Rating: 
Summary: A fantasy writer with truly original ideas!!!
Review: I've always though that Greg Keyes was one of the most under-rated fantasy writers out there. His AGE OF UNREASON series was one of the most unique and well-written alternate histories I've ever read, and now he has topped himself. If there is a God, this will be Greg's breakthrough novel and reader's everywhere can finally put down those tired Jordans, Goodkinds, Brooks & Eddings. The BRIAR KING is amazingly well crafted, with several storylines twined around one another and a cast of characters that you can genuinely empathize with, that seem like real people with flaws and character traits of real people (gee, what a concept in fantasy). The story is engaging right from the first chapter, and the ending leaves you anxious for volume two (which I hear will take another year - DAMN IT!) - ANYWAY, if you really like fantasy but are sick to death of tired Tolkien clones, run out and buy the BRIAR KING now.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent start!
Review: Wow! Amazing! What an incredible start to what seems
to be an epic in the making. Greg Keyes has taken a
few simple ideas in the world of fantasy and spun a
complex and seemingly real world out of them. With
fully realized characters that you truly care about,
this is a book that is extremely hard to put down!
This is a great opportunity to read what I imagine
is going to be a great ride!
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: I'll admit (a little shepishly), that before I started this book, I was very skeptical. I wasn't entirely convinced that this book would be worth my time. However, after casually picking it up late at night to read the first few pages, I had to force myself to stop reading and go to bed. The first few pages completely wiped away any doubts I had about this book before. It delivers on so many levels: plenty of action-and not the boring kind. It's very suspenseful, and keeps you turning the pages. There's romance (fairly predictable, but still exciting, and well written), and it can be very unpredictable. I gasped in shock more than once. I won't say who, but one of the characters is so evil, you'll find yourself wanting to strangle him yourself. The book is shrouded in mystery, which was what kept me going-you want to know what this is all about! The focus is constantly swithcing from one character to another, but Keyes suceeds in making you want to keep on reading. His characterizations are excellent, and no noe of them is 2-dimensional. I'm looking forward to the sequel very much (which comes out in a few weeks). You won't regret paying the 6 or 7 dollars to buy this gem.
Rating:
Summary: I can't wait for the next
Review: I was apprehensive at first. Something did not call to me about this book. Yet, it continued to obtain more and more wonderful reviews, so I gave it a try. Right off, I was hooked. Not many authors are talented enough to switch setting and characters so smoothly as Keyes and not loose the readers train of thought.
The reader immediately begins to ask themselves what is connecting all these different characters. How does it relate to preface? Like a spider weaving his web, Keyes draws them together. Your held breathless wondering will this character survive? Will they see the wrong-doings of this one? Why must she be so selfish, doesn't she realize how she hurts others? I simply cannot put into enough words all the emotions that will go through your mind and heart as you read this novel. You truly become involve in this story.
Hopefully, the wait will not be long for the next one!
Rating: 
Summary: Ho-hum and Oh - a spunky princess, too.
Review: The first Greg Keyes book I read was The Waterborn, which was one of the best fantasy books I've ever read. I picked up The Briar King hoping to find just as good a story. I was disappointed.
I found the plot sadly predictable. Suspense? Not really. I knew who all the "bad guys" and "good guys" were as soon as they dropped into the story. It wasn't really a surprise who lived & who died, nor was it a surprise what the final showdown was going to be. Where are the twists and turns I expect from Keyes? True this isn't your boring old elves-goblins-dark lords story, but it doesn't live up to prior works by the author.
The characters everyone else seemed to find so life-like, I found flat and too-familiar. Yet again we find a warrior youth out to prove himself, a spoiled spunky princess with mystical powers in the midst of coming of age & discovering love, her innoncent and too-good-to-be-true maid, the gruff hearty woodsman who is all heart beneath his rough exterior, the wimpy educated youth who knows too much for his own good.
The only thing that saves this work is the imaginative way Keyes has used his extensive anthropological knowledge to craft a unique new realm replete with several cultures, languages and nations. The Skasloi twist I found interesting as well.
I expect younger readers would enjoy this book more than older, sophisticated readers. I read this book at a much more relaxed pace than I usually read since the story didn't really move me. I doubt I'll read any of the rest of the series. Not Keyes' best work.
Rating:
Summary: Good stories are hard to find but this IS one of them.
Review: Greg Keyes writes a realistic and engaging story. The Briar King is one of the best books that I read of this genre. Usually in books that jump from character to character with each chapter I only get to like one character...or none at all.
Greg however did a great job in keeping all his characters interesting and saved me a lot of "chapter-skipping". The story is very intriguing and by the end of this book I kept checking to see when Book 2 of The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone would be out. I was not disappointed.
The Charnel Prince (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 2) makes a great sequel but that's a different review.
