The King's Peace

Rating:
Summary: Satisfying Fantasy about the Building of a Nation
Review: The King's Peace is an absorbing book, full of action and battles and treachery, which nonetheless reads almost quietly. This is because it is at heart about a rather philosophical subject: the creation of a nation. In this case, a nation is seen as a people united in "Peace", obeying a "Law".

The book is fairly obviously based in some sense on the Matter of Britain: the story of King Arthur. But it seems a mistake to make too much of this source material. It is not intended as a strict retelling of the Arthurian tales, nor even as a fantastical retelling of a version of the real history of Arthur, or of other kings of his time. It is a fantasy set in a world shaped much like our world, in a time corresponding pretty closely to the 7th Century after Christ, and specifically set on an island resembling Great Britain. But while for some characters a corresponding character can be found in the Arthurian tales, not all the characters can be easily mapped to the legendary characters, nor do the available mappings fit perfectly, nor do all the incidents in the book correspond to incidents from the legends. And the world of the book is neither our world, nor a fantasy world corresponding to traditional versions of the Arthurian tales. This novel needs to be judged on its own virtues: the Arthurian echoes are certainly there, and perhaps they are unavoidable in a novel by a contemporary Welshwoman dealing with the subject matter of making a nation of the people of Great Britain, but they are echoes of inspirational material, not any sort of strict template.

The story itself is told by Sulien ap Gwien, a woman warrior, daughter of the King of a small part of the island of Tir Tanagiri. (Her home is geographically cognate to Southern Wales, just as Tir Tanagiri is cognate to Great Britain, but never mind that.) The story opens with her brutal rape by six invading "Jarnsmen", and the murder of her brother. She escapes to find that her home has been raided and burned. Traveling to Caer Tanaga, the capital, to request help from Urdo, the young High King, she stumbles upon a skirmish between some more Jarnsmen and some defenders of the land. After proving her skill in this chance-met battle, she meets the King, and is immediately enchanted by his leadership skills and charisma. Thus she enlists as an armiger for the King, eventually arising to command of the King's own "ala" (roughly speaking, a regiment of cavalry). The rest of the story follows the ensuing couple of decades, as after many years of war the invading Jarnsmen and Isarnagans are subdued, as political unity is urged on the many different small kingdoms of Tir Tanagiri, and as a rule of law is enforced. Throughout Sulien's story is involving: the book is always interesting to read. It's a bit slack structurally, somewhat episodic, often skipping years in a sentence, and featuring two climaxes, indeed, structured so that the two halves tell rather different stories. This is a minor quibble, though. It certainly calls for a sequel (and one is planned), but the conclusion to this book is satisfying. The main character, Sulien, as well as the King, Urdo, Urdo's wife Elenn, and a few more, are well-portrayed, though some of the large cast of minor characters do blur together somewhat. The prose is clear, couched in a rather simple, declarative, fashion that seems appropriate for the narrative of a woman whose main interests are war and horses.

Of significant interest is the subtly different world of the book. The book is a fantasy, and gods and magic are real. There are healing charms, and fertility spells, and apparently effective evocations of the gods. There are several different religions, including a close analog to Christianity (with neat differences: e.g. the main symbol is a pebble, symbolic of the "White God" having been stoned to death instead of crucified), and also including a land worship that is tied close to the families of the local kings. The magic system is purposely limited in scale, so that it is plausible that the overall feel of this world and its technology is similar to general conceptions of 7th Century Britain. I found this very effective in giving the world a sense of being real, and plausible, and consistent, while also making the world definitely fantastical.

A very satisfying first novel.

Rating:
Summary: Great political fantasy well-told
Review: The King's Peace, Jo Walton's introductory novel set in a land based on 7th Century England, is a very intriguing tale of politics and loyalty. It is a loose rendition of the King Arthur tale, with some very big differences. It is also a well-told tale that unfortunately drags in places. It sprawls over a period of years, and thus loses a little bit of its momentum. Even so, it is well worth the price of admission if you like this sort of thing.

Sulien ap Gwien, raped and left for dead by Jarnish raiders of her homeland, finds herself on a mission to King Urdo, the newly crowned king of Tir Tanagiri, to beg for help to defeat the raiders. Urdo is impressed by the young woman and how she fights, and recruits her into his army.

