Rating: 
Summary: NOT THE GRANDEST DESIGN!
Review: This 2nd novel of the Tyrants and Kings trilogy was a good read but did not in my opinion surpass the 1st novel JACKAL OF NAR...the lack of magic using and the Triin peoples not being a strong part of this novel made it less enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, John Marco is a good writer and storyteller, but when I read fantasy, I really prefer all out fantasy with magic and strange peoples. The Triin are alien-like and an interesting and very integral part of this series. The parts I just did not care for is how the main character Richius Vantran gets pushed around and fooled easily without abandon! How does this hero survive being so easily trusting and shoved aside? When Richius went thru all the training of the children just to let Prakna takeover without a fight? Why did the Lissens need him for anyway if Prakna could lead them just as easily? These were the weak points of the novel, but to end this review with a positive point - the overall writing and character building is done very well and the storyline went along smoothly. Using the story of the two brothers and the power of the birds was a real treat, I only wanted more of that in the book. Magic and mayhem - thats the key to true heroic fantasy!
Rating: 
Summary: Another Great Book
Review: This book is wonderful, but i found it much harder to read then the the first. New characters are introduced and thats great however some of the old important characters are not as strong as I would like them to be. The other problem i have is Richius turns into an out of shape baby (he complains to much, like me)
Rating: 
Summary: An Intense fantasy saga of War and Revenge.
Review: This was one of the most intense novels I've every read! Marco returns us to war-torn world Of Richius Vantran called the Jackal by his enemies. The first novel explores the themes of love,duty and war.This novel's themes of how war changes individuals and the destructive effects of revenge.Our Hero, Richius seeks revenge against the evil count Biagio for ordering the death of his first wife and Biagio who wants vengeance against Richius for betraying his emperor.This epic will shock as you watch otherwise good people do acts of evil for what they is a good cause or their what they think is justice.Marco also gives us a glimpse of the Island Nation of Liss and how the cope with their after effects of their war with Nar.Marco gives us another memorable character with Archbishop Herrith a fanatic who battles Biagio for Nar empire and commits acts of brutality for his god.This novel's heroes and villians are realistic in that no one is black or white but are shades of grey.Marco's lavish detail as he describes acts of treachery,bloody battles are execellent! I can't wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy the Jackal? Behold the Grand Design!
Review: What is the Grand Design, actually?Is it a masterpiece of art? Is it a piece of technology far more advanced than anything seen before? Is it a greater meaning to life? Or is it a plan to conquer the Empire? Interestingly enough, the second book in Tyrants and Kings has all of these elements. Those who did not enjoy the first book will probably like this one less, but for the people who were able to see Marco's beautiful imagery, this book is a real treat. Here we meet new characters, but do not forget the old ones. There is more exploration of character and less action, but this book comes off with the same satisfaction as the first and is difficult to put by. Richius Vantran, the exiled king, faces new obstacles in his quest for vengeance. Biagio is back with a vengeance all his own. Perhaps my favorite part of the book was the addition of Simon, whose internal emotional conflicts brought real depth to the story. You're bound to lose some friends here, but you're sure to make new ones. The Grand Design is truly just that: another piece of a greater series by an author we are all quickly becoming addicted to.
Rating:
Summary: Grand sequel!