Rating:
Summary: I Cried at the End...Actually I'm Just Kidding
Review: I really didn't cry, I promise, unless it was out of joy of course (Cheesy? Yes I know...) I really can't do this book justice, because I REALLY feel it was one of the best I've read in a long time.
Greg Keyes has officially joined my club of "Favorite Writers"...we meet on Thursdays after the O.C. I don't know if saying that is enough for you to believe me that this is a 5-star book, I mean honestly speaking, my "reviewer" score isn't all that high, but I want to try to explain to you why I LOVE this book.
I'm a big fan of Gregory Keyes's characters. Most of the time, I really connect with them. Who can forget the young Benjamin Franklin in "Newton's Cannon"?
The characters in the Brair King weren't only likable, they were interesting, and fun to read about-that's the simplest way I can put it. Especially Cazio-yes, there are women feinting behind me as I write this review. Cazio can hold ranks with the best. He's witty, humorous, strong, skillful, cocky in some sense, but...He's just awesome. Stephen Darige is another one of my favorites. I don't want to ruin the story by telling you about him, but I definitely love the creativity and imagination that was put into his character.
I especially like how Greg Keyes keeps the story moving by leaving out overly unneccessary paragraphs of detail. I'm not a big fan of writers who delve into the pit of descriptive passages. I just want to read a good story-I'm very capable of filling in the other stuff. You tell me I'm in a castle, I see the castle. Okay, so you can tell me about the painting or tapestry on the wall, but PLEASE save me from its long winded history. Too much description is like covering the white areas on a Water Color painting. So, I'm not the master of analogies, but think about it-too much description makes the story seem slow and muddy. And that's what I appreciate about Greg Keyes. To me, it seems he places the most importance on...well, what IS important. Character, Plot, and Setting.
This book will make you laugh, perhaps cry (depending on how sensitive you are), it will make you want to read page after page, chapter after chapter, until you reach the end--which I have to say is really good.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you don't like fantasy, the dialogue is so natural and fluid that I'm sure you'll enjoy it. And I probably say this in all my reviews--sometimes I just want to shout it out--**Reading Can Be Fun** (cue "the More You Know" star and SFX...) I'm a big supporter of the philosophy of Education through Entertainment and this book fits perfectly into that mold. It may not teach A.P. Calculus, but it definitely has its moments of verisimilitude--moments where you can take the characters experiences and choices, and learn from them. And lets face it, good readers make better writers, better people, better students, etc...
So, pick this book up and give it a chance. You won't be disappointed, especially since it will only cost like $8...I think. And of course, there's always your local library, but the "Briar King" is a book I'm glad to have up on my shelf.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Start to a New Series
Review: I picked up this novel on the recommendation of a friend who equated it with George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. While I would not consider in that category, I did enjoy this novel quite a bit. The characters are fully-formed; the world they inhabit fully-realized; and the premise interesting and worthy of continuing the series. Not being a fan of Keyes' alternate history Age of Unreason series, I was hesitant at first and actually kept the book on my shelf for the better part of a year before picking it up. That was my mistake. From the first page I was hooked on the premise and was nearly a hundred pages in before I looked up to see what time it was. That's saying a lot. Much of the so-called "epic fantasy" out these days is far from epic and short on character development. That's not the case here. Each of the main characters in this story can carry their own weight and many of supporting players, as well; in fact, you really start to bond with each one of them and very quickly become invested in their well-being. Too often in fantasy these days, character development takes a back seat to flashy magic and the oft- and over-used dragon. Not the case here. Keyes brings enough originality to the fantasy setting that you want the story to continue. How long has it been when you could say the same thing about Jordan or Brooks? Again, this is not quite Martin, but it is a good second and a great book to read while you wait for A Feast for Crows.
Rating:
Summary: Best I've read in quite a while
Review: I agree with the other reviewers who have likened this story-telling to George R.R. Martin, who is perhaps my favorite. I bonded with the characters, I cared about them, and I am very anxious to get my hands on the Charnel Prince (sp?).
This was the first Keyes book I've read, and the first book in a long time that I've had trouble putting down.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading.
Review: I have to say that I wasn't much impressed with the first 150 pages of this book. After that, however, I got into it and breezed through it easily. I really enjoyed Waterborn and Black God, which i bought on a whim, so I figured I'd like this. As with everyone else, I also heard this series compared to Martin's own. First, there is nothing really to compare. The two are vastly different series and each impressive in their own way. Keyes is more economical and poetic in his writing. He's also concerned a lot more with myth and legend and believable world building. I enjoy his interest in language as well. Martin's the better writer overall, however. Of course, Martin's a lot more experienced too. Anyway, this book is well paced, has interesting characters, and a reasonably entertaining plot. There are flaws in this book, but there are none that readily come to mind, so that means I enjoyed it. I will definitely read the second and subsequent book.
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