Sulien becomes one of Urdo's best soldiers, rapidly rising through the ranks to become his right-hand woman. Urdo's plan is to unite the land of Tir Tanagiri into one kingdom, instead of a bunch of feuding provinces. He wants to establish a "King's Peace" amongst the kings of these provinces. Friends and enemies both come into the picture, changing allegiances or dying, and years pass rapidly. Will Urdo's plans come to fruition, or will he ultimately be defeated by the crushing forces that stand against him?

The King's Peace is a very plot-driven book, and thus the characters take a back seat to the action. Sulien herself is a well-developed character, and since the book is told in first person, you get to see a lot of her views on things. Sulien is a no-nonsense soldier, a woman who is capable of laughing but usually is very serious. What happened to her will always affect how she feels, and one of those feelings is that she will never marry. She is capable of being very good friends with a man, but she can't even bear the thought of lying with one. Urdo is also well-defined, though his characterization is coloured a bit by Sulien's impressions of him. He's very intense and goal-driven, and he's very good at carrying on through disappointment, such as when a trusted person leaves his service. He also has a very nice sense of humour, which he is able to share with Sulien. The rest of the characters are fairly two-dimensional, fulfilling their plot roles well but not really standing out.

Thankfully, that's not important because this is a book of nation-building. That's the fascinating aspect of it. The similarities to the King Arthur story are very striking, but there are some differences that make it interesting. Most strikingly, there is complete gender equality I this world. Women fight at the side of men with no qualms whatsoever. The fact that Sulien takes the "Lancelot" role in the tale demonstrates this vividly. Hopefully she won't share his fate. Walton tells the tale in a very epic fashion, travelling all over the countryside fighting, policing, and the like. I have to admire her treatment of religion in this book, with "pagan" gods as well as the "White God" being worshipped. There is great tension between the two sides on this issue, and it's portrayed very well.

The only problem with the plot is that sometimes years go by from one chapter to the next, and Sulien is left to summarize what happened. This makes it a bit imprersonal and threatens to destroy the reader's interest. Thankfully, the last section of the book doesn't fall into this trap, thus the conclusion is very tense and riveting. Unfortunately, it ends in a cliffhanger, meaning you have to read <b>The King's Name</b> to see what happens.

For fans of political fantasy, this book is a godsend. It definitely deserves a spot on any fantasy fan's shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Great political fantasy well-told
Review: The King's Peace, Jo Walton's introductory novel set in a land based on 7th Century England, is a very intriguing tale of politics and loyalty. It is a loose rendition of the King Arthur tale, with some very big differences. It is also a well-told tale that unfortunately drags in places. It sprawls over a period of years, and thus loses a little bit of its momentum. Even so, it is well worth the price of admission if you like this sort of thing.

Sulien ap Gwien, raped and left for dead by Jarnish raiders of her homeland, finds herself on a mission to King Urdo, the newly crowned king of Tir Tanagiri, to beg for help to defeat the raiders. Urdo is impressed by the young woman and how she fights, and recruits her into his army.

Sulien becomes one of Urdo's best soldiers, rapidly rising through the ranks to become his right-hand woman. Urdo's plan is to unite the land of Tir Tanagiri into one kingdom, instead of a bunch of feuding provinces. He wants to establish a "King's Peace" amongst the kings of these provinces. Friends and enemies both come into the picture, changing allegiances or dying, and years pass rapidly. Will Urdo's plans come to fruition, or will he ultimately be defeated by the crushing forces that stand against him?

The King's Peace is a very plot-driven book, and thus the characters take a back seat to the action. Sulien herself is a well-developed character, and since the book is told in first person, you get to see a lot of her views on things. Sulien is a no-nonsense soldier, a woman who is capable of laughing but usually is very serious. What happened to her will always affect how she feels, and one of those feelings is that she will never marry. She is capable of being very good friends with a man, but she can't even bear the thought of lying with one. Urdo is also well-defined, though his characterization is coloured a bit by Sulien's impressions of him. He's very intense and goal-driven, and he's very good at carrying on through disappointment, such as when a trusted person leaves his service. He also has a very nice sense of humour, which he is able to share with Sulien. The rest of the characters are fairly two-dimensional, fulfilling their plot roles well but not really standing out.

