keyes' writing and this novel head and shoulders above the other Big Fat Fantasies on the market. This saga, _The Kingdom of Thorn and Bone_, has perhaps one of the most fully realized worlds created in fantasy. As the story unfolds, Greg Keyes paints a vivid, richly colored picture of the world of Everon and the nation of Crotheny. The world is revealed through the eyes and interactions of the characters rather than described in cumbersome info-dumps as is the case with a number of other authors. This revelation works very well as the world comes through emotionally and realistically through each character. Essentially, if the characters of the world don't "believe" in the world, how can the readers? We believe the characters, so the world must be real. This also works in favor of the characters, painting rich voices for each of the characters. Each character is a unique voice and point of view in the world. This relationship, between character and world is one of the hallmarks of this novel. Whereas other writers can bog the reader down with too much information about the world, taking away from the flow of the story, pace of the plot and importance of the characters, Keyes manages to bring everything together, imbuing both the world and character with genuine depth, yet leaving just enough out of the mix so the reader yearns for more. Seeing the world through the character's eyes is much like a vividly rendered painting that begs to be reached out and touched to verify that it is only a painting. As you read more of the novel, you realize this is not merely an imagined world, it is alive, it is real and these characters breathe. Keyes revelation of the world is remarkably visceral. Keyes paints a picture suggesting the reality of the world and the characters, leaving just enough to the reader's imagination so the writer's words and reader's imagination work towards a well thought out and expertly revealed world. The fully fleshed-out characters live and breath, they tell us about the world and the other characters in a way that is ultimately convincing. All told, Greg Keyes has given readers and the Fantasy genre a good shot in the arm with this novel. He has boldly cemented his presence in the Fantasy genre with this enjoyable, rewarding, satisfying epic novel that resonates and echoes with the reader long after it has been read. Greg Keyes has brought story, character and imagined world together to form a complete and fully satisfying novel.
Rating:
Summary: Sorta like Patsy Cline....
Review: "At last....my love has come along...." You know, you buy books, spend gobs of money, read the reviews, try to make a decision based on: everyone's opinions, the book jacket, does it have maps, are there descriptive passages, or is it all just empty conversation between people you can't visualize in your mind, let alone care about--on and on. Nine times out of ten you wind up buying something you can't even get through or that is only vaguely satisfying. Well, HELLO. Here we go. This one is it. This is what you hope for each and every time you spend your bucks. This is what fantasy readers read fantasy for in the first place. I'm not going through the plot, or any of that, I'm just tellin ya-- click that BUY button baby. Cause it IS sorta like Patsy Cline. You know that song of hers that starts out "at last..."? Yeah. It's like THAT.
Rating:
Summary: epic fantasy on a grand scale
Review: Before the Age of Mankind, the god-like Stasloi ruled the world. They forced humanity to do their bidding until Genia Dare led the successful revolt that destroyed their former masters. It is now 2,223 years after the defeat of the Skosloc and King William Dare rules Croetheny. Because his son is simple minded, he has named his three daughters as his heirs. The kingdom is not aware of it but it is tottering on the edge of extinction. The holter of the King's forest sees strange creatures in the woods. People mysteriously murdered without a mark on them. Finally, the Briar King, one of the old Gods, is awakening from his long slumber and it will take everything humanity has not to be destroyed by him. There is a plot afoot to kill the king and queen and their three daughters so that the son will be declared the ruler controlled by the puppet master who put this devious plan in motion. This first novel in a four book series introduces the characters and sets the stage for what is to come. Good men die and heroes fall while men and women are tested for the upcoming battles and intrigues. This is epic fantasy on a grand scale, one that will appeal to fans of Terry Brooks and David Eddings. It will seem like a long wait to readers before the next installment is published in what looks like an electrifying quartet. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: One of the reasons that I started reading Keyes' in the first place was the originality of his work. The Waterborn and the Blackgod were set in areas of a pseudo-earth rarely touched by most fantasy writers. The premise behind his age of unreason series was brilliant, even if it flagged towards the end. For these and other reasons, I have been looking forward to The Briar King for sometime. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with the work. While Keyes' writing is as good as ever, the plot, the setting, and especially the characters are could be found in the work of most fantasy writers. Yet another work set in a kind of medieval Europe -- I've seen this before, too many times. The book also feels too much like a set-up novel, and one knows from the beginning that the world is going to go totally berserk at the end (unlike Newton's Cannon, which has one of the best surprise endings I've ever seen). Most people will probably enjoy the Briar King, and it is definitely a good entry in a crowded genre, but it is a far from Keyes' unique earlier series.
Rating:
Summary: Great new series
Review: My girlfriend gave me this book after she saw me get so mad at the new Robert Jordan novel (nothing happens in 670 pages!!!!!!). I owe her. Great characters, lots of plot lines, some very creepy scenes involving long-dead magic coming back to life. I'm ready for the next one in the series NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Keyes to the Kingdom
Review: This is an amazing book. Reading this book immersed me so deeply in Keyes' creation that I found myself staring at my alarm clock at 4:00 AM on a work day, having read all night.
I don't want to give a synopsis of the story as it's too much for this page, but I will say it's epic fantasy at its finest. The Briar King has all the elements to make it a wonderful story without being derivitive or predictable.
I heartily reccomend this book to fans of the genre, especially if you were,like me, disappointed with the new Jordan book.
|