Review: When it finally came time to review The Grand Design, I was thrilled. I am not a fantasy reader, but I do like unusual stories, and after reading John Marco's first book in the Tyrants and Kings series, Jackal of Nar, I just knew this one was going to be just as good. I was right. Honestly, most fantasies tend to leave me confused, but not this series. It's not only easy to follow and comprehend; it's hard to put down! Just as with Jackal of Nar, it is full of never-ending action, villainy, politics and fabulous technology! The story begins with General Vorto, the Supreme Commander of the Legions of Nar bombarding the walls of Goth with the War Machines of Nar (Descriptions of these are fascinating). Duke Lokken of Goth flies the Black Flag of Nar and misses the Black Renaissance. Having shredded Harrith's Banner and sent it to Nar City, he now finds Vorto Bombarding his walls. The Empire now suffers a war of religion between religious fanatics Bishop Harrith (Light of God) and Count Biagio (The Black Renaissance). Richius Vantran, the Jackal of Nar, is now considered a traitor. He is in exile with his wife and daughter. When he becomes involved in the religious fanatic war, his old enemy the Count, who wants total control over all, makes plans to take Richius and Dyana's only child. The Grand Design has a futuristic atmosphere, yet also carries an historical feel. The characters are great. Besides the remarkable main characters, Harrith, Biagio, and Vantran, there are the even more impressive secondary characters like Lorla, The Mind Bender, Simon, Duke Enli, Duke Eneas (The Raven Master) and many others. Each character is intriguing, well written and impressive. It's an impressive fantasy series; expect to be entertained throughout.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent sequel to "The Jackal of Nar"
Review: While I was very satisfied with the "Jackal of Nar" (read in a German translation, so I cant judge that much on the style of the author in the original version) - as you could find out by reading my review for it, I am extremely positively surprised by this sequel. In matter of style, there is a definitive improvement shining through the translation, and also the new characters coming are more developed and described in a better and more intersting way... It looks like the author is on the way to improve himself through his subsequent books, that's good news for the reader. As for the story itself, it is brilliant indeed. Like the title suggests, it's about Biagio's plan to become emperor of Nar and it puts all the episodes of the book in a this specific context. We get a clearer view on what the intentions of our major characters in this sequel are. In "The Jackal of Nar", it wasnt always easy to find a context for all the episodes. And that makes sense, because in the meantime, our hero, Richius, has grown, become wiser and more experienced; and the politics of Nar are now more understandable to him than they were while fighting his useless war for the emperor against Lucel-Lor in the first volume... All in all, a very satisfying book, with good military action, without neglecting the sentimental aspects of our characters as well. If you liked The Jackal of Nar (not all did, from reading the different readers' opinions), you will certainly like The Grand Design, no doubt about that.
Rating: 
Summary: Blows the first one out of the water!
Review: With the emporers death, two men, Bishop Herrith and Count Renato Biagio both believe they are worthy to rule Nar, but are they? Richious is in exile in some other country, the name slips me right now, and is called by bishop Herrith to defeat Renato Biagio's army, so that he can take the throne. While fighting Biagio's army, Richious has his doughts. Full of suspence and intrege this is better than volume one! I recomend buying number one first then reading this. What a great series!
Rating:
Summary: Underwhelming and somewhat contrived...
Review: _The Grand Design_ started off slowly but, for the middle 75% of the book, I could hardly put it down. I greatly enjoyed Marco's writing style, some of the characters and the build-up as Biaggio baited his web. I wanted to like the book, and I did until all the threads started to come together. When it ended, though, I was left with a lingering feeling of "That was it?" followed by, after a bit more reflection, a sense of "The entire plot, the entire grand design was contrived, predicated on people blundering head-first into situations that no one with any amount of forethought and caution would." Why "that was it?"? Because the "twist" at the end of the book isn't so much surprising -- I saw it coming with 300 pages to go -- as it is disappointing. As other reviewers have stated, the scene to which the entire 770 page book has built up turns on a change of heart by one of the major characters, and that change of heart just isn't convincing. To make matters worse, the scene itself is a letdown. Nobody gets what they deserve, and Richius and Simon, the heroes, manage to escape with their lives but little else. Sure, Marco's trying for a darker feel than other fantasy authors but the overall bleak tone of the books doesn't make the bleak, limp ending any easier to swallow. Important characters die in this book and innocents are slaughtered by the thousands. To have the book end as it does (I'm trying not to give too much away), with little justice or come-uppance, makes the entire exercise seem empty and pointless. Why "contrived"? As someone else has pointed out, Biaggio's "grand design" isn't particularly cunning or tricky -- it relies on people doing stupid things (which basically equates to people trusting Biaggio or at least not stopping to think before acting). Vorto's charging headlong into an ambush. Herrith's trusting Biaggio's offer of peace. Richius' never questioning the Lissen's motivations. Time after time, I thought that Biaggio's grand plan was going to fall apart because _someone_ would catch on to how obvious it was, and they never did. Watching someone "outsmart" all the other characters is only interesting when the outsmarting itself is interesting or intriguing or something you wouldn't have thought of yourself. This wasn't. And the fact that the guy doing the outsmarting -- the guy who basically wins in the end -- is a genocidal and unlikable character doesn't help, either. All that said, _The Grand Design_ is well-written and a fairly entertaining read but the plot gets in the way of the writing. There's no way I'd put it in the same class of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan, even at his most long-winded and meandering, weaves a more interesting story, but you could do worse than _The Grand Design_. You could also do better; I have the third book of the series sitting on my shelf but I'm in no rush to read it.
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