Thankfully, that's not important because this is a book of nation-building. That's the fascinating aspect of it. The similarities to the King Arthur story are very striking, but there are some differences that make it interesting. Most strikingly, there is complete gender equality I this world. Women fight at the side of men with no qualms whatsoever. The fact that Sulien takes the "Lancelot" role in the tale demonstrates this vividly. Hopefully she won't share his fate. Walton tells the tale in a very epic fashion, travelling all over the countryside fighting, policing, and the like. I have to admire her treatment of religion in this book, with "pagan" gods as well as the "White God" being worshipped. There is great tension between the two sides on this issue, and it's portrayed very well.

The only problem with the plot is that sometimes years go by from one chapter to the next, and Sulien is left to summarize what happened. This makes it a bit imprersonal and threatens to destroy the reader's interest. Thankfully, the last section of the book doesn't fall into this trap, thus the conclusion is very tense and riveting. Unfortunately, it ends in a cliffhanger, meaning you have to read The King's Name to see what happens.

For fans of political fantasy, this book is a godsend. It definitely deserves a spot on any fantasy fan's shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Unfulfilled promise
Review: This book has two parts. Part one, though taking its time, has a good beginning and concludes with an epic battle. In between there are plenty of interesting characters and plenty of action. Part two, however, increasingly made me wonder "where is this going, is there going to be any action before the end of the book". It's true that the final 3 or so pages give a twist to the story, but they come too late.

One problem I have with this book is that the reader is deluged with names, names moreover in a strang language (Welsh?) so they don't stick in my memory. And right up to the last chapter the writer goes on introducing new peoples and heroes.

The bigger problem I have is with some of the characters. The main character is a strong woman, but I got squeamish realising how little she thinks about her son's she's given up to the monks. An assurance that "never a day goes by that I don't think of him" (paraphrased) is not enough if that comes once every 100 pages. Then there are Ulf and Conal. She comes to respect Ulf. Right. And that's enough to forget about that rape business, it seems. Conal sounds right from the start as the type she will come to love inspite of herself. His entry in the story is promising enough, but then he disappears, and it's never quite explained why she should hate him to begin with, or where he is off to after they first meet.

This book has the feel of a great story wanting to come out, but not quite succeeding.

Rating:
Summary: A present, not a puzzle. Buy this book right now.
Review: To attempt to decode this book for you (as at least one reviewer here has tried to do) in a review would be doing you a great disservice. I might as well tell you that Rosebud is a sled or that Soylent Green is people! This book must be read and experienced and enjoyed on its own, without outside prompting or decoding. Part of the joy of this book is figuring out where Jo Walton's world touches our own--but only a part.

"The King's Peace" is not some sort of puzzle to be solved. It's a present to be unwrapped, one intricate layer at a time.

Ever wish you had bought a first-edition book of the first novel of some author who went on to fame, fortune, and the cover of "Newsweek"? Yeah, me too. I won't promise that Jo Walton is the next Jo Rowling but you should buy this book, just in case. I eagerly await her next novel. Read "The King's Peace" and I promise that you will, too.

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Unlike most of the other people that reviewed this book, I wasn't sure if it was a historical recreation or not, I just read it because it looked good. I'm a real fan of all heroine fantasies, and this was one of the better ones I've read. This is a book of honor, fighting, pride, loss, and choices. I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn't wait to get back to it at the end of the day. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure books.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous fantasy!
Review: Urdo is King Arthur has he should have been....and might have been. Ms. Walton's expert handling of the time period, coupled with a terrific story, left me wanting more. Highly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: Unoriginal and Boring
Review: _The King's Peace_ is another one of those books that a number people seem to have truly enjoyed. I however, just can't grasp how they managed to do so as it left me so cold that I could barely manage to get through it. Reading it was a horrific chore and not one I would urge on anyone.

Told through the eyes of woman warrior Sulien ap Gwien, _The King's Peace_ is a part of the history of the "fictional" land of Tar Tanagiri during the reign of its King, Urdo. The King bears a striking and less than coincidental resemblance to the legendary Arthur and the land is remarkably similar in politics and history to 6th century Britain.

Now, I generally enjoy any and all re-imaginings of the "Matter of Britain." Unfortunately, _The King's Peace_ was less a re-imagining than it was a re-naming. Although the introduction specifically states "this is not our world or our history," there is nothing at all to differentiate Urdo and Tar Tanagiri from Arthur and Britain, aside from the names. Likewise, every detail is pulled directly from our world and simply renamed. The long-haired raiders are no longer Saxons, they're Jarns, and their god is not Odin but a remarkably similar one-eyed personage called Gangrader. The toga-wearing conquerers of former times are not Romans but Vincans, and their language, which consists entirely of Latin words, is Old Vincan. You have the Morgause Character and the Gawain Character, the Guinevere Character and the Lot Character, but no person or situation that is newly interpreted or that stands alone. I found this not only annoying but incredibly tiresome, as it contributed to the book's being predictable and one-dimensional. There was no spark to catch the imagination.

The main character and narrator is neither a deep nor subtle thinker. Content with being a soldier and having as little real responsibility as possible, she is one of those bluff and hearty souls who often appear as supporting characters in fantasy novels. The Captain of the Guard, the Master of Horse, the King's Father-in -Law. You know the type. They make really good supporting characters, but abysmal main characters because they have no real opinions or insights; in fact, they shy away from them wherever possible. This allows Sulien to undergo a brutal attack in the first chapter and never allow it to affect her thoughts or personality. It allows her to have unreasoning and inexplicable devotion to a king who is utterly devoid of personality. And it turns a 500-odd page novel into an excruciatingly boring chronicle of the details of feasts and battles without ever demanding that the characters develop or display any motivation for their actions beyond the obvious.

Read this book if you're looking for something long that never explores much of anything with depth or orginal insight. Otherwise giveit a miss -- unless you're looking for a cure for insomnia.

Rating:
Summary: Unoriginal and Boring
Review: _The King's Peace_ is another one of those books that a number people seem to have truly enjoyed. I however, just can't grasp how they managed to do so as it left me so cold that I could barely manage to get through it. Reading it was a horrific chore and not one I would urge on anyone.

Told through the eyes of woman warrior Sulien ap Gwien, _The King's Peace_ is a part of the history of the "fictional" land of Tar Tanagiri during the reign of its King, Urdo. The King bears a striking and less than coincidental resemblance to the legendary Arthur and the land is remarkably similar in politics and history to 6th century Britain.

Now, I generally enjoy any and all re-imaginings of the "Matter of Britain." Unfortunately, _The King's Peace_ was less a re-imagining than it was a re-naming. Although the introduction specifically states "this is not our world or our history," there is nothing at all to differentiate Urdo and Tar Tanagiri from Arthur and Britain, aside from the names. Likewise, every detail is pulled directly from our world and simply renamed. The long-haired raiders are no longer Saxons, they're Jarns, and their god is not Odin but a remarkably similar one-eyed personage called Gangrader. The toga-wearing conquerers of former times are not Romans but Vincans, and their language, which consists entirely of Latin words, is Old Vincan. You have the Morgause Character and the Gawain Character, the Guinevere Character and the Lot Character, but no person or situation that is newly interpreted or that stands alone. I found this not only annoying but incredibly tiresome, as it contributed to the book's being predictable and one-dimensional. There was no spark to catch the imagination.

The main character and narrator is neither a deep nor subtle thinker. Content with being a soldier and having as little real responsibility as possible, she is one of those bluff and hearty souls who often appear as supporting characters in fantasy novels. The Captain of the Guard, the Master of Horse, the King's Father-in -Law. You know the type. They make really good supporting characters, but abysmal main characters because they have no real opinions or insights; in fact, they shy away from them wherever possible. This allows Sulien to undergo a brutal attack in the first chapter and never allow it to affect her thoughts or personality. It allows her to have unreasoning and inexplicable devotion to a king who is utterly devoid of personality. And it turns a 500-odd page novel into an excruciatingly boring chronicle of the details of feasts and battles without ever demanding that the characters develop or display any motivation for their actions beyond the obvious.

Read this book if you're looking for something long that never explores much of anything with depth or orginal insight. Otherwise giveit a miss -- unless you're looking for a cure for insomnia.